a/n: hello my beauties! long-ish chapter today!

enjoy!

a-far-off-memory


For the next two days, Ven stayed in Vanitas' room most of the time, seeing as he was bedridden. In those two days, they talked a lot and got to know each other more. Ven learned that Vanitas adored birds and anything to do with the sky—he said he envied their freedom.

"Do you know what your name means, Ventus?" he'd questioned, one eyebrow raised.

Ven had shaken his head. "I can't say that I do."

Vanitas' eyes had closed, a smile on his face. "It means wind. You're a lot like the wind, Ven—unpredictable, strong-willed, and a force to be reckoned with. You're free-spirited. You have a mind of your own." He'd sighed then. "I think names have an impact on who we are."

"Didn't you say yours means emptiness?" Ven had asked, brow furrowed.

"Yes, Ven, and my life has been very empty. I have been very empty. But...you came here, and you blew me away, and now I don't feel so empty anymore."

Ven blushed every time he thought about that. He and Vanitas had gotten progressively closer—they were to a point where they could be in each other's presence without needing to speak. Most on their time was spent in silence—Ven would draw, and Vanitas would continue working on his music.

It was nice, just doing that. But it was in those moments that Ven truly realized that he had a not so little crush on the master of the house. He didn't know if Vanitas felt the way he did, but...he couldn't help it. Sora had been right in saying that there was a lonely, sweet, caring boy beneath the hard exterior. Every time Vanitas revealed something about himself, it only made Ven fall a little harder.


After three days in bed, Vanitas was finally allowed to get up. His body was still sore, but he'd been adamant about not staying in bed any longer. He'd been very restless, and Ven had almost had to restrain him to keep him in bed on more than one occasion.

"I'd like to meet your friends, Ven."

The statement came out of nowhere as they were walking around the grounds. Most of the snow had melted, so there was plenty of mud that was getting Ven's boots dirty.

"R-really?" he stuttered, completely taken by surprise.

The taller teen nodded. "You've met all of my friends, after all."

That made Ven grin. "I guess it's only fair, then. I'll write a letter and tell them to come here," he said, turning toward the house.

Vanitas' hand on his arm stopped him. "Or we could go to them. I haven't been past the woods in ages." He said it with a small smirk.

"Are you...sure? You're still recovering, Vanitas."

He waved a hand dismissively. "I feel fine, don't worry." He started moving toward the stables. "I'll get Minnie ready, could you tell Sora that we're going?"

"Yeah...sure," he replied. He had a feeling Sora wouldn't like the idea too much, but he headed back to the house nonetheless.

"Sora?" he called, stepping aside. He stayed in the entrance, not wanting to dirty the floors with his muddy boots.

"He's in the bath," a soft feminine voice giggled from his right.

Turning, he found Kairi dusting. "Oh," he said, scratching his cheek. "Do you know where Riku is, then?"

She giggled again. "In the bath with him."

Ven's face reddened slightly at that. "O-Oh. Well, um, would you mind, uh, telling them that I need to, ah, speak with them right away?"

Setting her duster aside, she walked over and pinched his cheek with a grin. "You're adorable when you're flustered, Ven." She let go, moving toward the stairs. "I'll have them down here in a moment." She jogged up the steps and turned down the west hall, practically skipping away.

Seconds later, a twin shout of "Kairi!" echoed through the house. Ven bit his lip to keep from laughing—Kairi was certainly brazen.

A few moments later, Kairi returned with a soggy Riku and Sora, both who were glaring slightly at her. "Oh come on, it isn't the first time I've walked in on you two! Get over it," she laughed, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders. "I'm your best friend, anyway, so it's not like it matters."

"You could have at least knocked!" Sora exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Riku cleared his throat, turning to Ven. "You needed us for something?"

"Well, um...Vanitas told me to tell you that he and I are going out today," he said quickly, bracing himself for them to put up a fight.

But none came. "Oh?" Sora questioned, raising an eyebrow. "What for?"

