I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters.


Awakening

Inside Castle Oblivion, a single, weary, and weakened heart floated toward a boy seated on the throne. It had been searching for him for years now but only now did it find its rightful home. Only now, did the heart find its true owner; Ventus.

As the heart passed into his body, he slowly began to stir straightening and looking around groggily before struggling to his feet on legs that had long since lost feeling. He collapsed falling onto his stomach and trying to move his leg only to have pain shoot through his body from his legs. In the end, he simply dragged himself out of the room into a long hallway. His legs were killing him and making it nearly impossible to breath but that didn't matter. After several minutes, he finally reached a staircase and pushed himself to his feet. They threatened to give out again but he leaned heavily on the hand rail as he carefully lowered himself down the steps one at a time. Eventually he reached the ground floor and his legs again gave out. He dragged himself to the door and forced it open as best he could then dragged himself out of the castle.

When he was outside in the sunshine, he rolled onto his back and pulled his pants up to look at his legs. They were both pale but the color was slowly returning. After several more minutes, he was finally able to push himself up and stay on his feet. He began to hobble along the road away from the castle and soon met a traveler in a dark maroon cloak walking away from the castle. Ventus hobbled toward him calling out but the person kept walking. Finally, Ventus managed to catch up and caught the man by the shoulder. The man suddenly spun around and smashed Ventus back with his arm and the man through off his cloak grinning from ear to ear, only, it wasn't a man, or even human. The person was about his height with silver and dark grey armor with a red and black heart-shaped emblem similar to that of the Unversed. This emblem had red jagged lines cutting the heart into four pieces with the bottom having three spikes, two on the sides and one on the bottom. The creature's legs were bent like a dog's with the feet being spikes and it was holding a short blade with a cross guard just barely longer than the blade was wide but with the handle horizontal and connected with two pieces of metal on the ends to the cross guard.

Ventus threw himself backward out of the way of a swing, falling onto his back as his still-weak legs gave out. The knight instantly dashed forward raising its sword but Ventus summoned his key blade just in time to slash the knight's sword away then slash it across the chest making it explode into a cloud of darkness before a single heart floated out of the top of the cloud then disappeared into a smaller cloud of darkness.

"What was that?" Ventus wondered aloud laying on his back and trying to move his legs.

He pushed himself to his feet and looked down at Wayward Wind on the ground in front of him.

"At least I can still use my keyblade," Ventus said bending over carefully and picking it up.

Then he aimed it skyward opening a portal then threw it. It turned into a winged waveboard-like vehicle, as he remembered it doing. He jumped onto it as it passed and then piloted it through the portal to Disney Castle where he remembered Mickey lived.

When he arrived, the ship hit the ground and threw him off of it turning back into its keyblade form and landing beside him. He pushed himself up and his legs instantly gave out as nausea shot through him. He decided to simply lie on the soft grass he had landed on until his legs woke up. After a few minutes, a small female voice asked if he was okay, well, squeaked was more accurate given how high the voice was.

Ventus looked up and saw a mouse that looked a lot like Mickey but with a tiara with a red mouse head symbol on top, and a pink and red dress with a large red ribbon on the back.

"Oh, Your Highness," Ventus said struggling to his feet and bowing.

"Relax," Minnie said. "You don't need to bow to me. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Mickey," Ventus said.

"Oh," Minnie said. "He's not here right now, but if you'll kindly follow me, I can give you the grand tour before he gets back. Walking will help your legs wake up."

"How did you know they were asleep?" Ventus asked.

Minnie merely smiled and began walking away. Ventus shrugged and followed and after about fifteen minutes of the tour, his legs finally stopped hurting and shortly after, the tour ended at the library.

"So, how's Aqua?" Minnie asked.

"I...I don't know," Ventus said. "The last thing I remember is battling Vanitas. I'm not sure what happened to her while I did."

"Who?" Minnie asked just as the door opened and Mickey walked in holding several books, all of which promptly crashed to the ground as Mickey stared in shock at Ventus.

"You...you're awake!" Mickey said happily running over and jumping at him giving him a hug. "It's been years! How did you wake up?"

"I don't know," Ventus said.

"I think I might," a calm masculine voice said as a tall man with silver hair walked in.

"Riku!" Mickey said happily turning to the man.

"Riku?" Ventus said. "Terra and Aqua mentioned you."

"I think that the Princesses of Heart weren't the only ones whose hearts were released when Sora saved Kairi in Maleficent's Castle," Riku said. "I think Ventus's heart was also released. Where were you?"

"I was in Castle Oblivion," Ventus said.

"I guess your heart forgot why it was there then," Riku said smirking. "That castle turns memories into worlds and people. Your heart probably got lost."

"Probably," Mickey said. "But either way, you're awake now. That's good news."

"Wait," Ventus said. "You said it's been years. How many?"

"Gee," Mickey said thinking. "At least ten."

"Ten years?" Ventus asked. "What happened to Aqua...and Terra? And how come I still look sixteen?"

"Whelp," Mickey said staring at the ground, "That's not a very pleasant story. When Terra fought Xehanort, Terra won but Xehanort managed to possess him. Then Aqua fought him to attempt to bring Terra back but failed. Xehanort locked his heart and Terra along with it then went to the Realm of Darkness and Aqua followed. In an attempt to save the man that was once her friend, Aqua sacrificed both her keyblade and her armor to send Terra back to the Realm of Light. Then she was trapped there...and still is."

"Xehanort is controlling Terra and Aqua is in the Realm of Darkness?" Ventus asked.

"Yes," Mickey said.

"Then send me to the Realm of Darkness," Ventus said. "I have to save Aqua."

"What about Terra?" Riku asked.

"He's next," Ventus said. "But first I need to find Aqua. Will she look older?"

"Actually, both of your friends should be about as old as when you went to sleep," Mickey said. "Physically, at least."

"I see," Ventus said. "Send me."

"You should think about this a bit before you just run off," Riku said.

"Send me," Ventus commanded more forcefully. "Now."

Mickey sighed and held his keyblade up. Riku and Ventus did the same and a moment later, a door opened on the wall. It was tall, grey, and had a stained glass window in the point of the top. The door opened and Light spilled through for a moment before fading and revealing a landscape bathed in shadow with obsidian stone on the ground and as well as what looked like strange buildings and arches stretching from building to building and sometimes randomly in between. Ventus took a deep breath then stepped through the door which Riku and Mickey then closed behind him and the three of them locked it.

THE END


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