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

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Chapter Nine

A Family Reunion

"This is where you live? This is where Bailey's from?" Selia stared up at the castle before her in awe.

"Yes," Ventus nodded. "This is where I met her; this is where I met them all."

It felt…strange being back here in this place. Ventus wasn't here for pleasures and so it held a looming feeling over him. Could he go through with this?

Selia knew that Ventus was at war with himself. He was going to need all the help that he could get and she would be the one to give it to him. She was still wounded form her previous fight with Vanitas but she had to be very strong for Ventus right now. She would never forgive herself if she wasn't. He was important to her; very important.

Ventus hung his head. Selia was still for a moment before placing a hand on his shoulder. She knew that this was hard. If what Xehanort had been saying was true, then this teen was about to find out something that was going to rip him apart.

"You just have to be strong," She told him. "If you need something, or reassurance, just remember that I'm here with you, Ventus." He looked up at her smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Selia, I…" He glanced away, hanging his head again. "If I…"

What was he trying to say?

"Ventus," Both turned to see that Eraqus was walking down the steps towards them. "Who is this? I thought Aqua would…"

"I'm Selia," The teen answered. "I'm a friend of Bailey's."

At the sound of his niece's name, there was a mixed look of shock, relief, and distress. "So, Yen Sid asked for her help after all, did he?" He looked like he wanted to say more but tossed it aside as he moved forward and grabbed Ventus' shoulders. "Well, what matters is that you're home. You don't belong outside this world yet. You need to stay here where you can learn-"

"In your prison?" Ventus' words cut the elder man off.

Eraqus removed his hands. "What?"

"That's your excuse…for keeping me imprisoned here, isn't it?" Ventus' voice was hard and full of anger. Selia just stood back and watched, not sure what else she could exactly do here.

Eraqus stared down at the boy. "What did you hear?"

Ventus jumped into a defensive stance. "That I'm supposed to be some weapon…some kind of 'X-blade'!"

At that moment, Selia wanted to hear this man laugh and ask what they were talking about. She wanted him to say that he had no idea nor heard of a 'X-blade' but from the look on his face her fear came true.

"I knew it. Xehanort-he could never let it go." He gave a sigh as he touched the scar on his face. "I failed. I had the chance to stop him and I couldn't do it. But I will not fail again!" He tossed his hand to the side and summoned forward a Keyblade. Selia instantly went of defense and grabbed her own blade.

"Master!" Ventus sounded shocked, taking steps back. "What are you…"

Eraqus wore a firm look. "The X-Blade has no place in this or any world. Xehanort has made his purpose clear…and I am left with no choice. Forgive me…but you must exist no more!" He fired up a shot.

"No!" Selia jumped in the way, deflecting it when her blade; She had trained enough times with Bailey to know how do to that, even extremely wounded. "I don't care of you are Bailey's uncle! If you try and lay a hand on Ventus I'll knock you back over and over!"

Eraqus shook his head. "Your will strong, child, but this has nothing to do with you. Back out now before you get hurt even more."

"I refuse!" Selia shook her head.

"Selia, just do it…" Ventus told her. "I…I don't want you hurt anymore."

"I won't!" She told him. "The number one teaching that Bailey passed to me was to protect hose important to you. If I am wounded in the process that means nothing as long as I can save them. I will protect you for as long as I can, Ventus, no matter what." She turned back to Eraqus. "That's what you should be doing, old man! Instead of trying to kill him, you should help us find a way to stop this!"

"You don't understand…" Eraqus shook his head. "It pains me, but I must eliminate you both then…" He charged up another attack.

"Selia! Ven!"

The attack was deflected again, except not by Selia this time.

"Terra!" Ventus cried in relief as the friend that new stood between Selia and Eraqus.

~Can I do this?~

Bailey's question to herself was soft. She and Terra had left that island with the boys and had seen a light heading towards the Land of Departure. Terra, thinking that it was Ventus, hurried after it. They had been right. Ventus and Selia both were now there in the world, standing before Eraqus. Terra immediately stopped his master's attack on Selia as Bailey took a quick look around.

