This is my first attempt at working with the trio of the Birth By Sleep storyline, and as my friends (if I had any) would tell you, I LOVE all possible OT3 pairings of the KH series. (SoraxKairixRiku = Better than freakin' Sea Salt Ice Cream)
And yes, I intend to continue my Persona 3 story, if anyone cares. Chapter 1 of this will be uploaded with chapter 2 of that.
Disclaimer: I do not OWN, SELL, or PROFIT from this story, or the characters (which are owned and sadistically toyed with by Disney and Square Enix).
Summary:
"As they traverse the mountain paths, they rely on their bonds, and hope they last…"
The month leading up to the dark and disastrous final days for the trio, was full of growth, hope, and danger all its own.
XxX
Halcyon Days
Chapter 1: Vertigo
XxX
Knee buried in the muddied dirt of the field, hands sore with blisters popped and bleeding, the blonde young trainee barely managed to hold his blade up to guard against his sparring partner's most recent downward strike. The boy knew though, that after every finishing move, his opponent was always at his slowest, and struck a swift kick to the man's left shin while their blades remained locked.
The muscular opponent buckled easily, knee joining the blonde boy's in the mud, but this only gave the man a better vantage point, as he now had the perfect space to maneuver his right leg into stepping forward, pushing the boy's blade and forcing him onto his back.
Before the boy could even regain any semblance of a defensive position (even at such a disadvantageous angle), he found the Earthshaker prodding the center of his chest, as though his opponent was merely trying to get his attention.
"What's the score now,… 7 to 3?" Terra's smirk, amid his heavy breathing, threatened to eat up most of his face, as he tried in vain to maintain his serious and composed warrior mask. Suddenly the blade was enveloped by a wave of fractal code, leaving Terra's empty hand, which he offered to his friend.
"7 to 4 ya jerk!" Ven slowly returned to his feet, his right hand pulled up by Terra's, as Wayward Wind, left behind on the ground, exploded into a miniature gale of wind and light, leaving nothing but its impressions in the wet field. "And now, thanks to you, I'm caked in mud…" Ven patted the back of his head, fingers coming back with more than a small helping of mud between them.
Ven twisted at the waist, attempting to see just how much more mud was stuck to the rest of his back, displaying the damage to Terra in the process.
"You should thank me Ven; it feels good doesn't it?" Terra enjoyed the feeling of the cool wet earth covering what parts of him it had stuck to. Ven briefly wondered if Terra would enjoy a handful of it to the face, but thought against the gag. His own hands were still stinging like crazy, even if the adrenaline of their training match hadn't yet waned.
"You two are still going at it!"
The question carried over the northern most hill through the muggy air, from the lightly graveled voice of their blue-nette friend.
"Geeze Aqua, did ya stop to smell the roses? Or just get lost?" Terra had tried telling her ahead of time where he and Ven would be sparring, though he wasn't sure she'd heard him in her rush to reach their Master when he'd summoned her earlier.
As her response, Aqua did what Ven could not, and sent a glob of mud rocketing into Terra's face with a flick of her wrist, all without even slowing down. Ven found himself impressed, between laughs at Terra's expense, at how quickly her magic was growing.
"Hey Terra? I think you've got a little something on your face…," Aqua snorted as she finally reached them.
"Ha ha," replied Terra tonelessly, as he worked to get the mud out of his eyes.
That answers my question, Ven thought.
"But really Aqua, what took you?" Ven wondered during separate breaks of his training with Terra, if Aqua would come to switch things up with him, or simply to relieve him of duty. Terra had left out the detail of the reason for Aqua's summons, since he'd not known himself.
Aqua's radiant smile burst forth, and she turned her back to them and flexed her arms. Displayed noticeably over the tops of her disconnected white sleeves, were several small plates of armor overlapping each other. At the top of each set, were separate plates with yellow orbs.
"You got your armor…" Terra had finally freed enough of his face to join in on the show.
Ven, who had been unable to see Terra's armor when he'd first received it, stared in even more awe.
As Aqua turned back around she nearly skipped right up to them, "Bingo!"
Terra gave her a strange look. "How come you're wearing yours though? The Master said they were for training only, at least until we got more used to them." Terra's hand went up to his bare left shoulder, where his armor in its dormant state rested during his training sessions.
"Close the lids on those jealous eyes, Terra; the Master just wanted me to wear them and move around for a bit, to make sure where we placed them were suitable spots… Wouldn't want them falling off while I was fighting, right?" As soon as she returned to the castle, and let their Master know that where they'd placed her armor pieces were perfect spots, she'd be giving them back, and they'd be placed right along with Terra's.
