Chapter 2 - Day

Ven let out a loud yawn as he walked through the trees, his armored boots making long scuffs in the earth as he dragged his feet, scars in the ground that he was almost expecting to begin bleeding. His helmet was tucked carefully under his arm, letting the wind blow through his sweaty hair. He loved the feeling; the warm air wafting across his scalp, picking along his skin where the residual moistness sat.

Of all the patrol regions, Ven got the smallest, just to the south of the town. The southern border of the kingdom was nothing but unclaimed land and beyond that was ocean, so there was never any threat of attack from there. He assumed Terra gave him that patrol for that reason, as well as giving Ven the least amount of work. One of the downsides of his smaller body was that he got hungry rather easily. Short patrols meant quicker returns and earlier lunches.

His patrol was already over, but he didn't want to return too early and have to eat lunch alone, so he wandered around through the trees, biding his time. The forest around him was quiet, the only sounds those of far-off animals going about their daily routines. He listened for birds he knew, chirping out their morning songs.

A twig snapped and he spun around, ready to use his helmet as a weapon if need be, but stopped in his tracks. Standing in the brush not too far away from him was a girl, beautiful blond hair cropped short, similar to Aqua's, with a short white dress that hugged her form. He stared at her and she stared back, unmoving.

He opened his mouth to call out to her, demand who she was and what she was doing, but she giggled. He was too far away or she was too quiet for him to hear her, but she didn't say anything or move from her place. Ven felt his eyebrows knit together in confusion, unable to piece together what was so funny.

The girl, still smiling, tilted her head in a question and then lifted up one hand. Ven was expecting an attack of some sort, but she closed her blue eyes and waved goodbye.

"Hey, wait a second!" he shouted and dashed over to her. By the time he got there, however, she had vanished into thin air. "Well, that was - huh?"

Below him in the underbrush, right where the girl had been standing, was a small blue creature, the likes of which Ven had never seen before. It jerked as it moved and he watched it, mentally making note of how entertaining the thing was. Suddenly, it turned its red eyes on him and jumped, melting into a blue puddle on the ground. The puddle began to move and Ven gave chase, wondering where the strange thing was heading.

Vanitas received the news of the visitor from his Unversed and cringed. Someone was coming, headed right in their direction, ignoring the pathways through the forest completely. He instantly felt something in his instinct telling him to run, but he stood his ground.

Beside him, Xion noticed his tension. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"Xion, go back ahead of me. I'll meet you in the courtyard."

"Should I get the Master?"

He mulled it over for a minute. "No. No reason to bother him. Just wait for me down there."

She stood up hesitantly. "Be careful, okay?"

When she had left, Vanitas let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention back to his arriving company. Through the trees came a cloaked figure about his height, keeping his head down. With Vanitas in front of him, he stopped and looked up, his face still concealed by the hood.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Vanitas barked sternly. He felt wary, more than ever before. This person he was faced with was someone he would need to keep both eyes on at all times.

The person stood still. "Do you live underground?"

Vanitas mentally cringed. He knew too much. "What do you want?"

"If you live underground, I'd like to talk with you."

"About what?"

"Something that will benefit us both."

That piqued his interest, but he didn't drop his guard. "I do live underground and I will hear you out, but I won't give your words any consideration unless I can see your face." That way, Vanitas would be able to read his eyes, a skill he picked up from being around the Master for too long. It was harder to lie with your eyes than it was with words.

"Very well," the stranger said. Reaching up, he pulled the hood down and revealed his pale face, silver hair, and green eyes. His gaze was focused, strong, almost haunting. Something about him was familiar…

Vanitas managed to keep his shock to a minimum. "You're the prince… of the kingdom to the north." His Unversed had informed him of the members of the royal family and the boy in front of him matched their images to the letter.