She hadn't been here in four years. The memories of her childhood flooded her brain and as she turned to stare at the older man before the four teenagers, but heart ached; but not in sadness.

"I do not like it when people attack my friends, Uncle."

Eraqus stared at his niece in shock. She was still alive. She was okay…and stronger. A lot stronger. He could feel that she had changed; a lot. He often dreamed of being reunited with her but now…now was not the time for pleasantries.

"Terra! Bailey! I command both of you- step aside!"

"No!" Both growled.

"You will not heed your Master?"

"Master?" Bailey gave a snide grin. "You lost that title four years ago!" She raised her hand and summoned forth her Keyblade.

Eraqus watched as the darkness began to pour from his niece's body. She was ready for a serious fight. He looked like he was about to cry. "Why do all my attempts to reach you fail? If you don't have it in your heart to obey…then all three of you will have to share Ventus' fate." Pausing for a moment, Bailey watched as her Uncle ran forward before running out to join him.

Terra watched in silence as the duo fought. He wanted to help but he knew…knew that Bailey wanted to do this alone. This was one of her goals. This was one of her demons.

"Should…should we let her do this?" Selia's eyes were wide as she watched the fight. "She could really hurt him." And she doubted that Bailey would want that.

Apparently Ventus thought that too. "Enough. Terra! He's right! Stop her before it's too late! I-"

"Shut up!" Terra growled at his friend. "I…the two of us don't care. You're our friend, Ventus, and as long as we're friends, then nothing will ever harm you! Not even the Master!" He gave Selia a look. "And that goes for you, too."

Eraqus gave a grunt as he was knocked away from the fight. Staring up at Bailey, he watched as the shadows seeped back into his skin, leaving just the girl this time.

"Not what you were expecting, am I?" She asked. "Thought that I would just throw it all away, didn't you? Well, you were wrong!" She shook her head. "You said that the darkness was evil, that those who used it were evil, but I stand by what I said all those years ago, old man!"

Eraqus' eyes glazed over for a moment as her words came back to him. He didn't have to think hard; he replayed them almost every night.

"Light and darkness cannot be one without the other! You just can't see that and in the end, that will be why you fall!"

"You claim it to be evil but I only use this power when I have to. I use it to protect those close to me! I use it to protect Kairi and Kiera! Squall and Cloud, and Lucia and Cid and Renee! That entire kingdom means everything to me, all those people! How can the darkness be wrong when you use it for those you love and care about?" She shook her head. "Not everyone is a side of a coin, Uncle, but you were too caught up in your own thoughts and worries to see that. It was because of you that things got this bad! There are idiots and fools in this world that will play along to the lines of the book, like Maleficent or that Evil Queen or even that bastard Hades, but I write my own story. I do what I think is right and if I have to use the darkness to become strong enough to do it, I will do so!" She took a deep breath. "Just like my father did all those years ago." Bailey had learned everything that her father had done. He had tapped into his own darkness to protect her and her mother from strange creatures but the darkness had overtook him due to his refusal to learn to control it beforehand. "You riddled my father with fear of the darkness, Eraqus, but not me. I know I can control it. To control it…that is the true Mark of Mastery and I am the only one to hold it. Not you and not Xehanort! I can control them both and that it why I will win!" Eraqus was lost for words, staring at his niece with a strange face. Selia couldn't tell if it was aww or fear; maybe even both. "Terra," Bailey didn't remove her eyes from the elder man before her. "Get Selia and Ventus out of here."

"But, Bailey," Selia went to argue.

"You're wounded, Selia. Just go," She glanced and smiled at her friend. "I'll be right behind you to take care of your wounds, okay?"

Selia was silent for a moment before giving in with a sigh. "Alright."

Lifting up his Keyblade, Terra opened up a portal(this one was light) and shoved Ventus and Selia towards it. "Get out of here. You don't need to see this."

"Wait, Terra! Bailey!" Ventus reached for his friends but the portal closed on the two of them.

"Now," Bailey looked back to her uncle. "Shall we finish this?"

"I am sorry, brother," Eraqus slowly spoke aloud as he lifted his Keyblade again. "I tried…tried to teach her, to lead her away, but in the end it seems that I'm just not strong enough. Just like I had you, I failed her, too."

