White Knight: Two :The Red Game

"Please don't, Miss Naminé." He moaned.

The small, pale girl was tangled in a sort of silk sheet, laying sprawled on the ground. With scissors and a stuffie, of course. She ignored him, and tore a nice gash through the thing's stomach. She set the scissors at her side, and reached into the… stuffed cat, apparently, and tore out it's cotton viscera. She giggled, tearing the rip even more. Ventus winced.

"Miss Naminé…"

"Stop being such a…" She flashed him a toothy grin, tearing the stuffed animal almost completely in half. "Scaredy Cat, Mister Ventus."

Ven gaped openly at the girl, and stumbled back as she stood, tossing the apparent skin of her prey behind. "Bored now." She yawned, walking over to the blond. She tilted her head, and walked past him, toward the window.

"Play with me?" She asked.

Ven ruffled his hair, and laughed a little. It had been a week since Naminé had began to talk to him. And he was beginning to find her company very enjoyable. When you got past the fact that she was more than a little mad, she was very fun. It was never dull, and he was always waiting for her next move. Though he still knew nothing about her.

"What do you want to play, Miss Naminé?" He asked, making her giggle.

"You rhymed!" She laughed, spinning a bit. "Oh… I don't know, Mister Ventus…" She stopped spinning, and frowned.

"Oh!" She rushed up to him, grabbing his hand. "I know! Let's play the Red Game!" She gasped, dragging him toward the door.

"The Red Game?" He repeated as she pulled him down the hall.

"Yes." She said quietly, her personality completely flipping. Ven blinked, trying to figure out what she just switched to. Insecure? Shy? Something of the sort.

"How do you play?" He asked, watching her closely. Naminé always wore the same simple white dress. Ven was sure if he dug into her clothes he could find something else, but she liked it. And it suited her. It made her unusually pale skin glow pink. Any other color would flush her out.

Naminé's tiny sandals clapped against the steps as she walked. "It's not hard. The first person to see a Red Man wins." She paused, and looked down the banister. "I used to play it with someone. When I was little."

This was news to Ventus. He completely pushed the fact that he had no idea what a Red Man was out of his head. "When you were little?" He asked.

She nodded, and began to walk again. "I can't really remember too much, because the Master took me away, and locked me in my room. But he- the boy I used to play with- he was nice. They were nice…" She shrugged, and spun around. "Oh, no! No, no! You can't know about it! No! Don't tell, Ventus, please don't tell!" Ven was taken aback by the sudden outburst, and he gaped.

"Huh?" There were tears in her eyes, threatening to pool over and fall. "Oh! U-uh, sure! Of course!" Ven grinned, and nodded. "I won't tell anyone, okay? I promise." His grin widened, and he reached out to pat her head. She gaped a bit, and didn't object. Ven had just realized it was Naminé's first time using his name without 'Mister' in front of it. He was happy.

"Mmm?" She stared at him in awe. Like he was some exotic creature that had just landed on her shoulder.

"Okay, let's go play that game!" Ven cried, running past her. She squeaked, and jumped to catch up.

"Ah!" She screeched. "Wait!"

Ven smirked, watching her stumble to catch up with him. Really, she wouldn't of been able to if he hadn't stopped. He was too fast. He always has been. Too fast.

Naminé dove at him, clinging to his side. "You're evil!" She panted into his arm. Ven laughed, and tried to shake her off. He'd lose balance if she didn't. But, then… why not tease her? She didn't seem to be in a psycho mood. It could be alright. "Very, very evil." He gave a small cackle, wrapping her in a headlock. She objected, smacking his chest a bit, before she just limply cursed into his shirt. It was muffled, but he still laughed.

"Okay, okay," Ven said, releasing her. "Do you still want to play that game, Miss Naminé?"

"You can just call me Naminé…" She said quietly, walking slowly down the steps. A change again? "And you should be ashamed of yourself for asking. Of course I still want to play!" She took hold of his arm, and half-pulled, half-dragged him down the steps. It was then he began to think over what she had said earlier, about her friend. She said the Master had taken her, and locked her in her room. Did that mean she had been grounded on some level? Forbidden to see her friend again? And what about her sister? The two were so obviously parallel, it was uncanny. How can they be so different, look so different, yet be so the same?

