Leaving Home

Two boys sat on the couch, letting their feet dangle over the edge. Roxas leaned his face into his hand propped up by the arm of the couch. Sora kicked his feet and let himself sink in-between the couch cushions.

They were not allowed to spend much time outside as they usually did. Ventus tried to keep them preoccupied with inside activities, but even he started to get stir crazy. Ven stepped into the room with another puzzle, focused on his little brothers who were mesmerized by cartoons on the small TV.

"Want to solve another puzzle guys? I think this one is of a castle." Their heads rolled. "Well?" They shook their heads negatively.

"Venny, why can't we play outside? We haven't gotten to go outside for days."

"It's only been two days." Ven placed the puzzle on the coffee table and took a seat on the far end of the couch. '"And I told you, it's dangerous."

His siblings crawled closer to him, "We know, but it's still boring." Ven sat still as Sora tugged at his cheeks and Roxas searched through his air, as if a prize waited deep in its depths. "Can we go outside if you come with us?"

"I don't think it's safe… besides, it's almost bed time." His voice distorted as Sora pinched and spread his cheeks. "Maybe for a little bit tomorrow, ok?" He flinched when Sora released his cheeks, creating a slap noise.

"Really?!" The boys shouted in unison.

"Boys! Keep it down! Inside voices!" Their mother called from her room suddenly. The boys quieted down, but their expression stayed just as excited.

"Really Venny? We can go out tomorrow?"

"Yes, but only for a little while."

"Yay!" They hugged him tightly, which he gladly returned.

"But it's about time to get washed up, don't you think?" The boys released him and looked at each other.

"We don't want to take a bath."

"You don't have to take a whole bath. You can take a wash up since we haven't been anywhere tod-"

"You have to take baths!" Their mother called again.

"… Well then, we have to take baths I guess." Again, Sora and Roxas looked at each other. They nodded suddenly and scrambled from the couch. "?! Hey! Where are you going?!" Ven stood, watched the boys run off together, no doubt planning to hide away somewhere. "You won't get away!"

"Can you read us a story Venny?" Roxas pulled his covers closer to his chin, looking hopefully at their older brother as he tucked in Sora.

"Sure. What do you want me to read?" The twins shrugged. "Well... how about that book that Kairi gave you for your birthday?" Ven had meant to check out the book earlier and now seemed like a great opportunity. He waited, but Roxas laid still and Sora appeared hesitant.

Sora spoke quietly, "I lost it."

Ven raised a brow, but went along with it. "You lost it? How'd you do that?"

"I don't know. I just did Venny." Ven hummed, but turned to Roxas after a moment.

"Did he really lose it?" Roxas shrugged, but glanced at Sora with an unsure expression. Ven wasn't all knowing like their mother seemed to be, but he did know when his little brothers were hiding something. He wanted to press further, but when the twins yawned, he figured he should save it for another time. "You guys are going to fall asleep in no time, no story needed. I can read you one tomorrow if you like."

Sora agreed quickly with vigorous nods. Roxas only shrugged again, but disappointment leaked from his stature.

"I promise, tomorrow ok?" When they nodded in unison, he gave them soft pets on their head and left. Roxas waited until he saw Ven's shadow disappear before he sat up, squinting at Sora in the near darkness.

"Sora, why did you lie to Venny?"

"I don't want Venny to read that book."

"Why not?"

"I think… that book is why we had that nightmare." Surprised, Roxas jerked his head toward Sora. Sora sat up, he seemed sure of his claims.

"Why do you say that?"

"Don't you see Roxas? It's like the same place. Except, you said the place looked nice and turned bad, but it always looked bad to me. Maybe it's the place from the book?"

"… I don't know Sora…" Roxas was skeptical, but he felt there was truth in his brother's words. "We should investigate tomorrow."

"Ok." Sora plopped his head back onto his pillow. Roxas did the same, but thoughts of the book and their dreams plagued his mind. Did that mean that some books were too scary to read now? What if they saw a scary TV show or video game and got more scary nightmares?

'Roxas.' Roxas glanced across the small space that separated their beds. Sora lay with his eyes half open, looking sleepily at his brother. 'You should sleep too. No more thinking.' Sora did not actually speak. Only Roxas heard the soft whisper in his mind, and only Sora could hear him.

'… Ok.' Roxas closed his eyes. Although they had not done very much that day, the sleep did not come any slower.

Ven knew his brothers very well indeed. He left the room, but stayed nearby to overhear their conversation. Sora hid the book. He expected it, but what were they talking about after that? Nightmares?