"Quit your whining, old man!" Bailey flew at him. "And face your judgement!"

Terra watched in awe. Never before had he seen such a serious battle. The Unversed villains served to be quite formidable, but with this new found power that Bailey wielded, this darkness she was using, he had never seen anything like this. She had kept it bottled inside this entire time, only letting him see it once at that castle. Had she truly mastered it? He had to believe it to be so.

Perhaps what Bailey had been trying to tell him had been true. That there were different side to the darkness, you just had to be strong enough to control it. Would he…would he ever become strong enough to control his? Would he become strong like her?

"This is all your fault!" With each word, Bailey's Keyblade smashed against Eraqus', her face full of anger and rage. "All of it! Father dying! Mother killing herself! It's because of you that I fought so hard to control this power! You turned me into this!" Her last blow stuck home, wounding her uncle as he was thrown away from her. Breathing hard, Bailey landed on her feet and moved towards the older man as he crawled backwards. Taking a gasp of air, her face of anger turned to one of sorrow and pain. "I…I would have used it for you too, Eraqus," Bailey felt the tears coming as she stared at her uncle. "I would have tried to protect you, too…until you tried to hurt my friends!" She scrubbed at her eyes. "I hated you. After you just let me go off like that…you didn't even try to look for me! None of you did! You just claimed that I had been taken by the darkness and you left me out there! I cursed you for all of it and swore that I would learn to control this darkness that you feared so much and I would use it against you. But now…now I forgive you, Uncle Eraqus. If you had searched for me, I never would have stayed in Radiant Garden. I never would have found Selia and Lucient or any of the other orphans or the Castle Guards. I never would have found Kiera and Kairi…I love them all. And it is because I love them that I would go through any lengths to protect them; even if it means using this darkness." She shook her head. "Xehanort is the enemy here, Uncle, and yet you fight us instead. Let go of your pride and admit you were wrong and help us bring a stop to the evil side of this all!"

Terra held his breath, watching in silence as the two of them only stared at each other. He was ready to move if the Master tried to attack again.

"What I said…my final words to you before you left, I shouldn't have spoken them. I reacted foolishly, Bailey, and I'm sorry." Eraqus smiled at her. "I just…I wanted to protect you. I didn't want to lose you like I had my brother. It appears that, perhaps, you are right. The Mark of Mastery, and my approval, are yours."

Bailey stared at her uncle before her tears finally completely broke through. Her Keyblade disappeared and all the essence of darkness disappeared from her body. She had waited her entire like to hear those words…

"I failed you…both of you…" Eraqus shook his head. "Perhaps I've no one to blame but myself for the darkness inside you. And now I've done worse. Raised my Keyblade against you both and Ventus. My own heart is darkness."

"Not going to give in, are you, you old codger," Bailey held her hand out. Eraqus looked at it for a moment before taking it and letting her help him up. She was silent for a moment before pulling her uncle into a hug. "I missed you."

Eraqus was surprised before hugging her back. "And I missed you."

To feel his arms around her again, she hadn't realized just how much she had missed in until now. Though the ordeal had been long and terrible, she finally had her family back; all of them.

"Ahh!"

His grunt made Bailey realize that something was wrong. His strength left and he fell, dragging her down with him. "Uncle? Uncle!" He gave her a makeshift smile before his body faded into light, his Keyblade landing beside her.

"Master Eraqus!" Terra cried, running forward. He tried not to cry but his feelings won in the end. Their Master…Eraqus was now dead.

Bailey stood there, shock clearly stilling her body. She…she had just got him back. She had just made amends with her Uncle and now…now he was gone! But…but why?!

"What a sight." Xehanort's voice made Bailey's anger rise. "Why do the two of you trouble yourself with remorse? The man was bent on doing harm to your friend, his own pupil!"

"Shut up, you bastard!" The girl growled at him. Him, he was the one who-

Xehanort turned with a sigh. "You know, at times like this, I find your progress quite striking. But you still fall short. You both should let all that anger out. Give your heart over to the darkness! And you, Bailey, you truly do show the marks of controlling the darkness but still you are too soft!"

