Ugh... colds suck. I do not recommend. Enjoy the chapter! ~KB

Disclaimer: I don't own KH, it belongs to Nomura. And Naruto is Kishimoto's ;)

Ch 10: The Mission

Everything had fallen silent in Master Eraqus' office. Manami couldn't hear any signs of a struggle. In fact, she couldn't hear anything.

Oh no, she thought morbidly.

"MASTER ERAQUS!" she shouted. Giving it one final go, Manami kicked the door with all her might and managed to knock it off its hinges.

Manami ran inside the office and took in the scene. Everything was disoriented: papers strewn everywhere, scratch marks on the floor and walls, even the desk was split in half! Manami saw no sign of Master Xehanort anywhere but Master Eraqus was lying crumpled on the ground, his face hidden.

Rushing to her master's side, Manami knelt down beside him.

"Master?" she asked, her voice laced with worry. Eraqus groaned and looked up, a hand covering his right eye.

"Manami," he said sitting up, "what are you doing here?"

"I heard shouting," she replied, "so I came to see what was wrong. I discovered you and Master Xehanort in the middle of a shouting match and next thing I know, you both are fighting and I'm locked outside!"

Master Eraqus nodded his head slowly. He moved to get up and Manami threw his left arm over her shoulder. As much as she wanted to ask questions, Manami knew now was not the time. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and walked Master Eraqus down to the infirmary.

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Later that evening, Manami was called down to the infirmary. She had spent the afternoon walking the hallways to calm her nerves when one of the nurses finally found her. To say Manami was a little riled up was an understatement. Once again, she was useless to help her master when he needed it.

Arriving at her destination in the lower division of the tower, Manami knocked on the door and was let in by one of the nurses. Stepping inside, Manami shut the door behind her and bowed to each of the nurses. Master Eraqus sat on the edge of a cot as the nurses fussed over him.

Manami stood patiently in a corner as she waited for her master to be finished. Once the nurses were satisfied with their work, they each bowed respectively before leaving the room. Manami grabbed a chair and sat in front of Master Eraqus. She noted the stitches along his left cheek and down his right eye. A black patch coved the injured eye as well.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine," he replied gruffly, "just a bit sore."

Manami grimaced at his response. Master Eraqus was clearly not fine.

She leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees. "Sir, with all due respect, what happened?"

Master Eraqus stared at her for a moment and sighed. "I suppose I can't avoid it. Not to mention with everything that happened at the meeting-"

"What happened at the meeting?" Manami asked.

"I'll get to that in a moment. First, the fight." Eraqus responded. "I asked Xehanort to come to my office so we could discuss the meeting at the Disney Castle. When he arrived I asked how your training went."

Manami visibly stiffened at the mention of her training.

"Xehanort said it went well," he continued, "when I asked how he decided to train you Xehanort's expression darkened immediately. Every time I tried to ask what he did, Xehanort would avoid giving a direct answer. Finally I told him that I knew he was summoning Heartless." Manami saw Eraqus grip the bedsheets and shifted her chair closer.

"Xehanort- he said it was necessary to improve your training. All of a sudden we're in a heated argument over the Darkness and Light and he confesses that he used the Corridor of Darkness to bring them here."

I knew it! Manami thought. "What happened next?" she urged.

"I told him it was dangerous and shouldn't be used. Xehanort kept rambling on about how the Darkness shouldn't be feared, but controlled."

"That's right about the time I arrived outside, I think." Manami thought aloud.

A small grin appeared in the corner of Master Eraqus' lips. "I thought so."

Manami looked at her master wide eyed. "You knew I was there?!"

"I felt a familiar presence," he replied. "I guessed it was yours. Most people would normally flee when two Keyblade Masters are in the middle of a quarrel."

"Wait a minute," Manami interrupted, "you knew I was outside. Does that mean you shut the door on me?! I could've helped! I could have fought beside you!"

Master Eraqus shook his head, "It was not your fight, it was mine. I didn't want you to get hurt. Not to mention, how would you have fought? Presently, you still can't summon a Keyblade."

Manami felt like Master Eraqus stabbed her in heart. It was one thing that he didn't let her in to fight, it was another that he didn't let her fight because she couldn't summon a Keyblade. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as she whispered, "I would've thought of something. Even if I can't wield a Keyblade I can still fight!"

Eraqus saw the anger and determination in Manami's eyes.

"You're right," he replied softly, "but that doesn't change a thing. Even if you fought with your hands alone, I didn't want you to get hurt. As you can see, Xehanort is a formidable opponent." Eraqus motioned to the scars forming on his face. "I'd rather bear these scars than see you take the blow for me."

Manami stared at Master Eraqus in disbelief. He was- he was trying to protect me.

"Anyways," Eraqus continued, "after I obtained these and sent Xehanort flying across my office, he summoned a Corridor and disappeared. I dismissed my Keyblade and blacked out for a moment. That's when you bust down the door and came to my side. I'm grateful that you were able to help in the end."

"Of course!" Manami answered, "So, what happened at the meeting?"

Master Eraqus gave a hearty laugh. "Eager as ever I see."

Manami blushed lightly as Eraqus continued, "To put it simply, there has been a slight increase in Heartless sightings and-" he paused briefly, "There's a new world."

"A new world!" Manami exclaimed.

"Yeah," Eraqus confirmed, "a new world. This one is called Land of Fire. Not much is known about it except that it's heavily forested and they have elite warriors. In fact, I discussed it with the council and we agreed that you are to do a recon mission to learn more about the Land of Fire."

Manami's jaw hit the floor. They- they want me to-

"But what about my Keyblade? Can I still do the mission without it?" she asked.

Master Eraqus pondered this for a moment before replying, "You have a point, but it is just a recon mission. Our sensors didn't detect anything so you should be safe just scouting the area. But keep your guard up just in case."

Manami jumped out of her chair and hugged Master Eraqus. A bit surprised by her sudden actions, Master Eraqus hesitated for a moment before grinning and patted her on the back.

"Thank you so much Master!" she said pulling away. "I promise I won't let you down!"

Master Eraqus chuckled. "I know you won't Manami. You never have." he said, patting her on the shoulder. "You never have."

FIN

FINALLY! Manami finally gets to go to the Land of Fire! *does happy dance* Next chapter...
But she's going, nonetheless. See you next time! ~KunoichiBlade