CHAPTER 26: XION

The site was horrible. I came down the stairs to see the aftermath of multiple explosions, and the unconscious Vanitas and Kedrex, covered in blood. At the entrance of the hall was a cloaked figure and an old man, who I assumed was Xehanort. He was actually smiling at the scene of disaster. "You," I snarled. I understood the anger Vani felt every time he so much as thought about him. I summoned my keyblade and lunged at him, but was stopped by another Keyblade. Its guard reminded me of a green block looking oathkeeper guard, and the rest of the blade was long and bronze. The wielder had no trouble holding me off. His strength far outweighed my own, but he was fast enough to actually hit me. "Who's the lacky this time Xehanort? Xigbar, younger you, Ansem, Xemnas, or Saix?"

I leapt forward in a stabbing motion, but my blade was redirected upwards. I didn't hit my target, but I did manage to snag the hood and pull it up. After regaining my footing, I turned to my opponent. The face was one I recognized all too well, but it looked more like a young adult. It was definitely Xemnas's face but much much younger. "This, my dear girl, is Terra," Xehanort answered. This was Terra? "Hold this young lady off until I return." With that he started to walk past me. Every time I tried to stop him, Terra made sure to have me focused on him.

Terra's attacks were strong, but I was too fast for him to hit me. I played that to my advantage. Dodging left and right effortlessly. He stabbed at me, but I jumped out of the way, causing him to fly right past me. When I turned around he was gone. He hadn't left though. I could still sense him nearby. I kept looking but found nothing. "Where are you Terra?"

"Look out," I heard someone scream. Next thing I knew, Kedrex tackled me to the ground. When he did I noticed that the spot I was just standing in had a giant hand of darkness coming out of it. What in the world? "GAH!" Kedrex saved me, but in the condition he was in it was a miracle he was even moving. "Careful... He can... attack... from the ground. It's how... he beat me."

Terra returned from the ground, eyes glowing yellow with a demented smile on them. "You'll be good prey," he said creep like. He was planning to use surprise attacks to beat me, so my only chance to win is through countering. I decided to play his game. I raised my left hand, and with it taunted him. His smile grew more wicked and he disappeared into the ground again. I moved away from Kedrex to keep him out of Terra's attack radius. I waited and waited. Nothing came until I heard something crash into the ceiling. I looked behind me and saw Vanitas falling from an impression in the ceiling. He wasn't just targeting me! He was attacking anything that could throw me off guard. I ran over and caught Vanitas just before he hit the ground.

"It's no good Xion," Kedrex said. "As long as he and I are here, he come after you through Vanitas and I. I'll take him and get out of here. Once I get him somewhere safe, I'm coming back to finish this."

"No," I said. "You won't be able to help me in your current state. I'll handle this alone."

"Then you'd better do so before I get back." He then put Vanitas over his shoulder and lifted his keyblade. "Take it. I'll be back soon, but just incase, I think it'll help if you've got an edge." I hesitantly took his blade. The only other time I had used someone else's keyblade was when I borrowed Roxas's. Nodded my head, and he took Vanitas away.

I turned to face Terra with fear in my heart. I lunged slashing with both blades. He ducked down and I flew over him. Spinning I managed to turn around slashing left and right, with him dodging left and right. Stab. Slash. No matter how vicious my attacks were he could dodge them too. I swung horizontally, left, at his head he ducked down, then when I fully finished spinning around I brought the right blade down towards his head. It wasn't a perfect hit, but even though he dodged it, I still managed to graze his right shoulder. He then performed a stab towards my stomach, which bounced off due to my Mythril armor underneath my clothes. I then brought my knee up and landed a blow on his face. He stumbled to regain ground after a surprise attack like that.

This is going on too long, I thought to myself. Xehanort may already have the books regarding everything about me. He may not have known exactly what I look like, but if he reads the most recent volume, he'll know I'm down here fight with Terra. I needed to end this now. But this is one of Xehanort's victims. Can I really kill him, knowing that there might be a chance of him still being in there? What if there's a chance of saving him and by doing this I ruin his chance for a future?

Terra charged at me, launching Dark Firaga from his free hand. I blocked effortlessly with Kedrex's keyblade, preparing to parry whatever attack he threw at me. He then dashed forward, slashing horizontally as he did. I ducked and hand an idea. I used the teeth from Kedrex's keyblade that resembled a sharp hook to latch on to Terra keyblade. As a result I was pulled in his direction. I then used my own keyblade to sweep his legs out from under him, causing him to fall on his back. The next thing I did was bring my foot down on his stomach in a chop like motion. This caused him to scream in pain and clutch his stomach as the pain rushed through him.