"He wants to meet Aqua and Terra, I guess," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "He says he's feeling good enough to go, so..."

"Alright," the brunet replied, smiling. "Just don't let anything happen to him, okay?"

"Of course," he assured him.

"Will you two be back for dinner?" asked Riku as he grabbed Kairi by the neck as Sora started tickling her.

"I'm not sure," responded Ven, wincing at the sound of Kairi's squeals. "Probably though."

"Well don't come back too late, alright? We don't need any more late night incidents around here," Sora told him, ceasing his tickling to be serious. "I can't lose my brother or you, got it?"

"Got it," he echoed. "Don't worry, Aqua and Terra don't live too far away from the woods anyway."

"Alright. Have fun, then," Riku said with a smile.

"Thanks," Ven replied before turning and heading out the door.

"You better run, Red!" he heard Riku shout as he headed toward the stable, causing him to chuckle. Kairi's squeals were loud enough to be heard even as he was reaching the stable.

"Ready?" Vanitas questioned as he tightened the buckle on Minnie's saddle.

"I am if you are," he answered with a smile. He couldn't believe it—he was going to see his friends!

"Then let's go."

At Ven's strange look, he inquired, "What?"

Ven shook his head. "Nothing, it's just...I'm surprised you aren't covering your face."

Vanitas shrugged nonchalantly, though Ven could tell it was an act. "I figure it'd just draw more attention to me if I did."

Impulsively, Ven reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "You don't have to worry about Aqua and Terra, they don't mind a few scars," he saod softly. "They judge people by their actions, not their looks."

He watched as tension left Vanitas' shoulders and felt an answering squeeze in his hand. "I wouldn't care what they think about me anyway. Because I know what you think about me, and you're the one who matters."

He blushed at that, which made Vanitas smile. Letting go of his hand, Ven took Minnie's reins and led her outside, where he swung himself up onto her back. He then held out a hand for Vanitas to take, helping to pull him up behind him.

He blushed just a little bit more when he felt arms slip around him. "Let's go," Vanitas whispered in his ear. Ven could practically feel the smirk.

Tapping Minnie's sides with his heels, he urged her into a sharp trot as they went through the gate and into the woods beyond.

Ven stayed to the main path this time, avoiding straying off into the deeper woods. He felt anxious to be traveling through the woods again, where there was less light and more dangers, but Vanitas' warmth against his back served to calm him slightly. He felt more at ease with Vanitas there.

"It's going to be strange, seeing the town again," the black-haired teen commented after a little while. "I haven't been outside there woods in over fifty years."

"Wow," Ven murmured. "Well I'm sure it's not much different from then. This place...it doesn't really change."

Vanitas grinned. "I always said the same thing."

The ride passed quickly. Soon, a break in the trees was visible, and Ven headed toward it excitedly. He couldn't wait to see Aqua and Terra—to introduce them to Vanitas. Although it made him nervous as well...after all, they thought Vanitas was some tyrant beast keeping him against his will. And while Ven was being kept there, it wasn't really against his will anymore. He liked living in the old mansion, surrounded by all the new friends he'd made.

"So where do your friends live?" asked the golden eyed teen.

"Terra lives there"—he pointed to a large-ish farmhouse with a front porch and many chickens roaming around—"Aqua lives there"—he pointed slightly farther down the road, to a big house surrounded with grazing cows—"and, well, I live there." He pointed to a house at the very end of the road that had a water wheel and a small stable.

"I see. And whose house are we going to?"

"Well, Terra is usually at Aqua's, so I guess we'll go there," replied the blond with a shrug.

They reached the house within minutes. Both dismounting, Ven tied Minnie's reins to a pole, gave her a few gentle pats, then led Vanitas to the door and knocked.

"Coming," the soft voice of his friend called.

Seconds later, the door opened. Ven watched Aqua's eyes widen in complete shock before she grabbed him and hugged him as hard as she could.

