Woo! So I updated 3 stories today! Yay for that. I hope all of you have been enjoying this story. So let's get on to it!

Ch.3

Roxas stared out the front window as he waited for his friends to arrive. He stared out the window and then looked over at the clock. The minutes were continuing to tick on by and still no sign of his friends. Slowly Roxas lowered his head to the table and closed his eyes. A little rest wouldn't be so bad right now. One quick rest before everyone arrived.

Just as Roxas slowly started to drift off, the doorbell rang. Roxas got up from his seat, rubbing his eyes. A moment later he made his way over to the front door. He opened the door to see three kids around his age standing there.

One was a boy with spiky brown hair and blue eyes who was close in height with Roxas. The other boy, who was a bit taller than all of them, had light blue eyes and silverish-grey hair that ended just above his shoulders. And the girl, who was a little shorter than Roxas, had blue eyes and short reddish hair. Roxas smiled as he saw his three friends from Destiny Islands; Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

"Hey guys! Glad you could finally make it," Roxas said, as he held open the door for them.

"We're glad to be here too," Sora said.

"Sorry if we're a bit late, we got a bit lost on the way here," Riku said.

"That's all right, you guys made it here and that's what matters. You can all just place your stuff in the kitchen for now," Roxas replied.

"Thanks," Kairi said, as she entered into the house and placed her items on the kitchen table. Sora and Riku followed and did the same.

As soon as Kairi placed her items down, she ran over to Roxas and gave him a hug. "It's so good to see you again Roxas!"

Roxas smiled and returned the hug, "And it's good to see you too." He then looked over at Sora and Riku, "It's great to see all of you again." Once Kairi and Roxas finished their hug, he spoke again. "Welcome to Twilight Town."

"Thanks. Twilight Town is so much cooler in person. I can't wait to see all of it," Sora said as he took at seat at the table.

"Well I was planning on giving you guys a tour of the town today if you want," Roxas said.

"Oh that would be great!" Kairi chimed in. "A few days before coming here, I researched as much as I could about all the places to visit here."

"I think one of the most interesting places would be the clock tower right?" Riku asked. "Is it really true that is has a magnificent view?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah for sure. I was planning to show you guys that anyway, but I wanted it to be the last stop on the tour."

"For the sunset right? I've heard the sunsets here are so beautiful," Kairi said with a sigh. She closed her eyes as if she were imagining what the sunset must look like from the clock tower.

Roxas nodded again, "Yeah, they are really something."

Before Roxas could continue, he heard footsteps coming from the hallway. Roxas looked to see that Ventus was now standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "Oh guys, this is my older brother Ventus." Roxas then looked over at this brother while gesturing to his friends. "Ven, this is Kairi, Sora, and Riku."

Ventus didn't reply as he looked over at Roxas's friends. Before he could say anything, he nearly collapsed against the doorway, as his breathing increased. He gripped the doorframe tightly with one hand as the other held his head.

Worried, Roxas ran over to Ventus and placed a hand on his back. "Ven? Are you okay?

"I'm...I'm fine…" Ventus muttered as looked over at Sora, Riku and Kairi. His eyes glancing over all of them. Though it went unnoticed by everyone there, Ventus seemed to hold his gaze longest at Sora.

"Are you sure?" Roxas asked as he noticed that Ventus's hands were trembling again. Roxas wasn't sure what was causing Ventus to act like this again, but it was a bit concerning. "Maybe you need to lay down? Are you still shaken up from before?"

"M-Maybe...I'll go do that," Ventus said with a deep breath, turning around and heading down the hallway.

Roxas watched as Ventus slowly walked down the hall before heading into his room. Once he heard the door close he turned back towards his friends, "Sorry about that. Ven has just been a little… out of sorts I guess this morning. Don't really know why though. What he said earlier was rather ridiculous though when I asked him if he was okay."

"What did he say?" Riku asked.

Just as Roxas opened his mouth to tell them about the abandoned mansion and everything, he heard Ventus's voice call out from the hallway. "Roxas, do you think you can come here for a minute? There is something I need to talk to you about."

"Uh sure. Be right there," Roxas said as he stepped into the hallway. He looked over at his friends, "Sorry about this guys, I'll see what he wants and be right back."