For that brief moment I relished in my victory, until I felt like collapsing. It had been over a month since my last fight and my body was clearly not ready for a fight like this. My adrenaline kept me going when I was in motion, now it was causing me to lose control of my breathing. Suddenly flashes of my fight with Xemnas were rushing into my head like a freight train. I could feel my heart racing. Cold sweat running down my face. My eyes had to be wider than they'd ever been. The images kept running.

The pain. The fear. The fall. It was becoming too much. I lost my grip on both Keyblades. "Not a pleasant feeling is it," Xehanort said coming from the upper floor holding the books that held my name. "Dealing with that face in battle after your last fight, mixed with your slightly degraded muscles. Your reaction was bound to be strong. Whether it was from a physical stand point, or a psychological one."

I was falling apart right in front of my enemies. I couldn't even stand up on my own two feet. I couldn't gather my thoughts together enough to calm down. Everything Xemnas did to me came rushing in. The fight, the torture, the manipulation. I could feel the world starting to crumble around me. Madness was setting in. I could feel it all slipping away.

My mind was snapped back into the real world when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Kedrex kneeling next to me, completely fine. His injuries had vanished. "It's okay Xion," he said comfortably. He then handed me a vial. "Take it. It's a powerful Elixir." He then took his keyblade from the ground, and gave Xehanort the face of death. "Xehanort, drop the books. Do it or you'll face the full wrath of a guardian." The air felt thin. I could feel the massive power surrounding me. "You have 3 seconds. 1." Xehanort smirked at him. "2." Keyblade raised. "3!" Kedrex launched himself in and stab him right through the head. But it was a fake. Xehanort was already gone. I looked around and saw that Terra was gone too. He must've escaped when I was having my panic attack. "You okay," Kedrex asked, extending his hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered as he helped me up. "Listen. Please don't tell Vanitas about what just happened to me. I don't want him to worry." He rest his hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring nod. "Thank you."

We headed through the library to the infirmary. It was a horrible site. Soldiers everywhere. Some of them with broken limbs. Others completely unconscious. "We were lucky," Kedrex commented. "Many of us were badly injured, but not a single fatality. Xehanort brought all 11 of his vessels. We weren't expecting as much of an attack force as what we dealt with. We weren't ready." I felt guilty. He was here because of me. He want my books. "In all honesty, I think we should be thanking you." Wait... What? "Vanitas at least gave us a warning, giving us time to prepare for the fight. If they had got in without that warning, it could've been a blood bath. So thank you for saving us." I smiled with a very likely red face. What? I'm feeling a small sense of pride. "And now I can return the favor. Xehanort took your books." He raised his right arm and pulled back the sleeve, revealing that the guardian mark he had earlier was gone. "I'm free to leave, until I find and retrieve your chronicles. Looks like I'm helping you guys after all."

Hours went by. Kedrex told me that Vanitas would be out for a while. When next I saw him, he had a bag over his shoulder. "What's in the bag," I asked.

"Medical supplies," he answered, "as well as some food. You'll need it in the dark realm."

"You're not coming with us?"

"You won't need me where you're going. Don't worry. You'll see me again."

"I hope it's soon," I heard Vanitas say from behind us. I immediately ran over and wrapped my arms around him. "OW OW OW!"

"Sorry," I blurted, loosening my death grip on him. "Are you okay?"

"Aside from being blown up by my own traps? Yeah I'm fine." He then embraced me warmly. "I heard you held your own against a dark seeker. I'm impressed."

"She did more than just hold her own," Kedrex added. "She completely beat him." I knew I was blushing again. I could feel the pride coming from Vanitas. "Listen Vanitas. When you find Aqua, she won't be particularly happy to see you. I'd advise not letting her know who you are until time has passed, and she's gotten to know the new you." If I can't call him by his name, then what should I call him? Bob?

"I'll take that under advisement," Vanitas said. "Thank you, Kedrex."

"Well I'm off! Take care you two!"

We soon left in the gummi ship. It had been damaged during the attack, but was easily repaired by some one the men that weren't injured in the fight. So much had happened today. And I can never tell Vanitas about my breakdown. He worries enough about me as it is, and he's got enough on his mind regarding this whole dark seeker and Aqua stuff. When all of this is over, then I'll tell him. But until then, as much as it kills me to lie to him, I'll have to keep him in the dark.

A/N: AAAAHHHH! THIS CHAPTER IS SO SHORT AND IT TOOK SO LONG! DISCRACEFUL! I know it's been a while. Thank you for waiting patiently. I want to make more chapters, and with the Christmas break coming up I should be able to bring more to the table. If there isn't a new chapter out before holiday times, then HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL FANS! Thanks for reading and being here. As always, feel free to light up that review box!