"Yes," he muttered, "I am. But that doesn't matter-"

"Of course it matters! You shouldn't be here!" Vanitas knew how much danger the prince was in. The Master hated the aboveground people, especially the royal families of the kingdoms. Rumor had it that the Master had once been a ruler of a kingdom or in line to be a ruler, but had been passed over. No one knew what the truth was, but his hatred was clear. If the Master caught the prince, the young man would be dead and his body sent back home in pieces. Vanitas knew he would suffer a similar fate if the Master found him talking to the prince.

"You shouldn't either!" the prince replied sternly.

Vanitas shut up. "What do you mean?"

"You don't like living underground. I can see it on your face. What's keeping you down there - no, who is keeping you down there - is wrong."

"We don't belong up here…" Vanitas mumbled. "Only underground."

"But that's wrong! You're people, like us! People aren't meant to live underground like that! It needs to change."

"And you expect to just come here and change it? The aboveground people don't want us either…"

The prince smiled. "I'm going to change that."

"Huh?"

"Would you like to help me change history?"

Vanitas stared down at the prince from his perch. "So, has the day finally come? Are you going to let me in on your little plan?"

Riku smiled slyly. "I'd call it anything but 'little', but yes, today is the day. Today we enact the plan."

"Which is…?"

"Conquest of our respective kingdoms."

Vanitas' eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"I've talked to my informants in the other kingdoms and they informed me that their monarchs are willing to accept and treat the underground people as an individual state and provide assistance accordingly. However, my father's rules will not bend. I believe the same goes for your master…?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Then the only option would be to rid them from the picture."

"You're crazy!" Vanitas snapped, and then lowered his voice, "You're talking regicide. For you, it's patricide. Do you know what will happen if someone finds out? If we fail? So many things could go wrong."

Riku's expression was firm. "If we are not the catalysts for this change, then no one will. Besides, my father will not change his stance. It is his way. It would be better for him to be removed from the picture."

"If anyone finds out, you've lost your life, not to mention your place on the throne."

"The throne doesn't matter to me. Though I would rather not leave it in my sister's hands, I will do what I must for this change to occur."

"You don't think your sister is capable?"

Something in Riku's expression darkened. "My sister is naive. She doesn't understand her place and what is going on around her. She cares only about herself, not even the consequences of her actions. But… if it is required of me to die for this cause, so be it."

"This isn't even for your own people… how selfless."

"It may not be for my people, but it will benefit them, as well as yours. My father preaches the importance of looking after others in need, others in improper conditions, and yet he looks not at the situation in front of his own eyes."

"Well, I can see that you're settled…"

"And you? Are you helping me or not?"

Vanitas folded his arms and closed his eyes. "You do realize that we're talking about taking out people twice our size, strength, and skill in two of the most well-guarded places in the world?"

"That's why it must be us. You reside in your master's place and I reside in my father's. Guards are useless to those with the proper access."

"Valid point. And I have personal reasons for wanting my Master dead…" he added quietly. "Alright. It's settled. When?"

"Today. Tonight."

"That soon?" To Vanitas, the rush was understandable, but something in the back of his mind nagged at him. Talking about killing someone was one matter; committing the act was another. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

A confident, almost sly smile appeared on Riku's face. "I believe the question here, my friend, is… can you?"

Terra hated patrol duty.

The main problem was his lack of a sense of direction. Everything in the forest looked exactly the same, all trees, grass, and bushes. This, coupled with having the largest area, meant that he spent the most time on patrol, and he had grown to hate it over the years. He wasn't known, especially among his subordinates, for having a long attention span or a great deal of patience.

Another problem with his route was his lack of a sense of time. Being in the forest, under all those trees, meant that he didn't have clear view of the sun. That made estimating the time of day impossible. As a result, Terra did what any man would do; listened to his stomach. Whether he had finished his route or not - though he could never tell - he headed back when his stomach started rumbling.

When he got back, Aqua was standing outside. He assumed that she had been waiting for him, but as he got closer, the expression on her face told him otherwise.

