This is chapter twenty - six. Thank you Eddie Camp and caitlinkeitorin for reviewing last chapter!

Chapter Twenty - Six: Trying Again

When Gillick returned to awareness, light was streaming through the boarded-up windows of the old building. He groaned, holding his head as he pushed himself into a sitting position. What happened? he wondered, feeling muddled.

Then he remembered. He snorted, rolling his eyes. That explains the headache, he thought with a grimace. But it didn't explain what had happened. Why, when he'd tried to recall what had happened the previous night, had he experienced such intense pain? Having trouble remembering was one thing; having pain while trying to remember was something else entirely. Something here…just wasn't right.

"Gillick!"

He lifted his head slowly, wary of sending himself into a dizzy spell or another bout of pain, and saw Riun grinning at him. Mala was some distance off, watching him warily. His eyes narrowed with frustration. "Hi," he muttered.

"Good to see you're awake…again," Mala commented.

"Haha," he growled dryly.

"Here's your sword!" Riun extended the weapon towards the boy, blade first.

Gillick shifted around the sharpened edge and grabbed the hilt from the boy's hand. "Thanks," he muttered, sliding his sword back into the scabbard on his back.

Mala fidgeted, looking uncomfortable. "I…have to ask you something."

His eyes flickered back to her. "What?" he asked warily.

Mala shifted her weight, looking up to the ceiling. "Could we…try traveling together again?"

Riun gasped, excitement pulsing from him. "Really?"

Gillick looked at her incredulously. "What?" he growled. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"I…I know," Mala replied, shifting her gaze to the ground.

"Then why?"

She finally met his amber eyes with her own blue stare. "Because last night proved something."

He waited for her to go on. When she didn't, he prompted, "It proved…?"

"That I'm not enough to protect Riun."

Gillick quirked an eyebrow. "I could've told you that," he responded, "but explain anyways."

Mala frowned at him, but went ahead with her story. "We may not know what happened to you, but we do know that the Dark Army attacked this town last night. And then…the Knight came." She shivered. "From what you were able to explain, it sounded like you ran into it, too, but the knock to your head must have caused some…amnesia."

"No shit," Gillick responded with narrowed eyes.

Mala shook her head. "The Knight nearly killed me, and probably Riun, too. We were separated, and…I was scared, and could hardly do anything to fight back…" She paused, looking away for a few moments. Then she returned her focus to him. "That's why we need to travel together. I want to protect Riun, but…I don't know if I'm strong enough or brave enough to do it…"

Gillick thought of all the times he'd wanted to protect Trevor when the two of them were little, and felt a small amount of sympathy edge its way into his heart. However, he still wasn't real thrilled with the idea if having them go with him. "Look, you've been a thief for…however long you've been a thief. Your strengths aren't exactly 'bravery' and 'strength'; more like 'cunning' and 'speed'." Mala quirked an eyebrow, obviously wondering where he was going with this. "You can learn bravery, but for everything else, it's better to focus on your strengths than your weaknesses."

"Well then we should still stick with you until I can learn bravery," she shot back.

His eye twitched. "Yeah, but I have an assassin chasing after me," he argued, "and I'm still in a…healing process. On top of that, I'm hunting down someone who's managed to either outwit or kill everyone tracking her. Do you honestly think this is the best idea?"

She blinked, frustration and resignation glittering in her eyes. "No," she replied, "but it's about the only one left." They sat in silence for several moments before Mala continued. "And you're injuries means there's another reason for us to travel together. After last night, you're even more injured. You'll need help as much as we do."

Gillick narrowed his eyes. "I can do just fine on my own," he responded, trying to stand. Instantly he was hit with a wave of dizziness and felt an aching pain. He fell back to the ground, contradicting his own words.

Mala snorted. "Right," came the sarcastic response.

"So I'm hurt," Gillick growled. "That doesn't mean I need you fussing over me. More likely you'll be hiding behind me."

Mala's eyes narrowed. "Some thanks for saving you twice now!" she growled.

Voices sounded outside the building. The young thief grew quiet, alarm flaring in her eyes as they drew nearer. Gillick frowned at her reaction. He turned his gaze to Riun, who'd been oddly quiet through the whole exchange. The boy looked frightened, his usual cheer gone.

The voices grew fainter. Relief flared in Mala's eyes, though wariness still glittered in their depths. She turned back to Gillick, continuing quietly, "Swallow your pride and let us help you."

Gillick sighed, looking away. She had a point, he supposed. He did owe them, and, with the condition he was in, working together would benefit both of them. But he was still hesitant to agree. After his time in the Light and Dark armies, he'd come to loathe working with others, and had trouble putting his trust in anyone but himself. But he wasn't sure he had much of a choice right now.

"What's going on out there?" he asked, hoping to distract the thief girl from the topic.

"Light Army Keybladers," Mala replied. He detected regret in her voice, but chose to ignore it.

And if she was telling the truth, it pretty much made his decision up for him. "Fine. I'll come with you."