When they finished talking, he quietly crept away to the small living room. Their mother sat with a cup of tea and a book. She glanced up, noticing Ven's gaze upon her. She smiled and patted the area next to her.

"Why are you standing around? Come sit." Ven obeyed without hesitation, sighing as he sank into the couch. "What's wrong? "

"Well… Sora lied to me." His mother stopped mid sip and gave him a puzzled expression. Sora often lied about the little things in life, the location of a children's book being one of them. Although he lied a lot, he still made for a terrible liar, anyone could spot the boy's lies a mile away. "Ok ok, it's not a big deal, but it's just a little weird."

"What did he lie about? Where he put his toys?"

"No, he said he lost the book Kairi gave him for his birthday. But when I left, he revealed he just hid it because he didn't want me to read it." His mother stopped drinking her tea again, slowly lowering the plate in her lap.

"What was his reason?"

Ven continued, noticing her curiosity. "He said he thinks the book gave them nightmares." His mother's eyes widened considerably before she managed to hide it. Ven sat straight. "What is it?"

"… Well… not too long ago, Sora and Roxas had a terrible nightmare. I… can't recall them ever screaming so much or looking so scared. They couldn't sleep by themselves for days. They won't tell me anything about it."

"That's…"

"Strange. Every time I reminded them of it, they became withdrawn. I stopped pushing them about it and let it be." Ven scratched his head thoughtfully. The twins were never so secretive, or rather, they weren't very good at keeping secrets.

"Do you think it's the book?" Her face scrunched up while she debated with herself, but eventually she shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. It's only a book. A strange book, but nothing too strange."

"What's the book about?"

"Simple really. A tale about good and bad fighting but in the end, everyone gets along in the end."

"Well… that doesn't sound all that intimidating..."

"It's not. But, you should probably read it for yourself. I'll look for it while you have Sora and Roxas out." She placed the tea on the small table beside her before she reached over and pulled him into a hug. "But for now, you should get to bed as well."

"Mom, I can decide when to go to bed, can't I?" She merely smiled, releasing him and pushing him up from the couch.

"No. Now to bed you go. Good night."

Ven relaxed against the curved tree, but his mind continued to run in circles. Coming outside made him restless. He glanced over as his brothers raced across the lower beach with their friend Riku. He took them out to play as he promised. He turned to the sky, watching the clouds slowly crawl.

Today was the fourth day since he left the Land of Departure and Aqua left him here while she went after Terra. She told him to stay put… but he was getting impatient. What if something went wrong and they needed help? What if something happened to Terra, but Aqua had not found him yet? What if something happened to Aqua and Terra didn't know she was looking for him?

He glanced over to his brothers again. They were arguing over who would get their portrait drawn by Naminé first. Leaving his brothers alone and defenseless was not an option he was willing to consider. Vanitas might return at any time intending to hurt them. But what other choice did he have? He couldn't just abandon his friends, but taking his family along was impossible. If he tried to take them to the Land of Departure, Master Eraqus would never allow him to leave again and help Terra. Ven rose from the curved tree, admiring the endless blue ocean.

What if he were quick? What if he found Terra and Aqua come back as soon as possible? After all, Vanitas followed him. He would be too distracted following him to go after his family, right? Ven nodded to himself, he could do it. He would only be gone for two days, maybe three, and then come right back.

"Venny." Ven started. Sora and Roxas stood together at the base of the tree, their expressions downcast. He jumped down and squatted in front of them.

"What's wrong? Weren't you going to get a picture?" Ven glanced at the beach below; it seemed Riku got to go first.

"… You're leaving again, aren't you?" They spoke together in unison. but Ven noticed they spoke in unison much more often. They were twins after all, yet he still thought it eerie. Other than that, how did they figure out he was leaving?

"Where'd you get that ide-?!" He fell back when his brothers tackled him.

"We don't want you to leave Venny!" Sora spoke alone this time, but he spoke for himself and Roxas. Although surprised by their knowledge, he hugged them tightly.

"Look guys…. I won't be gone for long." He gently pushed them away. "I have to find my friend Terra. As soon as I do, we'll all come back here together."

"… Really?"

"I promise. But while I'm gone… I want you guys to be careful. If you see that weird guy with the mask, run back home and don't come out. Lock the doors, and stay with mom." They nodded. "Good. I'll walk you home in a bit, alright?"

Ven allowed them to play with their friends until the sun began to set. They walked hand in hand while Sora ranted on about defeating Riku in a race next round. They slowed down when they arrived to their home. Ven released their hands and squat down in front of them again.

"Get a good night sleep ok? And I'll see you very very soon."

