This is chapter eighteen. Thank you DaniPotterLovesGod, Classic Rock and Keyblades, Kamen Rider Ebon, Grim Reaper Kid, caitlinkeitorin, and kiyohunter for reviewing last chapter!

Chapter Eighteen: Battle of Blood

Gillick's eye twitched. "Almost done," the girl who'd allowed him to stay in her house said. As she'd said, she'd put some sort of ointment on his wounds, and was now busily wrapping him in bandages.

She finally stepped away, her hands on her hips as she looked over the coverings. "There. That should do it."

"Great." He began to get up, but pain started spreading immediately from his wounds. His breath hissed out from between his teeth, and he fell back down.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't move; you'll just strain yourself. Lie down and rest. The wounds will heal, but you'll need to give them time."

After the events at the Light Army base, he didn't feel compelled to argue. "Fine," he growled, falling back onto the bed. The woman smiled, then turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Gillick stared absently up at the ceiling. Slowly, with nothing else to do, he drifted off into sleep.

A few years went by. And, as they passed, Gillick noticed that there weren't as many differences between the Light and Dark armies as he'd first thought. Though they used two opposing elements, both sides were filled with Keybladers who wanted nothing but their own personal gain. He turned a blind eye to whatever seemed good; he had trouble believing it.

To say Viril was the same as Tollun, however, would only be half true. It was true that neither were as concerned for other's safety as they pretended to be; they were more concerned for their own goals. However, while Tollun had wanted fame and honor, Viril wanted something much more simple: revenge. Some Keybladers from the Light Army had done something to him when he was very young; Gillick never found out what. However, the event had left the man with a burning hatred for anyone who chose the power of light over darkness. And he wouldn't rest until everyone who opposed him was dead.

Gillick felt as conflicted as he did in the Light Army. There were things going on that he didn't like, and he wanted out. However, like before, there was something to keep him tethered to the army. This time, it was not family, however; this time, it was the fact that he'd been a Keyblader all his life. Where would he go…what would he do…without and army to align himself with? Much as he hated to admit it…the thought scared him.

"Oh, Gillick," a voice called tauntingly from his doorway.

The boy closed his amber eyes in frustration. "What the hell do you want, Xuren?"

He turned to face the man. Xuren: a sadistic, somewhat insane Keyblader who was, oddly, one of Viril's favorites. The man had a wicked grin plastered on his face, his eyes flickering. "Oh, it's not what I want," he replied. "It's what Viril wants."

Gillick snorted, and pushed past him and headed down the hall without giving the man another glance. To his annoyance, Xuren followed quickly behind. "Why are you following me?"

"Viril wants me to come, too."

Gillick's eyes twitched. Shit, don't tell me I have to do a mission with- the thought was cut off when he reached the door that led to the large 'throne room' that was where Viril usually met with other members of the Dark Army. As Gillick pushed open the door, Viril's head lifted. As usual, his eyes were hidden. "Gillick. I have a task for you."

He felt a small twinge of relief at the fact that he hadn't said 'Gillick and Xuren', but couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sense of suspicion at why he'd asked the other Keyblader to come if he wasn't included. "And what is it?"

Viril's fingers curled tighter around the armrests of his 'throne.' "Your tone…are you…discontent…with what the Dark Army has offered you? Are you…thinking of leaving?"

His careful, slow choice of words - and the words themselves - sent a stab of panic flaring through him. "No! I…I'm loyal to the Dark Army." The words tasted bitter, but he didn't know what else to do.

Viril nodded slowly. "Then prove it. There's a warrior of the Light Army coming this way. He's been sent as a spy, to try and infiltrate our defenses so he can bring other scum of the light in here to destroy us. Find him first, and kill him." Gillick nodded; after the first incident, a few years ago, killing was no longer any problem for him. "Then go."

The black-haired Keyblader turned and left. As he did, he noticed Xuren's yellow eyes were following him with manic glee. A shiver ran up his spine, and he hurried forward at a faster pace.

Once outside the Dark Army fortress, he began ranging out, looking for clues as to where the Light Army Keyblader would be coming from. This would be the hardest part; trying to intercept the Keyblader before he could reach the base. He figured that, since he was already heading in this direction, it didn't matter if he saw the base or not. Besides, the fortress was built into a cliff face; it'd be hard to miss. Perhaps a trap, he considered, summoning his Keyblade.

He froze when he saw a figure off in the distance. He didn't stop to think; he jumped off the rock he'd positioned himself on and skidded down the mountainside. When he made it to the ground, he dashed across the open ground towards where he'd seen the figure.

As he drew closer, the person finally noticed the assailant running towards him. Obviously realizing he'd been discovered, he turned and fled. Gillick smirked. You're really going to draw out your own death? He continued forward.

Though he was fast, it wasn't until the fortress was out of sight and he was panting that he was close enough to launch a spell. It hit the other's shoulder, sending him reeling with a cry.

When he got a good look at his opponent, Gillick's blood ran cold. It'd been years, but…he knew this boy.

He watched in frozen horror as, slowly, the opposing Keyblader pushed himself up and turned to glare at him. The shock in his brother's eyes mirrored his own. "Gillick?"

