This is chapter fourteen. Thank you Kamen Rider Ebon, Silverking32, and Eddie Camp for reviewing last chapter!

Chapter Fourteen: Leap of Faith

When Trevor emerged from the dungeon, he was feeling depressed and agitated. His first meeting with his brother in two years…had ended badly. He exhaled slowly. He supposed it should've been expected. Still…he missed the Gillick he'd known when he was little. It had seemed so much simpler back then.

"Trevor!"

The Keyblader stopped at the sound of his name. He glanced behind him to see another warrior of the Keyblade rushing towards him. "Is it important?" he asked, not really in the mood to talk.

The Keyblader stopped before him. "Did you talk to the prisoner?" she asked.

He turned his head away. "He's my brother, too, you know," he responded, an edge to his voice.

"But did you get any information out of him?"

"Information?" he echoed, turning back to look at her.

She sighed in exasperation. "You know, about the Dark Army?"

He tensed. "What?"

Her eyes narrowed suddenly. "That's the whole reason he's still alive right now. We all know he deserted us for the Dark Army. Even if he's not a part of them any more, he can still give us information."

He was finding in harder to keep control of his emotions. "You just…want to use him…to get information?"

"Think!" she growled. "It'll help the Light Army! We may finally be able to get rid of the Dark Army once and for all."

He didn't want to deal with this any more. "Shut up!" he snapped, fists clenched. He whipped around, beginning to stalk away.

There were a few moments of silence before the other Keyblader called after him, "Perhaps you're more like your brother than I thought."

Trevor closed his eyes tightly. At one time, he would've considered that a compliment. Now…he didn't know what to make of it.

Mala found that it didn't take long for her to grow bored waiting for Trevor. So, instead of simply standing outside the entrance to the dungeon, she'd begun to explore the interior of the base. Even though she was technically working for the Light Army now, though, she felt nervous walking openly through the halls, and ended up hugging the shadows. She resisted the instinct to grab anything that she felt was important; after all, she couldn't steal from Keybladers.

She'd found a few areas that looked like barracks, which she had decided to stay out of. She'd also found something that resembled a dining hall. She'd poked around there a bit more, but had ended up feeling like she was too out in the open, and quickly left. There'd been a library, which she'd walked around for a long time before finally heading off to new areas.

Even as she explored, however, she couldn't stop thinking about the shocking revelation that Gillick was Trevor's brother. The two seemed…so different. Trevor was a Keyblader, a protector of the weak and innocent. He was kind, and loyal, and brave. Gillick was nothing more than a bounty hunter. He was brave, sure, but he was also selfish, and easily angered, and anti-social. Mala shook her head, still grappling with the revelation and still finding herself unable to see the relationship between the two brothers. No wonder they hadn't talked in two years.

"Mala!" a voice barked.

She jerked her head up in surprise at the sound of her name. "Oh, hi, Trevor," she said, surprised to see him storming down the hall.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you wait at the dungeon entrance?" he growled when he reached her.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "You never said I had to," she responded.

"It was implied," he responded, brushing past her.

She snorted. "Maybe there is a way you two are related," she muttered.

Trevor froze. He took a deep breath, as if he was trying to collect himself, then turned around and faced her once more. "Look, I'm sorry, but my 'reunion' with Gillick didn't go very well. I don't really want to talk right now, alright?"

"You know, you really shouldn't keep stuff bottled up inside!" she called after him. He shook his head, but made no verbal reply.

Mala looked after him as he left, her gaze troubled. Eventually, she returned to exploring, though her mind was hardly on what she saw.

Mala avoided Trevor the rest of the day, in attempt to honor his wishes and give him some quiet and space. However, as night began to fall, she was finally forced to seek him out. "Um, Trevor?" she asked hesitantly when she finally found the barracks he was in. It was empty save for him. "Where am I going to sleep?"

He looked up in surprise at her entrance. He heaved a tired sigh. "Sorry, Mala. There are some empty bunks in here you could sleep in."

His face looked tired and strained. Her shoulders drooped. "You know, you don't have to keep saying 'sorry'. Gillick's a…hard person to deal with."

Trevor blinked, looking surprised for a few moments before remembrance flashed in his eyes. "That's right; you know Gillick." His gaze was littered with questions. "But…how?"

"He saved me from some goon- er, thugs," she amended, remembering the term 'goonies' wasn't used much outside of her small town.

"That's right," he muttered, a hand on his head. "I remember you saying that when I came to your town."

She nodded. "We ran into each other twice more after that; once not long after the Knight attacked my town, and once when he was really beat up. Actually, I don't think he's healed from that yet." She shrugged. "Not a very friendly guy. He doesn't seem to like Keybladers, either. Can you explain that?"

Trevor gave a heavy sigh. "It's a long story, and one that I think only he should tell."

Mala snorted at his response. "Why can't you?"

"He's still my brother," Trevor replied quietly. "He may be different from when we were little, but…" He shook his head.

"But…?"

He looked her in the eyes, blue meeting blue. "But I still believe in him. Sometimes it's hard, and sometimes I don't understand why." He laughed humorously. "But, sometimes, I see remnants of the brother I knew, and I wonder if he can learn to be a hero."