"Ok Venny." They hugged him once more, eventually releasing him and rushing to their door. Ven waved at them as they entered the home and shut the door. He could even hear it lock, just as they promised. He waited to make sure they wouldn't come out again before he turned, summoning his armor and keyblade simultaneously.

Time was of the essence.

Ven landed gracefully on the firm surface. He observed the area, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Terra was nowhere in sight. He continued forward, cautiously looking at his surroundings.

The large rocky area seemed endless, but eventually he traversed into grassy areas and eventually trees. The trees soon shifted into a full-blown forest with taller thicker trees. He could not recall ever seeing trees like these, at least, not in person.

He let curiosity drag him further into the depths of the forest, and he was not disappointed. A small cottage sat alone in the sea of large trees. The structure greatly differed from the homes spread out upon his home Destiny Island. In no way did it resemble the castle on Land of Departure either. Awed, the approached the house carefully.

"I wonder who lives here." He ducked down, peeking into one of the windows. The side was hardly visible from the windows. He noted how small things appeared from his point of view. Maybe the window distorted his vision?

A sudden scream put him on alert. He jerked around, another scream echoed through the forest. The scream came from deeper in the forest ahead. He rushed in with hardly any hesitation; after all, someone needed his help.

He arrived in an open space in the forest of trees. A group of small people were huddled in the center of the clearing. What really caught his attention were the strange looking creatures that surrounded them. He watched as one jumped at the small group.

Before Ven could react, one of the short older men stepped forward with a sharp pickaxe in hand and swatted at the strange creature, pushing it away. "Be gone you monsters!"

Although unsure of what these creatures were, Ven summoned his keyblade and injected himself between the creatures and the short men. He swiped the one closest to him, drawing the attention of the other creatures that circled the group.

"Run away! I'll handle these guys!" He heard a few of the men scoff, but they scrambled away behind him while he focused on the beasts. The creatures circled in on him, they no longer seemed interested in the small group. Ven charged first, defeating a few of the creatures in one swing. They faded away to nothing to his surprise, but he concentrated on the battle at hand.

Eventually, all the creatures were gone. Ven stayed on guard, but relaxed when nothing else jumped out at him.

"What were those things?" He received no answer. Ven surveyed the area, realizing that the small group of people had gotten away after all. "Maybe those guys live in that house?"

He had yet to actually speak to anyone from this world, he had to question whether or not they had seen Terra or if they knew what those creatures were.

He made his way back to the cottage. He approached the door, intending to knock. As soon as he touched the door, it creaked open slightly. He took a hesitant step back, but when no one complained or attacked, he came closer.

"Hello?" He parted the door more, poking his head through. He heard a startled yelp and shuffling. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just want to ask some questions." He pushed open the door, carefully stepping into the cottage. No one appeared to be there at first glance.

A girl peered at him from behind a wooden carved pole within the home. She said nothing while she studied him. When he noticed her, he waved kindly.

"Are you alright?"

"… Those horrible monsters… and the trees…the trees were horrible." Ven kept his distance, but came over slowly.

"Well, the monsters are all gone now. And the trees didn't seem scary. You were just seeing things. You start seeing things when you get scared. " He held out a hand, intending to shake her hand. "I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven. What's your name?" The girl looked thoughtful and a bit skeptical, but eventually took his hand. She stood straight and dusted off her dress. She was not short like the men he met only moments before. She stood a few inches taller than Ven in fact.

"Thank you Ven." She curtseyed and smiled shyly. "I am Snow White."

He did not enjoy this task. Their plan had worked, but now he had to observe Ven's brothers in case they became useful. It felt like babysitting, even though they were not aware of his presence, watching them continue about their lives in ignorance.

Vanitas sat inconspicuously on a rooftop as the boys ran down the sandy path. The boys came to a stop in front of one of the larger homes on the island and knocked on the door. A few moments later, two young girls answered the door.

Vanitas sat forward when a strange feeling washed over him. One of those girls… this feeling was familiar.

"How convenient, a Princess of Heart and Ven's weakness all in one place." He stood when the children ran towards the pier together. No doubt they planned their usual boring routine of playing on the island with more sniveling children.

He watched them row their little boats to the smaller island where another child waited as they docked. The twins tried to tackle the other boy, but he seemed too smart for them and moved out of the way, letting them fall to the floor. He snorted at their stupidity.

As the children walked together to the cliff side, he recalled the strange meeting between him and brown haired boy. He was convinced that there was something odd about him, but now he decided he only imagined it as his master said. He was nothing but a child, an average one at that.

The children stopped at the cliff side and moved aside some vines, revealing a hidden cave. They entered without hesitation.

