I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts or Sleeping Beauty. They belong to Square Enix and Disney.

Chapter 7

Caught in the dragon's claws, Ven cried out as it squeezed. The claws were wrapped around his midsection and chest, pinning his right arm to his torso. With his left arm, he wielded Wayward Wind, but the damage it did, if any at all, was minimal.

They were high above the ground and if the dragon were to let go . . . actually that would be fantastic because then he could always glide or summon his keyblade glider! Certainly, it was a better option than being crushed in this thing's hand.

He couldn't see Terra, and had no idea if the older boy was following or even knew he was gone. He wanted to say that at the very least, Terra was hot on his trail. But this was a very big, very fast dragon.

Ven squirmed, and the grip tightened again, making his chest burn as he tried to draw breath. It loosened a second later and he gasped, ribs aching as if someone had been trying to tug them out. Through his clothes, he could feel the sharp edges of the claws, and their cold seeped through his skin and licked at his heart.

Cold . . .

Like the darkness . . .

Stricken with that sudden thought, he closed his eyes and let the light inside him reach out. Carefully, it inched its way up the cold tendrils sapping away his body heat, grazing the dragon's scales. He sensed it there: darkness, thick and concentrated. This was no true dragon he faced, but some construct of darkness.

And with that knowledge, the urge to fight welled up inside him. He twisted, thrashed, wriggled his right arm free. It throbbed, pulsing as if relishing its freedom. Taking his keyblade in both hands, he called upon the light inside him, which gathered at the tip of Wayward Wind.

He drove the keyblade right into the dragon's wrist, and sent his light roaring through the shaft.

The dragon screamed. Starting at the wound, the scales cracked, with light pouring through the openings. It spread upwards to the shoulder, then all around, until the dragon was engulfed in an orb of white light.

With the sound of shattering glass, the force holding the dragon together snapped. He could still see the skeleton of the wings as it broke apart in a cloud of black and green, streaming towards the ground like a comet. Free now, Ven flipped into a glide, circling as he tried to see if Terra was anywhere nearby. It appeared, however, that he was temporarily on his own. He descended towards the ground, noticing that the dragon had disappeared completely.

But who had created it?

He landed lightly, not even disturbing the ash upon which he landed. The empty woods stretched out before him. He called out for Terra, but only his echo answered.

Then another voice. "Keep your silence, child."

Ven spun around. A woman stood there, wearing a black robe with purple trim and a horned headdress. In one hand, she clutched the shaft of a thin staff topped with a glowing green ball. She smiled at Ven, almost paternally, though he could sense a sharp undertone to the expression.

"Who are you?" Ven asked.

"I am Maleficent." Her voice was a particular one, like the slithering of a snake, yet strangely calm and soothing. "Come, follow me to safety. The beast may reappear at any moment."

Ven walked over to her. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Safe," Maleficent answered. "They are inside the palace, which is where we shall seek shelter too."

She offered him a delicate hand, but Ven shook his head. "I can't," he said. "My friend's still out there."

"Fool!" Maleficent's voice rose, so that she was nearly shouting. The wind picked up at that moment, making her robes flare out like wings. "It is too dangerous to wander this wasteland aimlessly."

"It's not aimless; I'm looking for my friend . . ." Ven trailed off, muscles tensing with suspicion. Maleficent was saying that it was too dangerous to be out here . . . so why was she? She wasn't a keyblader like him, he could tell.

That wasn't to say she was weak though. No, Ven could feel some sort of energy radiating from her, giving him goosebumps. It was like magic, and yet, wasn't. It was some corrupted form of that power, and creepily reminded him of when Aqua had been possessed by Vanitas.

"Hurry," Maleficent said. "We do not have much time. The darkness is always waiting."

Ven took a step forward.

Then one back.

Something didn't feel right. Why would Maleficent be here alone when a dragon was roaming around? And the dragon, he still had no idea where it was. Or rather, where its source was. He peered closer at Maleficent. Her pale, green skin stood in stark contrast to the hues of her clothes.

Wait a second, green skin? It matched the glowing orb on her staff.

It matched the green fire the dragon had spat at him.

He backpedalled, and Maleficent seemed to grow before him. He saw it now in his mind: black and purple fabric twisting to become scales; that headdress adorning the head of a beast. Even now, when he stared at her shadow, it seemed to take the form of a dragon.

