Chapter 6: New Friend
Ventus, Hikari, Vanitas, Iris, and Sultan Eraqus sat at the table as Sora held a couple of knifes and tossed them around a little.
"Prepare yourselves for a real culinary treat." Sora said. "One of my former masters was a Japanese chef."
Sora then threw several carrots and the like into the air and cut them up with one of the knives, and he repeated doing this for a few moments until Ventus, Hikari, Vanitas, and Iris closed their eyes as Sora accidentally cut his hand off.
"Oops." Sora said as he starred at the hand that didn't bleed at all, and for that matter, neither did Sora's wrist. "I guess I should learn to be a bit more careful."
Soras hand then got up on its fingers and began crawling along the room like a deformed, hairless spider and walked around walks waved its thumb at Eraqus.
"Oh, most amusing!" Eraqus said as he laughed at the hand, which was doing everything from high fiving a shocked Vanitas to doing a two step with its two forefingers.
"Uh… Right." Sora said as he grabbed his hand and put it back on his wrist. "Amusing. Please excuse me while I pull myself together.
"Absolutely delightful." Eraqus said with a smile. Ventus noticed Sora smile at him and give him the thumbs up when his hand got away again, and he quickly grabbed it. "Now to business." Eraqus said more seriously as he addressed Ventus. "Ventus, you have proven to be a man of strong moral character."
Ventus smiled at this, but at the same time he remembered Vexen hiding in the green house and gulped.
"That is why," Eraqus continued. "I have decided to make you my new royal vizier."
"Me?" Ventus asked in surprise. "Really?"
"Isn't it wonderful?" Hikari asked.
"Way a go, Ven!" Vanitas called out as Iris smiled and clapped her hands. Sora then appeared and smiled.
"Wow!" Sora said with a smile. "Royal vizier!" Sora snapped his fingers, and Ventus ended up dressed in a black suit with a long thing of cloth around his neck. Sora then handed Ventus a trophy that looked like the Lamp with the upper half of Sora on top. "I'm sure Ven would like to thank the academy for this great honor!" Sora then appeared in a similar suit with sunglasses. "Stick with me kid, and the merchandising possibilities will be endless!" Sora then became dressed in what he wore when he brought Ventus to Agrabah as Prince Veni, and Ventus returned to that look too, as well as holding a small scepter. "All hail Ventus, the royal vizier!"
"By the way," Vanitas asked as he walked up to Eraqus. "What's a royal vizier?"
"Well," Eraqus said. "He would be my most trusted advisor."
"That makes sense." Vanitas said, and Sora walked up and smiled.
"He'll definitely be better than Xehanort." Sora then held up a mirror that showed a characterization of Xehanort.
"Quite so." Eraqus said angrily.
"And Vexen!" Sora continued. "Talk about a rat! That guy was mean!"
"Uh… Sora…?" Ventus said nervously, not wanting to tell Eraqus about Vexen right after he heard several bad things about him.
"Remember that hard candy thing, the guy could just not let go of the small things!" Sora finished.
"The traitor." Eraqus muttered.
"Now look at Ven, here!" Sora said as he grabbed Ventus by the chest and ruffled his hair. "You don't see this guy cavorting with evil mimicrists."
"Uh…" Ventus said nervously as this would probably be the only chance he got to tell them before they found out on their own. "It's funny you should mention Vexen."
()()()
In the green house that served as Vexen's new cage until Ventus talked to Eraqus, Vexen was talking to Terra, who was just outside.
"Alright," Vexen said. "I've got a stash of fruits, foods, and anything else you'd want in my old room if you open this door? Campeche?"
"Yeah right." Terra said as he was picking a spot on his chin.
"Oh come on!" Vexen shouted as he got a sudden burst of inspiration. "I've got a wife who's about to have triplets!" He began making himself tear up. "Imagine them growing up, never knowing their daddy."
He was so busy with his one man show, that he didn't notice Terra spy Surane the white tiger close by starring at Vexen then becoming rigid and barring her teeth.
"Open the door!" Vexen pleaded. "Open it, open it, open it!"
Terra opened the door as he smiled.
"Well that's much bet-AHH!" Vexen shouted as Surane growled angrily.
"Close the door!" Vexen squeaked as he grabbed the door and struggled with Terra for closing it. "Close it, close it, close it!"
Vexen eventually just punched Terra in the gut and was about to close the door when Surane pounced on him. Vexen shoved her off and ran for the palace.
"Uh-oh." Terra said nervously.
Vexen was running so hard it looked like he was flying.
"Ventus!" Vexen called out. "Come on man, this tiger and your pal Terra are trying to kill me! I saved your life, and it's payback time, Ventus!"
Terra ran to try and help, but he couldn't really get a good grip on Surane without turning her on, and he didn't wanna go there. Vexen then found himself at a locked door and gulped as Surane charged at him.
They ended up bursting through the room, and Vexen ended up wrapped in some ear-by curtains before anyone could notice him, and Surane ended up right in front of the table with Terra.
"Surane!" Iris scolded like a mother to a three-year-old. "You know better than to tear around the palace like that!"
