Chapter 4: Something Wicked this way comes

A/N: Hey everyone! Since I finally figured out what to write for this chapter, I've decided to post it up!

Now that the exams are over (poor Terra) the really good stuff starts to happen. What will happen to our four heroes and how will they deal with the darkness that looms over them?

The only way to find out is to read the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.

Enjoy!

/

Lumen ran through the hallways of the castle. She didn't know where Terra was, but she wasn't going to stop until she found him.

She was really worried about him. She felt so horrible that he didn't pass the exams. She knew that what happened wasn't his fault, but it paid him greatly.

She just wanted to let him know that she was still proud of him for even getting this far and to keep on trying.

"Terra, where are you?" she muttered.

As she rounded a corner, she almost ran into someone at the last minute. She quickly skidded to a halt before she could crash into the person.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going" she said.

She paled when she saw Master Xehanort standing in front of him.

The keyblade master looked at her with that creepy grin on his face and his hands crossed behind his back.

Lumen felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she looked at him. She almost felt like a mouse that was cornered by a very hungry cat.

Master Xehanort chuckled, causing Lumen to chill.

"You seem like you're awfully in a hurry" he stated.

Lumen gulped her nerves and managed to nod.

"I-I was just going to check up on my friend, Terra" she said.

"I just wanted to make sure he was alright for not passing the exams"

Master Xehanort nodded slowly.

"It's such a shame really" he said.

"The boy has incredible talent. I don't understand why your father wouldn't let him pass"

Lumen's eyes harden when she sensed that her father was being insulted.

True, she wished that her father didn't fail Terra, but she knew that he had his reasons. He wouldn't fail him because he felt like it.

"I'm sure my father had very good reasons to why he didn't let Terra passed" she said.

"Just like I'm sure you had your reasons for letting Aqua pass"

Master Xehanort looked at her for a moment before he chuckled a little.

"You have your father's knowledge" he said.

"However…"

He reached out a hand and gripped her chip.

"You look exactly like your mother"

Lumen gulped. She always hated it when people brought up about her mother. And since this scary man was bring her up, she felt her nerves snap.

Master Xehanort studied her features a bit more.

"You look just like Serenity did when she was your age" he said.

"She was not only beautiful, but smart and clever"

Lumen's eyes grew hard.

"Thank you" she hissed.

She really didn't like where this was going.

Master Xehanort sighed dramatically.

"It was such a tragedy when she passed away" he said.

"No one had ever expected someone so strong to leave us so soon. I'm sure your father was devastated"

He used his finger to bring her chin up so she was looking into his eyes.

"Let's just hope that you won't suffer the same fate as she did" he said.

"I'm sure it would break your father's heart"

Lumen snapped and slapped his hand away. She glared at him when he gave her a taunting smirk. How dare he talk about her mother's death so casually? And he even had the nerves to include her into it.

"I can assure you that it won't happen" she hissed.

Master Xehanort chuckled.

"Let's hope not" he said.

"It would be such a shame to loss such a powerful girl like yourself"

Lumen growled and stormed off.

She knew that if she stayed there any longer, she would have slugged him in the face.

"Talking about me as if I'm some kind of tool" she snapped.

"How dare he? He may be a master, but he will never earn my respect. Not when he's talking down to people like that"

As she stormed off, she didn't see the dark smirk that appeared on Master Xehanort's face.

"Yes, it would be such a shame if anything happened to you" he said.

"Especially with the power that you hold deep within your heart"

/

Terra sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He felt like such a fool. He worked so hard to get into these exams, only to fail miserably. He was happy for Aqua, he wouldn't deny that. But he had hoped that he would pass as well.

He had everything all planned out in his head. He thought he was going to pass and then tell Lumen something very important.

He could still remember the look on her face when he talked to her earlier this morning.

/

Terra was all nerves as he stood in front of the Exam room. He got up really early so he could practice everything that he needed to go over for today.