"Who are you?" he spat. Wayward Wind flashed into his hands with a hum. "What do you want with me?"

Maleficent's eyebrows rose. "Child, whatever makes you think I want anything with you?"

"You're the dragon!" Ven said, pointing at her. "You attacked me and Terra."

A pause. "You are cleverer than I gave you credit for," Maleficent said easily. "But your power at best is minimal."

Ven shrugged. "I've taken down people way worse than you."

"Than me?" Maleficent laughed, a violent sound that grew higher in pitch with every second. "Me, the Mistress of All Evil!"

Ven wasn't even fazed. "You're nothing compared to the things I've seen."

"Your insolence shall be your undoing," she warned. "A child such as you can never stand up to the powers of hell!"

"Been there, done that," he said, seeming to infuriate his opponent further.

"Suffer!"

Maleficent pointed her staff, and a vortex of green light swirled towards him. How terrifying. He dashed out of the way, trusting in his speed, almost becoming a blur as he raced around the old sorceress. He tossed his keyblade, but Maleficent – well, she was faster than she looked – swung around and deflected it. With a solid 'clang', the keyblade flew up into the air, where it disappeared in a shimmer of light as it returned to its master.

He hadn't broken pace yet, and easily leapt out of the way of her next attack. Keyblade firmly in his hand, he cast Firaga at Maleficent and though the spell hit its mark, it only seemed to further annoy her. She smacked her staff against the ground, the orb crackling with power, and great, thorn-covered vines crawled out from the shadow of her robes. They whipped across the ground, too slow to grab him, but making it more difficult to navigate.

He jumped back, out of range of the vines. Maleficent smiled cruelly at him, but he wasn't scared. If anything he felt alive. His blood was roaring in his ears, heart pounding in an excited beat. The light inside him made his skin prickle, begging to be let free. It had been so long since he'd had a real fight, not a regulated spar like the ones between him and his friends.

He crooked a finger, letting his keyblade fall limp in a taunt. "You coming?" he demanded.

Maleficent scowled. With a shout, she pointed at him and dark shadows extended from her, reaching out with long, curving claws. And Ven nearly laughed. She was going to try and use darkness to fight him, the embodiment of light? Sure it could definitely work – Vanitas was proof of that - but he suspected that Maleficent had no idea about the purity of the one she was dealing with.

Plus, if she wanted to hurt him like that, she would have to catch him.

His keyblade shone white, and he threw it again, neatly cutting the shadows in half. Wayward Wind continued on its path, making the sorceress cringe, and she barely pulled herself out of the way. Still, it took some of her robe with it.

"Still think I'm weak?" Ven said, thrusting his chest out.

"You are quite strong," Maleficent said. "Congratulations, you have exceeded my expectations. I suppose I should have guessed however, considering the villain hunting you."

"The what hunting me?" Ven repeated.

Once again, her lips lifted into a smile. This time however, there was the sense of something being very, very wrong.

"What do you want with me?" Ven asked again.

"With you? Nothing special." Maleficent examined her hand as she said, "You, child, are simply a bargaining chip. Nothing more."

He paled. "For whom?"

Her smile sharpened. Subtly, her eyes flickered to a spot just beyond Ven's shoulder.

His eyes widened.

He dove forwards, rolling across his shoulder and back onto his feet. The second his feet had left that spot, a lightning bolt had slammed down from the heavens. He felt the electricity dissipate through the ground, making his soles tingle. In a fighting crouch, he readied his keyblade, head swinging from side to side in an effort to keep track of not one, but two opponents. There was Maleficent, cackling loudly, a ring of fire surrounding her. Her headdress cast contorted shadows behind the flames, and the way she moved was similar to the dragon he had been kidnapped by.

But she was the least of his worries, for standing on the other side of him, casually leaning on his keyblade, was the avatar of darkness himself.

He looked exactly as Ven remembered him: covered by a skin-like red and black bodysuit that outlined his muscles, and his face hidden behind a reflective helmet. No one ever would have guessed that Vanitas had been brutally defeated in the past, for the way in which he held himself now spoke of utmost confidence. The red on his suit glistened, as if painted from fresh blood and though the mask shielded his face, Ven knew he was smirking.