"Something up?"

She nodded. "Have you seen Ven?"

"No. He isn't inside?"

"He isn't. I talked to the others, and they said they haven't seen him since we left this morning."

Terra shrugged off his helmet. "Maybe he got lost?" he suggested. It sounded like a hollow excuse to his ears. Ven had a perfect sense of direction.

"Maybe we should go look for him?" Sora suggested, joining them from inside. "Maybe something happened. He might need backup."

"I hope that's not the case," Aqua muttered, "But it's our best option. Let's go."

The three of them headed back into the forest, keeping their eyes out for any sign of Ven, but hours of searching yielded nothing. Terra internally grumbled about the situation the entire time, wondering what Ven could have gotten himself mixed up in to make him so late. His intuition, something he had accurately trusted with his life in the past, like a sixth sense, was telling him that there was more to it than that. It was a vague, uncertain feeling, but it persisted all the same.

After a while, Sora dropped on his backside with a loud sigh. "I'm hungry. I'm sure he just came back late and we missed him on the way."

Terra smirked. "You were the one who thought something happened to him."

"I didn't mean it like that. All I meant was that it was a possibility. I didn't think it may have actually happened!"

"I don't want to hear it!" Aqua snapped. "We need to find Ven. You can go back if you want, but we're staying out here. If he is there, send someone to get us, or else wait until we get back. Alright, Terra?"

Terra was about to reply, joining Sora in complaint, when his senses acted up, drawing his attention to one of his sides. Summoning his Keyblade, he turned to the sense and stopped dead in his tracks. Sora and Aqua, who had also prepared for battle, did the same.

The blond girl hadn't budged an inch. "I would like to talk to you all."

His senses acting up, Terra didn't lower his guard. "Who are you?"

"Naminé," she answered simply, "I don't want to trouble you, but this concerns all of you. Please, come with me."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away into the brush. Terra stared after her in disbelief before he turned to Aqua for advice. She shrugged, and they took off after her.

Naminé lead them to an empty house that looked as though it had been abandoned for years. The roof had collapsed in several places, and various types of vines had covered all of the available wall space, making the place look as though it had been built out of plants. The inside was worse, a pair of stairs leading to the second floor so rotted that climbing them was out of the question. Naminé sat down on the bottom step.

"I have to talk to you about something. It's very important that you understand this."

Aqua scowled. "Why don't you explain who you are before that? Who are you, asking us out to the middle of nowhere?"

"I will explain that. First, however, you need to understand something vital. You are not in control of your lives."

"Huh?"

"All lives in existence are shaped by those with a certain distinction, a certain power. These people are in control of everything, even things you believe would not be possible. In essence, they have sealed your fates."

Terra snorted. "That's bullshit. No one can do that."

"You don't believe it?"

"Of course not! No one would!"

"That's why I'm explaining it to you. You need to know all of this… as Ventus is one of these people."

Aqua gasped. "What?"

"Ventus is one of two who wield the power of the Storyteller. These two decide the direction of all their creations and, thus, the direction of the world."

"But… Ven couldn't," Sora protested, "He would tell us."

Naminé shook her head. "He is unaware of his past and his powers. In fact, if he were ever to learn of them, this world would collapse and all it inhabitants would perish. His powers are the reason he lost his memory, and the means through which he lost them."

"What does that mean?" Terra asked.

"To tell you that, I must explain it from the beginning. It began at the creation of this world at the hands of the first Storyteller. All of his descendants possessed the power to create and alter the world as they saw fit, all unaware of their powers. Of course, there were those who sought that power, to use it to control the future. Ventus' parents, his mother possessing the power of the Storyteller, found out about those who sought this power and, in turn, discovered her own power.