Terra looked a tiny bit embarrassed, and scratched the back of his head. "R-Right. Yeah, that makes sense." He'd been worried she'd proven more capable of handling the armor than he had, even though she'd just received hers.
Aqua gave him a light pat on the shoulder, and turned right to Ven. "He also asked me to come get you guys. Dinner will be ready soon, and…," She took a long look at the boys' clothes, "You guys really gotta get cleaned up…"
"Like you don't?" Terra over exaggeratedly turned up his nose. "You smell like sweat!"
Aqua reached up and flicked his forehead. "Tactless as always… Careful you don't hang out alone with him too much, Ven. It might rub off on you." Aqua turned to leave, a slight downturn on her lips, though she stopped on her fourth step away, and spun around.
She came back, and rested her hands on Terra and Ven's left and right shoulders, and suddenly both were warmed by a charming green light. To Ven, Cure spells always seemed to heighten the smell of nature, whether it be the flowers (most often), the grass, the trees, or in this case, the smell of rain in the air.
"Thanks Aqua," Ven smiled, and Terra nodded in kind.
Aqua ruffled both of their heads with a smirk, before leading them back home.
XxX
Ven and Terra were stripping off their stained battle garments and leaving them in separate piles by the showers. Aqua was in a room next door, designated for girls, though since she was the only one, Terra wondered what the point of separate showers was.
Terra allowed the warmth of the water to coat his face and travel downward, through each crevice of his body, cleansing his skin of the large remains of dirt from the field he'd carried with him.
Even when he hadn't been training, though such a thing was very rare in his case, showering was always the same for him. First, the soak, to relax his muscles, as well as to allow the lathering portion that followed later, to progress quicker.
Second was the shampoo, which each double shower section held in abundance. Different scents and flavors, (some for more practical purposes as well, like dandruff), lined the indentions in the tile walls alongside a rainbow of lined soaps.
After turning his hair into a mountain of red bubbles, and throwing a soap bar at Ventus nearby for a joke he'd made, Terra grabbed a separate soap bar for himself. He was now mostly covered in soap and bubbles, looking like a bush of blue with a red hat. He threw another bar of soap at Ventus for his increasing giggles. The soaps here lathered easily…
With that half hour gone, Terra nearly glided across the tiled floors towards the towels, drying off his hair, then his body, and finally wrapped the white cotton fabric around his waist.
Terra turned and saw that Ven was still beneath the shower head, back completely to him, and his hair covered in white foam.
"You gonna be much longer? I can wait if ya want," Terra asked.
Ven didn't turn around, merely moving the foam around his hair more. "No! It's fine! I'm just enjoying the water. Feels good on my hands…"
Unlike Terra, who usually kept the water at a reasonably warm temperature, Ventus apparently enjoyed the water at a more scalding level. The steam rising from the section of the shower he'd picked was beginning to spread out along to the other showers.
"Alright then, just don't stay in too long man; Master won't be happy if you get to dinner late again!" That, and their Master, Aqua, and he himself would laugh if Ven came out of the showers looking like a prune-tomato hybrid again.
XxX
Aqua had already finished her shower and returned to her room, by the time Terra reached his room to change. He'd only remembered halfway to his destination to not leave wet tracks on the floor again, so he'd backtracked to fix his mistake.
Aqua saw Terra finally reaching his door at the other end of the hall, she wearing her white robe over her night wear, he still clad in his cotton towel.
"Ven still in the shower?"
Terra turned back to her and nodded. "Yup. Told him to speed it up though. I'm just gonna get dressed. I'll meet you in the dining room, alright?"
Aqua responded in kind with a nod. "Alright. See you guys soon."
She heard his door close and lock click into place as she passed his room, and made it to the center hallway, north leading up further to the Chamber of Masters, as well as the observatory, showers, and several other important rooms. South lead to the dining room, the downstairs, the weight room, garden, exits, as well as several dozen other spacious locations that their home had been magically enchanted to hold within itself.
Aqua looked down at the tiles beneath her cream colored slippers and smiled. The rooms of course, weren't the only things this place had that were enchanted.
Stone blocks make up the floor (as well as the walls and ceilings), sandy and golden in color as was the rest of the 'castle' they called home. But now, during this period of chilly weather, they had been bewitched into crystal-clear looking tablets, much like the ones in the showers, with a constant red glow emanating from what appeared to be within.