Today was the day that he would test to become a keyblade Master. It was his childhood dream and now it was finally coming true.

All he had to do was impress his master and get the title. Simple as that. But if only he wasn't a nervous wreck. True, he was nervous about the exam, but there was something else on his mind. Something more important than becoming a keybalde master.

He put his hand into his pants pocket and touched the object that he kept hidden there.

He had something that he wanted to give to Lumen when the exams were over and he just hoped that everything went according to plan.

As soon as he passed the exams, then he would ask the most important question any man would ask to the woman that they loved most.

He sighed wearily when he realized that he was overreacting for nothing. The exam hadn't started yet and he was here all by himself. There was no reason to panic.

"But what if she says no?" he asked himself.

"Says no to what?"

Terra jumped and turned around to see Lumen standing before him. It looked like she ran here the whole way since her hair was a little messy and her cheeks were rosy from running. She must have thought that she was running late since she never ran for anything.

Lumen looked at her boyfriend. She was surprised that she was able to scare him so easily. It was hard to scare Terra or sneak up on him. He always knew if someone was behind him.

Terra gulped as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, it's, uh, nothing" he said.

Lumen tilted her head to the side.

"It doesn't seem like nothing if your rubbing your neck like that" she said.

"You never do that unless you're nervous about something"

Terra cringed when he realized that he was caught. Sometimes he wished that his girlfriend wasn't so observant. But he couldn't blame her. She was Master Eraqus's daughter, so she had to be alterative to everything.

Swallowing his nerves he looked at his girlfriend calmly. He didn't want her to suspect anything, so the best thing was to remain calm.

"A-actually, there was something that I wanted to ask you" he said.

Lumen blinked in surprise.

"What is it?" she asked.

Terra cleared his throat.

"Well, I…can't really ask you now" he said.

"It'll have to wait until after the exams"

He could tell how confused she was, but he was glad that she didn't push further.

"Alright, then" she said smiling.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's very important"

Terra laughed a little.

"You have no idea" he said.

Lumen giggled and went up to him.

"Well, in any case, I hope you do well in these exams" she said.

She went up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"A kiss for good luck"

She winked at him.

"You're gonna need it"

Terra smiled at her. Even the little things she did always warmed his heart.

"I won't need any, but thanks" he said.

Just then, the doors to the exam room opened.

"Looks like it's time to start" Lumen said.

Terra nodded and went through the doors.

Lumen waved to him as he walked off.

"Good luck, Terra!" she cried.

"And don't forget about wanting to ask me something"

Terra laughed at her.

"Don't worry, I won't" he said.

"Because when I win these exams, I'll be bragging about it to you. You'll see"

Lumen laughed at that.

"I'll hold you to it" she said.

/

Terra groaned. That's what he got for being over confident.

He pulled out the item that was in his pocket and held up a small box. He sadly looked at it when he realized he wouldn't be able to ask Lumen then thing from before. He wanted to pass the exams when he did. If he did it now, he would look like a total idiot.

"As if she would agree to be with a failure like me" he said.

He sighed and put the box away.

He was so frustrated with himself.

"There's darkness within me" he thought.

"So what does that matter?"

"I know I'm strong enough to hold it back" he said to himself.

"Yes"

Terra jumped and looked to see Master Xehanort walking down the castle steps. The keyblade master wore his susual creepy grin on his face.

"You are indeed strong" he said.

"The darkness is nothing to fear"

Terra bowed respectfully.

"Master Xehanort" he said.

Master Xehanort nodded his head slightly when he faced him.

"And yet…how frustrating that Eraqus refuses its power" he said.

"Why, you could train with him forever, and still you would never be a master in his eyes"

Terra ground his teeth in frustration at that. Did that mean no matter how hard he tried, he would never become a Kyeblade Master?

"But why?" he cried.

"Help me understand, Master Xehanort. What is it that I failed to learn?"

Master Xehanort just chuckled as he started to walk away.

