Invention of darkness

Panting, Vanitas hovered off the ground. His clothes flashed silver and power pounded like hot fire in his veins. Void Gear floated behind him and with Two Become One fisted in both hands, he darted for the heartless and hissed when he missed.

The monster cleft the earth. It parted like a stream and pointed monoliths erupted from the ground, honing on Vanitas who weaved through them. One stone tip lunged for him and he lopped it off, his keyblade passing like scissors gliding through paper.

Stupid, sneering brat!

He fired a barrage of dark spheres, obliterating parts of the giant heartless. Not so easy when he faced against the Sea Queen, perfectly protected in a transparent bubble woven from the toughest magic Vanitas ever faced.

The frost burns on his legs climbed higher than expected, leaving darkened streaks on his thighs. His bones ached. When they returned home, in the middle of the night, Sora swapped sleep in favor for work, fuelled by energy drinks from the fridge.

"Why are you so adamant to prove Xemnas' innocence?" Vanitas growled, hugging a plush toy and sitting cross-legged on Sora's bed. "He wanted you dead. There is something freaking wrong with you if you think he's innocent."

Finding Ventus, sweet, sunshine Ven as the perpetrator who so aptly murdered not one, but two of the Organization XIII's managers, killed something in his brother. Sora muttered and chewed his thumb, gaze fixed earnestly on Xemnas' flimsy alibi.

Dodging a laser from the monster, Vanitas wiped sweat from his brow and checked an old fashioned stop-watch he carried around these days. Two hours. He could maintain the Final Drive Form for one hour in peak condition, after two hours, darkness pecked his vision.

"I believe in my clients," Sora mumbled.

"Well I believe you are crazy to lose sleep over him," Vanitas retorted and tossed a pillow at his brother.

Rescuing his papers from crumpling under the pillow, Sora consulted them. "I can't explain. It's like... I don't think he'd ever destroy his company. There is something sad about him. Xemnas is like a pit of nothing. At least, I want to try my best to get him the non-guilty verdict." Sora's eyes glittered determinedly in the dim light of the bedroom. "I will get him the verdict!" he clenched his fist. "My pride as an attorney is on the line. I don't want to lose my first case against prosecutor Edgeworth."

The monster's sword whistled over his head, the flames from it searing his skin. Vanitas' hands shook. His chest pumped like bellows. Sensing his limits, Donald and Goofy separated; he drifted gently to the floor.

Devising a strategy on the scarred plain while the heartless raged thunder and ice, the trio bumped their fists together and scattered before a thick pillar of lightning lashed on them. Keyblade in hand, Vanitas charged across the field, a defensive glow across his materializing body suit. Goofy appeared out of nowhere to brace against an unexpected combination of extremely quick attacks. The anthropomorphic dog spun out of the way as Vanitas launched off the ground and stabbed Void Gear through the heartless' forehead.

The skull seams split apart. A synthesized magenta heart spun to the sky.

Donald and Goofy stood over Vanitas, collapsed in the chamber's plain, slate walls. "Gawrsh, you mastered the Final Form, it's a new record," the dog congratulated and hauled Vanitas to his feet.

"You're not going to collapse on us are you?" Donald squinted at him suspiciously.

Rubbing his eyes, Vanitas fished a potion from his pocket. "At least I don't feel like dying. Are you sure I mastered it?" he demanded eagerly. "I can only hold it for two and a half hours max, any more and I'll go unconscious." Goofy nodded, a proud smile on his face; the duck too, grinned triumphantly. "Heh, I'll rub it in Nox's face." Vanitas staggered to the door. "He'll have to acknowledge me." He paused. "Oi, there he is."

Straightening out of sheer stubbornness, Vanitas nonchalantly strolled to Riku entering the vast training complex. As usual, car keys jangled from his wrist.

"Riku!" Vanitas jubilantly yelled. A brief scowl flitted across Nox's face. "Treat me to dinner," he asserted. "I mastered all the Drive Forms."