"The power of the Storyteller is dangerous to the wielder. A mere thought, a wish or a fear, can be made real. That is why those with the Storyteller power must never find out about their powers. Their fear of being found will cause them to be found. This is what happened; they were found and killed by those who would use them, believing only that they knew the location of the Storytellers. Ventus was forced to run, leaving behind the life he once knew. He was too young to care for himself, too young to wield the power that could save them both. Neither of them could."

"Neither of them?" Terra asked.

"Neither Ventus nor Vanitas, his older brother."

"Ven has an older brother…" Aqua muttered, startled beyond words.

Sora shook his head. "He can't. He never told us."

Naminé smiled. "As I said, he doesn't remember. The people chased after them, seeking out the information they believed the boys carried. They tried to defend themselves, but Vanitas could only protect his brother for so long. He used himself as bait to lure them away as Ventus tried to run. Ventus ran as far as he could, pushing himself to his limits. He did not stop until his body gave out, until he could run no more. At that point, in the brink of unconsciousness, he shed his memories to protect himself. He forgot about his brother and created the reality in which you exist. He created all of you."

Terra scowled. "Impossible."

"Nothing is impossible for a Storyteller. He created all of you, and each with a purpose in mind.

"Terra, you were created as an older brother figure, and also as a father. He created you with the strong side of his brother in mind. You were made to be a role model, someone he could look up to depend on. You are strong, fearless, confident, and unstoppable in your anger. He needed someone with a powerful will, and so you were the result.

"Aqua, you were created as Terra's opposite and equal. You were a mother figure for Ventus; wise, caring, dependable, and everything he needed to grow up properly. He needed someone with emotions, someone who would look after him."

"And me?" Sora asked, "What was I?"

"You… You are a special case, Sora. Ventus created you much later with a less significant purpose in mind. You were a result of his overpowering guilt; unconscious, but nevertheless persistent. He discarded the memories of his brother along with everything else, and so he created you in his brother's place. He created you to physically resemble his brother. The resemblance is a result of his misperception. He created this from his only memory of Vanitas, but he perceived the memory in such a warped fashion that he could not create an exact replication."

Terra watched as Sora's eyes widened at her words, taking everything in a horrified belief. He backed up against the wall and sat down, Aqua going over to tend to him.

Terra resumed his queries. "And? What happened to Vanitas?"

"Vanitas was captured and spent many years enduring torture because of his ability. Of course, no one knew Vanitas possessed the power of the Storyteller. Eventually, his power surfaced and he created an escape for himself. He, like Ventus, created a society where he would be able to live, though his perceptions have become so flawed that it is by no means an ideal one. He currently resides there, unaware of the fact that his brother lives."

"You said that they control reality. How can you now say that they're unaware of each other's existence?"

"They have no influence on each other. Their powers are individual, divided, and their creations mingle beyond their control."

"Beyond their control?"

Naminé nodded. "Once a Storyteller creates something, it becomes independent of their will. It acts according to the personality set for it, but they have no power over the decisions made by their creations. You have free will in so far as you can make a decision for yourselves, but you are only following an outline set out for you. Everything in the world works this way."

"And you? Whose outline do you follow?"

"No one's. I am special. Like those two, I have special powers, but I exist on a different plane. I am the Narrator. All I do is coordinate information to those who require it. Because of that, I am undying, unliving, unbeing. In a sense, I do not exist.

"But no more of me. I have told you all of this because the independent actions of others are heading towards a revolution. Once these things are set in motion, the action of those two will become very important."

Terra crossed his arms. "Then we should keep them apart. Stop them from influencing each other."

"That is the wrong approach," she answered sternly. "They must meet. They will meet. It is their wills. You have no influence on that outcome. Vanitas' creatures exist for that purpose."

"Creatures?"

"Vanitas shed his emotions, in the same way that Ventus shed his memories. From those desires, he was left with only rudimentary emotions, fledgling feelings that manifested into creatures under his control. They are, as well, remnants of his scarred body, broken down by years of torture. They exist as part of him, summoned as part of him, relaying information to him. They are trackers, warriors, and they make up for his lack of physical ability. He calls them Unversed."

