White Knight: Twenty Nine :Little Bird

There was silence. Tears ran down Aqua's cheeks before she had the chance to brush them away. She stared at the glint in her metal shoes, and listened to the absolute silence, her hand still firmly gripping Terra's for dear life. Her Master looked at her, confused at first, and then, very slowly, his face hardened. Aqua squeezed Terra's hand, and felt the need to go hide again. She wanted to run. Run, and run… There was nothing she could do.

Finally, he spoke. "Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Riku. Go to your rooms."

The silence was deafening.

"But, Master, I don't have a room here." This was Riku, of course, pointing out the obvious.

"Go to Sora's room, then." Her Master commanded. "Go."

"Can we all go to Sora's room?" This was Kairi.

"If you please, you may. Now leave." Her Master's voice was strained, carefully removing any emotions. Aqua squeezed Terra's hand tighter, biting her tongue to keep herself from sobbing.

There were quiet foot steps. It was obvious the four were leaving, confusion probably settling in their brains. After the four students entered the mansion, they were greeted with silence again. The Master was probably listening for signs of his students moving around near the door. Then, finally he sighed. A worn, tired, and almost relieved sigh. "Alright," he said quietly. "Follow me." And with that, he turned, walking up the mansion's steps, and opened the door. Aqua stayed still, still unsure of what to do. Her face was cold from the tears that were frozen on her cheeks. She stared at the opened door, and swallowed as the Master disappeared through it. She spun around to face Terra, her eyes wide. "Don't leave me." She said, her voice sounding almost threatening. She said it again through gritted teeth. "Don't you dare leave me."

Terra stared at her, and shook his head. "I won't, I swear." He said, squeezing her hand, and giving her a tiny smile of reassurance. "I would never leave you." Aqua calmed slightly at his words, closing her eyes. Terra gently pulled her toward the steps. "I don't know if I want to know what this is about…" Terra said with a small chuckle. Aqua managed to smile slightly. "It would hurt your head." She whispered. Terra didn't question further.

They entered the Mansion, and spotted the Master standing in the hall, waiting. Slowly, he turned, and continued down the hall. Terra and Aqua stood in the doorway, unsure, before following him. Terra recognized this hall from the small amount of time he spent imprisoned here. Aqua was stiff at his side, memories replaying over and over in her head.

She rushed down the hall, blue skirt afloat as she skidded to a stop-

The rain was pouring down on the stain glass window in the hall, and Aqua felt the depression begin to sink in-

She stood in the hall, tracing the patterns on a window. "The marionette couldn't live-"

She shook her head, desperate to clear it of this dreadful memories. Her Master stopped at a large door, and slowly, he opened it. He slipped into the room with Aqua and Terra in tow, and the door slammed shut behind them, making Aqua squeak a little in terror.

It was a large room, almost like a ballroom, with a large stain glass window not unlike the ones in the hall, and three chairs residing in the far back. Aqua remembered this room as well.

"Master!" She gasped, tripping over herself to reach him. He turned, and this time, she saw a man behind him. A familiar, bald man.

Aqua drifted back to the present, not sure if that part of the memory was real or not. She looked up, and watched her Master collapse in one of the chairs in the back, while Terra began to comb the hair out of her face, and eyes, and wipe the tears from her cheeks. She sniffled, and silently thanked the Lord that she had Terra. Because Terra would be the only person who would do this for her. For Ven, it was she who fixed his hair, and wiped his tears… she never thought about him being able to do the same. But now that she thought about it, she had always tried very hard not to cry in front of Ven. It upset him.

Terra's hand was still tightly interlocked with her own. It was warm considering the frigid temperature, and she swallowed, looking up at her Master. His face was now completely weary, making him look years older than he really was. Dark eyes staring both Aqua and Terra down, examining them.

There was still absolute silence. Aqua felt close to crying again, and Terra didn't know what was going on. So it was up to the Master. He sighed finally, and sat up straighter.