Who was this girl, exactly? And why did the Master even have her and her sister in his home? It wasn't like with Riku, or Terra. Riku was his son. Terra was his nephew. They were directly related to the Master, and had reason to be within his home. And they worked. Well, in a way. Riku as Xion's bodyguard, and Terra… well, Ven wasn't really sure what Terra did. He never told him.

But neither Naminé nor Xion were related to the Master, and yet they were treated like royalty. Or, Ventus reasoned, prisoners. Naminé rarely left her room when he usually watched her. She only left to raid Xion's room. But other than that, she usually just… stayed quiet, and tore things apart. Why was she like that? Ventus drew a breath, making the girl look at him.

"Something on your mind, manservant?" She asked casually. Ventus grimaced at the new name for him. He wasn't going to tell Terra of this. He'd be mocked into never showing his face again.

"Not really," Ven said, letting himself be pulled down the endless stairwell. "Mi- Naminé." He quickly caught himself. He really wasn't in a mood to have to have scissors jammed into his torso. Knowing Naminé, she probably had a pair at hand.

"You seem distracted." She sang, stopping as they finally reached the foot of the stairs. From where he was standing, it seemed like the spiral stair case just spiraled forever. He tilted his head up, trying to follow the pattern all the way up. He had done this often when he had first come to serve at the Master's house. Aqua constantly reminded him not to space out too much, or else. Aqua had been so sweet, and the way she had said 'or else' made Ventus grin. He hadn't listened, of course. Aqua blamed herself when she found the angry red marks on his back. For not warning him thoroughly enough.

"I think I've been here too long." Ven said finally.

Naminé's eyes widened. "No. No you haven't. You've been here a perfectly appropriate amount of time." She spoke with a kind of forced cheeriness in her voice. "Why?" Her eyes flashed dangerously, making Ven step back in fear of getting sliced by a pair of scissors. "Did someone talk to you? Did they tell you to leave?" She took a hold of both of his arms, and gripped them tightly. "You can't leave. You can't! You're helping! You're helping me come back! Don't you see? I might be able to find myself, again!" She seemed hysterical now.

A few maids past, and stopped to stare. Luckily enough…

"Naminé!" Aqua's voice swam into his mind, and his head snapped in the direction it came from. The sight was quite comical.

Aqua's pale blue hair was tied back, her choppy bangs pinned behind her ears. The traditional black and white maid's dress did not hang loosely on her figure, nor did it hug it. Ven scarcely ever laughed when he saw Aqua in the her work attire, because this was how he had met her. And he always was happy to note that Aqua trusted him to see her in the dress, and not Terra, who has known her since she arrived at the mansion. She had been six then, and Terra had been eight.

Naminé's hands slipped from Ventus's arm, and she stared at Aqua with a sort of beaten expression. Her averted gaze resembled that of a child who had been caught eating a cookie before dinner.

"What happened?" Aqua asked, placing her hand on Naminé's shoulder. She huffed, and shrugged it off. "We were playing a game." She muttered, turning away from the blue haired maid. Aqua closed her eyes, and sighed. "Of course you were…" Her gaze flickered to Ven, who was standing rather foolishly against the banister.

"What really happened?" She asked weakly. She was obviously tired. Ven knew she probably had a late night, training. How she hid the fact that she could use a Keyblade and magic was beyond him. The girl was skilled.

"Nothing, Aqua." Ven admitted, rubbing the back of hiss neck sheepishly. "Honestly, nothing. She's fine, and I'm fine." He gave her his best grin, and took Naminé's hand, whizzing past Aqua, and quickly waving her goodbye.

Aqua sighed once again, and looked around. The other maids had left, and she needed to go tend to… the Master's room. She shivered, hoping he wasn't in when she went to tidy up.


"Ha ha! Aqua is the best!" Naminé cheered, as the came up to the courtyard. Ven whooped in agreement, collapsing onto a snow-covered bench. Naminé scooted in beside him.

"She's been here longer than I have…" She murmured, kicking some snow beneath the bench. Ven perked up. He really was interested in hearing about her past. "Really?" He asked, tilting his head. "How long have you been here?"

Naminé made a slight whimpering noise, bowing her head so her hair shadowed her eyes. "I don't know." She whispered.

