Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Kingdom Hearts because if I did I would have NEVER cut Riku's hair the way they did in Dream Drop Distance. That pissed me off so much, I swear.
AN: If you haven't heard, there are videos of the new kingdom hearts game on youtube and you'll see what I mean about Riku's hair. And Sora also looks like they just grabbed him from Re:CoM, he looks that young.
Anyway, enough of my rant. Please enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave a review after you get done!
"Terra," Master Eraqus said. "The reason you failed the first test was solely due to the fact that you had trouble controlling the darkness in you. Though it was just for a brief moment it was enough to cause me to make the decision that I made.
Master Naruto, however, thought differently. Although you have a darkness in you, your light is much stronger than anything else. It's something that I've always known and something that Master Naruto saw during your test. And so he wants to test you himself, to see just how powerful you light really is. And if you pass, you will gain your Mark of Mastery. Terra, your next test, is to do battle with Master Naruto."
XxXx
The silence that rang out after that announcement was deafening. Terra, along with both Aqua and Ventus gaped in shock at Master Eraqus. The fact that this test would be significantly harder than the last one wasn't what shocked them, it was the fact that he would have to face a Master.
They were taught from the beginning of their training that Masters of the Keyblade were vastly different from simple Apprentices in skill, in knowledge, in experience, and much more.
They were called Masters for a reason. It didn't help that the one in front of them, introduced as Master Naruto, simply radiated confidence and experience. They knew, from a simple glance, that he was powerful, extremely so.
Both Ventus and Aqua sent worrying glances towards Terra, who had gone slightly pale at the challenge that the test presented.
"Terra," Master Eraqus said. "You still have the option to back out of this challenge. Are you sure that this is what you want? It won't be easy."
Terra closed his eyes before taking a deep breath.
"Yes Master, this is what I want."
"Alright then," he said while stepping back. "Terra I wish you luck. Master Naruto, you have the floor."
"Thank you Master Eraqus," Naruto said while stepping forward. "Now, Terra. As you know the reason you didn't pass the first test is because you failed to control that small bit of darkness in your heart. As Master Eraqus said, the Mark of Mastery test shows the true nature of ones heart."
He circled Terra as he spoke, a neutral expression on his face giving nothing away. Terra, who was still standing at attention, began to sweat a bit. Was his true nature really darkness? That just couldn't be. He wasn't evil, was he?
As if he was reading his mind Naruto continued.
"What most people fail to realize is that darkness doesn't necessarily equal evil. I knew many people who wielded the power of darkness without losing themselves to it. You do have darkness Terra, but remember, you also have light as well. Draw your Keyblade Terra and show me your light!"
He jumped back a large distance, giving them plenty of space to fight, summoning his Keyblade. It had a golden square shaped handle with a long glistening silver blade.
The shape at the end of the blade was that of four throwing knives and what looked to be a leaf. He took his stance, a rather low crouch, before Terra was even able to summon his own keyblade.
As Terra took his usual stance, he couldn't help but think that maybe, even if he didn't win, that he would show he had what it took to be a Keyblade Master. With that he charged forward with the intent to prove himself to the Master before him.
Naruto smiled at the look on Terra's face before rushing forward, his Keyblade clashing with Terra's.
XxXx
Not one to stick around, Master Xehanort was quick to leave the testing area, his plans needing to be altered quite a bit thanks to a certain blond Keyblade Master. As he walked down the stairway, he came across a familiar figure in a dark blue and red muscle like suit, covered in armor, with an odd shawl around his waist, and a dark, black helmet on his head.
"What do you make of him," Master Xehanort said stopping just short of the figure. "Ventus?"
"He ain't gonna cut it," the figure said with a sneer in his voice. "Somebody's gotta break that loser in."
"Not here, you won't," Xehanort said fiercely. "I have to keep up appearances."
"I know that," the figure said. "He just needs a little incentive to leave home. I think I know just how to do it too."
With that, the pair continued to walk down the stairway, their plans ready to put into action.
XxXx
Terra grunted as he blocked another one of Naruto's strikes. It baffled him at just how the older man could be so much faster, so much stronger, and so much more powerful all around than any of the three of them were.
