Here's chapter sixty - six. Thank you caitlinkeitorin for reviewing last chapter!

So, I'm going on a trip across the U.S. My computer's going with me this time, so I should be able to update my stories on a relatively normal schedule. If a chapter's later than normal, however…that's why.

Chapter Sixty - Six: The Burned City

Gillick had hurried out of the cavern without thinking much on where he was going. Now, after the initial start of panic had worn off, he found himself standing in what appeared to be a large city. He'd allowed the Knight's armor to return to his shoulder plates for several reasons. The main reason, he tried to convince himself, was because he didn't wish to draw attention to himself by walking around in armor - the Knight's armor, no less. That would only cause more problems than he wanted to deal with.

The underlying reason, however, kept coming up in flashes. Sometimes, it was an image of someone's body being ripped apart; others, it was of magic flying into buildings. During Senn's explanation and his Awakening, Gillick had been so focused on taming the Knight that the memories that had plagued him were forced to the back of his mind. Now, though, they were coming back, bursting unexpectedly into his mind at random moments. The memories…made he very reluctant to use the Knight's power.

He shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. Focus! Try to figure out what to do, idiot. The best idea so far seemed to be to find Silver and make sure nothing happened to her; after all, the Armies knew that she had the information they wanted. Perhaps destroying all evidence of the information would be easier, but he'd probably have to fight for that one…

His eyes snapped open as he collided with another person. "Hey, watch where you're going!" a voice protested.

Gillick snorted and rolled his eyes. "You could watch too, genius," he commented dryly.

"Me? You were the idiot with his eyes closed!" the man protested, eyes flashing.

Growing annoyed, Gillick whipped around and snapped, "So what's your excuse? Your eyes were open!"

The man glared back, about to snap back another acidic comment when an alarmed cry cut him off. Several heads whipped around at the sound. Not far off, dark figures were streaming into the city, destruction appearing wherever they walked. Gillick reached up to his shoulder, intending to activate the Knight's armor, then hesitated. I can take them without it. He summoned his Keyblade, an odd feeling in his heart as the weapon settled in his hand. It was odd to be wielding a Keyblade again.

Then the approaching shapes were upon them, revealing their identity; Keybladers.

Gillick whipped his own Keyblade up to catch another's. The woman's eyes stretched wide at the sight. He snorted at her reaction, then jerked his Keyblade rapidly up, forcing the woman's weapon upwards, as well. He lifted a foot and kicked her in the chest, sending her sprawling backwards.

His brief attack caught the attention of several other Keybladers. "Well, didn't expect much of a fight," one commented.

"Who are you?" another added. "I've never really bothered to keep track of the Light Army scum."

Gillick sneered. "I'm not with the Light Army!" To emphasize his point, he slashed his Keyblade in a wide arc in front of him, sending out a wave of darkness. The Keybladers, caught off guard, were sent flying. He didn't intend to give them a chance to recover; he lunged forward, spearing the first one he came to with his weapon, jerking it out quickly.

He managed to whip around in time to block the strike of another Keyblader. The two struggled against each other for a few moments, eyes set in glares across their weapons. "Of course," she muttered, "I should've guess from the eyes."

"No shit," Gillick commented, calling up an Aero spell. The wind forced his opponent back, giving him time to summon darkness around him and lunge towards another Keyblader. The dark blast, however, was blocked by a Keyblade.

"I don't understand!" the Keyblader who blocked him commented, eyebrows furrowed. "Why would a Dark Army Keyblader attack a member of their own group?" Gillick opened his mouth to reply, but the man's eyes widened and he blurted, "Did Viril find out about this?"

That caught him off guard. "Your leader didn't plan this?"

Something struck him across the back, and he stumbled forward, gritting his teeth against a cry. "If you didn't know that…then who are you?" a voice commented.

He was about to respond I'm armor-less, you idiot until he remembered; when he'd 'tamed' the Knight, the plates on his shoulders had changed to store what was once his sword. I'm no longer armor-less. An odd feeling arose inside him at the thought.

He was forced to turn his attention back to the fight as a Blizzard spell collided with his side. "Answer the question!" a Keyblader barked.