Terra mulled this over. "They both discarded parts of themselves? Then, can they never get them back? Or will they lose something if they do?"

"Very perceptive of you. They may be able to call those parts of themselves back, but as for the results, I cannot say. Vanitas' Unversed are connected to his emotions, so the return of his more powerful emotions may result in more powerful Unversed. As for Ventus, that outcome is questionable. His memories are of traumatic events. The return of those memories may bring back the emotional pain associated with them."

"Wouldn't meeting Vanitas bring Ven's memories back?"

"Not necessarily. Ventus has retained one memory of his past, one involving his brother, one that is completely detached from all of his other memories. Most likely, he will recognize Vanitas when they meet, but it will not influence him any further. He will not recall their relationship; only that he recognizes the face."

"And this revolution you spoke of?"

She smiled. "I know not of the details, but all of you will be involved in its outcome. I doubt even Ventus knows of the fates he has set before you all when he created you. Vanitas will play a role as well, but it does not concern you. For now, Ventus is whom your concern should lie with."

"Is that all?"

"Not quite. There is still…"

She trailed off as footsteps echoed in the house. Terra summoned his Keyblade. Behind him, Aqua stood and did the same. Sora and Naminé remained where they were. The footsteps got louder until the person emerged from around a corner and Terra was face to face with someone identical to Ventus. His senses told him it wasn't Ven, and the cold expression on his face confirmed it.

Naminé tilted her head. "How are things progressing, Roxas?"

"It's begun," he replied with Ven's voice, "They're moving. The conspirators, at least."

"Conspirators?" Terra asked, his senses telling him that he already knew.

Roxas looked over at him. He turned his gaze to Naminé and, when she nodded, he turned back. "The Storyteller and the rebel Prince. Their conspiracy has been set into motion."

Realization hit him over the head so hard that he lost his balance. 'How…? It can't be…! It isn't too late!' "Aqua," he called over his shoulder, "Take care of Sora! Catch up with me when you can!"

"What's going on?" she shouted after him, but he was already out the door, running as fast as his clunky armor would let him.

'It's not too late! It's not too late! I can make it! Damn!'

Terra, after the assembly, took a walk through the halls with only one purpose in mind. He rounded a corner and found his purpose walking along, brown cloak draped over one arm. They walked towards each other silently, neither stopping until they had passed.

"Not often I meet you out here, Captain."

Terra scowled. "You know it distresses His Majesty when you walk out like that."

"And? Have you come to scold me? Has my father relegated all of his jobs to you?" Riku asked, his words venomous.

"Not even you have the right to speak of His Majesty in that way."

"Have you forgotten? He's my father before he's anything else. Not that you would understand."

Terra felt his temper flare. "Where are you going?"

"What should it matter to you?"

"It's in the interests of the kingdom, not mine. You're heir to the throne, so your safety is among the top priorities. Also, His Majesty-"

Riku snorted. "Is there nothing my father does that disgusts you? Or are you incapable of thinking for yourself?"

"What does that mean?" he snapped, turning around.

"I only mean that you have the independence of a broomstick," the prince smirked over his shoulder, "Your mind is not bound to my father's. I would try thinking for myself for once, but then again, I really don't care what you do."

"You…"

"I'll only say this once, Captain. Stay out of my way. You're an inconvenience. I'll do as I please, and I expect you to keep your nose out of my affairs. I'm not your top priority, remember? My father is. I'd keep that in mind."

Riku walked off and Terra glared after him, staying where he was even after the prince had gone. "I really, really hate you." He sighed. "Some things never change…"

Roxas stood next to Naminé, watching Aqua pull Sora along with her. The teen looked broken to his eyes, dragged behind like a toy being dragged by a small child. 'How would that feel?' "Are you sure it's fine to leave them like this?"

"They are creations of those two," she said, leaning on her knees, "just like your current form. Created from what they feel. I do not think we should interfere."