The Grey Knight blinked in surprise, a placid smile stretching across his face. "Congratulations," he intoned. "Leon is asking for you."

Peeved at his momentous achievement brushed aside so casually, Vanitas crossed his arms. "That's it?" he protested. "I fainted more than five times while mastering those damn Drives." Vanitas aggressively marched out of the training complex. "And all I get is a tepid response."

Exhaling at the Black Saint's childish demands, Riku followed. "I'll treat you to whatever you want," he conceded. "The chief wants to see you as soon as-"

"Great, there is a hotel next to Sora's workplace," Vanitas flippantly interjected and the elevator doors slid apart. The occupants scooted respectfully to one corner when the two Keyblade wielders entered. "It's called the Gatewater Hotel, Kairi is a pastry chef there, remember her?" Riku nodded uncertainly. "You'll be treating me and Sora to dinner there." Vanitas smoothed his ruffled hair. "Your wages can more than afford it."

Punching for the fifth basement floor, Riku got off when the lift stopped. "I don't see why I have to treat your brother to dinner," he said wearily. "It's not like he achieved anything phenomenal." Nox regretted his comment. "Fine, I'll treat Kairi if you want as well."

The Black Saint grinned viciously before the elevator doors closed him from view.

Bright, wholesome sunshine assaulted Vanitas when he stepped into Leon's empty office. A chair idled before a laptop open to some documents and Vanitas gingerly sat in the chair, nerves on edge from the silence and the effort to tear his gaze away from the screen.

Association members are selected based on how much they are trusted.

He shut the laptop lid. Once upon a time, he would've sold his arm to discover the clandestine secrets of the KBWA. But the more he delved deeper in the velveteen world spun of secrets, betrayal and lies, the less he wanted to be on top of things.

Pushing away from the table, Vanitas wheeled around the office, the chair squeaking under his mistreatment.

"Clavius," Leon greeted on entering; the Black Saint did not rise from his seat. "You did not take the opportunity to snoop through my files?" he taunted.

Dirty boots landed on a stack of documents waiting to be approved. "I knew you were watching," Vanitas replied lazily. "I didn't want to breach your trust," he modestly added after a heartbeat.

Leaning against his table, Squall spun the matt black laptop towards him. "You've grown," he stated fondly. Vanitas blushed and turned his face away. "Whatever, I didn't call you here to express sentiments. I have a Special Assignment for you."

I'm screwed. Sora brought the coffee mug to his lips, the liquid jerked sideways and splashed over his charcoal grey suit and scarf.

Hastily putting his mini watering can down, Apollo pulled the damp scarf off Sora's neck. "Do you want to burn?" he reprimanded. "Your clothes are ruined, watch what you're doing!"

Setting the mug down, Sora rubbed his temples. Time galloped past, just a blink ago, the clock showed eight. He was in the shower, messily smearing cream over the torso and wondering if it did anything; before slipping on the tiles and banging his head against the shower door. In the kitchen, he put ice in his coffee, dumped it in the sink and held a frozen fish to his forehead when Vanitas emerged from the bedroom.

The twins glanced at each other, and went on their respective ways.

He didn't want to take off his shirt, but the scalding coffee soaked it. "Senior... you're like Vanitas," Sora slurred. Exhaustion palmed his eyes closed. "Ahaha," he giggled. "I'm not a child."

"Well your lack of sleep is turning you into one!" Justice snapped. "We don't have time for you to go home and get another suit." He huffed when Sora glassily touched Apollo the Cactus. "Will you be okay in my clothes?"

"I'm dead." Sora watered the bouquet of white, luscious flowers his senior always had in a delicate, crystal vase. "Ven won't come to court, the evidence against Mr. Xemnas is hardly substantial. I only have his meeting minute and I don't think Mr. Edgeworth is sitting around, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for me to get my client proven innocent. Why did I become a lawyer?" he moaned. "I don't even like standing in front of people! Their gazes stab me. I can feel the pain in my stomach, here." Sora unnecessarily pointed to the spot, in a rare moment of openness.