"You're find as you are" he said.

Terra looked surprised at that. He thought the darkness in his heart was a bad thing, but Master Xehanort said it was ok.

Master Xehanort stopped and looked at him over his shoulder.

"Darkness cannot be destroyed-it can only be channeled" he explained.

With that, he walked off.

Terra bowed respectfully to him.

"Of course" he said.

"Thank you, Master Xehanort"

With that, the keyblade Master left.

Terra sat back on the steps and pondered over what Xehanort said. If he couldn't destroy the darkness within his heart, then he would just have to learn how to control it. Maybe then he would have a chance at passing the exam again.

"And maybe then I can ask Lumen about what I wanted to say to her" he thought.

A pair of arms wrapped around him and engulfed him into a hug.

Terra smirked when he felt someone press their head against his and snuggle closely. He didn't have to see who it was that was holding him. Only one person would hug him like this.

Lumen smiled softly when Terra placed his hand over hers.

"I'm so sorry about what happened" she said.

Terra's smirk dimmed a little, but he tried to keep a positive face for her. He figured she would feel horrible about the exam since it was her father that failed him.

"It wasn't your fault" he said.

"You didn't know what your father was thinking"

Lumen buried her face in the nape of his neck.

"True, but it doesn't help that I feel bad about it"

She lifted her head a little so she could look at him better.

"Do you think he's found out about us?" she asked.

"Could that be why he didn't pass you?"

Terra gave out a dry laugh.

"If he found out about us, then I would be six feet in the ground" he said.

"And he would have made it known that he knew about us"

Lumen sighed and pressed her cheek against his.

"I'll go talk to my father and see if he'll give you another chance" she said.

Terra sighed.

He knew that she would say that. Ever since they became a couple, she always offered to have her father give him extra training or anything of that nature. It was thoughtful, but not needed. If Aqua and Ven had to work to get where they were, then so would he.

"You don't have to do that" he said.

"It's not a big deal"

"Yes it is!" Lumen insisted.

She stood up and went down a few steps so she could face him.

"It is a big deal. It's big to me" she said.

"You've been dreaming about becoming a keyblade Master since we were children. You've worked so hard to even get into these exams. Becoming a keyblade Master means everything to you! And the fact that my father failed you just makes me horrible. I feel like it's my fault and I want to fix it. I don't want your dreams to be shattered all because of my father"

She bowed her head as she gripped her arm.

"I just want to see you happy and living your dream" she said quietly.

Terra looked at her for a moment before smiling softly.

"Come here" he said.

He pulled her close to him and held her tightly.

"Being a keyblade Master is my dream, but it doesn't mean everything to me" he said.

"I have other things that I care about that are far more important than that"

Lumen looked up at him.

"Or really? Like what?" she asked.

Terra was quiet for a moment.

"You" he finally said.

Lumen looked stunned at his response.

Terra looked at her.

"I just want to protect you and make you happy" he said.

"And the only way I can make that happen is to become a keyblade Master"

Lumen was touched. He wanted to become a keybalde master just so he could protect her. Like how her father did the same thing for her mother.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Terra" she said.

"I don't need a keyblade master to protect me or make me happy. All I need is you. As long as I have you by my side, then I don't need anything else"

Terra looked at how serious and sincere was about her answer. He had thought that she would want a keyblade Master by her side, but all she wanted was him. Even if he failed the exam again, she just wanted him.

He remembered the little box that he had in his pocket and thought that maybe now would be a good time to ask her the question he had been wanting to tell her. He wanted to wait until he passed the exam, but she just proved that she loved him regardless.

"Lumen…there's something that I wanted to ask you" he said.

Lumen blinked at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

Terra steadied his nerves as he looked at her. She looked so oblivious to what he was going to say. He couldn't wait to see her reaction.

He stood up and pulled her up with him. He gripped her hands tightly.