Roxas sped down the hallway and entered into Ventus room. When he entered he found Ventus sitting on his bed, staring at a photo album.

"What did you want?" Roxas asked as he closed the door behind them.

"One of your friends… Sora. He… He reminds me of my friend…" Ventus muttered.

"What? Are you sure? Maybe you really do need to lay down," Roxas said.

"No, Roxas, I am serious." Ventus looked up and locked eyes with Roxas. "Sora...H-He's… he has to be the younger brother of my friend."

Roxas sighed with agitation, "Which friend? You aren't being clear Ven."

Ventus bit his lip, his gaze shifting to the floor and then back to Roxas. "Vanitas." He muttered the name so quickly that Roxas didn't hear it.

"Who?"

"Vanitas… That is… was the name of my best friend. The one I lost to the cursed mansion."

Roxas groaned aloud when he heard Ventus mention the cursed mansion. "You can't be serious about that."

"I said I am. Come here and look at this," Ventus said as he pointed to a picture in the album.

Roxas sighed again as he walked over and looked at the photo Ventus was pointing too. Much to Roxas's surprise his eyes widened when he saw the photo. It was a picture of two boys who looked about ten years old. One of the boys was Ventus...but the other… looked very similar to Sora. He looked like Sora, though this boy's hair was a black and his eyes were shade of gold.

"That's… your friend?" Roxas asked as he stared at the photo.

"Yes… that's Vanitas. And if I am correct. Sora is his younger brother," Ventus said as he looked down at the photo.

"But if that is true how come I never heard Sora mention him before?" Roxas asked, still a little skeptical of the whole thing. Though he now had seen a picture of Ventus's long lost friend, he still didn't believe Ventus had lost him to the mansion.

"I don't know. Perhaps it has to do with Vanitas being lost to the mansion. Maybe his parents didn't want to mention it to Sora. But I know he has to be Vanitas younger brother," Ventus said, not taking his eyes off the photo.

"But how can you be so sure?"

"Because...The day before Vanitas and I snuck off to the mansion… he had told me that he was going to be a big brother soon. He had told me it would be a few months, but eventually he would have a baby brother or sister. And Sora is just the right age to match up with what Vanitas said. It's too much to be just a coincidence."

"Ven…" Roxas started off slowly. "I really think you are overreacting about this. I am sorry if I upset you this morning, but I really think you gotta calm down. Your hands...they're still shaking."

Ventus looked down and saw that his hands were in fact still trembling slightly. He lowered his head. "I'm sorry… It's just that I saw Sora… and… and I don't know. Something came over me. I t-thought it was Vanitas at first. And I just…" Ventus choked a little over his words.

Roxas frowned. Whether or not he believe Ventus's story he saw that his brother was clearly distraught. He wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly, "It's okay Ven. Do you think maybe a walk for some fresh air would help?"

Once Roxas finished his hug, Ventus looked over at him and slowly nodded, "I think so... I think I just need some time to myself… after all this."

"Okay. Well you go do that, I'll just be hanging with my friends. We will be good, I promise."

"Thanks Roxas."

With that the two of them headed back towards the front of the house. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were still in the kitchen, chatting among themselves. When the two brothers entered they turned their attention over to them.

Ventus cleared his throat, "I'm sorry about what happened with me before. I am glad to meet all of you, but right now I'm just going to step outside to clear my head. I hope to get to know you all later." Ventus's eyes shifted over to Sora once last time before he headed out the front door, leaving the four teens to themselves.

"I hope he will be all right," Kairi said.

"He will be. He just needs to clear his head. You know though, it's the oddest thing what he got upset over," Roxas said as he looked over at Sora.

"What was it?" Sora asked.

"One moment and I'll show you guys," Roxas said before he ran out of the room and down the hall. He entered Ventus's room and picked up the photo album.

"I am going to get to the bottom of this. If this Vanitas guy really is Sora's older brother then that really is something interesting. But that still doesn't answer what could have happened to him. I am going to find out what happened to him, and if the mansion really is cursed. I will get to the bottom of this, no matter what Ventus says."

And that wraps up that chapter, sorry if it was a tad short than the others, but I am trying to set up as much as I can before the big stuff happens. See you all next time and thanks for reading!