He waits for him as he always does, sitting on the tree where the star shaped fruit that she talked about so long ago gently waving in the wind.
The Island and Sea are peaceful today the waves gently crashing against the shoreline, all while the bluest sky he's ever seen pulls everything together in what he would call a paradise.
The laughs of children echo past his ears, a few words slip out from time to time.
Our secret place...
Riku...
Kairi...
Our Island...
Raft...
Look at which one of us is winning...
Paopu...
Safe from the outside, the warmth of his protector always present within this heart they share.
"Hey!"
His heart races as his Protector finds him again. A small child racing towards him with a giant smile on his face.
By the time he arrives the child is already out of breath, gasping out words. "C-haa, C'mon C'mon!"
He pulls at his hand with the strength that only a child could have.
"You come with me!"
He chuckles, following as he always does when his protector visits.
He arrives in a cave with the small child pointing to new wall carvings.
"Lookit', me and Kairi drew them!"
"They're good." He ruffles his Protector's hair, feeling joy that's reflected in this child's smile.
"Isn't it? Hey, you know, Riku said that Kairi's from another world."
He flinches slightly at this, at the excitement that Sora has on his face.
"He says that when we're older, we're gonna visit her world!"
A frown forms on his face.
"Sora." He rests on his knees, still holding the hand of his protector. "Do you really wanna leave your home?"
"Hm? Sora tilts his head in confusion.
"You know if you leave, you may never come back. And even if you do, everything may be different." His head lowerers at the memories, eyes lidded with grief.
"Are you from a different world too?" Sora asks. "Like Kairi?"
He smirks gently. "Something like that…" but he's pulled from his pain by Sora, ruffling his hair aggressively, mirroring the act of the one sheltered, holding a smile on his face.
His Protector's words are unwavering, behind a smile of pure determination, shining brighter than even…
"Sora, the outside world is dangerous...If you go, I won't be able to protect you or your friends." Images of keyblades clashing against each other ring in his mind, just as that terrible smile does. He can't help but grit his teeth in anger at the memory...
"That's okay!" Sora hugs him tightly much to his surprise, "I'll protect you and Kairi and Riku too! Then, we'll all go to your world too! You and Kairi! We'll find your worlds! And then..." He thinks for a moment, "And then we'll all play together!"
He gently returns the gesture, a genuine smile gracing his face.
I'm fine where I am now, so long as you're here, this place will be my home
The sit together until the day- Sora's night- comes to an end, the child curled up on his lap, grasping his shirt to remind him that his friend is still there with him.
He looks so peaceful...
The Sheltered thinks to himself.
Soon, His protector disappears as he returns to the waking world, leaving him alone once again...
Ventus smiles to himself, grasping his heart in memories long past; Still sitting on the tree that he and Sora once shared.
He worries for his protector, his friend; now, years later, Sora no longer visits, most likely more oriented in the world that his friends keep him company in. He still hasn't given up on the raft, nor has his dearest friends. They, just like he once was, are anxious to see the outside worlds.
He hopes that so long as the 3 remain together that they will not falter just as they once did.
He's not lonely here, it took awhile for him to realize, but this place, this sanctuary within Sora's heart is a place where his former fears no longer exist.
Because now, he's not alone anymore.
The smile fades however as he looks back up towards the once blue sky, now laden with storm clouds while the sea and island sit in calm towards a future calamity.
There is a familiar air of foreboding, one that feels all too familiar.
But there's nothing to be done, not yet anyway; For now he can only hope that within those feelings of forgotten memories that they share will never allow Sora to be lonesome. That no matter where he goes, no matter how low he falls into despair, he will never be alone in his battles, and that no matter what, his kindness all those years ago will be returned tenfold when the time comes...
Omake:
Sora walked ahead of Riku, happily looking around.
"He's around here somewhere! I can feel it!"
Riku sighed at his best friend, as of late he was always talking about his friend who lived on the island. Everyone else assumed that he was just pretending as he always did, even indulging him by asking about who they were.
To which Sora said, "His name's Ven, n' he from another world!"
"HA!" Sora's cry startled Riku as he ran into the arms of an oddly dressed dark blonde haired boy older then they. "See? Told you Riku!" Sora cried out happily as he hugged "Ven" tightly.
Immediately, an air of possession rose as Riku glared at this new person who, in his eyes, was stealing his best friend.
"Let go of Sora!"
Ven looked down cheekily at this sassy child. "Is this Riku, Sora?" He asked, kneeling down to let Sora go, but he still held his hand.
"Yup!" Sora cried out happily, ignorant of the animosity his best friend was throwing.
Ven looked down at the child, easily seeing that this kid had the same aura of protectiveness that Terra had.
"Hey Riku, what would you do if I took Sora with me back to my world?"
There was a brief moment between the three, where Riku was processing what this person had just said, and now was shocked that Sora was smiling and jerking at Ven's hand with bounding excitement.
"Really Really?!"
"Yup, just you and me." Ven smiled, very much aware of what he was doing.
Riku immediately pulled Sora back from this now, stranger threatening to take away his best friend. "I would find you, and then I'd beat you up!"
Ventus, rested his head on his hands in slight disbelief, "So you'd go all the way to another world just to beat me up and take Sora back?"
"Yeah!" Riku puffed his cheeks in anger while Sora looked at Ven in confusion at what was happening.
"Well then," Ventus stood. "Guess I'll have to do my best to keep Sora all to myself." He chuckled at his own words, all while infuriating Riku.
"C'mon Sora, we're going home!" He pulled his friends hand back towards the boat.
"M'kay! Bye Ven!" Sora waved back happily, as Ven did the same, thinking to himself with a happy smirk.
/That kid is going to hate me when he grows up/