"This was unexpected," he said shortly, his eyes flitting from Aqua, to Terra, then back. Aqua nodded stiffly. Her Master took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "I… thought the worst, of course… I suppose it's human nature…"

Aqua spoke, her voice cracking from the tears. "Thought the worst of me? Or what became of me?" Terra looked down at her curiously.

Her Master looked away. "Both." He said quietly. "I knew… there was a chance you might have survived… but there was no telling." He closed his eyes, and leaned his head back. "I should've gone looking for you. I'm so sorry."

Aqua stared at him. More tears welled in her eyes, and she shook her head furiously. "It's not your fault!" She gasped, almost angry. The tears dripped over her eyelashes, and settled onto her cheeks. "I'm the one that has to apologize. I was stupid. That's how it always was. I was stupid, and…" She swallowed. "And…"

"It's no excuse!" Her Master snapped, standing. Aqua shrunk back, and Terra pulled her back to his side. He turned back to Master Eraqus, frowning. His confusion was getting worse and worse. "You were just a child. A child that was my responsibility. If I had kept a better eye on you…" Her Master's fists clenched. He turned away.

Aqua had nothing to add to this. Sadly, he was completely right. She couldn't think of anything else to drag the blame over to herself. So she stood, and stared. Tears didn't cease to run down her cheeks, and she looked down, trying to think of something to make him feel less guilty.

Finally Terra spoke up. "Um… I don't mean to break up the blame thing, but I'm really lost."

Aqua stared at him, noticing his completely vacant expression, and giggled a little. He looked down at her, and smiled, although he knew she was laughing at his expense.

Aqua's Master looked back at him. He frowned. "You never told him?" He asked, walking off the platform. Aqua swallowed, and looked down. "I…" She said. "I only just remembered the last time I came here. I didn't want to tell anyone about it."

Her Master's eyebrows raised. "Just remembered?" He repeated. "Only just? How did you forget?"

"I…" She flushed and looked down. "I put a spell on myself, I think. When I was six. So I'd forget about the Light Region… and everyone in it."

"Why would you do such a thing?" Her Master asked, staring at her. "How did you do such a thing?"

Aqua chewed on her lips, and brought her hands up to her face so she was cupping her nose and mouth. "I… wanted to forget."

Eraqus stared at her. He frowned, and closed his eyes, turning away again. "I see…" He muttered.

Aqua gasped, and shook her head. "No! It wasn't that I wasn't happy here or anything! Of course I was happy here! I… I just really thought I was never coming back. And I don't even think I meant to do it, either. It just happened."

Eraqus looked at her. "You cast a spell on yourself and didn't realize it?"

"I forgot." She whispered.

He sighed, and Aqua closed her eyes, squeezing them shut. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "I'm so, so sorry, Master."

"It was my fault." He said. "All of it. You hold no blame."

"That's just what Xehanort wants you to think, though, isn't it?" Aqua murmured. "He takes these good things, and warps them into unhappy memories. And you let him do this!" Tears still ran freely down her cheeks. "Why?"

Eraqus turned completely around, and walked towards her and Terra. Her eyes widened, and she squeezed Terra's hand, but he did not let go. He edged a little closer to her side. Eraqus stood a few feet away, looking obviously tired. "How is your life in the Dark Region?" He asked, looking between Terra and Aqua. "Did Xehanort ever hurt you?"

There was silence. The only movement were Aqua and Terra's eyes as the glanced at each other, sharing the same though.

Uh, yeah he did.

"He…" Aqua coughed slightly, her throat raw. "He might've… hurt me. Once."

Eraqus's rage was not seen in his features, but the duo could feel it radiating off him. "What did he do?" He asked in an emotionless voice.

"He stabbed her." Terra said, making Aqua look at him sharply. "Because of me. That was my fault."

"No it wasn't," Aqua whispered.

"Yes it was," Terra continued. "He stabbed her because he saw me hugging her. He thought I had gotten too attached, so he decided to get rid of the problem. It was my fault."

Eraqus looked at Terra, and frowned. "He attacked her because you hugged her?" He murmured. "He's lost his mind."

