X was beyond frustrated with Ventus. Things were going smoothly until that stupid blonde had to open his mouth. He had to say X had been with Vanitas. He had to have survived the fight, he couldn't have died there like Vanitas had intended him to. Now X had to clean up this mess before Terra doubted him too much. That could ruin everything they had worked for.

X found Terra going towards the outside of town. Terra looked troubled like he was overthinking something yet again. Terra tended to over think almost everything. It was an annoying habit that had to contribute to most of his doubts. If he would just stop thinking this would be so much easier.

"Terra!" X called out, preparing himself for whatever conversation followed. There was no use just putting it off. The sooner he cleaned up the mess the better. Terra turned toward X as he approached. His blue eyes narrowed at him in thought.

"X," Terra said. X cocked his head to the side in false confusion.

"Something wrong?" X asked stopping beside the older boy. Terra looked at X with his eyes still narrowed. X assumed he was trying to see through him, decide what the situation really was.

"You attacked Ventus," Terra said simply. X jumped a little in false surprise, deciding on his game plan. Best to pretend he had no idea what was going on. Terra would probably fall for that fairly easily.

"What? When? And why wasn't I made aware?" X asked in a joking way. When Terra didn't react X let his face fall. He watched Terra nervously as if the keyblade wielder would attack him at any second.

"Just before you got here apparently," Terra said, his voice rather quiet. X frowned.

"What? I was just talking to Master Xehanort. I left right after that, I think." X said, his eyebrows coming together to form a shallow v. He stepped back from Terra yet again.

"You think?" Terra asked. X looked up at him slowly, letting fear show in his eyes as plain as the daylight.

"Now that you mention it, it's kinda fuzzy," X admitted slowly. Terra looked at X in shock. "What exactly did Ventus say?" X asked. Terra frowned, recalling the event.

"He said he saw you and Vanitas together. You helped Vanitas, and said you didn't care about Y. Darkness calls to darkness, or something." Terra explained. X's face paled at Terra's words. X backed away from Terra yet again and began pacing around the area.

"Oh no," X muttered breathlessly. Terra looked at him in shock.

"Oh no, what?" Terra asked. X stopped pacing and looked at Terra with wide eyes.

"I think I might have attacked Ventus," X said softly, filling his voice with fear that he didn't really have.

"What?" Terra demanded. X flinched away from him.

"I can't really, explain it. I don't remember. But if Vanitas was there, I could have, and I wouldn't have known. He can control me." X said quickly. He was cowered back away from Terra, refusing to meet his eyes.

"How?" Terra asked, stepping back from X, looking at him curiously. X slowly came out of his cowering position, seeing Terra wasn't going to harm him.

"I don't really know. Master Xehanort says it's something about darkness calling to darkness. His darkness overpowers mine, and I have to do as he says. Like mind control." X explained. Terra looked at X in shock.

"So you really don't know?" Terra asked.

"I'm inclined to take Ventus' word. I probably did." X admitted. Terra nodded.

"But you didn't mean to?" Terra asked, almost hopefully. He was looking for a way X was innocent. It was helpful to X, truly.

"No, I would never. Not on purpose." X said quickly. Terra nodded and crossed his arms.

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to keep you away from Vanitas." Terra said with a smile. He turned away from X just as X smirked in satisfaction. Terra paused a few steps ahead. "It's looking like you and Master Xehanort are the only ones I can still count on." Terra said, almost to himself. X tilted his head to the side in confusion. Was the fight really that bad that he had lost faith in his friends? X opened his mouth to ask, but another voice stopped him.

"You must be Terra." The voice said. Terra and X turned to see a man with dark hair brushed back. He wore a blue uniform of some kind with a red scarf. "It's that old coot. He won't stop asking for you. I came all the way out here to get you just so he'd clam up." The man continued seeing he had Terra's attention.

"What do you mean?" Terra asked suspiciously. X was also suspicious of this man. He'd never seen him before. The man gave a short laugh.

"Do I have to spell it out? Xehanort, whatever he's called. You know, my prisoner." The man said. X stifled a laugh while Terra chuckled. That wasn't actually likely.