()()()
Ventus noticed Terra rubbing his nose, and saw that the pointer finger was pointing to the curtains and recognized what he was trying to say. He and Vanitaslooked around and saw Vexen struggling to free himself from the curtains as Ventus and Vanitas hid him from view.
"So Ventus," Eraqus asked. "Why did you bring up that deceitful boy?"
"Sultan," Ventus said. "There's something I have to tell you about Vexen."
As Ventus talked, he failed to notice that Vexen had finally gotten himself free and was trying to leave when he tripped and fell face first onto the floor, right in Eraqus's line of sight.
"Uh… Hello." Vexen said nervously.
"He's… here." Ventus said just as nervously.
"Bakura!" Eraqus said angrily. "Guards!"
Xigbar and Xaldin then ran in.
"Get that bird!" Eraqus shouted.
"Yes your highness." Xigbar smirked, and Vexen knew that he had liked being influenced by Xehanort even less than Eraqus did. "It will be my pleasure."
Xigbar then drew his sword, but Ventus caught his wrist.
"No!" Ventus said.
"Move out of the way, boy!" Xigbar said angrily.
"Will you just listen?" Ventus said as, with difficulty, he wrenched the sword from Xigbar's hand.
"Your highness?" Xigbar demanded as he pointed at Ventus.
"I trust he has a fitting explanation for this scandal?" Eraqus said angrily, but calmly.
"He had better!" Hikari said even more angrily and much less calmly.
"Your highness," Yugi began, but he wasn't quite sure where to begin. "I-I think Vexen was… Uh…"
"Mesmerized." Vexen whispered helpfully.
"Yeah, yeah, mesmerized!" Ventus said quickly. "He was under Vexen's spell. Remember the Xehanort's magic staff? Vexen was only… Uh… Um…" Ventus began to falter at the hard looks Hikari and Eraqus were giving him. "Look I just… Vexen's not all that bad." Ventus concluded before adding, rather weakly. "At least, I don't think so anyway."
"You should have just stuck with Xehanort's staff defense." Vexen muttered.
"Not all bad?" Eraqus repeated, losing his temper. "He only served my greatest enemy, that's all!"
"We can't allow that treacherous rat of a man to roam free!" Xigbar said as he pointed to Vexen.
"Then I'll watch him!" Ventus said authoritatively before he remembered where he was and recomposed himself. "Uh… I mean, your highness, with your permission, I'd like to take full responsibility for Vexen."
Vexen's eyes widened with surprise at this.
"You would?" Vexen asked as if he'd never heard of someone doing a nice thing for someone else.
"Your priorities seem questionable for me." Eraqus said as he regained his composure. "But so be it. Ventus, you will watch Vexen every moment."
Eraqus then walked off as Xigbar walked up to Ventus.
"And if he makes one wrong move, you shall be the one I pluck, boy!" Seto told Yugi angrily.
"Well…" Sora said as he stood with the others. "That could have gone worse."
Ventus relaxed and fell on a chair.
"Wow." Ventus said. "Hikari, I thought I was sunk."
"Ooh, not good." Vexen said as he pointed at Hikari, and Ventus saw that she still had the same look in her eyes she had when Ventus saved Vexen.
Uh-oh. Ventus thought.
"You were hiding Vexen all along, weren't you?" Hikari asked angrily.
"I think it just got worse." Sora whispered to the others.
"Well…" Ventus said as he struggled to find the right words. "Yes but-"
"How could you?" Hikari interrupted Ventus. "More secrets! More lies!" Hikari ran off to her room as tears filled her eyes. Just before leaving, she turned to Ventus and said, "Ventus, I thought you had changed!"
"Hikari wait!" Ventus called out as he ran after her. "Back at the Market Place! Vexen, he-" Too late. Hikari had already slammed the door of her room shut. "He saved my life."
Ventus then walked out to the gardens as Sora starred on sadly.
"Some Grand Vizier I'm gonna make." Ventus said as he walked off. "Nobody trusts me."
"Hey, Hikari's just a little steamed." Sora said as he pulled out a cup of tea from out of nowhere. "She'll cool down. Care for a cup?"
"No thanks." Ventus said as he walked off. He felt even worse than when his selfishness had allowed Xehanort to steal the Lamp.
"This isn't cheering you up, is it?" Sora said nervously.
"I don't get it, Sora." Ventus said. "I try to do something good, and it blows up in my face."
"Poor Ven'." Vanitas said.
"Well that's the problem with doing the right thing." Sora said. "Sometimes you have to do it by yourself."
Chaos: Hey Ya'll! Sorry I haven't posted anything related to light, dark, or twilight, so im going to due something a little different call...
Iris: Song Of The Day/Chapter!
Hikari: Its when Chaos here, will tell you what song is a song worth hearing!
Surane: and so far the Song of the Day/Chapter is...
Aqua: Fly on the Wings of Love~
Choas: we will sing some parts of the song so you can see for yourself! Take it away Ven!
Ven: Sure thing, Chaos dose not own Aladdin or kingdom hearts, but she owns Iris, Surane belongs to SuraneSpiral, and Hikari belongs to WingBladeWeaver1357