"Vanitas," he hissed hatefully. He stepped back, towards Maleficent. From what he had seen of her, she was nothing compared to the might of his other half.

"Ventus." Vanitas shifted his weight back to his feet and scooped up his keyblade. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Vanitas leaned back, arms crossed behind his head just like . . . just like Ven liked to do.

He shook off the strangeness. "It's been eight months," Ven said.

"Wow, only that long? It felt like forever."

Ven's mouth fell open. Since when did Vanitas talk like . . . like him?

It was a coiled gait Vanitas walked with, like a cat sneaking up on its prey. Ven could almost picture claws sprouting from the other's knuckles, attached to a body with a poisonous smile and gleaming yellow eyes. They were eyes that would glow in the dark, that lurked in the darkest recesses of his mind and haunted his dreams; Aqua hadn't been the only one to have nightmares.

Ven knew that without Maleficent around, the odds of him winning were about 50/50. With her, it was probably very low. On the bright side of things, this time, Vanitas didn't have an entire town to send after him. That's what he presumed, at least.

But regardless, Ven was no idiot. He had no intentions of standing his ground, especially when he knew Terra was somewhere out there, itching for a fight.

A quick Aero spell turned his already speedy run into a virtual whirlwind. Before either of them could blink, he was half an acre away. Vanitas was first to react, of course, Maleficent following after. Still, Ven had a good lead, and he was faster than both of them. He was fairly confident in himself.

Vanitas shouted, "Stop him!"

The air rippled in front of Ven, and twisted. From the shells the air had created, burst out monsters. They looked weaker than the ones in Silent Hill, lacked that sense of wrongness to them and felt more like heartless, but it was still enough to make him freeze. On each of the monsters, whether it was emblazed on their chests, carved out by their horns or appendages, was the same symbol: a heart with two lines crossing through it, spiking near the top. It was the same symbol that once, so long ago, had marked Aqua's arm.

The largest monster, a big, hulking creature that resembled an ape, made to grab him. Ven recovered just in time, dodging hastily out of the way. By that time, other monsters were moving. Small purple things with thin bodies were darting towards him, snapping at his legs. He stopped them easily with Wayward Wind, driving his keyblade through their bodies. But that didn't make him feel better, not when the clock was ticking and death was riding up behind him.

Another Aero spell. He propelled himself high above the monsters, landing on his keyblade glider, upon which ravens – bearing the same emblem as the other monsters – came to harass him. Arms shielding his head, he urged his glider forwards, casting a fearful glance behind him.

Oh no. OH no.

What he saw was not simply Vanitas following on his own glider, or Maleficent flying after him like a bat. No, what he saw was Vanitas riding on the head of a dragon.

The dragon belched fire, and Ven tucked into a roll, feeling the heat on his side. He could hear the dragon's leathery wings flapping, and only hoped Terra could as well. Seriously, where was he? This was a fabulous time for him to come to the rescue!

As always, Ven had his speed. But the dragon was large, its wings even more so, and was gobbling up the distance between them. Now, if Ven wanted to survive, he would have to rely on his agility. Easier said than done, especially since Vanitas' pet ravens wouldn't leave him alone.

He flared white, driving back the birds for a few relived seconds. Vanitas and the dragon-formed Maleficent continued to draw closer, plunging after him when Ven pulled into a dive. He darted along the forest floor, hoping the trees would offer some shelter. But the sound of snapping wood told him that at most, the trees were just a sting to the dragon's body.

Well, this wasn't working. Now, he could feel wind buffeting his back every time the dragon's wings beat. Grabbing the tip of his glider, crouching low to it, he brought it up and around, spiralling past the dragon's snapping jaws. He wheeled upwards from there, glancing sideways in time to see his face reflected in Vanitas' mask . . .

And to face the sparking tip of the other's keyblade.

The shot-lock knocked Ven cleanly off his glider, and so great was the sense of disorientation that he didn't think to call his glider back until it was almost too late. A second away from crashing into the ground, he summoned his armour, tried to slow down his descent, and prayed.

With a horrible screech, he slammed right into the dirt. He skidded forwards a few metres, armour creating sparks whenever it brushed against stone. Dented and scratched, the armour dismissed itself as Ven started to move. Head throbbing, the boy could only try to weakly raise himself to his hands and knees before collapsing.