Ven shifted, suddenly confused. She had to know, didn't she? She was there when he came, but she wasn't when Aqua came. So in between the seven years Aqua and Terra were living in the mansion without him, Naminé and Xion moved in. Ven tilted his head back, and looked up at the sky. Little wisps of clouds rolled lazily around, letting the sun go full blow at the ankle deep snow. The snow twinkled in reply, little crystals sparkling. Ven was really enjoying himself. He never really… thought about it before. His job to serve Naminé. He had never objected, never even thought about who he had been before he had wound up being Ventus- servant to the Master of the Dark Region. Ven smirked a bit. The Dark Region. Their world obviously lacked the imaginations to come up with a proper name for the districts in which people lived in. Though mainly people just stuck close to the Dark and Light Regions. They were the most powerful, and you were less likely to die of starvation in them.

Ven brushed a small amount of snow off the bench, feeling too distant for his liking. "I'm sorry." He sighed, giving the girl a small smile. "But if it's any consolation, I can't remember any of my past, beyond turning up here, so I guess it's not so bad." He laughed, giving her a playful push. She looked up at him, and gawked.

"You don't remember your past either?" She whispered. Ven could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "That's not good, manservant." She muttered miserably.

Ven shrugged. "Nah. It kinda sucks. But it's all okay, 'cause I've got Aqua, and Terra, and you." He shot her a wide grin, and folded his arms behind his head. "I don't need anything else."

Naminé stayed silent, her head bowed. Ven didn't want to bother her train of thought, as he would probably get stabbed. He really needed to get her to lay off the scissors. If he could just get her to swap the pointy objects for crayons, Ven would be a very happy, and less stressed, person.

"It's no good." Naminé hissed, suddenly, making Ven jump. She began to tear at her hair, muttering ferocious words. Ven yelped, grabbing the girl's arm. She continued to scratch at her scalp, and Ven watched, horrified, as the wonderfully silky blonde locks became flecked with red.

"Naminé!" Ven gasped, pulling her bloodied hands from her scalp. "Stop it! You're hurting yourself!"

She shrieked shrilly, and pounded her somewhat restrained fists against her skull. Ven had seen her do this before. It had only really happened twice. Once when he had first came, and Aqua stopped being her servant, and another quite out of the blue, just before she was about to go to bed. She wouldn't stop until she'd beaten herself to near death. Which scared him even more now, because he had finally befriended the girl.

"Naminé!" Ven screamed, pulling her hands away from her head. She wriggled, and made an inhuman sort of growl, and she chomped down furiously on her arm, and continued to bite it until she drew blood. Ven pulled her up, but she only did more. Her nails dug into the skin of her hand, and she sobbed, trying to push him back. It was as if she were telling him to leave her alone. But how could he? She was about to practically kill herself!

"Naminé, please." Ven shouted, looking around the courtyard for someone to help. "Stop! Please, Naminé, you've got to stop." She threw herself to the ground, and screamed. Ven didn't exactly know why. Maybe because of the pain, or because of how cold the snow was, and they really hadn't changed into snow compatible clothes so that made it worse, or maybe she just wanted to scream.

Ven finally spotted someone walking into the courtyard. Obviously the noise had lured him in. Ven recognized him, a little. He had seen him around. The mask was unforgettable, as was his choice of clothing. Ven shouted at him, as he tried to pull Naminé to her feet. The boy tilted his head, and strode a little closer, as if daring them to come to him. And that's when she stopped. Actually stopped. Completely ceased all beating, and laid still in the red and white snow, staring at the masked boy. She smile slightly, and choke out a tiny, "I win." before passing out.


It was very puzzling. He shot glances at the masked boy, who was leaning against the wall. Why is he still here? Ven had to wonder, edging away from Naminé's bed. He didn't want to be here when the Master came in. But he couldn't leave Naminé, because it was his job to serve her. If the Master found that he was not with her at a moment like this… Ven's mind could only stray to the whipping he had gotten several years prior, and he shivered.

The masked boy wouldn't budge. Ven couldn't tell if he was looking at Naminé or at him, with the glass of the mask being so tinted. He was unnerved, and more than a little jumpy. He wanted Aqua. Desperately. He really, really wanted Aqua.

The door flew open, and Ven winced, feeling the wrath already.

