Kingdom Hearts: Kingdom Hearts: Light Chaser

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Boreas' response made Takehiko cross his arms. He knew that game. It wasn't anything you needed to do in a take-no-prisoners scenario, but it didn't mean Take wasn't equipped to prepare in the event of a revolt in order to stop it. He didn't like it, and that probably showed. But he understood. As Gero began to speak again, addressing everyone's questions about the Seven, he found himself staring again, trying to put the pieces together. When they were dismissed, Take just finally decided to let it go. While he didn't like the idea of having one of the princesses lost out there when it came down to the wire, it was better to bunker down and at least prepare for the final outcome.

As Take stepped back and was ready to pretty much leave by the time Tinarah was told she could go, he looked away and... simply heard Gero's voice disconnected from his body. The boy's eyes widened as he quickly looked back at Gero and whispered, "Wait... you're..."

Spoiler: Episode Takehiko: Part 4

The Power to Protect Others

Incandescent Peaks was lively that night. With a few workers finishing up fixing houses after the previous attack, the rest were all gathered in the main hall of their village. It was a celebration. Despite a hefty loss of soldiers from the battle a week ago, the dragons had been temporarily thwarted after managing to kill their reigning prince. They weren't exactly able to get the leader yet, but after a major blow like that there was no way they would come back without heavy rest. It wasn't a celebration in a sense that everyone was laughing and dancing, it was a feast in celebration of their survival and to honor those who had fallen in battle. It very much was not a feast they had often, but all of the families of the town were there enjoying the company of each other.

Hotaka was walking amongst the soldier families, regarding them all with the closest to a smile the man could muster. He soon found himself at the table of a family he had particular interest in. A woman and a man were helping to keep their youngest from screaming for being tired and impatient. Hotaka spoke with a softness to his voice, "Noboru. Chisaki. I'd like to offer my sincerest condolences for your loss. Iwao was a fantastic soldier, and more importantly a gifted commander. His sacrifice I ensure you is not in vain."

The elder looked at the rest of the family there and paused at an empty seat and asked, "You seem to be missing a son, any idea where he is?"
Shoji, sitting a little upright in his chair upon their family being addressed by the High Elder, opened his mouth to speak before the red haired boy next to him placed a hand on his shoulder, slightly aggressively and spoke up, "Takehiko just went to the bathroom, I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"You're lying." Shoji grumbled under his breath while Yasushi shot a glare at him. Hotaka looked to the two boys and replied, "Oh I'm sure he will be. It isn't exactly normal for someone to skip out on a celebration like this. I'll be sure to come back later." He walked towards another table and Shoji shoved Yasushi's hand off of him, "Why would you lie to the High Elder like that?"
"Look, I don't know where Take is but I don't want him disciplined for still trying to process how to grieve properly." Yasushi crossed his arms and looked to the door, "You know how he is with food, I'm sure he'll be here."
"He needs to learn to grow up." Shoji scoffed as he took a sip of water, "Iwao died for the village and was glad to do so. The sooner he accepts that, the sooner he'll realize how dramatic he's being."

On the outskirts of the village towards the graveyard, the light of a lantern kept a small area easy to spot from a distance. The grave marker in the place was a temporary one, as time passed and more forgot about the person, the gravemarker was removed and a new one was placed instead. Kneeling beside the grave was a small, ten year old boy with his hair grown out pretty long. Enough to cover the boy's face if he tried. The boy was crying, but trying not to be too loud as he held back his volume. As a result, his sobs almost sounded like hiccups as they occasionally burst out. The boy rubbed his face to wipe away tears as he spoke to the gravestone quietly, like he was afraid his voice would echo too far if he was any louder, "Iwao come back... please..." he sniffled and squeaked out through tears, "You never finished teaching me how to block Shoji's hits. We-we never got the chance to say goodbye... please come back..."

