Dearly Beloved
Chapter 2: A Forgotten Past
Notes from the KIT-chan~
Not much to say but read. X"D
.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.
~o~
(Vanitas 1st person POV)
I was brought into the world for a reason. But I am not normal.
I am why he lives and breathes to this day.
…because I was made to support his own life—and we had both lived.
However…I did not have the same benefits as little Ventus did even after Mother had died—nor did I have any friends.
I was always looked upon as a freak—a monster—and so I was cast aside like I was nothing.
…until Master Xehanort found me and took me into his care under the promise that he would help me seek revenge on the world I hated so much.
Starting with…him.
I growled as I watched the two of them get inside the red SUV and crept in closer so that I could finally make my move to end this.
But then I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see that Master had found me.
He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Not tonight, young one. It's too soon." The elderly man paused, then opened his eyes to smirk at me.
"…but don't worry—you will get your chance in due time," he spoke sinisterly, chuckling darkly.
After that, I snickered with him, nothing but thoughts of vengeance in my head at that point.
However…that didn't keep me from remembering that day.
~xXx~
I remembered it like it was yesterday, even though I was so little. It still came to me vividly in my mind.
At first, I'd heard loud beeps and blares from around me, and then I'd listened to a doctor commanding his subordinates in a firm tone.
"Be very careful. He's not stable yet. Nurse—"
All of a sudden, the blares grew louder and shriller—almost like a flatline.
"No—we're losing him! Hurry, we have to act fast—"
And that was when I'd felt pain for the first time, a flash of white light blinding me. Then I'd realized that parts of my body on the inside were being taken from me, which without a doubt explained why the hurt I'd felt was so…excruciating.
That time, I even thought that I was going to die in the end.
…but then it stopped all of a sudden, and I had lost consciousness.
~X~
A few hours later, I woke up again to see that everything was quiet now. Then, for the first time in a while, I opened my eyes, only to be blinded again by that white light from the ceiling.
I winced, then glanced around the room to see nurses walking about, taking care of whatever business they needed to take care of, and the doctor washing his hands after taking off his gloves.
Apparently, it was all over.
I sighed, leaning back on the cot to close my eyes again.
…but that wasn't until I saw him for the first time in my life.
Through the glass window next to me there lay another boy about my age with short, wavy blonde hair. He was sleeping—his countenance peaceful.
That made me hold my breath for a moment, because the kid was just…beautiful.
Although at the same time…I knew that he was the very reason for everything I'd just gone through.
And then I had begun to hate him after I learned that he'd taken everything from me.
Suddenly, the blonde stirred in the other room, then slowly opened his eyes to reveal two pools of dazzling sapphire—gazing back at me with curiosity.
~xXx~
I clenched my fists. This is the last time I'll be generous to him. I frowned, pulling up one of my sleeves to see that the skin on my arm was now pale—blotches of red blood scattered everywhere from the inside.
My body was deteriorating…and it was getting worse each day.
I snarled, glaring as the red SUV exited the bluebird's driveway.
Next time…I'd take everything back from him—all that was once mine. And I'd make him suffer the same pain I felt back then…ten-fold.
I smirked, then glanced back at the blue-haired female's apartment.
Starting with the ones he held so close to his heart...his friends.
~o~
(General 3rd person POV)
The rest of the ride home had been filled with nothing but silence, the two not even bothering to look at each other because they were so exhausted.
Soon, they had reached Ven's apartment and both the blonde and brunette got out of the car.
"…good night," Ventus spoke in a hushed tone.
"Good night," Terra replied tiredly. He yawned.
Ven sighed and walked up the front steps. But then something made him stop before he reached his hand for the doorknob.
There was a long pause.
Then the younger man slowly turned to glance back at his best friend.
He swallowed, lowering his eyes. "Terra…do you really have to leave tomorrow?"
At that moment, the brunette chuckled, advancing towards the blonde and putting his hand on top of his wavy hair. "Good night, Ven."
Ventus smiled, then took the older man's hand off his head, twisting the doorknob with his other hand and opening the door.
Terra grinned back and turned to walk back towards his SUV.
The blonde laughed softly, standing in the threshold. He waved as the brunette drove away until the red vehicle finally disappeared from sight.
After that, Ven couldn't help but frown and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
His face grew sad. Starting tomorrow…he wouldn't see his best friend for a long time.
He hung his head, then reached into his pocket to pull out his green Wayfinder and raised his head to look at the wall clock on the other side of the room.
11:59 P.M.
~o~
For some time in the weeks following that very night, the three hadn't seen or heard from one another ever since. It was as if their paths had diverged once more.
That is…until one morning.
~o~
Ring.
RING.