"You're apparently not a very good liar. Master Xehanort would never let himself be caught by a thug like you." Terra said condescendingly. X nodded in agreement but stopped. Maybe the old coot did have someone working for him here. It wouldn't surprise X.

"As if! I've got the old coot at my mercy, see for yourself. I'm holding him underneath the Outer Gardens. Better show up before I lose my patience. Ciao." The man said before walking away. X glared. He was the only one who called Xehanort the old coot. He didn't like someone else using the term.

"There's no way it's true." Terra said firmly. X shrugged.

"But there's no harm in checking." He said. Terra nodded in agreement.

They went to the Outer Gardens, easily finding a way to the under area. It didn't look like there was anything of interest. Until they turned to see Master Xehanort chained to a pipe above the ground. X fought his urge to laugh. He almost hoped the old coot would just stay there.

"Oh no," X said, despite the fact he believed Xehanort deserved it. It was amusing. If they didn't need each other to complete their goals, X would have left him long ago.

"Master Xehanort!" Terra said loudly. Master Xehanort looked up at the two slowly. He looked defeated.

"The old coot certainly knows how to take punishment. Just like I know how to deal it out." A voice said. X's eyes fell on to the man they had previously met. He had to be in on the plan, otherwise he wouldn't have caught the old coot

"You monster. What are you after?" Terra asked angrily. He summoned his keyblade.

"That thing right there. It's called the keyblade, isn't it? Yep, it seems like these days everybody's got one of those." The man said. X held in a snicker. "Even grandpa there. When I nabbed him, he told me all about it. What a weapon like that can do. How could I not want one?"

"Well, you'll find they're picky about their owners." Terra said. X looked at him in disbelief. The man laughed shortly once again.

"If I heard the old guy right, you're what they call keyblade master material. So if I defeat you, that makes me the real keyslinger, if you catch my drift. Not the most polite way to go about it, but what can you do?" The man said with a shrug. Terra took a few steps towards the man but stopped as the man pointed towards Master Xehanort with an arrow gun. "Ah-ah, one more step and the coot goes boom. You think I'm going to fight fair? As if! That keys too powerful for us to go mano a mano." The man said. Terra grit his teeth together in frustration. The man shot at Terra. Terra blocked the arrow but was knocked back by the pressure. X looked at him in panic as the man laughed. "Hmph, for a keyblade master you're not very, what's the word, good?" Terra stood up again, glaring at the man.

"What are you doing, Terra? Fight!" Master Xehanort yelled from where he was chained. Terra quickly looked to Master Xehanort.

"But master, you'll-" Terra began to object. Master Xehanort cut him off.

"Never mind me! You must fight! You can't let this ruffian win! Think of your master, Eraqus, the shame he and your fellow pupils would be forced to bear! Use the keyblade." He ordered. Terra nodded and turned back to the man. He raised his keyblade in preparation to fight. X drew his daggers as well.

"Pfft, so much for the bluff." The man said with a smirk.

As soon as the fight began X slipped away from Terra. He didn't know what was going on but he figured it would be better to let it happen. X instead made his way to where Xehanort was chained. X began to take apart the chains, trying to free his master. He didn't ask about the plan. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Just as X managed to free Master Xehanort the fight between the man and Terra came to a close. Terra was on his knees and shot a dark beam towards the man twice. The first cut on the man's face, while the second hit directly in the man's eye. X was surprised to see that Terra could use the darkness.

The man cried out in pain before running away. X looked to Xehanort for his direction.

"This power..." Terra said in dismay.

"Well done, Terra," Xehanort said as he approached Terra. X walked beside his master, smiling softly at Terra. "You have taken yet another step forward."

"But I was consumed by anger, hatred. That was the power of darkness." Terra objected looking up to Xehanort.

"Darkness that you channeled," Xehanort replied. Terra banished his keyblade and shook his head.

"No, I succumbed to it. Just like when I stole princess Aurora's heart of light. I can never return home now. I'm a failure." Terra said. X sighed heavily. What a pain.