The lantern flickered and in the momentary lapse of light a figure had appeared. "Loss can remind us of how short our lives can be." A gravelly man's voice came. "Of course, I shouldn't be one to talk. I have lived a very long life. There was a dark sense of humor about his tone. Right beneath the lantern stood a man in a brown robe, its hood up, and leaning against an old cracked walking stick. "I am sure other have told you to be proud of your brother, to remember him as a hero, but I am sure that is hardly a comforting thought. After all, all the praise in the world cannot bring him back." The weight of his tone gave the young boy a sense that this man too had felt loss before a great number of times. The man slowly began to walk towards Take hardly appearing to lean on the cane anymore as he did so.

Soon he stood in front of the boy and looked down at the grave, speaking more quietly now as he offered the boy a choice. "You cannot bring him back, Takehiko. But if you had the power to keep others from feeling the pain that you are right now, would you accept it?"

Takehiko was surprised and scared at first when the man spoke. He'd stood up from his spot where he was kneeling and looked at the man. He was at first worried it was an adult who was going to yell at him for being not only away from the celebration, but also because he was out of the village at night. But from the way he spoke, Take only became more confused. The closer the man got to him, the more Take backed away just in case something happened. At his last question, Take stared skeptically. He seemed to think about it a minute before the boy stopped standing as defensively and stood up straight before answering, "That depends on if that power is good or bad. But if I had the power to protect those I care about, I would."

"Power cannot be good or bad, child." He answered calmly, looking down at Takehiko though his face was obscured in darkness. The man then held up his cane and in a flash of light it transformed into an otherworldly blade with a curved hand guard that extended to cover his hand from two sides. A chain with a strange golden insignia at its end hung down from the pommel and the tip of the blade formed a sharp looking shape that almost appeared to be axe-like in nature. If one stepped back and squinted it might have appeared to vaguely resemble an old key. "This is what is known as a keyblade."

"The only things good and evil are the choices we make. If you believe you have it in you, if you believe you can one day take hold of this power and use it to protect those around you, then take hold of this blade." The man knelt down and extended his hand to hold the keyblade's grip closer into arm's reach for the boy.

The boy recoiled a moment at the suddenness of the weapon appearing in his hand. When the cloaked figure explained what the weapon was, the boy looked in curiosity at it closer. But once the man started speaking again, Take listened intently.

When he finished, Take looked down at the grip and then back at the man. He looked a mixture of curious and skeptical of the scenario. He reached his hand out for it but pulled back slightly in hesitation for a moment. Then after only a few seconds, Take reached out and took hold of the grip. He looked a little nervous and looked at the man asking, "What happens now?"

The blade disappeared in a flash of light and the man stood upright once more. He turned away from the young boy and looked at the grave marked for Takehiko's brother. "Nothing." The man stated plainly almost as if a joke had been played on the boy. "Live a life that would have made your brother proud, child. That is the truest way you can honor him."

The man turned to begin walking towards the lamp, stopping by it only to look up and watch as it flickered again. He remained still, just staring at it. "The power will come in time, when you are ready. Do not worry. I believe you are worthy of it. The only thing you must do is show yourself that you are worthy."

As Takehiko processed the words the man said. He nodded and smiled widely and held up his fist a bit, "I'll become worthy of it. That's a promise." and in a moment, there was a flicker of light that caused Take to shield his eyes. The man was gone. He looked around, running to the other end of the graveyard confused before eventually running back to the gravemarker. He still had far too many questions, but that seemed to be intentional for that man. Take crouched down to pick up the lantern and he looked at the marker with a smile, tears pouring down his face again and said, "I'll make you proud, Iwao. Then I'll be able to use that keyblade. Just you see!" and he looked back towards the village, running his way back.

As he stood, almost frozen in realization, he was pulled out of his mind when Atmos grabbed his hand to try and lead him out, making a small comment about getting out of there. He looked to her and nodded before Take followed her out, looking back a bit at Gero before leaving the room.