Mala blinked in surprise. "Gillick? A hero?" She almost laughed. "What would give you that idea?"

"He spared my life…at the risk of his own." This caused her to falter. A grim smile crossed his face. "That was the last time we saw each other…well, before now, that is." Then his eyes grew dark. "I'm not even sure…what'll happen to him now…"

She shifted nervously upon seeing his nervous expression. "Well, can't you…let him go…?" she blurted finally. She didn't have any family left, but…she couldn't imagine that it would be easy to watch bad things happen to a family member.

He shook his head sadly. "I have to do what Master Tollun says."

She read enough out of that statement: even if he didn't like what his master said, he'd obey. And he was afraid to go against his master. Resolve suddenly filled her. Trevor wouldn't let Gillick go, but…she could.

"Trevor!"

His younger brother looked up as he approached. "Hi, Gil," he said half-heartedly.

Gillick frowned at his tone. "Is something wrong?"

Trevor sniffed. "I don't know…you tell me."

Confusion set in. "What are you talking about?"

Trevor turned to look at him square in the eye. "Master Tollun said he saw you talking to a Dark Army Keyblader the other day."

Gillick stiffened. He'd seen him talking to Viril? "Yeah, I did, but-"

"Why?" Trevor interrupted. "The Dark Army's evil."

Gillick's gaze suddenly hardened. "Well, I don't think they're any worse than some of the Light Army Keybladers."

"What?" Trevor yelped in surprise.

Gillick snorted. "Come on, you haven't seen it?" He stopped where his words were leading him when he saw the look on his brother's face. He sighed and rested one hand on his shoulder. "Look, don't worry, I'll protect you."

"Stop!" Trevor protested, pulling away. Gillick blinked in surprise as his brother rounded on him. "I don't need protecting! I'm a Keyblader now, too, you know! And how could you talk to one of them and then say bad stuff about the Light Army? What's wrong with you?"

Gillick's eyes narrowed, and he felt his heart sink. No…not him, too… "What's wrong with me?" he hissed. "Trevor, look at some of the things some of the Light Army Keybladers do! You don't see anything wrong with that?"

"Everything they do is good, because they're the good guys!" Trevor protested.

"Trevor, please, don't let the light blind you, too!" Gillick begged, his voice holding an obvious pleading note. He couldn't lose his little brother…he couldn't…

"You sound like one of them," Trevor growled. He put his fingers in his ears. "I don't want to listen any more."

The older boy's gaze suddenly hardened. Without saying anything, he spun around and headed back the way he'd come. He felt cold and angry. His brother…had really fallen for all those lies. And now he was talking like he was the bad guy?

He broke into a run. "Viril!" he called out into the still air. He finally stopped his dash, looking up into the sky. "Viril, I've changed my mind!" he called, tears beginning to form. "I want to join you!"

"Really?" a voice asked from the shadows. Gillick spun around, and saw the leader of the Dark Army step from the shadows. "And what made you change your mind?"

"T-they got to Trevor," he whimpered, feeling numb. "There's…no reason for me to stay…anymore."

Red eyes glinted behind Viril's long bangs. "Very well." He removed the armor plate attached to Gillick's shoulder, replacing it with a new one. "If you're going to be one of us," he hissed, "you need to have our armor." Then he laid a hand on the boy's other shoulder. His bangs parted, allowing his eyes to be fully revealed, blazing red as they looked into blue. "And you'll need to have our power."

Pain and power suddenly raced through him. He arched his back, a cry escaping from between his lips. He could feel it…the power of darkness seeping inside him, neutralizing the power of light. His eyes suddenly felt like they were burning. When Viril removed his hand, he was panting and shivering. "You have now been touched by darkness," the dark Keyblader hissed. "Come; you are one of us now."

"Gillick!" a voice called out behind him.

The boy lifted his head. Cold amber eyes met his brother's blue ones, stopping the boy in his tracks. He saw tears stream down Trevor's face. He turned away, following behind Viril. His own eyes were now dry.

Gillick blinked open his eyes at the sound of something rattling in the lock on his cell door. He lifted his head as the door swung open with a creek. "Mala?" he hissed in surprise as the girl slipped in.

"Yeah, hi," she muttered, heading over to his side and sticking something that looked like a lock pick into the locks on his shackles.

"What are you doing?" Gillick asked in surprise.

"Setting you free," the girl responded. The shackles fell from his wrists. "You're lucky I'm a thief, or I'd never be able to get you out of here."

He rubbed his wrists, looking at her suspiciously. "Why are you doing this?" he hissed. "You hate me."

She shrugged. "Well, I don't like you very much, no. But Trevor still cares about you."

He snorted, still suspicious. "Why would you set me free for Trevor's sake?" he asked quietly.

"I suppose I'm taking a leap of faith, and hoping I don't crash," Mala muttered.

"But…what do you-"

"Look, I don't want anything," she growled. "I'm trying to do something nice, so don't make this harder than it needs to be!" With that, she jerked him to his feet, and gave him a push towards the cell door.

And that'd be the end of chapter fourteen. Reviews are great, please?