"Oh, Ven," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

Gently extracting himself from her embrace, Ven smiled. He was about to reply, but Vanitas beat him to it.

"I thought Ven might like to see his friends," he said smoothly, stepping into view.

Aqua's cerulean eyes narrowed in confusion. "Ven, who's this?"

Stepping back to grab Vanitas' undamaged arm, Ven said, "Aqua, I'd like you to meet Vanitas. Vanitas, this is my best friend, Aqua."

Aqua's features became guarded. "You're Vanitas?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Aqua."

"Likewise," she said tightly, stepping aside. "Come in, you two, it's cold out."

Aqua led them into the den, where she motioned for them to sit.

"Where's Terra? I thought he'd be here," Ven murmured, looking around.

"He won't be here for another hour, he's working," she replied, not once taking her eyes off of Vanitas. It's like she thought he was going to attack or something.

"Oh," he said quietly, looking down.

"It's alright if we wait, right?" Vanitas asked her, seemingly ignoring her watchful stare.

"Of course. I wouldn't begrudge either of them this rare chance of seeing each other." Whoa. Aqua was going full mama bear mode.

"Aqua," Ven muttered under his breath, shooting her a glare.

"It's alright, Ven, I can see she doesn't like me. It's of no consequence to me—remember what I said before we left?"

The blond blushed, looking down at his hands. "I just don't like the animosity I'm seeing. Aqua, give him a chance?"

"Why should I? Ven, he's taken you from us and he's taken you from your father. I don't suppose you have a visit with him planned, do you?"

Ven winced at that. Slowly, he looked up to meet her eyes. "Because he's a person, and everyone deserves a chance. You're treating him like some sort of beast, Aqua, and I won't stand for it. I know he's a good person, because I gave him a chance. I know that if you do, you'll see it too," he said evenly. "And you should give him a chance because if it wasn't for him, I'd be dead right now. Vanitas saved my life."

That seemed to catch her attention. "What happened? Are you hurt?" she asked rapidly, blue eyes darting over every inch of him.

"I'm fine," he emphasized, crossing his arms. "He almost died."

"And I would have gladly died as long as you were okay," Vanitas murmured, offering a smile.

Taking a deep breath, Aqua turned back to Vanitas. "I guess I owe you an apology and a thank you, then. If anything happened to Ven, I don't know what I'd do. So thank you...and I'm sorry for being harsh. Ven is like a brother to me, and I just want to protect him."

"Then we both want the same thing," he told her, offering the smallest of smiles.

"I guess so," she replied, mirroring his smile. "Are you alright, Vanitas? Do you need anything?"

"I'm quite fine. Ventus is an excellent nurse," he grinned, golden eyes moving to Ven.

The blond blushed. "All I did was change your bandages and give you medicine. Naminé, Riku and Sora did all the real work." He paused. "Speaking of, you didn't tear anything back open, did you?"

Vanitas shrugged, causing Ven to roll his eyes. "You're going to give me an ulcer. Take off your coat and let me see your arm."

Complying with the request, Vanitas removed his coat and pulled up his sleeve, revealing his bandages. Small spots of red were beginning to seep through, causing Ven to curse under his breath.

"Do you have any bandages, Aqua?" he asked, glancing over at his blue-haired friend.

She stood, nodding. "How much do you need?"

He sighed. "I don't know. Lots, maybe? I haven't checked his chest yet."

"Alright, I'll be right back. Do you need any water or anything?" she questioned, pausing in the doorway.

Ven nodded, pulling a small container filled with capsules out of his pocket. "He needs to take one of these."

Nodding, she left the room. As soon as she did, Ven set the capsules aside and crossed his arms over his chest. "Shirt, off," he ordered in a no-nonsense tone.

The black-haired teen snorted. "Ventus, you're overreacting. It's just a little blood."

Blue eyes narrowed at that. "You aren't supposed to strain yourself in any way, Vanitas. This trip was clearly too much—and I shouldn't have let you tack Minnie and do all that stretching..."