The boy was processing a lot at that moment, and trying not to let it show. Takehiko took a deep breath and when out of the room he pulled away from her and asked, "So um... are..." his thoughts were lost completely and a sudden tear went down his face and he looked scared and wiped it away, "Are we just gonna keep up this... thing where we pretend to help just to throw us off our trail? Really? That doesn't... that doesn't seem fruitful..." he suddenly realized how much he was falling apart and he backed away quickly and said, "I-I'm... I'm heading outside... I won't go far..." and he quickly walked away.

When Take made it outside, alone. He closed his eyes as he held back sadness, shock, anger, pain, happiness. He tried to rub his wrist as he whispered to himself, "Good soldiers put their feelings last... good soldiers put their feelings last... good soldiers..."

 

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‘Heeeey,’ Aria thought when Master Kaio said she wasn’t clever. Even though she said she was, it felt more of a backhanded compliment. She then held back growling under her breath in frustration when she was told it was best for her to stay in the Master’s’ sight, only to have Torrin stand up for her. She was surprised, given with how little time they’ve known each other.

And then she was told if five princesses were captured, she had to stay put behind the walls.

Her shoulders fell with disappointment. She knew the reasons behind it, but it was still frustrating to her. She wanted to be alongside her friends and helping them, not sitting back and watching.

She sighed out a little as they were dismissed, feeling a little disheartened by the whole ordeal. Aria’s thoughts were interrupted when Torrin came over and asked her a question. She gave him an amused smile and giggled a bit. “No, no... he’s more like a good friend of our family. He used to come see me every year on my birthday until he disappeared. And sometimes he would come when we really needed him... which was rare.”

She heard beautiful music coming down the hallway when they reached the second floor and looked in that direction. Then she noticed Take kind of discombobulated, and shuffling away to be on his own. So many hearts were suffering in some way or another, and Aria wanted to reach out to every one of them... she knew that was impossible though.

“Things really are different now,” Aria mumbled to herself as she went to reach for a necklace... only to find nothing there. That’s right, she lost that one a while ago. Still, it was habit to try to hold it between her fingers to find comfort. Instead, she fiddled with her friendship bracelet Mika gave her, not knowing what else to say since her mind was still comprehending what went down in the meeting.

 

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An eyebrow was raised at Torrin's opinion of Grandpa Gero. Then again, it made sense... sort of. Everything she thought she knew up to this point about Grandpa Gero was changing suddenly. She still respected him, but she wondered if these years being apart and him undergoing torture in the other realm would put a strain on the relationship they developed before he left; as a mentor of sorts and the grandfather she needed in time's of crisis. And being important as he was... why take the time to check on her? "Yeah, you're right..." she replied softly, gripping on one of the charms on the bracelet and letting go.

She was then nudged towards Tinarah's direction and she half-laughed. "Thanks... I mean, I worry about everyone cause I care. Not cause I'm this pure of heart or whatever... Mika-" She stopped herself and felt a twinge of pain in her soul for a moment. She changed thought processes quickly. "T-Tinarah could tell you all the times I tried to befriend her. I think I scared her a little to be honest, but I tried." She half-smiled and looked down the hallway, and took a deep breath through her nose. "And for what it's worth," Aria said, remembering what was said back at the meeting, "I believe you won't end up being like that Other Torrin. Ever. You're nice, and you look out for others," she said with a slight shrug of her shoulder. "In fact, you seem to worry about everyone too, just like I do. And you are hard on yourself when things don't go right for others, or you blame yourself. It's kinda hard to see you as someone from the Realm of Darkness. The Other Torrin sounded extremely selfish and cruel... Anyways, to Tinarah. I'll catch up with you later if I can."

With that, she gave Torrin a little wave and then headed off towards the music. She paused at the door, peeking inside to see that it was Tinarah at the grand piano. She could see tears streaming down the girl's face and Aria smiled sadly as she brought a hand to her heart. It was strange to see her so grown up whereas just a few days ago she was a child. Now she was almost her age, and maybe more broken.