Aqua removed her slippers and tucked them into the pockets of her robe. She checked back towards Terra's room, and listened for any indication that Ventus could have been coming down from the showers.
When the coast seemed clear, she took a few steps backward, her back to the northern stairs, and took off into a short sprint. She curved her body on the ninth step, and leapt forward towards her right hand.
She cart wheeled down the remainder of the hall, her hands and feet warmed by the magically altered floor. As she neared the stairs, she twisted her body to the left, and began flipping forward on both hands at once. Just before her feet touched the top step of the descending stair well, a small gust of wind spun itself into existence beneath her, where she immediately propelled herself into the air, her waist spinning, arms extended upwards, right leg tucked in, and left leg horizontally out.
The first section of the southern stairwell ended at rectangular base, which is where Aqua landed on her steady right foot with her left leg tucked in, and arms both straight out at their respective sides. Aqua then relaxed her limbs with a giggle, and took a short bow.
I'd give that a solid 9, at least, she thought with a smile.
XxX
Ventus felt sore. His hands and arms, his back and legs, not to mention, a particular section between said legs.
He'd stayed in the shower at least fifteen minutes after Terra left, needing to relieve his stress in a number of ways.
His skin still felt hot, his wet bare feet even more so, what with the floor being heated for their benefit. He was wearing one green towel around his waist, as well as one smaller yellow towel around his neck, trotting down the stairs towards his room. Coming down the stairs he made his way towards the central hallway. Turning left, which curved around the complex and connected to the right, was his Master's room, as well as a bunch of other vacant ones. The right hallway mirrored that, and was where his, Terra's, and Aqua's rooms were.
He wondered where exactly they were at the moment, and remembered that he needed to hurry and get dressed, lest he be forced to wait until the others were done eating to receive his food as punishment.
By the time he'd gotten his clothing on and found his grey robe (nearly lost in the gateway-to-another-dimension, or as he knew it, his closet) he knew he was going to have to wait, which his stomach certainly hated him for.
He arrived down in the dining room with a scraped knee and bruised butt, the result of trying to rush down the stairs and wrestle one's arms into the sleeves of a robe. He stared at the cloths and rugs strewn about the floors and walls and ceilings of the large room, with a grand oak table smack dab in the middle of it. The table had been moderately decorated for dinner, soups and salads and side dishes all lined up around a modest honey ham (Ventus could smell each morsel of food, and wiped the drool off his lips with his sleeve).
"Ah, Ventus, good evening my boy, so good to see you."
At the center of the table, on the opposite side of where he and his fellow apprentices would have been sitting, was his Master, his hair tied back in a relaxed tail, his usual nightly manner. He sat with a napkin tucked into his dark blue robe, and set his glass back onto the table.
"Good evening Master Eraqus," Ventus said with a bow, again needing to wipe the drool from his mouth.
"I assume you're sparring with Terra was productive this evening?" Master Eraqus began cutting the ham with a long thin blade, not taking his eyes off Ventus.
"Uh, yes, Master, it did. I'm still a little sore, actually." Though he was in truth still feeling the blows from earlier, his hands went immediately to his stomach.
"Very good to hear, Ventus. With as many hours as you've put in, I'd be surprised if you weren't sore. Even so, one most always respect their own limits, to better understand how to move beyond them."
"Y-Yes, Master Eraqus." Ven was barely paying attention now, as his eyes and nose had found the gravy pitcher.
"I'm sorry to say though, young one, that tonight your hearty and fulfilling reward will have to be postponed. You know what happens when you're late to a meal."
Ven closed his eyes, and nodded. "Yes sir, I do." To show up late to meal was both rude to the other diners, as well as to those who'd prepared the meal. And manners were, above all else, to be minded.
Ven wasn't sure how he was going to manage standing there this time, while his friends and teacher enjoyed such a delicious meal without him…
It was then that Ven's eyes moved from his awaited meal, and Master, and noticed for the first time that-
"Terra and Aqua aren't here?"
Master Eraqus looked to Ventus's sides and said, "And of course, the same goes for the two of you as well, Aqua, Terra…"
"Yes Master Eraqus," Terra and Aqua said.
Their voices chimed out in unison from behind Ven, who jumped forward in response.
"Geeze, guys! Don't sneak up on me like that! And where were you?"
Terra looked a little annoyed though he still offered a small smile, and Aqua merely ruffled Ven's hair, before she grabbed hold of his nose and wouldn't let go.