As it was, Terra's armor, which he had summoned some time ago, had been quickly chipped away bit by bit by Naruto's harsh strikes with his Keyblade. This was obviously the difference between a Master and an Apprentice.
He was on his last leg, sweat running down his face and completely out of breath while Naruto was barely breathing hard. Terra knew that the fight wouldn't last much longer, although he wished it could. He was, surprisingly, having fun. Even though he knew that he was going to lose.
He smiled slightly in defeat, as the blond quickly disappeared from his sight and he was struck one last time, before everything went black.
XxXx
Aqua and Ventus could only stare on in shock as Terra was decimated by the blond. They watched as he was picked apart bit by bit by powerful strikes and amazing uses of light magics that they had never seen before.
And the speed at which it was performed was more shocking than anything. Among the three of them, Ventus had always been the fastest, but this Master Naruto made him look slower than any turtle.
He disappeared from their sight at more than one point in the fight all the while leaving after images of himself confusing Terra and the two of them. If it hadn't been for the armor he had donned on earlier in the fight it would've been over much quicker.
As it was, Terra wouldn't last much longer, his armor almost falling completely apart from the vicious strikes from the Master he was fighting.
Aqua had stolen a glance at Master Eraqus sometime during the middle of the fight to see a rather impassive face. She didn't know what to make of it. She turned back just in time to see the blond deliver the final strike, ending the fight before catching him before he hit the floor.
Turning towards Ventus, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. She knew that he practically worshiped Terra and to see him beat down like he was must have been earth shattering. She closed her eyes, hoping against hope that this would all somehow work out in Terra's favor, for all of their sakes.
XxXx
When Terra came to, he was met with the sight of Aqua and Ventus hovering over him as he lay in his bedroom.
"Terra! You're awake!" Ventus exclaimed with a bright smile, one that Aqua mirrored. "We were worried about you."
He groaned as he sat up, his body aching.
"How long have I been out?" he asked quietly.
"Not long, maybe ten minutes or so," Aqua said. "Master Naruto used a healing spell on you. We've never seen it before so we didn't know it how it would take for you to wake up."
He sighed heavily, before slowly moving to the side of the bed.
"So I guess I didn't pass then," he stated more than asked. He was surprised though, when a new voice answered him.
"Actually, that has yet to be decided."
He, along with both Ventus and Aqua, turned to see Master Naruto leaning on the door frame with a slight smile on his face, Master Eraqus standing behind him, also wearing a small smile.
"What do you mean?" he said, confusion written on his face.
"What Eraqus means is that I never said that you had to win to pass the test," Naruto said while stepping forward. "In fact, both I and Eraqus expected you to lose. The test had more to do with your strength of will and heart than it did your skills with a Keyblade. I saw more than enough of you skills during the first test."
"What do you mean it had more to do with his strength of will and heart?" Aqua questioned. They all wanted to know the answer to that question judging by the looks on their faces.
"Terra, during your spar with Aqua you showed that you had the potential to lose yourself in darkness. What we wanted to see, no, what we needed to see from you was your ability to control yourself against an opponent that you could not possibly win against. Would you use the power of darkness to temporarily empower yourself? Or would you push aside that temptation for temporary power and use the skills that you've learned from Master Eraqus even if it meant that you would lose, sticking to your beliefs. I'm glad to say that you impressed us."
Terra blinked for a moment, trying to process the information given to him. He was just about to speak before Ventus blurted out, "So does that mean he passed the test?"
This time, it was Eraqus that answered with a chuckle.
"Yes Ventus, it means that Terra passed his test. With spectacular color I might say."
The cheer that come from Ventus was both expected and loud, but neither of the friends really cared for decorum at the moment. Aqua had thrown herself at Terra in a tight hug as the look of shock slowly left Terra's face, only to be replaced with a large smile which was followed by loud laughter from all three of them.
The two Masters couldn't help but grin at the three friends exuberance. Although they knew that things were just beginning for the three friends, they allowed them to have their moment of laughter. There might not be much of it in the near future.
Hope you enjoyed! Please Review!