Things are going to get pretty intense and emotional this chapter.

Episode 19: Forgiven, But Not Forgotten:

Radiant Garden – The Borough

August 19, 2015

Terra tried to ignore the whispers as he walked through the streets of Radiant Garden, but it was hard to. He could hear the fear and anger all around him as he walked towards the castle with Aqua behind him. And he didn't blame any of them. He had caused so much pain to all of these people. Yes, Aqua continued to remind him that he was never in control of his actions and tha the fault was with Xehanort, but a part of him would always blame himself for the devastation he had caused to this world all those years ago.

Ven and Aqua had suggested he cut it, but he insisted on keeping his hair the way Xehanort had left it as a reminder of everything he had done. When they reached the city square, though, he was beginning to regret not wearing his armor today. He should have expected the angry crowd that had gathered in the square. Right now, everyone was just standing there, staring at him. All the people who lost friends… loved ones… because of what he did. Aqua quickly caught on to his discomfort.

"It was Xehanort's fault, Terra," she whispered. "Just ignore them." And that was the exact moment when someone in the crowd decided to hurl a tomato at his face.

"TRAITOR!" the woman screamed. The accusation quickly echoed through the assembled crowd as angered citizens of Radiant Garden unleashed all their pent up rage at the man who destroyed their home. A bold few even started throwing rocks at Terra, and he didn't even try to dodge. Aqua had to throw up a Reflega spell to keep him from being stoned to death on the spot. Even then, the angry mob surged forward and switched from throwing stones to pounding on the magical barrier with their bare hands.

"They have every right to be angry with me, Aqua," Terra commented sadly.

"It wasn't your fault Terra," Aqua replied for the hundredth time.

"Yes it was, Aqua!" he snapped. "I wasn't strong enough to fight off his control all those years ago. I'm responsible for everything Xehanort has done because I wasn't strong enough to kick him out of my body the first time."

"That doesn't mean you deserve to be beaten to death for!" Aqua fired back as cracks began to appear in the barrier. "You need to stop beating yourself up over things that can't be changed. You may not have been able to force him out of your body, but you were still able to fight him long enough to wipe his memories. If you hadn't taken your shared body out of the fight then, thousands more people would have suffered." The cracks in the shield spread until the glowing translucent sphere was only one blow away from shattering completely.

The entire crowd stepped back as the woman who incited the mob walked up with a rock in each hand. She was just about to swing the final blow when the silence was broken by a familiar voice everyone in the square recognized.

"ENOUGH!" Ansem the Wise roared. The crowd parted as the recently reinstated ruler of Radiant Garden strode towards the barrier, flanked by Dilan and Aeleus. The people in the crowd wore looks of shame on their faces. But at the same time, their eyes said that while they were ashamed at how they'd acted, their anger at their king's former apprentice remained.

"I'm ashamed," Ansem continued as he reached the edge of the barrier. The crowd stepped back as the royal guards fanned out. Aqua lowered the shield, and together she and the other two apprentices put themselves between Terra and the crowd. "Master Terra was as much a victim of Xehanort and Braig's machinations as the rest of us were. The madman used magic to possess the boy in order to extend his own life. This has been common knowledge since Xehanort's downfall, and yet here I find an angry mob prepared to stone a man to death for actions over which he had no conscious or willing control. If Radiant Garden is to be the beacon of light it once was, how can its people afford to stoop so low?"

The once violent crowd was silent now as they contemplated their king's words. A few people send Terra glances of understanding and pity while others aired their grievances against "Xehanort". Aqua glanced at Terra, mouthing that he needed to talk to the crowd himself. Nodding in understanding, he stepped out from behind the palace guards.

"You all hate me for one reason or another," he began. "And each of you has every right to want my head on a pike. Xehanort may have been in the one in control, but it was my body doing all of those terrible things. I can barely sleep at night because the guilt of all the suffering I unwillingly put everyone through. I don't deserve any forgiveness, but beating me into a bloody pulp won't bring back the people we've lost. I've lost people I cared about too. Xehanort manipulated me into fighting my father, then finished him off after we' worn each other down."

"My friends and family may have forgiven me," he went on. "But I still haven't forgiven myself. But I realize now that if I'm going to move on with my life I'm going to have to." When he finished speaking, Terra stepped back behind Aqua and the guards as they waited to see how the angry mob would react. For a few moments, everyone simply stood there in silence. Then, to Terra's surprise, the crowd began clapping and cheering.

"Well said," Ansem commented as the applause died down. "Clearly, you've changed a few minds today. How about we head inside before another mob shows up?"

"We might as well," Terra and Aqua both answered as the group made their way up the path toward the restored castle. Along the way, Terra finally had the chance to talk to Dilan and Aeleus about how they felt about his possession at the hands of Xehanort. As it turned out, all of their anger was directed at Xehanort himself.

"Xehanort manipulated you as much as he did us," Dilan remarked. "As far as we and the rest of Ansem's former apprentices are concerned, you're always welcome in the castle."

"And if you're still having trouble moving on from those times," Aeleus added, "Ienzo and I are starting up a support group for Organization XIII survivors. We're trying to get in touch with Lea, Xion, and Roxas before we decide on when to have our first meeting, but once we finalize a date, you're welcome to come join us." Terra cheered up a bit after that and thanked the two guards for the invitation as they reached the castle entrance hall. As they walked along, Ansem listened silently before leading the group into the library.

"I just wanted to take the opportunity to apologize," Terra said to Ansem when the group was finally seated around a small table in the corner. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for everything Xehanort made me do." Before he could go any further, Ansem held up a hand to stop him.

"You don't need to apologize, young man," the monarch interjected. "Like I told me people, you were as much a victim as the rest of us. It is unfair to judge you for actions that you had no control over." With that, he pulled Terra in for a hug and told the Key bearer that even if Xehanort had technically been his apprentice, the man would always have a home here in Radiant Garden. Terra felt a weight lifting off his chest as he heard that. With so many people offering their support, now he could finally begin to forgive himself. It would take a while before he did so fully, but right now he was off to a pretty decent start.

As I wrote this chapter, I was toying with ideas for how Ansem's other apprentices would get a long with Terra when I came up with the support group idea. I decided to take the idea and run with it because it makes sense. After all, they've all died before. Twice even. So it makes sense that they'd all meet up and talk about the trauma attached to dying and coming back twice and doing Xehanort's dirty work.

Next chapter, we catch up with the Twilight Town gang once again. I know we haven't really seen Sora and Kairi in a while. I was going to do some more date night chapters for them, but I ended up having other ideas that I felt were more important to write out for this series of one-shots. Anyway, as for the next chapter, as I indicated in my author's notes in the final worlds of The Xehanort War, expect some Rokushi ship tease.