Here's chapter twenty - three. Thank you kiyohunter and caitlinkeitorin for reviewing last chapter!

Chapter Twenty - Three: Unsteady Alliance

Gillick felt edgy. Night had fallen, and he'd removed his sword and scabbard, placing the items on his lap as he leaned back against the tree. He looked at the two sleeping figures nearby, black blobs hardly visible through the dark covering. He looked up to the sky. Only a sliver of moonlight remained. And it'll be gone in a night or two, he thought, lips twisting downwards into a frown.

The thought did little to comfort him.

On the nights where the moon waned, it was near impossible to see. If you lived in a town, it wasn't much problem; there were torches put up around town during those nights, allowing late-night travelers and people doing business to see. But out here…unless you carried flint with you, you'd be going blind.

He wasn't so concerned about the wildlife, or, for the most part, other humans. The lack of light would keep all but those with excellent night vision from being active. However, he wasn't sure what the assassin could do in the darkness. It was entirely possible that she'd figured out some tricks to maneuver in pure darkness. And that would cause trouble. He snorted. Well, there's an understatement. Gillick's fingers played around with the hilt of his sword. The night was quiet, thankfully; then again, the assassin could just be sneakier than he thought her to be. He grimaced. This was getting him nowhere.

He once again wondered if it was a good idea to team up with Mala an Riun. On the one hand, he knew that he couldn't face the assassin head on right now. Not and win, in any case. Though his wounds were healing, they weren't healing fast enough. But, on the other hand, the two of them would slow him down. Besides, he'd learned long ago that trust was a sure fire way to get you killed.

Then again, Mala had helped him out of the Light Army base…

He shook his head. The assassin isn't likely to walk right up to us, he argued silently. I could be dead before they even have time to notice she's there.

He exhaled heavily. I can't stay up all night with this. He had to sleep; if the assassin were to strike, he needed his wits about him. He'd just have to trust his instincts to wake him if trouble were near.

"Master Xuren, what are we going to do for our attack?"

Xuren surveyed his group of Dark Army Keybladers. He was trying to force a presence of calm, like Viril exuded, but was mostly failing. The other Keybladers seemed to pick up on his feelings, looking restless and ready to attack. His yellow eyes glowed eerily in the torchlight. "Normally," he replied, "I'd say we just attack and destroy them." He let a small grin slip onto his face. "But we're meant to be a distraction. So I say we give them a show."

"What kind of show?" one of the Keybladers asked. He was frowning, as if he were unsure of this idea.

"We'll attack tomorrow night," Xuren answered, "when the moon is gone."

"But…we won't be able to see!"

He glared at the Keyblader who'd spoken out. "There are torches in town," he growled back. "And, in any case, I plan to send out one or two of you to survey the area in the daylight. That way, we're ready."

"That's…oddly strategic of you," one of the Keybladers said slowly.

"Who are you and what have you done with Xuren?" another joked.

"Oh, don't worry," the Dark Keyblader answered with a maniac smile, "once tomorrow night comes…the fun will really begin."

Morning light washing over him woke Gillick up. He blinked open his eyes, letting them adjust to the sun, and sat upright. He returned his scabbard to it's traditional position on his back, and turned his gaze to where his two companions had been sleeping.

Surprise rushed through him when he noticed Mala was missing. His eyes widened, then narrowed. Figures. Once she got Riun here, she just leaves the kid with me. Well, if she thought he was going to take him alone, forget it. He wouldn't be much use in a fight. He got up, getting ready to leave.

"Hey."

Gillick whipped his head around in time to catch a fruit that was flying towards him. "What the hell?"

"It's called 'fruit'," Mala replied sarcastically.

He glared at her. "No shit," he responded.

She rolled her eyes. "You're not making it easier to like you, you know." He snorted, leaning back against the tree and inspecting the food. "I didn't poison it, you know!" Mala cried, exasperated. Gillick's eyes flicked to her briefly, and he slowly took a bite out of the fruit.

He watched Mala as she woke up Riun and handed him a piece of fruit. So she hadn't stabbed him in the back. Yet. He didn't plan on letting his guard down, though.

The three were off soon after. Riun was rubbing his eyes, obviously not yet completely awake. Mala and Gillick walked along in an uneasy, tense silence. Gillick had fallen a little bit behind the thief girl in order to keep a better eye on her. She looked tense, as if she knew he didn't trust her. Although, he wasn't exactly trying to hide it.

His head jerked around at a sudden noise. That sounded…a lot like… He spun around, hand shooting up to the hilt of his sword. Sure enough, a Dark Corridor was opening up behind him. He wasted no time in jerking his sword out of its sheath and lunging forward.

The man coming out of it didn't even have time to respond as he was impaled.

"Gillick!"

He ignored Mala's exclamation of surprise, instead watching to see if anyone else would emerge. However, the Dark Corridor collapsed in on itself. With a satisfied nod, he jerked his weapon out of the body, wiped the blood off on the grass, and sheathed it.