Gillick's amber eyes narrowed to slits. "None of your business!" he snapped, whipping his Keyblade up and firing a ball of darkness from the tip. It collided with the Keyblader, sending him flying. The boy ducked beneath a strike; he allowed fire to coat his blade as he spun around in a low circle, his flaming weapon slashing at the Keybladers' legs. He returned to his feet, jumping up and lifting his Keyblade above his head and bringing it down powerfully towards another Keyblader. The man ducked away, though his arm was still caught by the teeth of the blade.

The black haired Keyblader quickly realized how challenging it was going to be trying to fight off multiple opponents, even with the restoration of his magic through his use of the Keyblade. His fingers twitched, itching to reach up and slam the panel on his shoulder that would release the armor of the Knight. Then an image of someone being blasted with his magic flashed through his mind and he decided against it. No. Just because I tamed it doesn't mean I have to use it.

Gillick lifted his Keyblade to parry a blow, and kicked out a leg at the sound of someone approaching from behind. He winced as he felt something explode against his back, and recognized the feeling as a strike of darkness. He ducked into a roll to dodge away and returned to his feet, swinging his Keyblade up in a wide arc as he did so. The weapon pushed back two oncoming Keybladers and cut off a Blizzard spell. He dashed forward, feinting to the right before swinging around to the left and cutting through one of the Keybladers' sides. He saw the oncoming Firaga spell and dropped instantly to the ground. The explosion sounded behind him at the same moment that the Keyblader appeared in front of him, Keyblade raised high above his head for a powerful downward strike. Gillick rolled quickly to the side, avoiding the strike and quickly returning to his feet. He caught sight of one of the others lunging for him and quickly whipped his weapon around to block two strikes. He brought the Keyblade around in a wide arc, trying to block the other incoming attacks. He wasn't entirely successful; he grimaced as the teeth of the weapons cut into his shoulders and arms.

Gillick jumped back, brandishing his weapon with both his hands. His eye twitched. This'd go faster if you'd use the power of the Knight, a voice hissed inside him. He gritted his teeth. He knew that, but… I can do this without that damned power.

He stiffened when he realized that was the exact same thing he'd said about the Keyblade for so long.

Something slashed through his shoulder, causing him to release an involuntary cry. "You shouldn't get distracted in battle!" one of the Keybladers taunted, her eyes glittering mockingly.

Gillick immediately retaliated by swinging his Keyblade towards her head. She leaned backwards, but he still managed to hit her cheek, leaving a long bloody line along the side of her face. "And you shouldn't stop to gloat!" he retorted before calling, "Curaga!" The healing magic flowed over him, the wounds he'd already received knitting themselves back together.

The woman whose cheek he'd cut leaped for him. He let himself fall to the ground, causing her to stumble when her attack wasn't met with resistance. He swiped her legs out from under her, causing her to begin to fall.

An idea flashed into his mind, and he lunged up and caught her as she was half way to the ground. He whipped her around, positioning her body in front of him as a sort of human shield, gripping her arms with his to make sure she didn't try and attack him. The other Keybladers stared a few moments before laughing. "You think that'll stop us?" one asked, lifting his Keyblade and shooting and powerful burst of darkness.

Gillick hit the panel on the woman's shoulder to activate her armor before pushing her forward. She collided with the magical attack, her scream mingling with the explosion. The black haired boy lunged through the smoke, drawing his Keyblade back and swinging powerfully as he emerged. "I wasn't worried about stopping you!" he snapped, the teeth of his blade biting into the fragile skin of the Keyblader's exposed throat.

The returned Keyblader landed on one foot and spun around to face his remaining opponent. "Two down," he commented, amber eyes flashing.

The man cocked his head to one side. "One to go," he finished dryly, slamming the panel on his shoulder. Gillick lunged forward immediately, trying to land an attack before the armor materialized. However, he wasn't quick enough, and his weapon clanged off of metal.

An unexpected jolt flashed through, causing pain to rush through his veins. He cried out, trying to withstand the electrical attack. When the pain faded, he whipped his head around wildly, searching for the source of the attack. However, he was forced to return his attention to his former opponent as he launched an attack. The two blades clashed together in a flurry of sparks. As the two warriors struggled against each other, Gillick's eyes flicked around wildly, trying to pinpoint the Keyblader's new ally. Damn it…where the hell are they?

He was again reminded that he could use the power of the Knight to help him out. However, he still felt reluctant to use it. But what if your fear of it causes the Knight to gain control again? He gritted his teeth, wishing he could ignore the thought.