When the song came to a stop, Aria cleared her throat and stepped in the room. "Hey Tinarah," she said softly as to not startle her and stayed in her line of sight. She stopped by the piano, not knowing if she should sit down on the bench next to Tinarah or stay where she was at. "... How are you holding up?" she finally asked in a gentle tone. "That meeting was intense back there..."

 

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"No one told you?" Aria was surprised. Given her reactions back at the meeting, she just assumed she forgot for a minute that their friend was gone. But to hear that no one actually told her about it was heart-wrenching. Finding out in the meeting in front of everyone wasn't the best way to go about it at all. It was then she was asked what happened exactly, and Aria realized she herself didn't know the cause of Mika's death. "I... I'm not sure," she said, being completely honestly. "All I was told was that she's gone. I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did..."

She trailed off when Tinarah turned to her fully and Aria offered the girl a small smile. "I'm glad to see you too. I was really worried about you when Torrin showed up with Atmos looking for you... I was told you made it back, but I know now what happened there... I should have kept you by my side. I shouldn't have let you go-"

Aria was silenced when she was suddenly hugged by Tinarah. She had shut her out for so long, it caught Aria off guard to have her be the one to initiate the hug. It was then the little girl... while not so little anymore, broke down into sobs. Aria felt her heart break in two and hugged the girl to her, laying her head on her shoulder and letting her know that she was safe here with her friends now.

"I'm here," Aria soothed gently, rubbing the Tinarah's back as she cried. The Princess of Heart was starting to feel her own tears come on and held Tinarah a little closer to her. It was a wonder that she had held on so long the way she did under those conditions, never knowing if she was ever going to come back to her friends or not, or if she was going to make it out alive. And having to leave behind people that reached out to her and loved her in-between the bad times was hard. "I'm so glad you're here too," she whispered as tears freely rolled down her cheeks.

 

Aria made a fairly understandable point, he understood the sentiment of not wanting to sit still others while others were doing the fighting for them. If the council would tell him to go back whence he came he too would object they couldn't expect him a soldier to simply walk away to sit and wait while others fought their battles. This was about his home and he would fight for it no matter what the Council told him, he owed them no allegiance anyways. Luckily the council while seemingly not too fond of the choice decided to let both him and Torrin stay and fight alongside them. And the original plan was changed a little to accomodate for Aria's desire not to be cooped up. He wanted to suggest that if the first world they went to was where the Light Chaser would follow them to to make a diversion team to have the Light Chaser trail them and keep him off the other team while they went for the Princess, but they would most likely not go with the plan citing too high risks and unacceptable casualties, well this was a war not everyone was going to get home.

As the meeting drew to a close they had formulated a plan forward through a roundabout way they would be sent to retrieve another princess so they could keep that Princess under guard to make sure that their enemy couldn't succeed with his plan, he still wasn't a very big fan of how this was done while it made sense, he would rather fight and take the initiative than wait for their foes to strike and keep up the defensive, unless he knew the defense was simply part of a larger plan where the defenders were a diversion to create a weakspot for a counter attack, but there was no such thing happening here atleast not to his knowledge.

Boreas filed out of the room going down the stairs. He had seen Torrin linger back in the meeting room but Boreas had something to take care off. He hadn't done his daily exercise yet, after stopping by his room real quick, hearing music on the way out of the castle he didn't bother investigating it, this was a big place and music didn't really raise any alarms with Boreas, it was nice to hear though, if it was still played by the time he came back then he would go listen to it, but he intended to go do his daily routine first. Leaving the castle he saw Take standing against the wall, he seemed upset. He had seen the kid and introduced himself in the kitchen but he didn't really know him very well, but still he was out here alone and upset, Boreas for a split second considered simply going on his training run right away but Take was upset, Boreas instead of ignoring him walked up to him. "You seem upset, I know you and I don't really know each other, but do you want to talk?" Boreas asked leaning against the wall beside him, looking at the mountainous environs.​

 