"Then don't. You could be my pupil." Xehanort suggested. Terra gasped and looked up at Master Xehanort, almost with hope. "Master Eraqus, you see, is so afraid of darkness, that he too has succumbed. Not to darkness, but to light. It shines so bright, he forgets light begets darkness. And Aqua, Ventus, and Y, their lights shine too bright. It is only natural that they cast shadows on your heart. Eraqus... He is such a fool! Light and darkness, they are a balance, one that must always be maintained. Terra, you are the one who shows the true mark of mastery, but he refuses to see it. And I know why. It is because he fears you. Join me. You and I can do the world such greater good, by wielding light and darkness in equal shares." Xehanort explained dramatically. X held back an urge to roll his eyes various times through the conversation. Though some was true, most was just nonsense to convince Terra darkness was cool. It was amusing that it worked.

"Master Xehanort." Terra said. Xehanort shook his head.

"See more worlds. Seek out the darkness that upsets the balance. Find Vanitas, and bring an end to him. Master Terra." Xehanort said. X gasped in surprise. Now it made sense, why Xehanort had insisted that Terra couldn't be made a master. So he could use it against him. Clever, as always.

Terra stood straight and bowed to Master Xehanort. Xehanort smirked before walking away. X smiled turning to Terra.

"A master, pretty impressive, I guess." X said. Terra turned to him with a thoughtful expression.

"Do you believe everything he said?" Terra asked curiously. X nodded quickly.

"Of course I do. Light and Darkness, they always balance out in the end. I mean, Y was born to be the light and I was born to be the darkness. A balance." X explained with a shrug. Terra nodded, smiling just a little.

"Well, I guess we should get going then." He stated. X nodded in agreement.

They found their way out from the underground to the Outer Gardens. X sighed as he glanced around. His eyes widened when he saw Y and Ventus.

"Terra!" Ventus yelled, quickly causing Terra to turn. X ducked behind Terra trying to hide as if he was afraid as Ventus and Y drew closer. "Take us with you!" Ventus said.

"I can't do that," Terra said calmly. Y locked her gaze onto X, who quickly looked away. She glanced at Terra before looking to her brother again.

"Why are you still with X?" Y asked softly.

"It's a long story. But he didn't mean to do it." Terra replied calmly. Y nodded but looked unconvinced, her eyes not leaving X.

"I still did it." X said unhelpfully. Terra glared over his shoulder at him.

"Vanitas was controlling you." Terra said. X shrugged.

"Still did it." He replied. Terra sighed heavily.

"It doesn't matter. You know it was wrong, and you want to change it." Terra said simply turning back to his younger friends. Y was still looking at X unsure.

"Why can't we go with you?" Ventus asked, changing the subject.

"I just- when I really need you guys, I know you'll be there." Terra said carefully. Y tipped her head to the side in confusion.

"Of course we will." Y said looking to Ventus. Ventus looked relieved unlike her.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Ventus asked with a smile.

Terra smiled at then both before putting on his armor. He turned to X who shook his head.

"I'll meet you in the next world." X said. Terra nodded before summoning his keyblade glider and leaving the world. After Terra was gone X turned to Ventus.

"Listen, Ventus, I'm really, really sorry." X said with an apologetic grin. Ventus looked at him with his head tilted to the side.

"You really didn't know?" Ventus asked.

"No, I didn't. But I'm sorry. Especially if you got hurt." X replied. He didn't look at Y. He knew she wouldn't be convinced by his lies. He could feel it in her gaze. She still thought something was wrong.

"Well, I guess if you didn't mean it." Ventus decided. X smiled at him appreciatively.

"Thanks. I'll see you later then." X said with a salute.

"Be careful X." Y said in warning.

"You too, I don't like what Vanitas is up to." X said, before putting his hands in his pockets and walking away. He felt Y's gaze remain on him.

"Right." He heard her say, worry plain in her voice.

~~~~~~~~~~<3~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Just wanted to say happy Christmas to all you readers and thank you all so much for reading this. Knowing that some people do is really encouraging for me. Hope you all have a lovely day.