Terra summoned his Keyblade. "What do you mean?"

"Still so blind." The old man turned to look at him again. "Then I will make you see. Come to the place where all Keyblade wielders leave their mark on fate-the Keyblade Graveyard! There you will watch your dear friends meet their ends and the last light within you will die!" Bailey watched as Xehanort created a vortex in the sky. "You won't need a home anymore where you're going!"

"He's going to destroy this world!" She told Terra as the old man disappeared in one of his dark portals. "We have to get out of here!"

"Right!" With him summoning up another portal, Bailey went to follow after Terra but she paused as her eyes landed on something at her feet. It was Eraqus' Keyblade, Master's Defender. Grabbing it, she felt a warmth pass through her body. She would get revenge for her uncle, using this.

Xehanort would pay for everything.

~There was a time when you

Loved til it was black and blue

Those pretty lies were so untrue

Guess I fooled you~

"Wait, Terra!"

"Bailey!" Selia and Ventus both tried to run back into the portal Terra had sent them through but it disappeared.

"No! They could get hurt! He's going to kill them! He's going to kill Bailey! Bailey!" Selia felt her eyes overflow in worry and grief over the fear of her friend's fate.

"Aww, does she mean that much to you?"

Turning, Selia saw Vanitas standing above them. Ventus glared at him. "We're done with you!" Grabbing Selia's hand, he began to lead her away. They were on a small island, alone with Vanitas, it seemed.

"Well, I'm just getting started with you," The masked boy grinned. "You're strong enough now to fulfill your purpose. So what are you waiting for? Join with me right here and now. You can even bring your girlfriend along; I won't mind at all. Become the X-Blade."

Ventus stopped moving, clenching his free hand. "No. I won't do it. He told me the only way the X-Blade can be forged is if you and me fight. Well guess what? I'm not fighting."

Vanitas stared at him. "You used to be too broken to talk back. Perhaps it has something to do with that girl at your side." Ventus then began to groan, clutching at his head.

"Ventus!" Selia grabbed him, trying to hold him up as he crunched over, moaning in pain. "What…what are you doing to him? Stop it! Please!"

"I'm not doing anything," Vanitas told her. "He's merely…remembering."

"Re-remembering?" She looked at him again. "Ventus…" She felt useless as his whimpering came to a stop.

Vanitas scoffed. "Fine. Then I'll give you a reason to fight."

Ventus turned to him again. "What?"

"Come and find me," Was his answer. "At the one and only place to spawn the X-Blade-the Keyblade Graveyard. There you're gonna see me choke the life out of Terra and Bailey and Aqua and that other boy. And if you don't show up, I'll hunt you down until I do the same to her," He pointed at Selia. "Then we'll see how long you play the pacifist." He turned and disappeared through another of his portals.

"Ventus, we have to go!" Selia instantly told the boy beside. "If Bailey and the others are lured to the Graveyard then we have to go after them! We can't let them face Vanitas and Xehanort alone!"

"I…I know that but…I…I want you to stay here, Selia." Ventus told her.

She blinked. "What?"

"Your last battle with Vanitas was intense. You were hurt. I…I don't want you to get hurt again. If something were to happen to you…I would never forgive myself. Vanitas…he's a part of me. He wants you, I can feel it. If you go, then I could lose you."

Selia was speechless for a moment before a smile spread across her face. She grabbed Ventus' hand. "Whatever he is, he's not you, Ventus. Even if he did come out of you, that doesn't make him you. He's not the kind, caring boy that I know and care about. I refuse to believe that you have any darkness in you, before or after what Xehanort did to you. I understand that you're scared, I'd be lying to say that I wasn't too, but there is no way that I am going to stay behind while the rest of you fight. What kind of warrior would I be?" She clutched his hand tighter. "So toughen up, but on your battle face, and let's go finish this. After it's all over, I'll take you back with me to Radiant Garden and turn you into a Castle Guard like you want, okay?"

Giving a smile, Ventus leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. "As long as you're my partner."

Selia blushed as a huge smile spread across her face. "I'm sure Lucient won't mind."

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