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Take tried his best to stop this breakdown cold upon seeing Boreas walk by. But when he started approaching, he wasn't completely over it yet. He took a breath and straightened himself out, "I'm alright, all things considered. I got it out." the boy stretched a bit, hoping maybe that'd help him relax more, "I think the air helped. I haven't seen mountains since I was in my homeworld. I've been saying to Tinarah: nothing quite feels as relaxing as that cold mountain air. But that might just be me." the boy stopped to look at Boreas a minute before asking, "Not sure whether or not this is question applies, we'll see but... what rank are you?" he paused and said, "Cause you mentioned a war and fighting in it. So I just assumed military. Maybe you aren't, I don't know... Illiana apparently is a lieutenant general so I'm not sure how strict other worlds are on them..." Takehiko stopped crossing his arms and just dropped them to his side, "I'm just a private. Well... mm... it's actually more complicated than that. I suppose I'm a different rank because of the keyblade now, but I wasn't strictly speaking promoted before I left so.. private."

 

"The Darkness." Chrys replied. "The malevolent force has already corrupted many hearts and consumed just as many worlds. It's continuing to spread, and many people have already lost their families and homes to it. Only you and six others, united, have the power to banish it for eternity."​

 

Boreas noticed that Take hadn't fully stopped his breakdown but he wasn't going to comment on it. "That's good." Boreas said listening to what Take said. "No you're right the crisp mountain air in the morning after you wake up and take in that first breath is fantastic. I don't exactly live in the mountains but I have spent my fair share of time in the mountains." Boreas said when asked about his rank he had done his fair share of fighting and was in command of a smaller unit just carrying out the orders he received. "You guessed correctly, I am part of the military, I serve as a knight in the army, I hold the rank of Captain in the infantry." Boreas said, he was informed there was a Lieutenant-General was among their number. "Illiana? I heard the name, don't have a face with the name yet though, but I'll keep it in mind." If they had a Lieutenant General in their midst perhaps they weren't off so badly after all. The note about how strict the other worlds were seemed a little concerning but they couldn't be too carelessly with it. "Promotion is earned, you are judged on your merit and it depends on how long you have served too." Boreas explained, it had been a hard fought promotion, rallying the soldiers around him to holding a weak point in their line until it was reinforced, which took longer than anticipated. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your homeworld like? And against who did you fight?" Boreas was merely curious and he was speaking to a fellow soldier. Perhaps Take wanted to join him for his training today if he was up for it.​

 

Her body froze after hearing Boreas confirm that he recognized the armor. It came from the Realm of Darkness. Words from her mother echoed in her head as she stood agape, not moving. While she still heard and listened to the words others were saying, her mind was elsewhere, remembering her mother’s final words.

Spoiler: Death

Eifa laid upon on her bed, her breathing shallow. Ravana was in another room, not paying much attention. He knew her time was coming, he just couldn’t handle it and his head hurt. He left Qamar in the room to let her spend her last few moments with her mother.


“Qamar...my moon….sweetie…” Eifa cried, watching the 5 year old run towards her bed. Eifa raised her hand weakly and put it on Qamar’s cheek. “Please...the photo...keep it hidden….Ravana will destroy it….”


Qamar nodded. She had already hidden the photo before, knowing it was important. “Mommy, why’s your breath funny sounding?” she asked, climbing onto the bed.


“Mommy’s not….mommy’s not gonna be around anymore…” Eifa spoke sadly to Qamar. “But mommy will always love you and will always be with you….” Eifa grunted and coughed, clutching her chest. She then looked at Qamar. “Ravana isn’t your real...father….your real father….is elsewhere.” she said. “That picture is...a clue….one day you’ll understand….until then, please….please keep it….and please….do as Ravana says or….or...he’ll….hurt you…”


Eifa was close to losing her battle with her sickness. She looked upon Qamar once more. “So...please...find your real father….one day...he’ll….he’ll be happy to see you.” she said this, her hand on Qamar’s cheek. Eifa’s eyes closed and her hand slid off of Qamar’s face.


