This is chapter six. Thank you Silverking32, caitlinkeitorin, Oishii Hanashi, Kamen Rider Ebon, and KeybladeMaster97 for reviewing last chapter!

Chapter Six: Duty of a Keyblader

"Master, when will I get my Keyblade?"

The leader of the Light Army glanced down at the young form of Gillick. He smiled as he looked into his pupil's wide blue eyes. "That will depend on the strength of your heart."

Gillick's lips twisted into a frown. "That's…because it's connected to it, right?"

"Correct," his master replied.

"Master Tollun, when did you get your Keyblade?"

"Me?" Tollun paused to consider his student's question. "Well, I guess I was only a year or two older than you are now."

"So why am I your only pupil?"

"So many questions," Tollun sighed, shaking his head. He must have realized his young student wouldn't let him get away without answering, though, because he continued, "I see great potential in you, Gillick. I believe that, one day, you could very well surpass even me."

His normally stoic student suddenly lit up. "Really?"

Tollun nodded. "Now, Gillick, what is the duty of a Keyblader?"

Gillick's lips contorted into a thoughtful frown. "Um…to protect people."

"That's right. We can't let the Dark Army hurt anyone."

Gillick shivered. "Mommy told me they might come and get me if I was bad." He scuffed his foot in the dirt. "They're not very good Keybladers."

Tollun laughed at his student's remark. "No, they aren't, are they?" He bent down and ruffled the six-year-old's hair. "We'll make up for them, won't we?"

Gillick nodded enthusiastically, blue eyes shining. "Yeah! I'll be the best Keyblader ever!"

Gillick jolted awake, his body swinging itself into a sitting position of its own accord. His amber eyes narrowed to furious slits at his reaction. "Damn it!" he growled, slamming his fist against the tree he'd lain against. "Why can't these memories just go away? I've given up the Keyblade."

He exhaled heavily, looking up to the moon shining in the sky. It was beginning to wane; it wouldn't be long until it would be too dark for anything to dare to venture out into the night. He snorted, leaning back against his tree. Up ahead, he could see a copse of them stretching across the horizon. Knowing that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep, and pulled his weapon on over his head and began to trudge off towards the line in the distance.

His eyes narrowed as he saw a faint bump in the grass up ahead. His first thought was that it was something waiting to ambush him. Then he mentally berated himself. I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to sleep out in the open like that. So he didn't bother to try and go around it.

He regretted it when it jerked suddenly as he stepped on it. For a few seconds, he found himself falling through the air. He regained his composure quickly, managing to duck into a roll and spin around as he came up, withdrawing his sword in the process. Before him, the thing he'd stepped on unfurled itself to reveal a very startled human. It quickly withdrew a bow and arrow from its back, launching the projectile towards him. He jumped to the side quickly, bringing his sword up so that it rested against his assailant's neck.

As he looked into eyes that looked both frightened and determined, Gillick realized he knew who'd attacked him. And from the sudden recognition that flashed in her eyes, he knew that she'd figured out who he was, as well. "What are you doing here?" he hissed, sliding his sword back in its sheath.

"Not a very friendly welcome," Mala mumbled in response, putting her bow back on her back and going to retrieve her arrow.

"You're the one who attacked me," Gillick growled back.

"You stepped on me."

His eye twitched. "Answer the question!"

She glared at him. "My town was attacked by some monster called the Knight. I escaped."

"The Knight?" The name sounded familiar. He tried burrowing into his memories to figure out where he'd heard it before.

Mala nodded her assent. "It was…creepy." She shivered at the memory. "It was almost entirely covered in armor, with a glowing part on its left arm and eerie glowing eyes that flashed from its helmet."

Gillick's mind clicked, and he gave a slow nod. "I've heard about it before," he replied, thinking of the ruined towns he'd discovered a few times, and the frightful tales he'd heard from some of the people in neighboring villages. He shrugged the thoughts away. "It's of little importance to me," he added, walking forward.

Mala whipped around to look at him in surprise. "'Little importance?'" she repeated in shock. She hurried to keep up with him. "It's evil! It kills and destroys without a second thought! How can you say that's not important?"

"It seems to stay out of my way." His eyes shifted towards her. "A lesson some others should learn."

She glared at him. Then her eyes glittered with an odd light. When she spoke again, it sounded like she was choosing her words carefully. "Maybe…we should travel together."

"No."

"Why not?" she argued. "Two's better than one, right?"

"The only reason you want to travel with me is because you're scared of the Knight." She opened her mouth, as if to protest, but closed it again at his look. "I'm not interested in hanging around with cowards." Or anyone else, for that matter.

"I'm not a coward!" she complained.

