So, this is chapter nine. Thank you Silverking32, caitlinkeitorin, and UmmeiNinja for reviewing last chapter.

Chapter Nine: Battle at the Village

Xuren was more than angry.

He was pissed.

He wasn't allowed to go on the mission to get revenge on Gillick because, apparently, his injuries were 'too much' for him to deal with right away. Not only that, he couldn't even manage to sneak onto the team, since the leader of the Dark Army himself had chosen to lead the mission. And that, then, begged the reason why.

He, of course, knew of who and what Gillick had once been. Both Keyblade Armies had reason to hold grievances against the former Keyblade warrior. But he knew the leader of the Dark Army wouldn't go to fight Gillick unless there was some bigger reason.

"Is this the place?"

At his leader's voice, his pondering stopped and his frustration returned. "Yes," he snapped.

His leader was obviously willing to ignore said anger. "Thank you, Xuren. You may go back now."

It wasn't a request.

Muttering under his breath, Xuren turned and opened a Corridor of Darkness. Before he stepped through, he allowed himself one last glance at the small, departing party. They examined the wreckage of the town for a few moments before apparently finding something that led them off into the woods. He snorted. It won't be long now. With that, he finally stepped foot through the Corridor of Darkness.

Mala, though grateful to the Moogles, couldn't help her old habits. After all, she had been raised as a thief; the lessons learned in her time on the streets were hard, if not impossible, for her to unlearn. And she couldn't help putting them into practice. Lesson one: don't pass up an opportunity to steal what you need.

She pocketed some of the herbs the Moogles had used as medicine.

Lesson number two: be observant. She quickly noticed that the Moogles didn't seem very trusting of humans, and preferred their forest habitat. They also had big birds that the raised, which they called Chocobos. Gillick hated Chocobos. He hated being stuck in bed, too, for that matter.

Lesson number three: don't trust anyone right off the bat. The Moogles, though kind to her, Riun, and even Gillick, still put her on edge. She kept an eye on them without telling them to much.

Lesson number four: better to be a living coward than a dead hero.

She hadn't had to put that one into practice yet. Which was good, because it was the only one that sometimes bothered her conscience later.

Mala sighed, absently touching the quiver of arrows strung across her back. There wasn't much to do here…well, aside from listen to Gillick. And the only time he really talked to her or Riun was when he was angry.

"Damn it, I'm fine!"

Like now, for instance.

"You're not fully healed, kupo," one of the Moogles trying to put more bandages on him argued.

"Yeah, well, I have other things to worry about," he growled, amber eyes glittering with frustration. "So leave me be."

"No, kupo."

Mala snorted, amused as she watched the interaction. Gillick obviously heard her, and sent a glare her way. She just allowed herself a broad smile, causing the boy even more frustration.

"M-Mala?"

She turned her head in surprise at Riun's voice. "Yeah, Riun?" she asked, looking out of the small shack at where the boy was standing.

He pointed off into the bushes. "I heard something."

"Maybe it was a forest animal," she suggested. Still, she knew better than to just leave something unchecked. She exited the shack, heading over in the general direction Riun had pointed. She looked around the bushes, feeling cautiousness edge into her. She could see nothing in the shadows. She shrugged, glancing back at Riun. "There's nothing her-"

She cut herself off as she saw a faint movement stir the bushes. Acting on instinct, she removed an arrow from her quiver and strung her bow, shooting the projectile. It lodged in something, and she heard a cry of pain.

Then the village was being swarmed by people with Keyblades.

Shock and alarm ran through Mala. Keybladers? She grappled with this thought, unable to comprehend it, until she realized what army they belonged to. The Dark Army. And everyone knew the Dark Army was evil.

She lifted her bow, beginning to shoot arrows at the oncoming dark Keybladers. The Dark Army warriors, obviously believing they hadn't needed it, had left their armor off. As a result, they ended up having arrows sticking out of them. Unfortunately, though, the young thief only had a limited supply of arrows. And when they ran out, she knew she had no chance against the Keyblade warriors.

So, she obeyed the fourth lesson all thieves must know, and ran.