“Mommy…?” Qamar blinked, tears pricking at her eyes. “Mommy!” she screamed, reaching forward and grabbing Eifa’s clothes. She shook her mother’s body over and over, crying and sniffling. Her body began to emit a dark aura. Her eyes grew more gold as she fell into despair. Eifa’s body started to disintegrate, bits and pieces floating off and dark wisps taking over her body. She soon disappeared and left Qamar on the bed, unable to comprehend what happened.


Qamar screamed and felt the darkness deep within her start to bubble and burst out around her. Objects fell to the ground as Ravana ran into the room and saw what was happening. Ravana wasn’t exactly surprised. He only smiled to himself and walked over, grabbing Qamar to hug her. “It’s okay sweetie….we’ll be okay….” he said, already devising a plan.

Qamar came back to reality once Aria finished speaking. Qamar actually agree with Aria and wanted to question her Masters, but she didn’t dare speak up once Master Gero started to speak. “Interference from the Realm of Darkness…” she whispered. That hurt her, having realized something. She shook her head and stood back up as before. Apparently the Light Chaser already knows that Aria is here. Luckily the Council were what kept him away.


She nodded when Torrin mentioned not forcing Aria to stay. She strongly agreed and would do anything to keep them from confining Aria to a fate similar to hers. Gero spoke down to Torrin and that even ticked off Qamar. She knew he meant well, but the way he shot down every word Torrin said...every suggestion...it was like Master Gero didn’t care about anyone who hailed from the Realm of Darkness. Even if they had shown they meant no harm. Master Gero spoke of their plans and told them they’d have a trail to follow, making things easier for them. Qamar shrugged.


Soon they were all dismissed and Qamar finally sighed in relief. She bowed respectfully to the Master’s and turned to look at the others as they left. She watched Torrin move off and she knew he’d be the one she’d go to once she saw he wasn’t busy. Tinarah had already left and Qamar didn’t dare chase after her. Atmos had grabbed Take and walked out with him. Having a boy like him there was honestly sickening to Qamar. He didn’t belong here. He belonged home and growing up. The same could be said about all of the younger ones. It pained Qamar seeing them having to fight a battle meant for adults.


Exiting the Council room, she followed behind Torrin and Aria. Once Aria left Torrin, Qamar saw this as her chance to try and approach him. “Torrin...are you okay?” she asked. She stood nearby and heard music play. It was pleasant at least. “I know Master Gero spoke rudely...I’m sorry about that. It...it kind of hurts to hear those words, honestly?” she said this, giving no context to what she meant. “I can’t imagine what it feels like to be so...judged.”


Shrugging, Qamar faced Torrin. “I know you’ve gotta have some pent up frustration. Don’t forget my offer for a sparring match. I know exactly where to go, too.” she said, grabbing his arm tightly. “And no, you can’t say no to this now. You’ve got nothing to do, anyway. Your knight is off and Aria’s busy with Tinarah. Who else would you talk to anyway? People don’t exactly like darkness, apparently.” she said, guiding him along as they walked. She didn’t answer his questions as they made their way down to the ground floor and out the back of the castle, going towards a meditation area.


It was the same area that Qamar had meditated in earlier that day. And honestly, they got there pretty quickly thanks to her walking fast. Qamar finally let go and stepped backwards a few steps. “No holding back?” she said, smiling at him. “I wanna see just how strong this darkness a prince could have really is. You move first, she said.”

Spoiler: ???

Itzal wrote in his journal of his days duties. He sighed and scratched his head, putting his pen down. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about his family. Suddenly, the face of the woman he loves flashed in his mind as tears fell from his eyes suddenly. He blinked and touched his cheeks, wondering why he was crying. Realization hit and he gasped, holding himself as he started to cry over his desk, wanting to hit himself for not stopping her.