Buttoning the crimson waistcoat, Apollo stood back, a flush of pride warming him from the inside. "You will be fine," he said. "Remember your Chords of Steel training."

11:30 a.m.

District Court

Courtroom no 5

"Court is now in session for the trial of Xemnas Terra-Xehanort," the judge announced and banged his gavel.

Inviting excessive attention in Apollo's attire, Sora self-consciously fiddled with the pale blue tie. The starched white shirt fit tight on his body and he blushed when the Agency lined up to compliment him. Brain frazzled with coffee and energy drinks, he slid behind the defense's bench and listened to the prosecutor's opening statement.

Why am I here?

The stray whispers floating from the gallery buzzed like bees in his ears, colors blurred in indefinite shapes and his brain tossed and turned like a ship braving the stormy seas.

Edgeworth politely bowed to the Judge. "Your honor, I call upon another witness." He adjusted his glasses. "He wants to testify about the culprit." A pause as the witness climbed the stand. "Please state your name and occupation."

"Sora!" Ventus waved jubilantly. "So this is a courtroom? It's big." His dreamy blue eyes absorbed the oak paneled walls and tall windows. "It's like the coliseum," he smiled at the viewing gallery and they bubbled over the small boy clad in an old fashioned suit. "What do I have to do?"

The attorney's mental faculties short-circuited. Ventus single handedly placed everyone under the spell of his innocence.

"You may start by stating your name and occupation," Edgeworth growled, unaffected.

The courtroom and its viewers amused him, Ventus grinned at them, at the clueless man in the magenta suit and at Sora. "Ventus," the child chirped. "I'm a," he read off his hands, "executive manager at the Keyblade Wielder's Association."

"You're," Miles jerked back, disbelief apparent in the arches of his eyebrows, "an executive manager?" He cleared his throat when the boy smirked. "...Tell us what happened on the night of the crime."

The witness ignored him in favor gawking at the courtroom, his mouth a perfect oval. He turned, back to the Judge, and graced the guards stationed at the door with a sweet smile. "You work at an interesting place Sora," he said. "We didn't have courts back in my days," Ventus pondered with a tilt of his head. "Everything was judged with a fight or by yourselves. You're helping people." His irises narrowed at Xemnas and the beginnings of a sneer died on his lips. "You're admirable, I hope you never change."

Please don't put me in a spotlight.

"Please give us your testimony Ventus," Sora requested, gaze not quite meeting the boy. "We need to know what you were doing on the night of the crime."

In the dock, Xemnas gripped his silver stylus desperately. Roxas? He thought when the boy entered the courtroom's double doors, the collar of his suit sticking up at the back. When the child took the stand and grinned at him, it sent a shiver down Xemnas' spine. His heart, did he have one? Ached.

"On the night of the crime," Ventus scratched the back of his head, "I played command board with Aqua in my," he glanced at his palm, "home on the outskirts of Los Angeles."

Silence.

"Is that all?" The Judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Clavius you may begin your cross-examination."

Bitter resentment burning a hole in his stomach, Sora shuffled his papers. "Ventus-"

"You can call me Ven."

A command, not a request.

"Ven... do you often play Command board with Aqua?" The boy nodded and someone squealed in the gallery. "What else were you doing?" Sora flipped the court record and paused at the scraps of luxurious cloth he found at the crime scene.

The witness rubbed his temples, standing in the court bored him. "I think I slept for a little while afterwards. My memory is fuzzy."

So young, yet so old.