The Master stepped in, golden eyes taking in the sight of Naminé in her bed. They were stone cold, and they shot to Ventus. Coolly, the Master stepped forward, giving the masked boy a small pat on the shoulder as he did so. The boy stood up straight, and left. And order to leave? Ven couldn't help but gulp, backing against the wall. He was dead. Or to be whipped. Or to be whipped until dead.

Ven stared at the Master, trying to figure out what he was going to say to Aqua for the last time. But he couldn't think of anything significant that would make her remember him forever. He knew what to say to Terra. "Take care of Aqua." It was perfect, fool proof. He'd remember it, and him. But to Aqua? What was he supposed to say? "Don't worry about me?" She would worry. Maybe cry. Probably cry.

Ven really didn't want to die.

"Ventus." The Master spoke with such authority, Ven couldn't help but straighten up. Authority, and malice. What was he going to do?

"Ventus, Ventus…" The Master's face remained completely void of emotion. What was he playing? Ven swallowed.

"Yes, Master?" He mumbled, his eyes glued to the Master's amber gaze. They were too frightening to look away.

The Master backed away from him, and gave him a bone chilling smile. "Would you mind telling me why Miss Naminé is currently comatose?"

Ven took a deep breath. "Um… You see… I just took her outside… because she wanted to play a game… and… um…" Ven stumbled over his words, and he switched his gaze to Naminé's bed. He couldn't look at the gold anymore. It hurt. "S-she… um… she just… kinda… threw a fit."

"A fit." The Master repeated in a disbelieving tone. He had stepped forward again. Ven knew this was a warning. Look, Ven, look.

Ven's gaze returned to the wizened old Master, and he nodded. "I couldn't stop her, Master Xehenort. I'm sorry…" Ven closed his eyes, bracing himself for his punishment.

It came. A fist connected quite hard against his cheek. Ven was knocked to the ground, his head barely missing Naminé's nightstand. He managed to stifle a moan, and he opened his eyes. Above him, head covered mostly in sheets and blankets, was Naminé's pale face peering curiously at him him from over her matress. Ven couldn't help but wonder how on earth she was awake.

The Master was over him before he could really take in what was going on. He grabbed Ven by the collar, and yanked him off his feet. He was slammed into the wall before he knew it, and stars began to appear in his vision. He wasn't liking being treated like a doll.

"If this happens again, Ventus…" The Master let go of him, and began to stride toward the door. "Well, it's obvious what will happen then, isn't it?" He left the room, letting the room feel as chilled as the snow on the balcony.

Ven felt sickened at the thought. He really didn't want to die. Ven slid to the floor, and breathed. He was alive. At least. He was perfectly fine, besides the bruise on his cheek, and the dizziness. Fine. Just fine.

He felt a pair of tiny arms wrap around his shoulders. Ven sighed, and looked up at Naminé. She looked worried. And very sane. He liked the sane, gentle Naminé. She was nice.

"I'm fine." He told her, though her face gave him an incredulous look. "I'll be fine. Just don't do that again." The look on her face made him know she wouldn't. Ever.

He grinned, and ruffled her hair.

It was only then he realized what Naminé had meant when she had said she won.

The masked boy. He was a Red Man?

He asked her. She nodded, and unwound her arms from his shoulders. He asked another question. This one made her look down.

"A Red Man is…" She tilted her head back, staring at the whiteness of her ceiling. "They're… people who… are stained red."

"But what does that mean? 'Stained red'?" He asked leaning forward.

"Red Men are monsters that are stained red. Bloody, bloody red." She glanced at him. And with that glance, he understood what a Red Man was.

Red Men were murderers.


Yeah. I promised I'd get this up today, and I did. WHOO! So, I started school today (Meh), so I don't really know how often I'll be updating. I've got the next chapter done, but I'm going to wait until I finish chapter four to put it up. Same goes with four. And so on. This way no matter what, I'll have a chapter finished.

Please review everyone! Especially you, Angel. *Scowl* XD No, I'm just kidding. I'm pretty sure she hasn't read this yet. And if she has, I'll kill her for not reviewing... Erm... no. Nevermind. I can't kill the person who makes the best Teraqua and VanAqua fanfictions. Wah. ;] Love you anyway, Angel. I know you've probably been busy, so when you do get around to reading this... Well, I like making my AN's long, so you can understand why I started picking on you.

Anywho, next chapter: Bloody Marionettes. Terra and Aqua centric, mostly.

So, review! :D