He snorted. "If you need someone to hold your hand, you can go find that little pest I left back there." He pointed his finger in the general direction he'd last seen Riun. He wondered briefly if the kid had decided to head home, or if he was still trying to follow him.

Mala stopped short and gaped at him. "You…left a little kid all alone out here?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you see anything wrong with that?"

His eye twitched again. "He came out here on his own, so no."

Gillick imagined she looked disgusted behind him. It was a good thing he'd long since stopped caring about that. "Well," she growled, "I thought you were someone cool when you saved me from those goonies. Now I know you're just as bad."

"I'll let you know when I care."

"It's a good thing we have Keybladers; you could learn something from them!"

He stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

"I said that you could learn something from the Keybladers. They're a lot more noble than you are."

Gillick clenched his fists. 'A Keyblader's duty is to protect.' "And you believe their lies?" he snarled, spinning around to glare at her.

Her eyes narrowed in response. "They aren't lies!"

He snorted. "Of course they aren't," he growled sarcastically. "Just like you aren't a petty, cowardly thief, who only acts tough when it'll preserve your own hide."

He felt some form of satisfaction by watching her flounder for a response and being unable to find one. Then he spun around, stalking forward through the shadows and the faint light of the moon.

He looked up at the glowing sphere that hung in the sky. He knew he should probably try and sleep again…but he also knew what would invade his dreams if he did. He snorted, steeling himself for a long night as he searched for his quarry.

Mala spent the rest of the night huddled in the field. She felt resentful of what Gillick had said to her. "I'm not a coward," she muttered, hugging her knees. But she couldn't help thinking about all the times she'd run away from fights and problems. She flinched at the sting of truth she still felt from the boy's words.

She eventually managed to fall into a restless sleep. It didn't last long, however.

"Got to…keep…going…"

Her eyes flickered open at the sound of a voice and weary footsteps dragging through the grass. She looked around quickly, and found the source; a young boy that was trudging towards her, looking exhausted. "Hey, kid!" she called. She jumped up and jogged over to him. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"I'm…following someone," the boy replied tiredly. "He's…going to teach me…to be a hero."

Mala's mind flashed to the memory of earlier that night. "You must mean Gillick," she murmured.

The boy nodded. "Yeah."

She shook her head. "Hey, what's your name, kid?"

"Riun."

"Well, Riun, I'm Mala. And I can tell you that you don't want to be following that jerk." She jerked her thumb in the direction Gillick had headed off.

"Yes, I do!" Riun protested. "He's going to teach me…" He suddenly wavered on his feet. He staggered, falling down.

Mala caught him quickly. She looked at him in surprise. Poor kid. Must be exhausted. Looking at him, she wondered if she should follow Gillick's example and leave him. After all, he would slow her down. And if the Knight found her…she shivered at the thought.

On the other hand, though, he was just a little kid. He wouldn't be able to defend himself. A Keyblader wouldn't let him stay out here all by himself.

Guilt eventually won out. With a resigned sigh, she hoisted the sleeping boy onto her back. She slowly headed off as the sun began to break the horizon.

Xuren was already growing tired of the night watches. He was glad to see the light of the sun begin to streak the horizon. Grumbling under his breath, he opened a Corridor of Darkness and stalked through it.

He emerged in a dimly lit area. The leader of the Dark Army sat before him. He didn't seem surprised to see him. "Anything to report?"

"No."

"Good."

"No, it's not," Xuren growled in frustration.

"You know you can't handle the Knight," the leader of the Dark Army responded dryly.

"Really? Because that boy came away unscathed." He was vibrating with fury at the insult. "He's his brother, you know."

"You think I'd forget?" The leader of the Dark Army sounded like he was growing frustrated.

Xuren hesitated. He was pushing the limits, and he knew it. However, he still had a point to make. "I'm tired of sitting around. I want some action!"

"I already told you that you could kill him if he interferes," the other man sighed, waving him off.

He would not be deterred. "That's not enough. Let me do something else. Something…" a half-crazed smirk crossed his face, and his eyes glittered, "…more exciting."

He was sure one eyebrow would be raised beneath the overly-long bangs that covered the dark Keyblader's eyes. "If you're really so desperate," he growled finally, "we never really did get revenge on the Light Army for the attack the other night. The Knight got there before us." His eyes glittered madly. "I'll take care of that, then."

"Find a different village than the one attacked by the Knight, though," his leader called after him.

"Of course." He opened a Corridor of Darkness, stepping through it.

He emerged to morning light, and a quaint little village sitting in a forest glen. His eyes glittering with fiendish delight, he summoned his Keyblade. Then his attack began.

That's the end of chapter six. What do you think? Reviews are greatly appreciated!