"There are two people fighting?" a voice commented, seemingly from nowhere. "Who would've imagined there would've been so much resistance?"

"It is the Light Army's capitol," the Keyblader who was fighting against Gillick retorted dryly. Gillick began pushing back as the Keyblader called, "Is the other person a Keyblader, too?"

"No," the voice replied, "some girl with a bunch of arrows." Gillick stiffened. Girl…arrows… Then he shook his head. It may not be; there are plenty of other people who use that weapon. "Master Xuren's taking care of her, though."

Damn it. He didn't know if it was her - Why the hell would she be here? - but he knew he couldn't take the chance. He looked at the runes on his arm, then to the Keyblader in front of him. He snorted, a grim smile on his face. "What's so funny?" the Keyblader asked suspiciously.

Fine, Senn; I'll admit I'm afraid again. But it's not going to take over me like the Keyblade did. He knew he'd tamed the Knight's power; he'd seen that when he'd activated the armor in Senn's cave. He could keep from doing what he'd done in the past as the Knight; it was pointless to be afraid now. He narrowed his amber eyes to slits. "Let's do this," he hissed aloud, reaching up a hand and slamming the panel on his shoulder.

The runes of the seal blazed into life, the brilliant blue glow obscuring them from view as the Knight's armor settled over him. He felt power explode from the seal, running through his body like a river and energizing him. It made him feel alive, immensely powerful, despite its restraint; he knew all it would take was a touch, though, and more power would flow through him.

This, then, was the power that had corrupted Senn. He was tempted - beyond anything he'd ever imagined - to allow himself to fall into that.

The Keyblader stumbled backwards, startled, as his eyes flashed behind the tinted visor. "Wh-what are you?"

Gillick leveled his gaze at him, suddenly remembering the reason he'd activated the armor in the first place. It was as if all the energy surging beneath his skin was suddenly focused, directed towards one place. "Sorry, but I don't have time for you." He lifted his hand, sending a massive burst of fire at the Keyblader. He didn't stop to see the result of the attack; instead, he summoned his black wings, allowing them to slide out of his armor and stretch out behind him. He beat them with a powerful down stroke, lifting himself into the sky where he'd get a better view, without being inhibited by attacking Keybladers.

He soared over the city, head whipping back and forth as he searched for a familiar form. Where the hell are you, Xuren? Even if the person he was attacking wasn't Mala, he wanted that man dead. He snorted, a few of his memories from his time as the Knight flashing through his mind. Should've killed him when I had the chance.

Finally, his eyes alighted upon two figures; one with a bow and auburn hair, another with a Keyblade and menacing aura. The beast known as the power of the Knight surged beneath him, rippling just beneath the skin. It was from the power itself that the raw, inhuman cry came, causing the Keyblader's head to jerk up in surprise. The girl, however, looked up more slowly, just as he was coming down.

His feet touched ground, wings sliding back into his armor. The Knight's power pulsed, the energy almost feeling as if it were alive, struggling to surface. The memories of the Knight ran through his mind, and he found himself struggling in his heart not to return to that. He looked to Mala, eyes flickering behind his visor. The sight of her eyes - sad, concerned, but for once not frightened - helped him to focus. He snorted, then whipped around, Keyblade sending a burst of darkness towards Xuren. The man's eyes widened as he was sent flying backwards. "What the hell are you doing here, Mala?" he asked, not taking his eyes off his temporarily - stunned opponent.

"Gillick?" Mala exclaimed, her voice high - pitched with surprise.

"No," the boy replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "it's the other Knight; the one who saves puppies and makes rainbows."

He glanced back to see she was shaking her head, a small smile edging its way onto her lips. When she looked back up at him, there were tears at the corners of her eyes, surprising him. "It really is you this time…"

"Gillick?" The incredulous cry jerked his attention back to Xuren. The dark Keyblader was struggling back to his feet, yellow eyes stretched wide in disbelief. "You're the Knight?"

The beast of the power growled inside him as he returned his attention back to the man. "Surprise." He forced himself to focus, and glanced back towards Mala. "Are you just going to stand there?" She blinked at him in surprise, then gestured to her empty quiver. "I'm not blind!" he snapped. "But the Keybladers aren't going to stop attacking just because Xuren's dead!"

The blue depths of her eyes flickered with understanding. "You want me to get everyone out? Who do you think I am, God?"

