A Boy with Purpose
An old bald man with a silver goatee, and golden eyes appeared out of a dark corridor into a new world. The man was wearing a long black and gray coat with white gloves as he was walking down the street exploring this new world. It had some high buildings and plenty of walkways to get around.
Master Xehanort walked casually with his hands behind his back and a little hunched over from his age. He was still thinking about his previous conversation he had with Eraqus and how he had to quell his futile attempt to stop him.
"The fool... he has such fear of the darkness that his heart was consumed by light..." Xehanort said to himself.
Xehanort continued his walk and stopped to examine some of the local vendors. He held a fruit in his hands when he heard someone behind him shout.
"Stop! Thief!" A Peddler yelled.
Xehanort turned around to see a young boy running away with a loaf of bread as the Peddler was chasing him.
Amused, Xehanort casually followed the two of them around a corner down a dark alley. Xehanort saw that this was a dead end and he slightly smirked to himself as he saw the boy trying to climb up the vertical wall, but his attempts were in vain.
"You! Give back the bread or I'll call the authorities!" The Peddler threatened.
"But sir, I'm starving, I haven't eaten in days!" The boy begged.
Before the Peddler could take away the food, Xehanort, out of pity, piped up.
"Excuse me, my good man." Xehanort walked towards the two of them.
"I'm a little busy at the moment, unless you want to buy something-" The Peddler was cut off.
"Ah, but that is exactly my intention." Xehanort explained. "I wish to buy the food for the boy."
The Peddler and the boy looked surprised as Xehanort pulled out his munny pouch and pulled out some gold coins. He placed them in the Peddler's hands who still looked a little shocked from the gesture.
"Why thank you, Your Elderness. But I don't see why you should waste your time with this street trash... Have a pleasant day either way." The Peddler thanked and walked away.
"Where there is absence of compassion, selfishness, and in your case, greed will form the darkness within your heart." Xehanort stated as he clutched his hand into a fist and the Peddler's pocket glowed with a dark aura...
Xehanort then turned his attention to the boy who was staring at the old man in wonder, not speaking a word.
"Walk with me, boy. This is alley is no place for a meal." Xehanort turned around and walked away.
The boy followed hesitantly behind him, and after a few minutes of silence Master Xehanort found a comfortable spot at a bench in the middle of a park. The boy sat down on the bench and began to eat, but Master Xehanort remained standing, observing the boy.
"What is your name, boy?" Xehanort asked.
"Ve...Ventus..." The boy quietly said in between gulps of food.
"Where is your home, Ventus?" Xehanort inquired.
"I don't have a home... I'm all alone..." Ventus sadly admitted.
"He is perfect for my plan… no one will miss him." Xehanort thought to himself.
"Fret not, dear Ventus... for all of your troubles may vanish if you listen to my proposal." Xehanort proposed.
Ventus looked up with what seemed like hope for the first time in years.
"...I am Master Xehanort, chosen wielder of the legendary keyblade." Xehanort introduced himself. "As you can see... I am an old man... maybe not long for these worlds..."
"Worlds? You mean there's more than one?" Ventus asked curiously.
"Alas yes, the worlds are separated but they are connected to each other with hidden pathways. …I have traveled to many of them over a period of decades..." Xehanort answered.
"Can I see them?" Ventus eagerly asked now.
"This is where my proposal will be introduced. Ventus… I can give you purpose... for it is my desire for you to become my pupil and learn the ways of the keyblade." Xehanort proposed. "This is the only way I would allow you to accompany me to other worlds."
Ventus stared back at the food still in his hands and he quickly finished the rest of it and got up from the bench.
"I'll do it!" Ventus said with a smile.
"A wise decision on your part..." Xehanort smirked as he summoned his keyblade to him which startled Ventus. "Now grab ahold of it and begin your journey..."
Ventus grabbed the hilt of Xehanort's keyblade and a small light twinkled over his grip.
"I, Master Xehanort grant you, Ventus, the power to wield this mighty weapon to keep light and darkness in balance. Do you accept your apprenticeship?" Xehanort asked the spiky blond boy.
"I do." Ventus said as he let go of the keyblade.
Suddenly, another keyblade appeared in the hand of the new apprentice: Wayward Wind.
"Interesting... you hold your new keyblade backhand..." Xehanort said slightly fascinated and dismissing his own keyblade.
"Is that a bad thing?" Ventus asked worryingly as he dismissed Wayward Wind himself.
"On the contrary... it can be a unique aspect of your swordsmanship." Xehanort complimented.
"Thank you...Master." Ventus thanked.
"Good... always show respect to your elders." Xehanort then summoned a dark corridor which startled Ventus even more.
"Come young Ventus, you have much to learn." Xehanort crossed into the corridor.
Ventus hesitantly followed to start his new path as a keyblade wielder.
Over the next couple of months, Master Xehanort taught Ventus the basics of combat with a keyblade. He also taught him some magic. Ventus took a quick liking to Areo magic especially. Then one day, Master Xehanort brought Ventus to a world where it looked desolate, lifeless, like a graveyard...
"Ventus, today you will learn how to use the power of darkness." Xehanort stated.
"What, darkness... I don't think I can't do that Master." Ventus objected.
"Do you recall the legend of the Keyblade War...?" Xehanort reminded the boy.
"Yes; and the X-blade..." Ventus sadly remembered.
"Then you know what must be done!" Master stated as he teleported to the top of a nearby cliff edge.
(Play the Ventus theme music on a second tab.)
Xehanort then snapped his fingers and summoned creatures of darkness to surround poor Ventus. Many Neo-shadows encircled the young keyblade wielder as he summoned Wayward Wind. Fear quickly arose within Ventus and he began to panic as he saw the creatures eyeing him like prey.
"Please don't do this, Master! I'm not strong enough!" Ventus pleaded.
"No. It is because you are trying to hold it in. Let the dark impulses waken in the pit of your heart. Release them, here and now! Sharpen your fear into rage." Xehanort instructed.
More Neo-shadows surrounded Ventus as he continued to panic and fear filled his body. He was even more afraid of calling out the darkness within him.
"You must! If you do not let the storm within you run its course, it will wipe you from the face of the world, make no mistake! Do it. Embrace the darkness. Produce for your Master the X-blade!" Master Xehanort commanded.
A Neo-shadow lurched at Ventus and the boy just froze as he screamed in fear. The creature of darkness knocked the boy to the ground, hard. Xehanort, severely disappointed, snapped his fingers once more and dismissed the Neo-shadows. He then teleported back on the ground and he walked towards his apprentice, with disappointment for his weak pupil.
"Really? You would rather die than use the power? Feckless neophyte..." Xehanort said in resentment as he kicked his still unconscious apprentice onto his back.
"If I must... I will extract the darkness from within you myself." Xehanort said impatiently.
Master Xehanort summoned his keyblade and aimed a beam of light and extracted the darkness from Ventus, fracturing his heart... The ball of light rose and it was quickly engulfed in a orb of darkness which grew into a boy with a black mask on. Vanitas was then born and he landed next to his new Master...
"Empty creature from Ventus riven...to you, the name Vanitas shall be given.
"Yes, Master." Vanitas obeyed.
A/N- That was just a short fic for Xehanort and how he found Ventus. And the later half, that was one of my favorite scenes in BBS. I hope it was good enough. Review and fav if you want. I'll keep on writing. They'll be more KH fics to come.