"Gillick!"

He continued to ignore Mala and the sound of his rapidly approaching companions, instead looking to the armor glinting on the man's shoulder. What's a Dark Army Keyblader doing here? he wondered. Thinking about how easily a Dark Corridor could get a person from place to place, a large part of him wished suddenly that he had the ability to use them.

He felt something slam into him from behind. He caught himself as he stumbled and, growling under his breath, whipped around and caught Mala's next punch. "What the hell was that for?"

She was looking at him accusingly. Behind her, Riun was looking at the dead Keyblader with a face wiped blank with shock. "But…he was from the Dark Army…"

"Why?" Mala hissed. "Why'd you kill him?"

"He was a threat," Gillick replied. He quirked an eyebrow. "Didn't you Light Army supporters hate the Dark Army?"

"Well, yeah, but…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "You didn't even give him a chance!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, next time I'll warn him with, 'I'm sorry, sir, but I may have to kill you before you kill me. Let's play fair now.'" He quickly switched from a mocking tone to one that was scathingly acidic. "Do you realize how stupid it is to do something like that? I have news for you, your enemies are not going to play fair. You're a thief; you should know that."

"I do know that!" she responded angrily. "But, you know, killing isn't always the best idea. It can bring trouble that's not needed."

Gillick's eyes brimmed with scorn. "So, that's it. You're just afraid again."

She hesitated. "I…well…"

He snorted. "If you're scared, then go back to where you came from. I'm guessing the Knight will be gone for a while. This war is no place for cowards." With that, he released her and began to walk away.

"It's not a-"

He whipped back around, amber eyes smoldering. She shrank back, and he felt some small consolation that he could induce fear in her. "No, the general populace would never admit to it. They're too afraid of what that means. But, trust me, what's going on between the Light and Dark Armies is no normal battle." His eyes narrowed. "And if you don't want to get hurt, it's smarter to stay out of it." He turned back around and stalked away, leaving two startled humans behind.

Mala watched Gillick go with her jaws gaping open. Riun piped up as the older boy left. "What's going on? Where's he going?"

Riun went to go after him, but Mala caught his arm. "No! Stay here with me!"

He looked up at her in confusion. "But…why?"

Her eyes followed after the black-haired boy. Until then, she'd just considered him a jerk. Well, a jerk with considerable fighting skills. But for whatever reason…she'd never actually considered him 'dangerous' until that moment. It was a stark contrast to his brother, Trevor, who seemed so kind. Perhaps that was why she'd wanted to trust him…because of his brother. But now… "I think I made a mistake bringing you to him," she said quietly, her voice shaking.

"But…he's a hero!"

She turned her blue eyes to the boy. "Didn't you see him just kill that man? With no remorse, no hesitation? He didn't even stop to see if the guy was on our side."

Riun glanced back at the body. His lip quivered, and he bit it to stop it. Slowly, he nodded, a few tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. He looked away, towards the figure of Gillick heading off into the distance.

"Honestly, I'm beginning to think hanging out with the Dark Army is safer than hanging around him," Mala added quietly.

Riun had no reply.

She looked away. "Come on, Riun; let's find a town to stay in before nightfall."

Gillick continued forward in an angry sort of haze. How could she be so blind? He'd probably just saved her ass, not to mention the kid's, and she was yelling at him for it? Some thanks.

There was a part of him that said he should find a town before the night fell. He figured he should probably listen to that part. Taking a deep breath to try and calm his anger, he changed his direction.

From his time in the Armies, he knew the area around here fairly well. There was a Light Army town that would be coming up. If he made good time, he could get there before dark.

As his anger cooled, he wondered if he should really be going towards a town. After all, the assassin would have a much easier time finding him there. But, then again, he'd be able to see better, too. And he didn't know her exact skills in the darkness. Best to get somewhere where he'd at least have a chance at fighting her, if he had to.

The sun was beginning to set, sending streaks of red across the sky, by the time Mala and Riun saw a town in the distance. "Look!" Mala cried. "We made it!"

Riun nodded, looking downcast. She sighed as she looked at him. She'd been shaken by what had happened, but she'd managed to pull through it as they walked. In fact, she felt almost happy to be free of Gillick. But Riun…hadn't taken things so well. He considered Gillick to be someone great; a hero he could look up to. Now doubt had been cast on just how much of a 'hero' the bounty hunter was.

Mala felt rage simmering inside her. The next time I see him, I'll make sure he pays for hurting Riun. There was a part of her that knew that was unrealistic; even in his weakened state, he was a powerful warrior. There was a greater part of her that realized that her current feelings of courage would deplete as soon as she saw the boy again. But that didn't stop her from being angry.

"Come on," she sighed, grabbing Riun's hand and tugging him along. "Let's find a place to stay for the night."

There's the end of chapter twenty - three. Reviews would be great!