"No," Gillick snapped, "but if you spread the word, then it'll get around!" More quietly, he added, "You're not completely helpless, Mala."

She gave a faint snort, looking both touched and offended, then gave a quick nod and hurried off.

He whipped his head back around as Xuren rushed at him, lifting his Keyblade to block the strike. "You're the Knight, and you're using your Keyblade?"

"What's the matter, Xuren?" he sneered, the Knight adding the edge of a growl to his voice. "Are you scared?"

Xuren's eyes narrowed for a few moments, then his face split into a wicked grin and he began laughing. "Scared?" He pushed off the boy, landing several feet backwards. "I was. But now that I know who you are…" His eyes glittered wildly as he surrounding himself with darkness, launching himself forward and crying, "Not anymore!"

Gillick ducked away, allowing the power of the Knight to stretch towards his fingertips. He let magic fly, the dark attack pushing through the Keyblader's and hitting him hard. "I'm still the Knight, idiot!" he snapped. The power uncoiled inside him, like a snake preparing to strike. He lunged forward with an inhuman cry, darkness coating his Keyblade as he slashed it towards the dark man. Xuren quickly reached up his hand and slammed the panel that would activate his armor, but was too slow in his reaction time; the attack hit him square on, breaking through armor and leaving a long, bloody wound along his chest.

He stood over his opponent for several moments, chest rising and falling slowly as he glared down at him; his enemy, his prey, the man who's once crazed eyes now shown with fear. The beast of the Knight reared its head inside him; it would be easy, so easy to destroy this man. In fact, why not just destroy all Keybladers? They were worthless, anyways; they were corrupt, evil; he could kill them all. He had half the X-blade's power, after all-

Stop. The ordered thought put a hold on his power - obsessed ideas. Do you even know what you're saying? Do that, and you're trying to play God! You have the power of the Guardian; remember it, damn it!

He struggled, trying to resist the temptations of the Knight's power. While he was battling internally, Xuren took the opportunity to cry, "Curaga!" The healing spell fixed his wound, the flesh tying itself back together. Gillick dragged himself back to reality in time for Xuren's Keyblade to slam into his chest, causing him to fly backwards. "What are you doing, Knight?" the dark Keyblader taunted.

Gillick took a steadying breath. Remember what it is you're trying to do, he told himself, thinking of the relief in Mala's eyes. He stood slowly. Don't give in to temptation. The snarling of the Knight quieted slightly, receding to background noise as his grip tightened around his Keyblade. He allowed the restraint around the power of the Knight to tighten; it'll make the fight against Xuren harder, but he knew it was too dangerous to fight with the Knight's full power.

By this time, a fireball was flying towards him. He ducked away quickly, summoning darkness around his Keyblade and sending it flying back at his opponent. Xuren dodged quickly, lunging forward to slash his blade at him. Gillick parried several blows with his Keyblade, then brought his weapon flying towards the dark Keyblader's head. The man easily spun away, launching a Thundaga spell at him. He instinctively tried to block with his Keyblader; however, the metal of the weapon simply proved to be the perfect lightning rod. Gillick jerked from the pain of the magical attack, then let out a half - human cry as Xuren's Keyblade impaled his left arm, cutting until it reached bone. "You're still the Knight?" the Keyblader barked, half laughing. "You aren't the Knight! You're just a shadow!"

Gillick dropped his Keyblade and grabbed the blade of Xuren's, struggling to draw it out of his arm. Xuren, grinning, allowed it; he quickly managed to shoot a blast of darkness from the tip. The Keyblade Knight didn't have time to react, and was sent flying backwards with a cry.

Gillick struggled back to his feet as Xuren sent another volley of darkness towards him. The amber eyed boy recalled his Keyblade, sending a wave of darkness to counteract it. The two attacks collided, causing a small explosion. Xuren's grinning face and glowing eyes appeared out of the smoke. Gillick, however, was ready for this; he sent a Firaga spell towards him. Xuren countered with Blizzaga, the force of the two spells causing them to skid apart. They exchanged magic for several moments, dodging attacks and sending back retaliations.

Eventually, Xuren's spells ran out, and he had to wait while they recharged.

Gillick, however, still had power at his disposal. After all, the power of the Knight was that of half the X - blade. But to use it, he'd have to take off his restraints. Can I do it? Now was the time to strike; Xuren wouldn't be able to heal himself without his magic. But would he be able to resist the temptation of the Knight's power.