Gillick's head whipped around as a commotion started outside. "What's happening?" he growled, jerking to his feet. He felt pain lance through him, but tried to ignore it.

The Moogles looked at each other, worried. "I don't know, kupo," one replied.

That wasn't good enough for him. He quickly ripped the bandages off his body, putting his shirt, shoulder plates, and sheathed sword back on. Then, ignoring the protests of the Moogles, he pushed his way out of the shack.

That's when he saw the Dark Army attacking. What the hell? Why were the idiots attacking a village of these…Moogles? He saw something dash away out of the corner of his eye, and, turning his head, he realized it was Mala. He snorted. Coward, he sneered silently. He reached up and jerked his blade out of its scabbard. Unlike you, I'm not afraid.

He launched himself into the fight, sword cutting through the air in precise arcs. A Keyblader turned around to see his swinging sword. He just had time for his eyes to widen before the weapon decapitated him. He jumped over the dead Keyblader's body and managed to catch another one by surprise, running his sword through his chest, before pulling it out with a sickening sucking sound. Blood gurgled from the wound as the woman fell over, lifeless.

By that time, the other Keybladers were aware of his presence. Without the element of surprise, he doubted he'd be killing many more Keybladers. That was fine with him, though. What he didn't understand was why the Keybladers were here, or why they were attacking a village that wasn't aligned to either army.

Then he thought of Xuren, and cursed under his breath as he raised his sword to block the strike of a Keyblade. Were they really that mad about me beating Xuren? The thought seemed stupid to him, but it was the only reason he could think of. He gritted his teeth, quickly pulling away from the other warrior's blade and ducking low, slashing at his opponent's legs. The man cried out as the weapon cut through cloth and flesh, spraying blood.

Gillick jerked forward as something hit him hard across his back. He staggered, whipping around as quickly as he could. He was just in time to block the blow of the Keyblader. His eyes widened when he saw who it was. "Hello, Gillick."

"Viril," Gillick hissed at the leader of the Dark Army. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Reminding you of your place," he hissed. Two small specks of red gleamed out from beneath his bangs. "I can't have you interfering with the Dark Army's affairs and Keybladers any more."

His amber eyes flared dangerously. "Back off," he snarled, lunging forward. The force of the lunge, with their Keyblades still pressed against each other, forced Viril to stagger backwards. The Keyblader recovered quickly, but didn't launch a counter attack, instead watching carefully.

Gillick lunged forward, feinting to both the left and right before returning his attack to the left. Viril lifted his Keyblade to block the blow, the movement looking as if it were meant to unbalance his opponent. So, instead of finishing the strike, Gillick slipped around behind the leader of the Dark Army, lashing out quickly with his blade. Viril tried to move away, but wasn't quick enough to avoid the blow completely.

However, Viril was able to recover quickly. He flipped on one hand, spinning around in midair and firing a burst of dark fire at the former Keyblader. Gillick lifted his sword quickly, the metal of the blade deflecting the magic.

"H-help!"

Gillick's head jerked around at the sound of Riun's voice. The boy was being corner by several Keybladers. He considered letting the boy just deal with them himself; after all, he had his own fight to deal with. However, looking at the boy, he couldn't help but be reminded of a similar event that had happened with Trevor…

Gillick couldn't believe it; Master Tollun was taking him back to his home town. Well, he supposed it wasn't just him; a few other Keybladers and their apprentices were coming along, too. It was the first time he'd been allowed to do something besides training with his mentor, though the event was just a routine checkup.

"Master Tollun?" he asked hesitantly as they entered the town.

Tollun glanced down at his nine-year-old apprentice. "Yes, Gillick?

"Would it…would it be alright if I went to see my family?"

"Yes, this is your home town, isn't it?" Tollun asked rhetorically. Gillick just continued to look hopefully up at his master. Slowly, Tollun nodded. "Yes. You may visit them."

Gillick nodded his appreciation, a small smile slipping onto his face. "Thank you, Master." He walked off in the direction of his house, his body held tightly under control. It wasn't until he could no longer see the Keybladers that he broke into a run.

He burst through the door of his house without even bothering to knock. "Mom! Dad! Trevor!" he called.