"We decided to not let you suffer alone tonight. Terra told me you did a pretty nice job out there today." Aqua released Ventus's nose and patted his head.
Terra however took hold of Ven's ears and pulled.
"OW! LET GO!" Ven tried pulling Terra's huge hands off, but couldn't succeed.
"Don't get used to this though… I'm very hungry, and I don't like to miss meals, or keep Master Eraqus waiting. I even warned you to hurry earlier in the showers!"
Terra released Ven's ears, which had gone red like his cheeks, and moved off to the side of the table, as was customary for those who were late. Ven and Aqua joined on either side of him, and watched Master Eraqus fill his plate with slivers of ham and mashed potatoes.
"I have to say, my pupils, that I find your camaraderie most commendable. However, tardiness has become far too common in these most recent days, and as such, tomorrow I'll be giving the Broomsticks a rest. You three will be charged with cleaning the observatory windows, scrubbing the tiles of the showers and bathrooms, as well as the toilets, trimming the trees around the towers, feeding the plants in the garden, de-weeding the land around the Summit, and of course, preparing the meals."
All three apprentices looked heartbroken.
"On top of your training, of course." Master Eraqus then took a long sip from his glass, and began to eat.
Aqua and Terra crossed their arms and looked at Ven, whose own eyes remained glued to the floor.
XxX
Ven had never enjoyed a meal as much as he had that one, (though Aqua reminded him that he always said that).
During their meal, once their Master had retired to his room for the night, he'd asked them where they'd been. Aqua and Terra had decided together wait in Terra's room, once they'd realized that he was going to be late to dinner again, and resigned themselves to playing some simple card games to pass the time.
By the time they heard Ven crashing and tumbling down towards the dining room, Terra had lost about 700 munny, and Aqua had gained Terra's dumbbells for the week.
Terra was still sensitive on the point, and held Ven responsible, slugging him in the arm.
"It's not my fault you suck at Old Maid!"
Once they'd finished their meals, and the Broomsticks had cleared the table, they'd shed their robes in their rooms and agreed to meet at the Observatory.
Ventus arrived first, the norm for him when it came to viewing stars, wearing one of Terra's old red muscle shirts and a pair of grey biker shorts. Aqua followed after, sporting a white long sleeved hoodie and blue short shorts. Terra, in a flannel pajama pants, found the two of them five minutes later playing rock paper scissors, and joined in.
It wasn't long before the game ended, and each settled over one another in a pile. Terra in the center, above the pillows they'd each brought, Aqua on his left, and Ven on his right, both holding hands as they rested their heads on Terra's broad chest.
"They look great from here don't they?" Ven felt this was one of the best places to see the stars in all their glory, second only to the view from the Summit.
"A sky full of diamonds for us to enjoy." Terra couldn't tear his eyes away from view, separated only by the glass dome above them, and miles of space, of course.
"Aww, doesn't that sound sweet Ven?" Aqua knew when to appreciate the gems of charm and romance that sometimes slipped between Terra's lips.
"Yeah, he has his moments." Ven smirked and poked Terra in the stomach.
Terra replied by squeezing his friends between his chest and biceps, though only for a second.
Ventus turned his head, and as much of the sky into his eyes as he could. Each twinkling star, nestled between an expanse of grey clouds, and of unknown space. Ven sighed. He envied Aqua and Terra tremendously for being to venture forth past their world's border, even if they barely ever got the chance to.
Ven kept staring, harder and harder at the sky above them, hoping more than anything to see a falling star and be given the chance to make a wish. But suddenly, his sight began to quiver, the stars before his vision beginning to dance erratically.
The sky seemed to be bulging out, clawing to get him, trying to expand and swallow him whole. Ven felt choked, unable to breathe, fearful to move in case the beastly space above gain the chance to take him.
His thoughts swam, his mind submerged, and his vision sank right along with the rest of it.
XxX
I wish to be a Keyblade Master…
I wish I could see other worlds, like Terra and Aqua…
I wish Master Eraqus would stop treating me like a kid, and let me at least train out there, on another planet, with them, at least for a little while…
I wish, I could remember, all the stuff I've forgotten… the past that I can't seem to get back.
XxXxX
And that about wraps up chapter 1! Let me know what you think yeah? I know it probably feels rushed or sluggish in various places, but I'm hoping that's just cuz it's the beginning. I'll work on it. (For sure!)
Please Review?