"You mean, any more than we already have?"

"What do you mean? We are acting in our roles as their assistants. Anything we do is to proceed forward."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Are we proceeding forward?"

She smiled. "You tell me. Are we?"

"It's hard to be sure. For now, I can't say anything about Ven. He doesn't seem to have a motive. He's about as empty as a trash can after garbage collection. If he doesn't shape up soon, he'll be useless to us."

"And Vanitas?"

"He's… it's hard to say."

"You should never say that, Roxas. Not yet, especially since you carry his emotions inside you. His emotions and Ventus' memories… an interesting form you have gained this time around."

"Hmm…"

"So, what does he feel?"

Roxas closed his eyes and concentrated. He could feel Vanitas' more powerful emotions flowing through his body, twisting and churning in unimaginable ways. He sent his question out into the flow, transmitting it through himself towards their true host. The answer came back, screaming and shouting its way through the channel.

He opened his eyes. "Rage, and plenty of it. Some fear… no, caution. And…" he cracked a smile.

"Something good?"

"He'll be of use. Should Ven fail, it won't matter. I don't think Vanitas will let things end without fulfilling his own satisfaction."

Naminé giggled. "He is moving. We made the right choice, moving that girl there. Now all we need to do is to wait for results. We, who have unlimited time, must wait for those with ephemeral lives. Ah well, nothing can be done about that. We will wait."

Ventus followed the creature for hours, ignoring his stomach when it began rumbling. He felt some strange attraction to it, a feeling welling up in him that told him he had to follow. The creature's behavior was erratic: it spent most of its journey running from him, moving in unpredictable zigzags under the ground, but periodically it seemed to forget he was there and hop along the ground, enthusiastically searching for something. Its actions intrigued him, hurried and odd in nature, but carefully calculated.

As he crashed through the underbrush after it, he eventually heard voices up ahead. The creature continued towards the voices, but Ven slowed to a stop, listening in to their conversation. The person speaking sounded familiar.

"…And that's all. We may not be in contact for a while, if at all. But we can't fail."

"I know. You can stop reminding me. For now, then, we'll…huh?"

There was a moment of silence before the first voice continued. "It's… one of yours?"

"Yeah. It is… but…" The voice stopped. "You what? Chased by something? Well, what was it…?" Another pause, and the voice picked up. "What do you mean, you don't know! Something followed you, and you aren't even… Hmm…"

"Something wrong?"

There was a sucking sound before the second voice continued. "I can communicate with them in my head, but according to that one, something was cutting him off. …Something is cutting them all off. It said it couldn't see whatever was following it, like it was an invisible creature."

"Do you think it could have been followed?"

A laugh. "Maybe. It'll cause problems for you, then. You better leave. We'll put our plans into action and meet again if a few days time… if we're alive then."

Realizing that he would lose his chance to find out who was there, Ven crept closer as quickly and quietly as he could manage. Peaking through the trees, he managed to stifle the gasp that threatened to escape from his lips. Riku stood in the middle of the clearing in a raggedy brown cloak, looking at something in the trees. Ven followed his gaze and stared.

The person sitting in the trees was Sora, but much older and different from the Sora he knew. He was deathly pale, his midnight black hair falling into his haunting golden yellow eyes. It hit him suddenly that this was the person from his dream, albeit much older. The details were all there, from his black hair to his eyes to the blood red clothes that he was wearing.

Against his better judgement, he stood and both of them turned their attention. Their gazes all met and they all froze.

Riku was the first to speak. "V-Ventus?"

The black haired man stared back and forth between them, his wide eyes finally settling on Ven. "H…how…?"

Ven met his eyes, his gaze equally shocked. "You're… from my dream…"

This seemed to break the man out of his trance. His eyes cleared and he swung his legs over the branch he had been seated on. Before Ven could move, he dropped himself straight off the branch into a bush and disappeared.