"I wanted to ask you this when I passed the exams, but I think now is a good time" he said.

"You know I love you more than anyone else, right?"

Lumen slowly nodded, not knowing where her boyfriend was going with this.

"Yes, and I love you more than anyone else, too" she said.

Terra nodded as he gulped.

"You're the only woman that I ever loved and ever need" he said.

"I just can't picture my life without you in it"

He looked her straight in the eye and recited what he was going to say.

"Lumen, will you-"

The bells to the palace suddenly went off. The two of them quickly looked up at the castle in alarm. The bells never went off unless something bad had happened.

"Something's wrong" Lumen said.

The two of them quickly ran back into the castle to see what was going on.

Terra mentally cursed himself. He was so close to asking her and now this happened.

"Today is not my lucky day" he thought.

/

Aqua was already in the room when they arrived.

"What's going on?" Lumen asked.

Aqua shook her head.

"No idea" she said.

Lumen looked towards her father, who was in the middle of talking to someone through a magic mirror.

"This is bad" she thought.

"Father never talks to anyone outside our world"

When Eraqus finished talking, he approached his pupils and daughter.

"That was my dear old friend, Yen Sid" he explained.

Lumen remembered hearing about Yen Sid. He used to be a Keyblade Master a long time ago and fought alongside his father. She always enjoyed hearing about him and dreamed about meeting him one day.

"He is master no more, but he still keeps a close eye on the tides of light and darkness" Eraqus said.

"His council serves and signposts, on the road that we keyblade wielders must walk. All the more reason for concern. For he tells me that the princesses of heart are in danger. Not only from the forces of darkness, as you may assume, but from a new threat, one that feeds from negativity. Negative emotions that have taken on monstrous forms. Yen Sid calls them the 'unversed'"

Lumen gulped. She had a bad feeling about these creatures.

Eraqus looked at his pupils and daughter seriously.

"As wielders of the keyblade, you are tasked with striking down anything that has upset the balance between light and darkness" he said.

"The Unversed are no exception. I tried to pass this news onto Master Xehanort, but my repeated attempts to reach him have failed. I doubt there is any trouble with the connection, but it all troubles me"

Terra looked at the ground. He had seen Master Xehanort earlier. He thought that maybe he was walking around the castle some more, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Master Xehanort…is gone?" he asked.

Eraqus nodded.

"So here we are" he said.

"I need you to get this situation under control. Eliminate the Unversed. And find Master Xehanort. I have unlocked the lanes in between. You may use these forbidden pathways to travel between this world and countless others. The darkness looms closer than usual within these spaces but your armor will protect you. Remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell anyone that there are different worlds"

Lumen was surprised. Her father was letting her friends and herself go to other worlds? He wanted her to complete this task?

"Father" she thought.

Eraqus was always hesitant about having his daughter travel to different worlds. He claimed that it was too dangerous for her and that she was better of here. But it seemed that he decided to let her grow up. Or because he had no choice.

Eraqus nodded to them.

"Now go and fulfill your duty"

The three of them nodded.

"Yes"

Terra was just about to leave before Eraqus stopped him.

"Terra, consider this as an opportunity, a second chance to change my mind" he said.

Terra looked shocked.

"What?" he asked.

Eraqus walked up to him.

"You must know that I care for you like my own son" he said.

"if I could have my way, I would name you master in a second"

Terra gulped. He was flattered by the statement, but it just seemed so wrong. He was secretly dating his daughter for crying out loud.

"But how can I when you are so obsessed with power?" Eraqus asked.

Terra hung his head in shame.

"Terra, you mustn't be afraid of losing" Eraqus said.

"Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness. You must never forget"

Terra looked at him before bowing.

He was grateful that he was getting a second chance to become a master. He didn't want to mess this up.

"Thank you, mater" he said.

"I swear that I will not fail you again"

Lumen smiled brightly.

She should have known that her father wouldn't be so hard on his pupils. He really did have a soft spot after all.