"Trevor," he whispered, shaking. A cold sweat had started. It couldn't be, it couldn't be, it couldn't be… "Why are you here?" One last attempt; one last hope for a denial.

Then he answered, and all his hopes came crashing down. "I'm stopping the Dark Army." Trevor's blue eyes met Gillick's amber one's; the younger boy's gleamed with betrayal, while the older's gleamed with horror. "Stopping you."

Gillick took a pace back. His hands shook, and he tightened his grip on his Keyblade. "No," he murmured. "No, no, NO! Anyone else. Why couldn't it have been someone else?"

"What?" Trevor asked. His words had been spoken too quietly for him to hear.

I have to kill…my brother. Or I'll lose everything. He felt numb; he hardly realized when he spoke up. The words sounded disconnected, as if they were spoken by some other person, in some other place. "How do you plan on doing that?"

Trevor looked up at him. Pain and betrayal flickered in his eyes, but he reached up and slammed a fist into the armor panel on his shoulder. "For the Light Army," he whispered, almost too quiet for Gillick to hear, as his armor formed around him. Then he lunged forward, summoning his Keyblade.

Gillick was able to snap himself back into reality in time to block his brother's blow. He was able to force him backwards, causing him to stumble, and giving him enough time to activate his own armor. Then Trevor lunged at him once more, and the fight was on.

Gillick rolled away from his brother's strike. For a few moments, the pulse of battle overrode his dismay, and he immediately launched himself forward into a counterstrike. Trevor didn't have time to block the oncoming Keyblade with his own, though his armor took the brunt of the damage. Gillick allowed a few more strikes before jumping back. He lifted his Keyblade, beginning to form a fireball at its tip.

Then he froze. But…but I… The fire at the end of his weapon guttered and died.

By that time Trevor had regained his footing and was dashing towards him, his body held low. Gillick sidestepped, but his younger sibling proved that he had speed on his side, as well; he was able to quickly turn and slash at his brother, hitting his leg with enough force to cause him to fall. He quickly rolled backwards, both to return his body to a standing position and to avoid Trevor's next strike.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. You have to kill him! he hissed to himself. Do you really want to suffer the consequences if you don't? Besides, he's not holding back for his army! He took a deep breath, then lunged forward.

This time, Trevor was watching him, and quickly lifted his Keyblade to block. Instead of a head-on strike, Gillick did a double feint, confusing his younger sibling, before slipping around the side he'd originally appeared to be heading towards. He made it behind him and struck him across the back before he had time to react. Trevor staggered forward, but was able to catch himself before he fell. Gillick didn't let up, however; he ignored the painful pounding of his heart, and continued to strike on his brother's back.

Finally, Trevor was knocked over into the dirt. Gillick raised his Keyblade for one more blow; it would knock him out, and he could finish him easily. The thought froze him, and his chest constricted. He closed his eyes tightly behind his visor, breathing hard, as he tried to force out memories of when the two of them were younger.

As before, he hesitated too long; Trevor was able to roll onto his back and lunge upwards. He slammed into Gillick's stomach, knocking the breath out of him. He landed a few blows before jumping back and shooting a Thunder spell. Gillick jerked as the spell raced through his body, pain burning in his blood and chips flying off his armor.

Coward, he growled at himself. You're too scared to kill him. He steeled himself, and summoned magic up to the tip of his own Keyblade. He lifted the weapon and fired several consecutive Fira spells. The younger boy quickly lifted his Keyblade to block them, but his attempts proved futile when several slipped past his defenses and collided with his armor. Though the defensive covering could protect him from the direct damage of the magic, the armor itself would still heat up, virtually cooking the boy inside it. Gillick dashed forward, Keyblade coated in ice. It was time to…cool him down a bit.

His weapon struck Trevor's chest protector with powerful force. Both the force of the blow and the sudden cold caused part of the armor to crack. Gillick struck again. The cracks on the armor spread some more, chips flying. Then he struck on Trevor's side, sending the boy flying and causing more cracks to lance along the armor.

Trevor recovered quickly. He ducked into a roll as he hit the ground, allowing him to quickly regain his feet and spin back around to face his brother. He wasted no time in firing a Blizzaga spell. Gillick slipped to the side, but wasn't able to escape the full brunt of the attack. His left side stung where the cold had leaked through his armor.

Pain caused fury; fury caused retaliation. He swung his Keyblade, sending an arc of dark wind flying without stopping to think. Trevor slammed the tip of his Keyblade into the ground, allowing him to withstand the blow, though not without losing a few more pieces to his armor. Then he jerked his Keyblade back out of the ground, sending an arrow of light flying from it's tip towards his brother. It was too fast for him to dodge, and he was forced to endure it as it caused a few more pieces of his own armor to fall off.

For several moments, the two brothers stood still, panting and staring at each other. Gillick's confliction about killing his brother once again resurfaced. He knew that he had to, but…he was his brother. Could he really do it? It didn't seem the same as killing all those others. He hadn't known them; they'd wronged him or the Dark Army; his conscience had stopped bothering him about it. But this…this was different. He laughed humorlessly. He wondered what his brother was thinking now, and if he was having similar thoughts about the whole situation.