Golden eyes rolled as he pulled his shirt over his head, setting it aside. The bandages on his chest were redder than those on his arm, causing Ven to mutter quietly to himself as he worked on taking them off.

Aqua returned just as he was taking the bandages off, eyes widening as she set the roll of bandages, glass of water and facecloth on the small table. "Oh my. What did this to you? It looks so painful."

There was the Aqua that Ven knew. The one who didn't hesitate to show compassion or kindness to anyone, who cared for the wellbeing of those around her.

"Wolves," Vanitas replied, wincing as Ven began to wipe the blood away. "I had to chase off a whole pack. They chased Ven up a tree, his feet got pretty cut up." His eyes lowered as he said it, and Ven just knew that he was berating himself again.

The blond halted in his movements, tilting Vanitas' chin up so that theie eyes met. "Don't even. You got there in time, which is what matters. I shouldn't have left in the first place."

"Wait, you left?" asked Aqua, one eyebrow raising. "Why did you leave?"

Seeing Vanitas about to say something, he quickly beat him to it. "We had a little argument, that's all," the blond replied, shrugging. "I ran off with Minnie and got lost in the woods, and then the wolves came. No big deal."

"Ventus," Vanitas murmured, voice low.

Ven shot him a look, giving him the slightest head shake. "It's in the past now. All's forgiven. Right?"

Sighing in defeat, Vanitas simply nodded.

Aqua smiled. "Well, I'm glad the both of you are okay. Thanks again, Vanitas...I'm very grateful to you for risking your life for Ven. It seems my assumptions about you were unjustified and unfair." She paused, biting her lip. "I just...I just wish you weren't keeping Ven there all the time. Terra and I have missed him."

Ven looked over and found a slight sadness in the golden eyes he loved so much. "I am sorry, Aqua. Would it make you feel better if I told you that you may visit whenever you'd like?" he questioned, offering a smile.

Aqua's mouth fell open, azure eyes full of hope. "Really? You mean that?"

The black-haired man nodded, his smile growing. "I know that Ventus has missed both you and Terra immensely, and I just want him to be happy."

Smiling widely, Aqua reached out and pulled him into a hug, careful not to touch his wounds. "Thank you, Vanitas. I appreciate that more than you'll ever know."

Ven giggled at the shocked look on Vanitas' face as he was suddenly hugged, clearly not having expected it. But, slowly, he hugged her back, beaming. "Well, Aqua, even though we got off on the wrong foot...I admire you. I know that you were only worried about Ven, which was completely justified. You have a kind, big heart, and I can appreciate that." He let go of her, pulling away. "And I'm very grateful that you don't seem to be frightened by my appearance. It takes some getting used to for most..."

Aqua's smile softened. "I see what's on the inside, Vanitas. The outside doesn't matter to me."

Ven grinned triumphantly. "See? You were worried for nothing, Vanitas."

The other male chuckled. "I suppose I was. Reflex, I guess."

"I actually find them quite intriguing...there's a story behind every scar, after all." Seeing him tense, she offered a placating smile. "Don't worry, I won't pry. I can tell that they make you uncomfortable, so I can't imagine you enjoy discussing them."

"Th...thank you for understanding, Aqua. You're incredibly observant."

Ven continued cleaning Vanitas' wounds as he conversed with Aqua. He was so happy that they were actually getting along—he thought it would take much more, but then again, that was who Aqua was. Once she saw good in someone, that was enough for her.

He had a feeling that Terra was going to be more difficult. But at least he had Aqua on their side, and if anyone could make Terra see reason, it was her.


a/n: can i just say that i adore aqua?

so, terra next. what do you guys think is gonna happen? let me know in a review c:

also, no update tomorrow, because there are still unfinished chapters of this and i've kinda hit a block and next chapter is the last finished chapter i have lololol

i'll try to get everything done asap!

afom out~