Terra managed to smile a little. "Tell me about it."

Aqua stifled a giggled, and smiled as well. Eraqus looked at her. "Why did you run?"

Aqua stiffened immediately. She had seen this one coming, but still. "I was scared." She whispered.

"Scared of me, or scared of your past?"

"Both?"

Eraqus sighed. Terra stared, slowly piecing together what was going on in his head. "Aqua…" He said slowly. "You lived here?"

Aqua froze, and looked up at him. She nodded, and looked down. "For two years. I think." She looked at her Master, frowning. He nodded. "Two years. Almost three."

"Master," Aqua said tentatively. "Kairi doesn't know who I am."

Eraqus stiffened. Terra looked curiously between the two. "Kairi was here when you were?" He asked, looking down at Aqua.

Aqua smiled slightly. "Something like that." She murmured, looking down at her hands.

"I never told Kairi about you." Eraqus said quietly. Aqua looked up, feeling a little hurt.

"Why?" She whispered. "Why… but she-"

"It was for my own vain reasons that I did not tell her, Aqua." Eraqus said slowly. "I… like you… wanted to forget my past. I forbade her from going into your room, and only spoke of you when I gave warnings about the wall- which was rebuilt after you were… apprehended, if you hadn't notice."

"I kind of did today." Aqua said quietly. "There's a hole in the Dark Region wall. That was the same hole that was made when the wall got blown up for me, right?"

Eraqus frowned. "Yes. That was when skirmishes began to erupt. We built an entirely different wall to keep the Dark Region out. But, obviously, it doesn't work very well."

"No, it really doesn't." Aqua sighed, wiping the tears from her face. "Um… about Ven…"

"Ah," Eraqus smiled at this. "Ventus. I take it you're friend of his?"

"Yes." Terra said. "And I'm just going to ignore how confused I am for the purpose of figuring Ven out. Why doesn't he remember Roxas? Or growing up here?"

Eraqus stared at him, blinking slowly. "I'm sorry, Terra. I do not know."

"I do," Aqua said quietly. Both her Master and her friend turned to look at her, surprised. She looked up. "He got amnesia from being frozen so long. But that doesn't explain what happened to his Keyblade."

"Keyblade?" Terra repeated, looking at Aqua with wide eyes. "What?"

"Roxas has Ventus's Keyblade." Master Eraqus said, as if it were completely obvious. "He sometimes switches with Sora for duel wielding. They're the only Keyblade wielders I know of to achieve this. Roxas and Sora switch every so often, though respectively Wayward Wind comes to Roxas when called, and Oathkeeper comes to Sora. Wayward Wind was Ventus's."

The teens were silent, letting this information sink in. Terra spoke first. "Why does Roxas have it and not Ven?"

"It sensed it was a threat to Ventus's life, I suppose, and relinquished its rights to Roxas. The four of us thought it was a sign of his death, until Riku came along. But he only passed on Ventus's arrangement to me."

"Can Ven's Keyblade go back to him?"

"Yes. If he seeks it, he will find it."

"Let's not tell him about it then…" Terra muttered. "He still doesn't even know what we do on missions."

"What you did," Aqua corrected.

"No excuse."

Another question stirred in Aqua's mind. She looked down, and took a deep breath. "I heard a healer say Kairi has a condition." She said quietly. "Night terror disorder. Why… no. Just why." She looked up at her Master, her gaze hardening.

Eraqus flinched, and turned away. "I am sorry, Aqua."

"Why?" Aqua felt like she could seethe with anger, but now she just wanted to know. "What happened?"

"You weren't the only one taken by Xehanort, Aqua." Eraqus said quietly. He turned towards her, his dark eyes making him look centuries old. "It so happens you were the only one he managed not to break."

His words hung in the air, whirling around their heads in whispers. You were the only one he didn't break, you were the only one he didn't break. Aqua was horrified, scenarios running through her brain continuously. This couldn't be right. This… was…

"Break?" Aqua whispered. "Break?"