Trevor heard his laugh. "What's so funny?" he hissed.

"Nothing," Gillick replied bitterly. "Absolutely nothing." His left hand tightened into a fist, his right simply gripping his weapon harder. I have no choice. He jumped forward.

Trevor moved to meet him. Their weapons collided in a shower of sparks. In close proximity, they could see through the tinted visors of the helmets. Their gazes met. The light of battle and the pain of having to fight each other glimmered in equal measures in both of their eyes. But neither was willing to give up.

They jumped apart, then suddenly dashed forward once more. Their Keyblades clashed for a few moments. Trevor suddenly spun around, his Keyblade coated with fire, and struck at Gillick's helmet.

His world was suddenly spinning. He staggered a few paces backwards, trying to focus both his mind and vision. However, Trevor ran at him with an Aero spell before he had the chance.

Gillick was sent flying backwards, his helmet coming off in the process. His back hit the ground with such force that he bounced back off the ground, flipping over to land on his stomach. He tried to stand, but he was still disoriented from the blows Trevor had landed.

Suddenly a wave of light was flying towards him. It hit him, causing him to skid backwards several more paces, and causing pain to pulse through his body; his armor wasn't enough protection.

He acted purely on instinct. His lifted his weapon, and sent a barrage of dark blasts flying towards his younger brother. Like with the Fira spells, his brother was able to block some, but not all, of the attacks. He began firing off random spells, stalling until his head cleared. Trevor valiantly tried to block the attacks and counterattack with magic of his own, but was unable to keep up.

His head finally stopped spinning. Then he lunged.

Trevor, like Gillick had been before, was disoriented from the force of the spells. But he was in much greater pain. When Gillick came to strike him, he didn't have time to react. His brother's Keyblade struck his helmet, sending it flying off. He fell backwards, unmoving.

Gillick stood over him for a few moments. Was he dead? No, still breathing. Just unconscious. He slowly lifted his Keyblade, holding it with two shaking hands as he prepared to impale the younger boy and end the fight.

He began to bring the weapon down, but stopped. It wasn't just his hands that were shaking now; it was his entire body. His breaths were ragged. He looked at his brother's face, and he couldn't help the memories…

Gil, play with me!

Thanks for saving me, big brother.

I won't cry. I-I'll be tough.

G-Gillick.

Stop it, he hissed to himself. His closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing and his hands.

But he still couldn't bring the Keyblade down.

He lifted his head and let out a cry of frustration. "I can't do it!" He fell to his knees. "I can't kill him." Still shaking, he lifted his Keyblade and pointed it towards the sky. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He was going to lose…everything.

But the Dark Army might never know. After all, they weren't here. The base couldn't even be seen from this distance. All he had to do was lie…and he'd be safe. He lowered his head. "Flare," he whispered. The spell shot from the tip of his Keyblade, flying into the air and bursting. The Light Army warriors he was sure were coming would see the signal, and come to get their fallen ally. Slowly, he stood, dispelled his armor and Keyblade, and began heading back to the Dark Army fortress.

A voice spoke up after he'd walked some distance. "Well, well, why so glum?"

Gillick turned burning amber eyes towards Xuren. "Why are you here?" he snarled.

"I just wanted to know if you killed the boy."

"Yeah," Gillick replied, looking away and continuing forward.

"Really? Even though he was your brother?"

Gillick froze. Then, with a snarl, he summoned his Keyblade and lunged for the man. The man quickly summoned his own to block the blow. "You knew!" he spat, amber eyes blazing.

Xuren laughed. "Of course I knew," he replied. He forced Gillick back, causing him to stumble. "That was Viril's test of loyalty; if you could kill your own brother for the sake of the Dark Army, you were truly on our side. And he sent me," and here he produced a wicked grin, "to watch you in secret."

Gillick's blood ran cold. But, how did…? He'd had no idea he'd been followed. Or watched, for that matter. And, if he saw everything, then…

"You lied." Gillick's eyes narrowed into a glare. If he was going to go down, it wasn't going to be without a fight. However, his inexperience compared to Xuren and the fact that he'd just finished fighting Trevor put him at a disadvantage.

Xuren lunged forward. Gillick quickly raised his Keyblade to block. He managed to ward off a few blows before the dark man broke through his defenses. He struck his chest, sending him stumbling backwards.

His spells hadn't recharged yet, and he didn't have the energy to fight back with his Keyblade. So that left defense. He quickly reached up to the panel on his shoulder, trying to activate his armor.

A Thundaga spell suddenly lanced through him, causing him to cry out in pain. He dropped his Keyblade, the weapon fading away, as he fell to the ground. He was barely conscious as Xuren stalked up to him. "The greatest dishonor for a Keyblader," he hissed, eyes glinting, "is to loose their armor." He reached down and pulled the armor plate off of Gillick's shoulder. "So go out into the world, armor-less, and live your shame."

He walked away. Gillick could only watch him go until he fell into unconsciousness.

That's the end of chapter eighteen. Not a side of Gillick seen very often, huh? Feel free to review.