A portal opened, and then Vanitas stepped out in front of him.

Fear shot through him. Again, he tried to stand, but Vanitas merely stepped on his neck, pinning him. His dark keyblade hung limply at his side, just an inch away from Ven's nose. His dark laugh made Ven's heart thump painfully, as if his darker half had started to torture him right there.

"This seems familiar," Vanitas chuckled.

Ven said nothing and did nothing, saving his strength.

Vanitas grabbed his hair and pulled, making Ven gasp in pain. "Did you really think you could defeat me a second time?" he asked, tone devoid of emotion, having returned to his regular way of speaking. "I play for keeps."

He slammed Ven's head into the ground, making his eyes water.

"I think I'll leave you like this," Vanitas said, "face-down in the dirt while I cut you up. It's exactly what you deserve." He clicked his tongue, moving his keyblade so that its tip traced the edge of Ven's spine. "It doesn't even compare to the years of torture you put me through, but it's a start."

He couldn't help but whimper as the keyblade drew blood. Vanitas, hearing this, drove it in even deeper, and Ven had to bite his sleeve to keep from crying out.

"Now that we have caught him, I believe it is your turn to assist me." Ven couldn't see her, but he knew that was Maleficent.

"Not so fast," Vanitas said. "You said you'd let your pet look around."

"And I have," Maleficent said. "Diablo tells me that the other keyblader is on his way."

There was a pause before Vanitas carefully said. "Just one other keyblader."

"That is all he has seen."

"Terra," Vanitas muttered. In a louder voice, he said, "So, you guys left Aqua at home. That's fine. Makes it easier for me to find her."

Ven thrashed suddenly, the violence of it nearly throwing Vanitas off. "Stay away from her!"

"Why should I?" Vanitas flipped him over, and his hands closed around his throat and squeezed. "She's my friend. Mine! And she's . . ."

His grip slackened, allowing Ven to breathe. His neck ached, and he desperately wanted to massage it, but he was afraid the sudden movement would attract Vanitas' attention.

" . . . She's sleeping," Vanitas whispered. "I . . . I can feel it!"

It was a complete change in tone. Gone was the sadistic warrior from before. Now, Vanitas sounded absolutely giddy, like a child who had just seen the presents awaiting him on Christmas. The hands fell away from Ven's neck completely as Vanitas turned to face Maleficent.

"My connection to her," Vanitas said, "I can feel it. I haven't been able to since . . . since Terra and him . . ."

"Excellent," Maleficent said, "now, your end of the bargain . . .?"

But Vanitas wasn't listening. "I don't know how long she'll be asleep," he muttered. He opened up a portal. "Looks like it's off to the dungeons for you, Ventus."

"Our deal, Vanitas!" Maleficent shouted.

"Stop worrying, I'll do it later," Vanitas said. "I have something else I need to do first."

"No!" The crack of her staff against stone was like a whip. "You are not leaving until the matter of our deal is attended to."

"Then throw him in your dungeon," Vanitas said, "and I'll fulfill my end when I come back for him."

Maleficent nodded. "Acceptable."

Ven stirred, seeing that attention was off him. Closing his eyes, he gathered the light inside him –

And when Maleficent's spidery fingers reached for him, he let it loose.

The sorceress screeched, a terrible sound like a cross between a raven's shriek and a dragon's roar. But Vanitas, he just stood there, staring down at his captive. The light hadn't even made him flinch.

Ven stuttered, "How . . .?"

Vanitas cocked his head to one side. Then, with an insane laugh, he brought the pommel of his keyblade down on Ven's head.

Seeing as Ven inherited quite a few things from Vanitas, Some people have been asking what traits Vanitas picked up from Ven. Well, there's one of them.

Review Response:

MoonLitSparklesofTwilight: Aha, sorry to get your hopes up, but there's already too much stuff happening in this fic. Stuffing in a plotline for another character is a bit too much for me, especially one I've never used before. Sorry :) (But as for why terrible stuff keeps happening to them? Because a) it's totally an angst fic, b) those kind of things make great places to end chapters, and c) It's FUN! :D ) Oh and one last thing. I was glancing through the story stats when I noticed this fic had mysteriously been added to a community X)... so lots of thanks for that!