Terra quickly went off so he could prove to his master that he was capable of becoming a master.

Lumen was about to follow him, but her father stopped her.

"Just a moment, Lumen" Eraqus said.

Lumen cringed, thinking that her father changed his mind about her going on this mission.

She slowly turned towards him and faced him.

"Yes, father?" she asked.

Eraqus had a torn look on his face.

"You know that I really don't want you to do this" he said.

"The outside world is very dangerous"

Lumen nodded.

She understood where this was going. After her mother passed away, Eraqus was very protective of her. He never left her out of his sight when she was little and he made sure she would do anything dangerous. Heck, he even wouldn't let her go on the swings as a child, fearing that she would fall off and break her arm or something.

But she didn't mind. She understood why her father was like this, and it made her very happy that he loved her so much. She just wished that he would let her grow up a little.

"I know, father" she said.

"But, not to sound rude, this isn't the time to be selfish. The worlds are in danger and they need our help. If there are beings called the Unversed roaming around the worlds and causing harm, I want to stop them. I don't want to stay here and do nothing while Terra and Aqua are doing all the fighting. If they're going to put their lives at risk, then so will I"

Eraqus looked at her for a moment before smiling weakly.

"Your mother acted the same way" he said.

"Always putting others before her"

Lumen smiled as well.

Eraqus sighed.

"Very well" he said.

"I won't force you to stay here, but promise me that you won't do anything reckless"

He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You're my only daughter. I don't want to lose you" he said.

"If anything happened to you, I just don't know what I would do"

Lumen pulled her father into a hugged and squeezed him tightly.

"Nothing will happen to me, I promise" she said.

"Once this is over, I'll come back home right away"

Eraqus hugged her tightly.

"Just promise me that when you go to other worlds, you won't use your special powers" he said.

"The Unversed are drawn to powers of the light and will try to snuff it out whenever they get the change"

Lumen nodded.

"I promise"

She let go of her father and left the room.

Eraqus watched as his daughter slowly got smaller until she was gone.

"Lumen" he said to himself.

"Please come back in one piece"

/

Lumen made it to the court yard just as Terra was about to leave.

He had turned his keybalde into his keyblade glider and activated his armor.

"Terra!" she cried.

Terra looked at her as she came running to him.

"So Master Eraqus let you go on this mission after all, huh?" he said.

Lumen smiled as she nodded.

"Yeah, I was surprised myself" she said.

Terra's laughed seemed to echo a little from under his helmet.

"At least he's letting you spread your wings" he said.

Lumen nodded.

She remembered that Terra wanted to ask her something before they were interrupted with this.

"Hey, Terra, what was it that you wanted to ask me?" she asked.

She could hear Terra clear his throat in a nervous matter before looking away.

"It…it can wait" he said.

"We have a serious matter on our hands right now. Once this is all taken care of, then I'll tell you"

Lumen was a little disappointed, but didn't show it.

"Oh, alright then" she said.

She went up to him and kissed him, even though his helmet was blocking her.

"Just promise me that you'll come back in one piece" she said.

Terra cupped her face in his hand.

"Don't worry, I will" he said.

"Just as long as you do the same for me"

Lumen smiled and nodded.

"I will"

Terra nodded a little.

"Then until then" he said.

He jumped onto his keyblade glider and flew off towards the portal that connected the worlds together.

Lumen watched as he went through.

"Might as well get going too" she said.

She activated her armor and turned her keyblade into a glider as well. It took the shape of a broom of some sorts since it connected with her magical skills.

She hopped on and quickly flew through the portal before it closed.

Her mission to save the worlds had started and she didn't want to fail now.

"I wonder what I'll find on these worlds?" she thought.

She was going to be in for a big surprise.

/

A/N: Woo Hoo! Lumen is finally off to see other worlds! Which world will she land onto first?

And what was Terra going to ask her?

You'll just have to review to find out!

Ja ne!