"There you have it your honor." Miles smirked victoriously. "The perpetrator is none other than the defendant. The boy was not at the crime scene," he wagged his finger and Sora glowered at his feet, "he testifies it as such." The Judge sighed and nodded. "Ergo," the prosecutor continued, the motive behind the crime may be insurance as Organization XIII's sales slipped, taking a downward spiral." He neatly arranged his papers. "The defendant murdered two of his managers, the scientist contracted for a government weapons project; and a long time employee, the perfumer." Edgeworth adjusted his glasses. "The damage to the company will ensure handsome insurance returns-"

"Objection!" Sora slammed his hand on the desk. "I have evidence-"

"Huh?" Ventus interjected, annoyance flitting over his face. "Xemnas didn't murder them. I did."

The courtroom's quiet babbling ceased abruptly; the Judge raised his gavel and let it hang while Edgeworth clutched his shoulder, trying to make sense of everything. Ventus drummed his fingers on the wooden stand, his irises a lustrous gold.

"You... you murdered them?" the prosecutor questioned and stared at Sora, as if the defense could explain the bizarre turnabout. "Why?" Edgeworth's voice sharpened. Any other witness might have quivered under the glare.

Not the child. He smiled serenely.

"Order!" Recovering his composure, the Judge banged the gavel, silencing an already quiet court. "Err... Mr. Ventus," he twirled his beard thoughtfully, "your eyes..."

Silvers of blue fought for their place in the gold irises. The effect morbidly hypnotic. "I suffer from," Ven checked his palms, scribbled with statements, "het... hetero..." he struggled to read the word. "Sora," he brazenly breezed to the defense's bench, "How do I say this?"

Making out the word penned in elegant script, Sora announced, "The witness suffers from heterochromia."

Which you actually don't.

"His uh... eyes turn gold when he… uh-"

"He is under a lot of emotion," Athena finished when Sora shut down. "Your honor," Widget's holographic screen shrunk and she slapped the bench twice in rapid succession. "I think you have a verdict? The witness testified he is the perpetrator, there is no need to prolong the trial is there?"

When the Judge conferred with the prosecutor, Miles scowled in disagreement, "I want to know the truth. The witness is a child; you cannot expect me to accept this farce of a trial." His incensed gaze travelled upwards to Wright who observed the proceedings detachedly. "Someone may be threatening this boy, which, the defendant is perfectly capable of, considering his vast wealth and influence," Edgeworth reasoned.

"The truth," Sora sedately filed his notes, "is complicated Mr. Edgeworth." He adjusted his scarf. "Not everyone is as they seem. "The... the verdict your honor?"

Out of his element, the Judge blinked owlishly and neatly smoothed his midnight black robes. "Yes." He raised his gavel among excited chatter. "I declare the defendant... Not Guilty!"

A shower of glitter rained from above, shining in the slanted rays of the sun. As if declared innocent of all crimes, Ventus cupped his hands for the glitter and threw them over his head. The two policemen tasked to escort the boy to a detention center shifted uncomfortably when he beamed at them. Xemnas appeared between the guards and gravely nodded at them for a moment.

"Ventus." He raised his hand to ruffle the boy's unruly locks, chest buckling under the weight of pain. A memory danced at the edges of his conscious but a wall of fathomless darkness pushed it into the unwanted crevices of his mind. "Ven," heat prickled his eyes, "where's-." A blankness forcibly slammed in his skull and Xemnas smirked cruelly. "You are still alive, boy." He reveled in the acute fright creeping in Ven's eyes. "I will have you," wrinkles formed around Xemnas' mouth, "the x-blade will be mine," he whispered hoarsely and passed.

The police jolted Ven out of shock. "Sir, we need to escort you to the detention center," they stated awkwardly.

"I'm not going to jail," the boy said like he had a choice. "The KBWA will take possession of me." He skipped through them and threaded his arms though Sora's. "Are you happy I came?" Ventus asked.

Sadness tainted his words.