 

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The council hadn't been exactly what he was expecting. Tinarah's story he had heard part of it prior to arriving her so hearing about the bridge part again only bothered him slightly. Following that Chrono listened to the story silently absorbing the information, not making and external reactions til the mention of another Torrin came up. Compared to when he first ran into him, Chrono did trust him more. There was still some weariness around him, but there was no blatant distrust. The icing on the cake was when yet another version of himself as mentioned, this one suffering by far a worse fate. First there's the 'me' on that bridge, then there a heartless monster of me. What gives!? Not only as his frustrated by that, but the fact that something like that could've been done through experiments bothered him greatly and reminded him of the lab he'd followed his mother into before she died.

When the meeting had ended and everyone gone their own ways, he had stood around for a little bit. The sounds of a piano being played had reached him shortly after leaving the room that they had gathered in and reminded him that he still needed to return Tinarah's violin. Now didn't seem like the best of times to do so, not with her having to retell all that she's been through. Take on the other hand seemed bothered by something. Chrono then walked around til he found himself outside, fortunately seeing Take and the man he'd greeted before checking on his sister this morning engaged in conversation. He didn't see the harm in joining them, especially seeing as how he was still concerned about his friend, thus he spoke up to make his presence known. "Hey, is everything alright."

 

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"My homeworld?" Take was kind of surprised by the question. Perhaps because he'd never really been asked about his homeworld before. He took a moment to process before pointing towards the mountains in this distance, "Imagine if all those mountains were about... 3 times larger than they are now. And where we're standing right now was a desert. That's basically what my homeworld looked like. Our village was carved into the mountainside as high up as we could get while still being able to maintain a food supply." he then thought about how to explain the war and said, "Admittedly, I don't look at our enemy like a "who" as much as a "what". Because they're dragons." he held his hand and looked at Boreas, "That sounds like something out of a story I know, but these pests just keep coming back with tactics. They have actual leadership and a hierarchy. But it's not like they communicate with us, they're just trying to kill us. I don't know if it's because we'd make a good food source but it's not because we've gone onto their property. Because the village moved years ago from one mountain to another, losing most of their work force and they still kept-" Take stopped when he realized he was on a tangent. The boy took a breath and said, "Well, you get the gist of it."

Take probably had his mind off of the situation at first. But when Chrono came back, Takehiko almost immediately replied with a sharp irritation, "Yes, everything is fine! Why is everyone asking?!" he realized at that moment... he'd just snapped at Chrono. He was 99% sure this hadn't happened at all at any point with their training, what with Take constantly being tuned out and in soldier mode for half of it. Take took a deep breath and said, "No. No... I'm sorry. I... that went too far." Take stood up straight and looked at the two and said, "I... could be wrong but... the Master of Masters... Gero... I'm almost certain he was the one who gave me the keyblade." the boy reached towards his broken arm and held it, pressing it down a bit and fortunately not feeling pain this time as he continued, "I know he wasn't exactly gone for all these years by his own choice. But... we've been here in this castle this whole time, he's been seemingly pretty healed up, and maybe it's selfish of me to think this way. But he hasn't once decided to at least come over and say something?"

Take took in another breath and looked away from the two of them saying, "I spent years trying to fight to become someone worthy of the keyblade. I've lost friends. I've lost brothers. And after six years of waiting and waiting, I finally got it. Only to have to wait two months for a keyblade master to finally show up after I called them, only for it to be Atmos. Not the man who gave me the keyblade. I understand why. I understand he couldn't be there. But this entire time..." Take felt the tears pouring down his face again and was glad he was turned so Boreas and Chrono couldn't see him, "I thought it was because yet another person in my life thought I was just a nuisance." he clenched his fist and rubbed his eyes, "And I don't know why I care."

He turned towards the two again, the tears gone but his eyes still red from the recent crying, he couldn't exactly look them in the eyes, he was in the company of a stranger, and in the company of someone Take would consider his best friend. He didn't like the idea of either of them seeing him this way... "Cause I'm not supposed to care. I'm not supposed to feel anything. Cause if I go back home feeling anything, the dragons feed off of emotions, it lures them in like sharks to blood. You'd think after years of training, I'd have this down by now. I just... I'm just hoping this is a moment of weakness. Better to have it here than out there fighting the heartless, ya know?"