An image of Mala and Riun flashed into his mind. His hand tightened around his Keyblade. I'm done being afraid of myself. As Xuren lunged forward, he summoned his courage and lifted his Keyblade, his voice crying out, "FLARE!"

Dark fire exploded around the dark Keyblader, stopping him in his tracks. The man looked around frantically at his flaming prison, searching for an escape. He reached frantically for the panel that would activate his armor, but the flames of the spell were faster. They exploded up around him, burning his skin. A cry of pain emerged from his lips; the last thing that could be seen of him were his frantic, glowing yellow eyes.

Then he was gone, and the dark fire subsided. The wind stirred slightly, blowing away the ashes and causing a hollow ringing noise to come up from the armor that remained. Xuren, his old enemy from the Dark Army, was now dead.

Gillick stared for a few moments. He thought he'd feel some sort of accomplishment at the task; however, he felt nothing. Grim way to die, he thought dully, releasing his Keyblade and lifting a hand to heal the wound on his arm with a quick spell. He allowed to power of the Knight to recede slightly, then headed out, intending to help Mala evacuate everyone.

He could still feel the power that the Knight held; there was still the temptation he felt to give in to it. He knew, however, that the power was not inherently evil; it was his choice what to do with it. A strange, unfamiliar sense of care settled over him.

The power of the Knight was something to fear; he'd be a fool not to be afraid of it himself. He knew that, even though he'd no longer have to worry about becoming the Knight when he didn't want to, he'd always have to struggle against the temptation not to misuse his newfound power. You never warned me about this, Senn, he thought, bitterness rising inside him. For a few moments, he hated the old Keyblader with every fiber of his being; he never would've agreed to this if he'd known.

But he supposed he should've guessed; after all, this power did have half of the X-blade's. That didn't stop his anger, and he attacked a nearby building out of frustration.

In his heart, though, he knew he wouldn't be willing to turn away; this was the best weapon they had against the Keybladers.

So he wouldn't fight the urge to be afraid of the Knight; instead, he'd try and let the fear help him keep it under control.

Mala looked out at the city from where she stood. Her shoulders slumped. "So much damage," she murmured, looking at the wreckage as the sun began to go down. A large number of citizens stood huddled on the mountainside behind her. Gillick had been right; once she'd started spreading around the word, people had quickly evacuated. Unfortunately, though, they had been unable to save the city; the Dark Army Keybladers were of a single mind, and were determined to fulfill their task.

"The city looks like it's burning."

She glanced sideways. Gillick stood not far off, still covered in the armor of the Knight. "Yeah," she agreed slowly, noting that the sunset did make the city look aflame. "So," she said after a few moments, "you're using your Keyblade. And you're not…the Knight anymore?"

"Yes," he said quietly, "but I'm still the Knight."

She looked at him curiously. "But you controlled it."

"That doesn't change what I am, idiot," Gillick growled, the frustrated anger in his voice sounding comfortingly familiar. Then his tone dropped as he added, "And I almost didn't."

There were footfalls behind them, and a hesitant voice asked, "Excuse me, but…who are you?"

"Does it matter?" Gillick asked, hardly glancing backwards.

Mala rolled her eyes and answered for him. "He's Gillick Nogard." She hesitated, then slowly said, "And I'm…a warrior of the Silver Fang." Gillick's head whipped around quickly; she was sure his eyes were flashing with surprise behind his visor.

The man who'd approached them offered a hesitant smile. "Gillick Nogard…and Silver Fang warrior," he said slowly, "we of Xeiruwe will always remember your courage in fighting the darkness."

"Um…thanks?" Mala said, not at all feeling up to the standard this man was giving her.

His eyes turned to the ground. "The Burned City…" Said eyes grew shadowed. "It seems an apt name for what remains of our home."

The former residents of Xeiruwe slowly began to leave. As they filed away, Gillick asked, "You know how to get back to the Silver Fang?"

Mala started at the question. "Um…I think so…"

"Good."

The thief girl started in surprise as he picked her up bridal style. "Wh-what are you doing?" she squeaked, cheeks flushing red.

"Carrying you, obviously," came the dry response, black wings sliding out from his back.

"I can walk!" she protested.

"And I can fly," Gillick retorted, launching them both into the air.

"Gillick!"

That'd be the end of chapter sixty - six. Reviews would be great, please?