Eraqus breathed in deeply. "He kidnapped Kairi first. When she was eight. We still don't know exactly what he did to her, but something snapped in her mind, and he sent her back here. He left her on the doorstep in all honesty, screaming and crying, and trying to rip her hair out." Eraqus looked solemn, and ready to sit down.

"Sound familiar?" Terra said under his breath. Aqua elbowed him.

"She's okay now, though, right?"

Eraqus frowned. "You could say that." He looked up at the stain glass window. "But all the same, she has night terrors. Not as often as before, but still often enough."

Aqua was silent, trying to think of something else Yuna said. She looked up. "What about Sora?"

Eraqus's lip twitched. "Yes," he said quietly. "What about Sora?"

"Wait," Terra said, obviously confused again. "What about Sora?"

"Sora was kidnapped when he was twelve." Eraqus said quietly. "He was also given back to me on the verge of insanity. He tried to kill me. Numerous times."

"Sora?" Terra asked, his eyes widening. "Sora, Sora? But… he's…"

"The happiest boy you'll find, yes." Eraqus closed his eyes. "He is… in a strange predicament. He rarely ever slips into these homicidal rages, but when he does he won't remember it."

"Did he ever hurt anyone?" Aqua asked, horrified. The happy-go-lucky boy she had just met… he could become just as murderous as Vanitas. That thought scared her.

"No." Eraqus said shortly. "I consider whatever takes over Sora a thing. It isn't very intelligent, because it never calls forth the Keyblade. It's just rage. Usually we can keep him out of trouble. Kairi doesn't even know about it."

"Good…" Aqua murmured. "That's good. At least he's not… really crazy."

Eraqus gave her a tired smile. He stared at her, the smile slowly falling from his face. "You grew up."

Aqua smiled a little. Terra coughed. "It happens to every one over time, you know." He said. Aqua looked at him.

"What?" He asked, blinking.

"You're handling this well." She observed.

Terra chuckled, and ruffled the back of his hair. "I'm seriously still waiting for it to fully sink in."

"That I'm from the Light Region?"

"That you didn't bother to tell me when you found out." At this point Terra was mocking a hurt expression.

"I thought about it," Aqua giggled. "But, no. I didn't bother, did I?"

Terra frowned. "I am very disappointed in you, Aqua."

She just smiled, and shook her head.


"Little bird, little bird…" The blonde whispered, rocking back and forth. "Little bird, little bird…"

Ven stared at her, his hopes dwindling with every 'little bird' uttered.

Naminé wasn't here anymore. She was trapped inside her own mind, left to whisper these tiny words over and over again.

Where was the girl he had befriended over a month before?


Yeah, bite on to that VenNami, because when Aqua and Terra get back, it's basically gonna be like this: Aqua talks to Vanitas, VanAqua, Party Time is Announced, TerraAqua AND VanAqua, Party Time, Xehanort Creeping... and THEN VenNami. And that will lead to the basic final events of the story.

And I thought this was going to be over soon. *Rolls eyes* I think I'll have at least three hundred reviews by the time I finish if I go at this rate!

So, updates will be slower. Sorry. I was looking for time ALL WEEK to write, but every day it was a headache preventing me from getting to my goal in NaNo, and it was AWFUL today I went to a write-in, and it saved me. Seriously. Three thousand words in two hours. That's an accomplishment. I got so ahead, when I came home I started writing this right away, and TA DA! The result. Well, no. I wrote this last week. The NEXT chapter I wrote today. So, yeah.

Little Bird is a refering to both Nami and Kairi. Not Aqua. If it was Aqua, it would be Bluebird. GOD, I love Phil, but he is SUCH A PERV. Wow. Almost done with Aqua's story though. Wish me luck, and watch me be cursing her final boss in the next chapter. XD

DROP A REVIEW IF YOU CAN! :D

Next Chapter: Debating the Truth (Not my finest names. And I feel like the chapter's a filler- at least I'm not rushing, though.)