There was a part of him that was trying to find blame for it, something other than himself. Maybe it was Gero's fault for deciding to suddenly exist again. Maybe it was Atmos' fault for not telling him sooner. Maybe this was Iwao's fault for trying to tell him it was okay to smile and Take finding the idea of that thrilling. Maybe this was Aria's fault, he only started feeling this expressive again when she showed up. Maybe it was Illiana's fault for just being a jerk at first which was the initial setoff. Anyone but him.

 

​

As Tinarah cried, Aria continued to hug her, letting her let it all out. She of all people knew the importance of letting out all of her emotions. Tinarah had so much pented up for so long, Aria knew she was still processing everything and didn’t mind one bit.

When Tinarah stepped back, Aria sniffed and wiped her own tears away. She was glad The girl felt safe enough around her to be able to express her emotions more freely. “No, no, it’s okay... you’ve been through so much. I understand,” she said with a reassuring smile. “And hey... in a way you did fulfill your promise. Not physically like you wanted to, but because you were never brought back to our friends like the Light Chaser promised the both of us, people came looking for you and found me...”

She watched as Tinarah moved to the piano bench, and then gestured for her to sit by her. Aria smiled a little and did just that, sitting by Tinarah and listening to her words. Her eyes saddened for her friend and Aria wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing it and bringing her close to her. “I understand to an extent,” she spoke softly. “It’s not the same as it was... they look like the ones you spent time with, but they’re completely different here.”

The girl squeezed Tinarah’s shoulder once more before letting go and then crisscrossed her legs on the bench, looking to the door to make sure no one was there before glancing at Tinarah. “Grandpa Gero? I mean, Master Gero... I knew him growing up. He was always there, and kind of my mentor before I got the keyblade. He always came to every one of my birthdays up to when I was about eleven years old, and he was so kind to me. He even came when things got really bad, which only happened twice... There was one time when I was seven my uncle was attacked by these wolf-like monsters we called wrenfel... and my uncle lost an arm and a leg. Grandpa Gero was there to save him, and to comfort me afterwards. He even made sure my uncle got new limbs so he could go back to a somewhat normal life.”

She let out a sigh, her heart saddening as she played with the charms on Mika’s bracelet. “He even told me once before he disappeared I needed to stay strong and face my problems, that I can’t always run away from them. Now, things are different. I... I understand why, but it’s like... the Grandpa Gero I grew up with is not here anymore. He’s gone... and I get it, and I feel bad for being selfish because he’s been through so much like you have... but that kind hearted grandfather figure seems like a distant memory now. Just like it had been since he disappeared... But to spend time with someone only to come back to your normal time and they don’t remember you well...? That’s really difficult too...”

Aria trailed off and glanced to Tinarah. “Ya know, I think we’re both in need of hot chocolate. It’s been a really hard day. How ‘bout it? I’ll even add some marshmallows or cool whip with rainbow sprinkles if you want.” Aria offered Tinarah a warm grin and waited patiently for the girl to answer. This whole day had been a roller coaster for them in different ways, and Aria wanted to make it better somehow, even though she could only think of something trivial like drinking hot chocolate. “You can still tell me all about the things you want to tell me about your time in the other deminsion, and I’ll listen while I make some chocolately goodness that’ll soothe our souls. Whaddya say?”

 

​

The meeting adjourned in a particularly prompt manner. For as much information as had been divulged over its course, it seemed, to Glyde, that only bits and pieces of it all held any real weight for anyone; everyone, though, was seeming to have a claim to stake in the Lightchaser situation...

What's mine then? Glyde exited into the hall, trailing a few paces behind. He stopped just outside and turned around only to face down a closed door. Surmising that the Masters had business the students could not sit in for, Glyde walked to the opposite wall and propped himself against it. There, he stood in waiting; speaking with Atmos was the first thing he had felt the need to do, and that which he hadn't been able to since waking nearly a week ago.

Just how long would he have to wait? He bowed his head, and closed his eyes, brows furrowing in an immersed thought.