"Dr. Ventus?" a voice spoke over the intercom.
The blonde exhaled sharply, taking off his stethoscope. "Yes?"
"…you have a call," the voice replied hesitantly. There was a short pause. "Are your hands full or are you willing to take this one into consideration?"
Ven closed his eyes, scratching the back of his head. At 3:00 in the morning, for crying out loud…
He sighed. "I got this. I'll be right there in a minute." The blonde put down his stethoscope and took off his gloves, then walked out into the hallway to pick up the phone downstairs.
~o~
.
.
Sigh. "Dr. Ventus. How can I help—"
There was a snicker on the other line. "Wow, Ven—I didn't know you could sound that formal at work."
In that instant, the blonde's eyes widened, and he held his breath. That voice…
"No way…Terra? Is that really you?"
"Of course it's me, smart one. Who else would call you at work at uh…oh—haha. 3 in the morning over there? Wow…"
Ven grinned smugly. "Uh-huh, yeah. I guess I could name a few…" he replied sarcastically.
Chuckle. "Sorry about that—I almost forgot we're in different time zones now."
The younger man nodded once. "A likely story."
The brunette smirked on the other line.
.
.
"Haha," Ventus laughed lightly, scratching the back of his head. But then he was silent, his eyes softening.
"…so, Terra…"
"…"
"…how do you get this hospital's number?"
There was a pause, then a slight chuckle. "Told you I'd always find a way."
"Huh. Figures…"
.
.
"…if it's like that, then have you talked to Aqua yet?"
"Actually…she was the one who called me."
The blonde's eyes widened. "Really? How did it go?"
There was a sigh on the other line. "Well, she's still mad at me—that's for sure." Pause. "…but she's lightening up a little at the same time, asking me if I'm ok here and all."
Ven nodded. "At least she's talking to you now."
"Yeah."
.
.
"…so how's work been for you so far? Scratch the fact that today hasn't even started for you."
"Very funny," the blonde replied with a smirk. Then he took a deep breath, putting a hand to his forehead.
"…it's been ok—a little typical and tiring at times—but…yeah. It's all good."
"Huh…that's good."
.
.
"So…how's life over there? Blew up any bad guys so far?"
Snicker. "You're hilarious, Ven—you know that?" Pause. "…everything's fine here. Since we first got here, we haven't really done anything much but prepare for whatever situations the enemy might drag us into. Recently, we haven't had any attacks or ambushes from them yet but we're still on our guard for the worst case. You could say it's like a game of Battleship over here."
"Be careful."
"You, too—God knows how many needles you're working with over there."
"Hey—that's not all I do every day, you know."
Chuckle.
.
.
"…Terra?"
"…yeah, Ven?"
"…I miss you already."
"Hey—stay strong for me, okay? Hang in there—I'll back before you know it. I miss you, too—don't get me wrong."
Silence.
"…and take care of Aqua for me every chance you get."
Ventus sighed. "All right."
Suddenly, there was a shrill whistle on the other line. Then there was a sharp exhale.
"Aw, not again… Sorry, Ven—I gotta go."
At the same time, the blonde heard footsteps from behind him and glanced back to see one of the nurses walking towards him with a clipboard in hand.
"…that's ok—I gotta go, too."
"I'll call you again as soon as I can, all right?"
"Okay…"
"Bye."
"Bye."
Click.
Click.
~o~
The rest of the day seemed empty without Terra's voice. At the same time, Ventus had considered trying to contact Aqua but had no luck anyway.
After all, she might have obviously been busy as well, since she was a big-time actress.
But then again it wasn't long before the phone began to ring once more—before quitting time.
"Hello?"
~o~
As expected from the brunette, his phone calls became more and more frequent—almost greeting his blonde friend after every hour. And yes—Ven liked this as well, since it was almost like Terra was there with him in the same place, cheering him up when he was exhausted.
However…it was only a matter of time before the enemy had finally made its first move, and the older man's phone calls started to become less often until they were rare—one in every six months.
~o~
.
.
"…I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
"All right—bye."
Click.
Click.
~o~
Finally, it had come to a point where Terra had stopped calling Ventus, and every time Ven would try to contact the brunette, he wouldn't be able to pick up.
And so, the two had become quite distant from each other, too occupied with their labors and worries in life.
But later on…worse had grown to worst on a fateful evening.
~o~
Pant.
Pant.
"Doctor!" a nurse cried. "Somebody help me here!"
Gulp.
"Help!"
…what's happening to me? the blonde thought to himself. Why do I feel so…
A cry of pain. My chest…I can't breathe—it hurts…
Thud.
"Dr. Ventus!"
~o~
"Ventus?"
