Ventus felt weak. Not literally, he just thought that he himself was a weak person. Sure, he would always contradict Vanitas without hesitation if his darker half called him weak. But as he thought about his past while healing in Sora's heart, he decided that he was indeed a weakling.

He couldn't save himself from Xehanort's plan, he couldn't save his heart from breaking, he couldn't save his friends from whatever situation they were in now, and he couldn't save Sora when he was in trouble. It was his fault. He wasn't strong enough to protect those he cared for. He was forced to wait helplessly and hope for the best.

That's not to say he didn't enjoy living in Sora's heart all this time. At first, it was a little lonely, wandering around the replica island without anything to do. It wasn't like anyone else was there. However, after several long boring years, he started to see other people appearing and walking around. Within a close period of time, he saw a tall man with red bandages wrapped around his face and a girl with short raven hair and a black coat enter Sora's heart. (He had already met the girl and talked to her once in awhile.) Not too long afterwards, Ventus met a boy who was identical to him, the main difference being their clothes.

The first time he bumped into Roxas, he had thought that Sora's heart had created a clone of him for some odd reason. But it didn't make any sense, so he tried to befriend his look-a-like in order to figure it all out. It took awhile, but Ven managed to get Roxas to open up to him and they grew close. As it turns out, the latter was actually Sora's Nobody but had taken the appearance of the former since he was made up of both boys. In the end, neither of them felt as lonely as they had before.

However, they weren't freed from problems just because they were resting within Sora. This was proven when Roxas had a breakdown a couple weeks earlier. He had felt out of place, non-existent, and insignificant. Ventus was more than willing to comfort the boy whom he had started to call his brother. He pushed away any doubt that the Nobody had and spent the rest of the day enjoying his company.

But now it was Ventus who was thinking lowly of himself. He was weak. If he had stopped Xehanort in the beginning, then nobody else would have to suffer. If he had been stronger, then he could have protected his friends and prevented the sadness that people like Roxas felt.

But he was too weak.

The keyblade wielder sat alone on the paopu tree, staring blankly at the scene in front of him. There was so much light in Sora's heart. So much hope, love, compassion, and positivity in general. Ventus wanted to protect that light and keep it untainted from any darkness. But how could he do that when his body was in a comatose state? Despite what Ventus desired, the boy who protected his heart had been hurt, had faced darkness, and at one point he had almost become a vessel of Xehanort.

"What a joke," the boy muttered dejectedly. "What kind of friend am I?"

"Is something wrong?" someone asked. Ventus turned to see Sora's Nobody.

"Um… no?" he replied hesitantly. Roxas smiled and leaned against the tree.

"You look conflicted," the younger of the two said in a gentle tone. "Is there anything you need to get off your chest?"

"It's better if you don't worry about it."

"You sure? You helped me once and I wouldn't mind returning the favor."

"Well, it's really a silly thing to be upset about when I think about it…"

"Oh? Then it shouldn't take too long to fix."

Ven let out a heavy sigh, lowering his head. "I guess… I just feel like I'm weak."

Roxas studied his friend for a few moments. "Continue."

"I feel guilty. Maybe if I had been able to stop Xehanort at the very beginning, then you and the others wouldn't have to go to the trouble of stopping him in my place. Then you never would have gotten hurt! I wasn't strong enough to save and protect those I care about…"

"Wait, so you're upset because you think you're weak?!" the Nobody asked incredulously. After a moment of letting everything set in, he started to chuckle softly. Then it got louder and louder until he was laughing heartily while holding his stomach.

"What's so funny?" Ven demanded, slightly offended.

"How on earth did you come to the conclusion that you were weak? That's ridiculous! You're one of the strongest people I know!"

"Why would you say that?"

"Well first off, you prevented Xehanort from getting the χ-blade and Kingdom Hearts. Sure, there were a few setbacks and negative consequences, but you stopped him long enough so that the worlds wouldn't be thrown into darkness until new heroes could step up. Secondly, after your fight with Vanitas, you were strong enough to survive your heart breaking and made it to Sora so that you could heal until you're ready to fight again. Finally, you're strong enough to heal pain! You helped me when I needed someone and I have a feeling you'll help many, many more. Just because there's been a few bumps in the road doesn't mean everything was ruined. You're not weak. You're filled with light and that makes you one of the strongest people I've ever met!"

"You really think that highly of me?"

"Of course I do! You're like my big brother and one of my personal heroes!"

"'One of?' You have more?"

"Maybe…?" Roxas grinned when he heard Ventus start laughing. "Does that mean I successfully made you feel better?"

"Sure does," the Somebody replied cheerfully.

"Awesome!" the younger blonde exclaimed.

"My friends are my power… and I'm theirs! But now, they're also my strength."