He looked up to see Mala's eyes glitter with relief and Riun's regain their former energy. "Yes!" Riun exclaimed, excited.

"Not so loud!" Gillick and Mala hissed at the same time, and then exchanged surprised glances."

Mala forced a smile. "Glad you agreed."

He snorted. "Yeah, well, I don't have much choice. But if I have to deal with you two, then both of you are going to have to deal with war. And, trust me, there will be killing."

Mala swallowed hard, her face ashen. Even so, she replied, "Fine. We don't have much of a choice, either."

"Master Viril, may we enter?"

The leader of the Dark Army lifted his head. The Keybladers he'd sent to the Light Army base had returned. "Come in," he said, his voice echoing around the room.

The Keybladers entered, saluting when they reached him. "We found something that might help us defeat the Light Army."

"Really?" Viril asked. "And what might that be?"

One of the Keybladers extended something towards him. "This book, sir. It tells of something called the 'X-blade.'"

"X-blade?" Viril echoed. He took the book from the Dark Keyblader's grasp, opening it up and flipping through the pages.

He read the information on the X-blade quickly. A small smile twitched onto his lips. "This would be perfect," he conceded. "But how do we obtain it?"

The Dark Army Keybladers looked at each other, unable to answer his question.

Viril stood abruptly. "We'll need to spare as many Keybladers as we can to look for the answer," he ordered. "Gather a few of them and head out now."

"Yes, sir!" The Keybladers before him dispersed immediately.

Alone now, he felt himself falling into thought. If they'd found it in the Light Army base, there was a high chance that Tollun knew about the X-blade, as well. After all, his Keybladers couldn't have had much time to search, meaning that the book was most likely out in the open. Which would mean…they wouldn't be the only ones searching for a way to get the X-blade.

Viril lifted his head. "Well," he hissed aloud, "we'll just have to find it first." His heart flashed with anger and cold resolve. "We will put an end to the Light Army…once and for all."

Mala listened in silence to the sound of people moving outside. Her blue eyes flickered with unease. She shifted her gaze to where Gillick and Riun were. The younger of the two boys was fidgeting, though he seemed resigned to remaining quiet. She felt a twinge of guilt. If she'd been able to look after him better the night before, maybe he wouldn't be so somber now.

Gillick had the outward appearance of calm, though his amber eyes betrayed his frustration at having to remain in hiding. This time, Mala couldn't blame him; she wanted to be out of there as much as he did. But they couldn't risk trying to escape with so many Keybladers around, especially with Gillick still hurt.

Mala felt sadness well up inside her. More than anything, she wanted to go back to the Light Army. She wanted to help them fight off the darkness. She wanted to know Trevor a bit better. And she wanted to be something more than just a cowardly thief.

But, of course, fate had other plans.

Voices echoed outside. She held her breath, listening. "This is ridiculous. We've been looking all day, and there's been no sign of the Dark Army anywhere in town, besides the mess they left behind. We should just leave."

"We can't. Master Tollun told us to stay here and search the town until he called us home."

Mala stiffened. She knew that voice. Trevor!

The other Keyblader sighed. "Whatever. I still think it's a waste of time."

Trevor's voice sounded tired and sad when he responded. "Just keep an eye out, alright?"

She turned around quickly, peaking through the boards. She saw the figure of Trevor receding, and felt something prick inside her heart. Sadness pulsed beneath her skin, threatening to bleed out.

"Take my advice and let him go."

She jumped at the quiet voice at her shoulder. She looked to the side and saw Gillick standing just behind her. She pretended not to know what he was talking about. "Let who go?" she asked, looking away.

"Trevor."

Mala expected scorn in his voice; he usually had plenty to spare. But she found nothing underlying in his oddly quiet tone. She looked up into his unreadable amber eyes. "He said…you fought him, but you let him live. And…he's a Keyblader, but you're not…" Gillick continued to look at her, saying nothing. She shook her head. "What was it like…to fight your brother? What happened?"

Gillick sighed. His voice, when he spoke, was as tired and sad as his brother's had been. "It's not something…you'd understand." He forestalled her protest with a few final words, "Trevor is only strong when he has someone else to lean on. Keep that in mind…in case you ever have to fight him, too."

"I won't have to fight him," Mala argued.

"If you keep going on the path you're on, you will." He blinked slowly, looking away. "And that's why I said to let him go. It's incredibly painful…to fight someone you care about. If you don't change something, all you're in for is pain and regret."

Tollun's eyes flashed angrily. He couldn't find it. He'd searched his whole office, but the book was nowhere to be found. "Viril," he hissed angrily.

The attack had only been a diversion. While the Light Army had been away, trying to defend their town, Dark Army Keybladers had snuck in the base. If he hadn't returned early to check on things, it would've been even longer before he'd found out.

He whipped around, stalking out of his office. He'd have to call the other Keybladers back. If Viril knew about the X-blade too…then there was suddenly a lot more at stake.

That's the end of chapter twenty - six. Reviews are always welcome!