"I don't understand why," Sora recoiled like something slimy touched him, "you killed them." Why? "They were people like us, you could argue they didn't have the best intentions." He purchased a crème-soda from the vending machine and pressed the cold can against Ven's cheek, the way Vanitas did with him. "Your actions are not justified. Because you killed them," the drink bubbled in Ventus' small hands, the very same hands he murdered with, "you are no different from those Organization XIII people, now are you?"

The Wind Mage smiled. Don't talk to me like I am a child, the unsaid words conveyed.

"Somethings can't be helped," Ventus' expression mellowed. "You can try and try and think of a way out till your brain leaks from your ears," he sipped his drink, "it tastes like potion!" he exclaimed and offered it to Sora who politely declined. "But in the end you are stuck.

"I'm a memory keeper. Do you know how many people died in front of me?" He turned to Apollo, discreetly shuffling towards them. The fiery attorney promptly returned to the red couch where the rest of the attorneys waited. "I can't remember all of their names and my heart hurts." He pointed to his petite chest. "Terra and Aqua are precious to me; they are the most precious thing in the world. I won't let them die." Ven declared and drowned the rest of the soda.

You are a disgustingly selfish person.

"I'll do anything to keep them close to me." Blades of wind flashed between his palms, cutting the can into neat scraps of metal. "Anything."

He smirked derisively, eyes gleaming gold.

The cube-room's door slid apart when Leon pressed his keycard against the electronic lock. Darkness swathed the inside, softened only by the dim light of glowing flowers. Navigating through a maze of papers and unidentified objects strewn on the barely visible floor, Squall unceremoniously dumped a tottering tower of documents to the ground.

He sat on the desk while Vanitas vainly searched for a place to rest his wobbling legs.

"You're giving me a Special Assignment?" he questioned. The moment he entered the room, it sapped his energy. The shimmering, cyan petals cast a corona of pale light on his face. "I feel weak," Vanitas complained and plucked a flower to use as a makeshift torch.

The Black Saint squinted at a suspicious mound of papers and grunting, squashed them with his weight.

Tablet in hand, Leon tapped the screen. "The Special Assignment room is layered with anti-darkness barriers," he informed. "You showed remarkable progress and your determination makes you more than an eligible candidate." The mission details popped on screen. "Clavius-"

"Vanitas," Vanitas cut in. "Saying my name isn't going to make your teeth rot," he aggressively added. "Doesn't the barrier affect Rikul? He was on a Special Assignment wasn't he?" Vanitas raised the flower, faint light rippling across his cheeks.

What a weird thing to recall.

The glowing flower highlighted the azure fire in Vanitas' eyes and Squall blinked slowly. "The Grey Knight is partially immune to the barrier. You are more affected because you are made from darkness." Clavius sagged, drops of sweat collected on his chin. "Whatever," Squall continued, "there are conditions for the Special Assignment and I will read them to you. Under no circumstances are you allowed to breach them, doing so will land you in a temporary place at another KBWA branch. The position may become permanent," the chief threatened.

Letting his benumbed arm drop, Vanitas groaned pathetically.

"The decisions made during a Special Assignment depend solely on the operative, you can do whatever you want, as long as the mission succeeds. You are not at liberty to report to Tifa, or myself; you work as an independent authority." Leon locked gazes with Vanitas and the latter nodded in understanding. "No one is allowed to know of your assignment, you work in a level of secrecy so deep, if a problem arises, the KBWA can and will sever relations with you.

"This means," a skew smile lifted the corner of Squall's mouth, "you are not allowed to brag of your Special Assignment status." Again, Vanitas accepted it without comment. "I'm sure you noticed the smaller pods fanning this chamber?" The chief flicked his wrist at the wall. "Those are rooms for your use. To maximize integrity, Special Assignment members are not allowed to communicate with others." He raised his head from the tablet screen, "you cannot contact your bro-"

"No!" Vanitas interrupted venomously. "I don't care what conditions you impose on me." Leon placed the tablet beside him. "You can't expect me to go on without my brother." Respect kindled in his chest for Riku, laboring under such strict conditions. "If these are the rules and I don't want to break them... I think I'd be better off without doing a Special Assignment."