He kept his distance and waited on the wooden ledge just above. Hours passed before the children left the cave. They did not leave the small island, but the boys and the red haired girl ran together towards the other side of the island, leaving the blond haired girl to catch up after them. They entered a wooden door and continued on their way.

Figuring they would not return to this side of the island for a while, Vanitas moved from his perch to the cave entrance. He expected it to be completely dark inside, but a dim light lit the cave well enough. He walked in and followed the dark path.

One thing he did not expect to find in this cave was a door. Let alone this door. It did not have a knob or a handle, but it had a natural appearance, as if it was there since time on this world began. He stepped closer, gazing into the dark keyhole on the surface of the door. He smirked behind his mask.

"Maybe this world is more special that I thought…"

Ven sighed. The first world he went to ended up being a total bust. He did save a girl, Snow White, and he even met some slightly hostile dwarfs, but Terra was not there, at least, not anymore. The girl, Snow White, explained Terra had scared her off, but that couldn't be right… right?

Another problem were the strange creatures he fought, and even the large one disguised as a tree. What were those things? Master Eraqus never covered that in his lessons. He really was too inexperienced... but now was not the time to doubt himself.

He sped up, he had to get to the next world as soon as possible and look for Terra and Aqua. The sooner he found them, the sooner he could return home and protect his brothers. He hoped that they were being careful like he asked.

At last, another world appeared on the horizon. He prepared to land as he usually did. He opened up a gateway and flew right in. His vision filled with blinding light, a normal occurrence when traveling through a Lane Between. He closed his eyes and waited until he landed on a flat firm surface.

Satisfied with his landing, he dismissed his armor and keyblade. He opened his eyes and surveyed the area. Master Eraqus always told him that being aware of his surroundings was a top priority. He found himself in an area with large objects. In fact, these objects appeared to be normal furniture.

Shocked, Ven walked forward, he was trapped in a small cage and the furniture seemed to be a hundred times bigger than him. He grabbed the bars, and pulled, but they did not budge. He released the bars and began to pace as he recounted his passage here.

"How did I end up like this?" He made a corridor, entered it, and landed. For a moment, he thought he figured out why he was in this situation, but shook his head. He did nothing different from his other landings. Frustrated, he grabbed the bars again. "How'd I end up so small?!" No one was there to answer him.

Ven huffed and deflated in defeat. How would he get out of here, he wondered. Footsteps and the sound of a door opening drew his attention. A woman suddenly grabbed the cage that trapped him and hoisted it up to her eye level. Ven tried to keep balance, but fell and rolled until the hit the back of the cage.

The woman unlatched the cage door and peeked inside. "It's alright now… oh?" Inside, Ven sat up slowly and rubbed his new sore spot on his head. "You're a strange looking mouse."

"Mouse?" Confused was not an adequate description of how Ven felt. The woman turned away.

"Jaq, maybe you'd better explain things to him." She placed the cage back on the floor. Ven tried to maintain his balance again as the cage shook. Ven waited until everything stopped moving before he stood up straighter.

A mouse walked into the cage with him. "Hey buddy, nothin' to worry about!" The mouse checked to make sure Ven was unharmed. "We like-a-you! Cinderelli like-a-you, too!" Ven peeked outside of the cage, noticing the woman, Cinderelli, smiling at them. "She's nice, very nice!" Jaq continued, looking at her as well.

"Come now." Jaq exited the metal trap with Ven following behind. He decided going with the flow would be best. "I'm Jaq."

"I'm Ventus, but you can just call me Ven."

End of 'Leaving Home'

Last Update: July 17th, 2014

Notes: Long time no see guys. Yes, I'm still here. I still have plenty of chapters I can upload, but as I said, I'm... really trying to wait until I've written the ENTIRE fic. But, it's been a while so, in the mean time, I suppose I'll give you guys another chunk to enjoy (I hope?) I really am hoping to finish it soon. I'll tell you that I've already written the ending and bits inbetween the ending and around Hercules world for Ven.

So begins Ven's journey to find Terra. Much of this is going to play out like Birth by Sleep, so I'm not going to write into too much detail unless something changes. So please read this fic with the knowledge of what happens in Birth by Sleep. I've already explained this before, but I just want to make sure it's understood.

Don't worry, we'll be seeing Aqua and Terra again very soon. Balancing their stories in relation to this plot is kind of hard since their stories play out much of the same (though they will encounter Sora and Roxas on their small adventure) I will be showing mostly bits and pieces, but I will be expanding the times when TAV all meet together. The twins will be leaving the island... probably next chapter...? Things are about to pick up big time. c8