"Gillick?" That was his mother. In the doorway appeared two figures. His parents, joy in their eyes, came to great him. "Look how much you've grown, Gil," his mother crooned.

"Mom!" he complained, trying to pull away from her.

"It's good to see you again," his father added, bending down and tussling his hair.

Gillick smiled, despite the baby-ish treatment. Then, his blue eyes scanning the room, he asked, "Where's Trevor?"

"He went to play with some friends," his mother replied.

"Oh…" he trailed off, then added, "Can I go find him?"

"Of course," his father replied. Gillick smiled and gave a nod of gratitude, then whipped around and headed quickly out the door in search of his younger sibling.

As he traveled through the town, the sun began to set and night began to fall. He frowned, searching for his younger brother. "Trevor!" he called, eyes scanning the streets for his younger brother.

"G-Gil!" a shaky voice called. Not long after, there was an explosion nearby.

Panic fluttered in Gillick's chest. "Trevor!" He slammed the button that would release his armor and, summoning his Keyblade, ran in the direction of his younger sibling's scream.

He found him, huddled low behind a crate. "Trevor, you Ok?" he gasped as he saw him.

"Gil?" Trevor asked, shaking with tears running down his face.

Gillick bent down close to his younger brother. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know," Trevor whimpered. "Something attacked me, but I couldn't see what it was, and-and…"

As Trevor huddled up into a fetal position, his face hidden in his arms, Gillick heard something behind him. Slowly, he turned. That was the first time he'd see the monster that would come to be known as the Knight, though he had no knowledge of the fact that that was the creature he was looking at. Fear pulsed through him as he looked at the stocky figure that was stalking towards him, black wings stretching from its back.

Then he saw a shape, just beyond the armored figure. "Master Tollun!" he cried in relief. He expected his master to come to their aid. However, Tollun made no move to help his young apprentice or his sibling. What's he doing? Gillick wondered, eyes widening behind his helmet.

The Knight was coming closer. Tollun still hadn't lifted a finger to help. Gillick, not knowing what else to do, threw his body over his brother's. The monster lifted a hand to strike.

Suddenly, Tollun was there, warding off the figure. "You will not hurt these children!" he roared, his voice echoing loudly through the night, drawing the attention of several other people. Gillick lifted his head in surprise. His master had finally come to his aid. But why had he waited?

An inhuman snarl come from within the helmet. The Knight shot a blast of fire at the Keyblader. Tollun quickly lifted his Keyblade to block it. However, this action allowed the creature to lunge for him. It grabbed the light Keyblader, crushing armor with inhuman strength. Tollun gasped with pain.

Despite the fact that his master hadn't come to his aid right away, Gillick did not intend to do the same. He lifted his Keyblade and hit it off the monster. "Stop!"

His attack hadn't even made a dent in the armor that covered the monster. However, it was enough to draw its attention. Strange points of light - he'd later guess they were eyes - flashed behind the tinted glass. Gillick shook, stumbling backwards, his courage deserting him. The monster dropped his master in a heap on the ground. It stalked towards him. He was trying very hard not to whimper in fear.

He glanced behind the monster at his master. The man was shaking, but seemed almost…relieved. Wait, relieved?

The creature reared back, away from him. He expected it to land a final blow. Instead, it spread its pitch black wings and sprang into the sky.

By now, people were beginning to gather around the sight. They either crooned over him about his courage or nodded simple approval. While they were preoccupied with the student, they didn't notice the master.

But Gillick did. Tollun was staring at him, resentment flaring in blue eyes that could be seen through the broken glass of his helmet. The leader of the Light Army dismissed his armor, then walked over to Trevor, who was slowly uncurling from his fetal position. He bent down and extended his Keyblade towards the boy, asking, "Tell me, would you like to train beside your brother?"

Trevor, tears still caught in the corners of his eyes, gave a slow nod. "S-sure."

Most watching would assume that Tollun had simply acted out of kindness. Gillick, however, had seen his eyes. He wasn't acting because he cared, but was trying to spite the student who had shown him up.

Gillick couldn't help but compare Riun to his younger brother. It was for that reason that, instead of continuing to fight Viril, he ran to help the boy.

And there's the end of chapter nine. Please review?