Those words cost him everything. Special Assignment members were given a modicum of freedom. Not quite a High-tier member, but they were allowed rudimentary communication devices.

"You can't stay a few months without Clavius?"

"No." Vanitas crushed the glowing flower in his palm and stalked to the wall, where more blossoms bloomed. "I can't." He twirled a new flower in his fingers.

Leon crossed his arms. "Lying doesn't suit you."

Blood rushed into his pale cheeks and he bit his lip. He glowered at the chief; the scar slashing Leon's face came with a story. "I'm not lying," the words seeped through gritted teeth.

"Liar."

Strangling the flowers in his iron grip, Vanitas collapsed in his paper seat. "There... there are times when," he swallowed nervously, "I wish he'd grow a spine. I mean it's just people, what is he so afraid of?" He glanced around guiltily, waiting for his twin to pop out of the walls. "Yell at them and they'll shrink. Heck, look at them wrong and they'll leave you alone. I try to understand why people make Sora tired... and sometimes, I can't." Vanitas rubbed his arm. "I really can't stay without him," he confessed, "not because I wish..." he trailed off. "But because I get really anxious when he's not around me."

The chief patiently listened.

"I like to pretend he can't live without me, but the opposite is true as well." A small smile replaced Vanitas' nervous mien. "He smothers me with attention, 'cause he never tries to acquaint with other people; and I don't mind. Lately though," he tilted his head thoughtfully, "the agency people are taking more of his time." Vanitas grinned. "I'm happy for him."

"Even it does ruffle your feathers," Leon commented.

"Shut up!" The Black Saint bristled, the pink flush returning to his cheeks. "I didn't ask for your two-cents."

The barely perceptible glow silhouetted papers, mounds of history, records of previous assignments. Did these people change? How did they do their missions, cut off from everyone with nothing but a cold pod waiting should they decide to return home? Home? Pfft. Vanitas chuckled, his wrists trembled. Home will always be a place with Sora; it was once with Grandpa, till the old fart disappeared. Now it will be with his twin, through hell or freezing tundra, Vanitas did not care.

"Please carry me out of here," he croaked. "I can't move. Am the only one this affected?" Despite his feeble tone, the venom in it could kill a snake. "Don't carry me like that you idiot!" he barked. "I'm not your bride. Alternatively," Vanitas smirked suggestively, "you could get the vice-chief for me." His head lolled back as Squall hauled him out of the cube.

Stray threads of darkness rushed back into the Black Saint. He closed his eyes, yawning like waking from a refreshing sleep and refused to move his head from Leon's shoulder.

Exhaling like the exhausted boss he was, Squall made for the elevator. "Do you have any memories of when you were young?" He halted bewilderedly when an arm wrapped around his neck. "Don't strangle me," Leon protested, shifting Vanitas when people gawked.

"We used to go to the beach a lot," Vanitas mumbled and the elevator doors opened. He sensed a pair of eyes on him. "Yuffie, quit staring at my butt."

The girl giggled and punched him lightly before quietly exiting two floors down.

"Anything else?" Squall prompted. Clavius' weight ached his arms, the Black Saint was in no way scrawny. "About the accident where your parents died?" he callously asked and the grip around his neck tightened weakly.

"We used to go to the beach a lot," Vanitas obstinately repeated and stubbornly refused to divulge any details.

Not the beach. The elevator doors slid apart to Basement floor 8. You used to play on Destiny Islands.

Stirring a spoonful of honey in a mug of milk, Phoenix arranged cookies on a plate, Trucy skipped dinner in favor for studying and placing the mug on a tray, he turned.

And seized when a gun barrel pointed squarely at his forehead.