The blonde stirred. Then he slowly opened his eyes to see a tall, elderly man with a long beard and a pointed nose staring back at him from his bedside with a serious expression on his face.
Ven groaned. "Master Yen Sid?" At that moment, he could hear beeping and noticed that he was in the emergency room. "What happened to me?"
Silence.
The blonde hesitated for a minute, then shifted his gaze to see that the latter had closed his eyes, his face even more solemn.
"I cannot say," Yen Sid replied in a dull tone. He paused to look at Ventus and sighed. "I have known you, young one, since the day you were born, and you had inherited the same terminal illness your mother had died of. Up to this point, I am not as certain as I was once before…" He closed his eyes again. "…but from how it looks, it seems that your heart has begun to fail again."
In that instant, Ven stiffened, and his eyes widened ten-fold. "Wh…what?"
The elderly man slowly shook his head.
The blonde held his breath, then looked away. He swallowed. "It can't be…"
~xXx~
"Mommy!"
~xXx~
Ventus clenched his fists. "How? How could this happen?"
Yen Sid frowned. "Not I even I can figure out the answer." He glanced at Ven. "All I can say in this matter…is that we only need to wait."
The blonde tilted his head. "Wait? What do you mean by that?"
The elderly man pursed his lips. "Based on the tests that we've conducted while you were unconscious…it's not the same as when you were hospitalized as a child. In fact, it looks as if the illness…has reached its final stage." There was a long pause. "It is only a matter of time before fate takes its hold…and the rest of your body will begin to fail along with your heart."
Ven's eyes widened. "Uh…" he uttered softly.
Yen Sid's face became somber. "I am sorry, dear Ventus. But there is nothing more I can do now to stop the disease." He looked at the latter. "As the owner of this hospital and a friend of your mother, all that I am capable of is letting you take the rest of the week off and prescribe you with pills to ease the physical pain you might feel later on. We will do as much as we can to help you through all this—up to the very end."
At that moment, the blonde's face grew somber, and he hung his head.
The elderly man's eyes softened. Then he took the latter's hand. "Please…do not spend so much time worrying about all that is happening. There is absolutely no one in the world to blame for these recent occurrences. It is merely…life as we know it."
Ventus sighed and looked up at Yen Sid. "So are you saying…that my life's shorter than everyone else's?"
The bearded man chuckled, then spoke in a softer tone. "No…it is just that every human being on this Earth…will have his or her own time to live. That is the fact of life." He smiled slightly.
Ven managed to crack a small grin as well, but then his face became solemn again.
Yen Sid placed his hand on the younger one's back, supporting him. "I'll let you go home to rest for the time being, but I implore you…don't overstress your body too much."
"Hm," the blonde uttered quietly.
After that, he raised his head to glance out the window to see the sun setting in the distant horizon.
~o~
There actually weren't that many people outside—probably because the day was almost over. Obviously the majority of them had either gone home or had still been at work, waiting for quitting time.
Out in the distance, a sad Ventus could be seen slumping along the sidewalk, his head hanging and fists stuffed in his pockets.
At the same time, the blonde's eyes were filled with absolutely nothing but pure melancholia.
He let out a sigh, as he passed Robin's Nest Kindergarten, then closed his eyes for a moment.
…how am I gonna tell the others—to Terra and Aqua?
Ven bit his lip, thinking of the possible reactions his two friends would give him: Aqua's horrified, wide eyes…and the pained look Terra would have on his face.
Speaking of Terra…what would he say—or do, at the very least? Especially now that he was on some other part of the country…
Ventus's face became rigid. He told me to stay strong… He stopped in his tracks. …but how can I, when all this is happening? I may as well have failed him…
The blonde let out another sigh, then slowly opened his eyes and raised his head to see a vast, sandy shore out in front of him, the bright orange sun beginning to disappear below (behind?) a majestic, cerulean ocean.
He paused, looking around to see that not a soul was there, which actually drew out a calm and peaceful atmosphere among his surroundings.
~o~
Meanwhile, at the same time, a mysterious-looking man with a scarred face and a black patch covering his right eye was watching quietly from a safe distance away from Ven himself.
He chuckled darkly from the hidden location he was in at the moment, then pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and dialed a certain number.
.
.
Ring.
.
Ring.
.
.
Click.
"Ah."
In that instant, the man smiled wryly. "All clear, boss. He's not in the hospital anymore. You're free to do whatever you please now."
There was a pause on the other line. "Excellent. All according to plan…and so we begin, Braig."
With that, both laughed sinisterly from the shadows.
~o~
Notes from the KIT-chan~
Makes you wonder what'll happen next… O_O
.:;.*~Kitsune~*.::.