"Mr. Attorney," a well acquainted voice rasped and he forced himself to gently set the china tray on the counter. "You will be defending a client of ours tomorrow." De Killer's monocle gleamed under the flush light. "He is of course... guilty."

Pushing the tray away from the edge, Phoenix leaned against the counter. "I refuse."

The clock ticked, breaking the thick silence. Trucy was in her room, studying. Probably. Wright wouldn't put it past her to practice magic tricks instead.

A lady with snow white hair in a generic bob, stepped forward from the shadows. A raven feather boa draped across her shoulders. "You do not have much choice in this matter Mr. Wright." A strap held a wicked, unsheathed knife at her thigh. "You have a daughter now," she smiled without warmth.

"Who are you people?"

"Stalling for time," the woman intoned. "Your courtroom antics will not work here." She extracted a card from her dress. "We are government officials, tasked to secure a suitable attorney for the defense of Xigbar who is accused of murder." The name next to the photo read Shih-na.

Grabbing the mug to steady his quivering hands, Wright tasted the milk, not enough honey. "Trucy is perfectly capable of taking care of herself." He did not flinch under Shelly or Shih-na's soul sucking gazes. The front door opened and closed. "She already knows."

A photo landed on the counter, it showed Pearl mediating while Maya snacked on a burger. "Perhaps these will convince you." De Killer did not smile. "More photos fluttered on the counter; Apollo on a date with Vera, Athena and Ema munching a bucket of popcorn at the movie theaters. Sora at home, a smile splitting his face and hands gripping a controller. A last photo landed at Phoenix' feet like a snowflake, it showed Trucy in the street, anxiously glancing at her house.

A red dot painted the middle of her forehead.

"You will take the case," Shih-na ordered. "The client is extremely valuable to government projects, we cannot let his talents languish in prison." She smiled the cold grin of a person who has forsaken the pursuit of happiness. "I hope you understand Mr. Wright."

Dark blue eyes firmly fixed on the laser sight threatening his daughter, Phoenix complied, "Of course. However," he gulped when Shelly narrowed his irises, "Sora will handle the case. He is perfectly capable of defending the client, I will not," Phoenix tensed, "inform him the client is guilty," he said. "It will motivate him to get the non-guilty verdict at any cost."

The lights flickered and went out, plunging the kitchen into a foreboding darkness. A glint of round glass and the room flooded with light. The photos littered the counter, in addition to; Phoenix picked the shell stamped card, Shelly de Killer's calling card.

Ambush

Late afternoon

Hollow Bastion

The sun's rays bled into the stained glass windows and Zack placed a gloved palm on it. The boss sent him here to seek out a dysfunctional corner stone of light, under the orders of his majesty, King Mickey.

Where is it?

His thoughts briefly wandered to Vanitas; he hoped his student coped under the harsh heat of Agrabah. Zack wondered if he should take Cloud and the Puppy out for a day and introduce them to each other. Although... he climbed down a flight of stairs and waved lilac steam from his face, it might end in a brawl.

"Ah, who cares, it'll be fun to see them sparring together," he smiled and drew the Buster sword in one fluid movement. "I can see your shadow," he announced loudly. A figure reflected on the bronze pipe dissolved from view. "Don't think you can escape-"

An energy arrow pierced cleanly through his chest. Gasping, he clasped the wound. A gout of blood stained his uniform.

"Yes, I'm fighting dirty and yes, I'm ashamed." Xigbar let down his hood and dodged the broad blade screaming for his neck. His opponent straightened, sapphire eyes glowing eerily. "Whoo, Digital Mind Wave," he whistled, "I was always fascinated by it-"

The sword sliced across his throat, barely missing his jugular. A second arrow found its mark under Fair's left ribs and he coughed, glowering viciously.

"I'm not confident in winning you see," Xigbar confessed as Zack collapsed to his knees. "You really are a super soldier."

A/N: Vanitas knew Xigbar killed Zack, after Leon let him in on the investigation. This is an old murder case, re-opened.

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