Chapter Eleven: Haven for the Wayward Heart

The crow's nest of the space-borne Jolly Roger; late evening of February the second…

He murdered all his friends. Deny it though Ventus tried, that crew of scallywags he spent the last seven weeks of his life with truly were his friends—his family. And for every lie he screamed at himself to believe otherwise, he no longer considered Terra and Aqua his friends. He wanted to hate himself for it, but at the same time, Ven accepted that situations and people change with time. He simply wasn't a part of Eraqus' family anymore and he had nothing to do with Xehanort's. So, whose family am I?

His knees tucked to his chest as he sat on the floor of the crow's nest, he remorsefully studied the eyepatch held in his hand: the very same piece of ebony cloth that belonged to the one he called brother—Jexel—whom Master Xehanort slew. Jexel: the crystalmancer, the boy almost a year older than him that he met in Tortuga—two young hopefuls trying to join Hook's crew, but for vastly different reasons. Jexel: the brother he would have spared and run off to continue sailing the cosmos with had things gone differently. But when the young crystalmancer refused to listen to him and Xehanort severed the teenaged pirate's head, all those adventures Ventus planned to share with his would-be first-mate were shattered into nothingness—only dreams of a future destroyed beyond any hope of repair.

The metal flask of rum at his side that he drank from after his betrayal almost twenty-four hours ago was only a few inches away from empty now. He wanted to stave-off any desire to drink for as long as he would be with Terra and Aqua before finally leaving, but after what he learned in the captain's cabin…

He clenched his eyes shut in a failed attempt to keep further tears from escaping, but the memory of betrayal was too great. Hardly a half-hour ago, before they left London, Ven barged into the captain's cabin to speak with Xehanort—to urgently tell him of how Mr. Smee had stolen the map to Treasure Planet that Ven himself wanted to take with him to finance his reentry into piracy. But instead of a sympathetic teacher willing to grant his un-student one last favor, he found the old man in Hook's chair, already eyeing the activated map in his hand with a ravenous desire apparent on his face. And not far away from the Master stood Smee, humbled in the presence of the old man after giving him the gift, yet also fully aware of how his act of passive aggression had wounded horrified Ventus.

Unaware of the animosity between the half-Shadow and his prodigal student, Xehanort addressed the boy, "Mr. Smee has proven himself a valuable asset to our cause. With the unfathomable treasure this map leads to, we'll be more than able to finance the Coalition of Allied Worlds' efforts and scientific advances in this war against the Heartless. And beyond all military expenses, we'll possess the wealth to rebuild everything the Heartless destroyed ten times over. And just imagine: when all is restored greater than it ever was, we'll still have enough to raise the standard of living for every citizen of the Coalition. But perhaps the greatest prize is this: when this map is activated on a certain crevice on its home planet, it will activate a galaxy-wide portal system that will allow an armada of ships to pass through and appear anywhere in the known galaxy instantly! The Heartless will be no match for hit-and-run tactics such as those! Any other pirate would have kept the map and wealth all for himself, but not Mr. Smee. No, he is exactly the benefactor we've needed all along."

So, Mr. Smee had been promoted from petty servant and pet to trusted and revered assistant, and all it took was the complete and utter annihilation of Ven's dreams for the future.

Returned to the present in the crow's nest, Ven clenched the eye-patch in his fist and squeezed his eyes shut, intermittent weeping shaking his alcohol-filled body. That bastard! He knew! He knew what I was doing and he—he ruined it all anyways! Is this supposed to be his revenge? Haven't I lost enough? First my friends…and now my future…

Eyes still shut and brimming with tears, he reached his free hand to the near-empty flask at his side, only for another, calming hand to gently grasp his own and stay his reach. Shocked and humiliated for anyone to see him in this state, his eyes flung open and he found Aqua knelt beside him and Terra standing just behind, a pure, soul-piercing sympathy and forlornness in their eyes.

I didn't hear them come up…! When did they get here—? The rum must have dulled his senses more than previously thought.

This was truly the first time Ven and the grownups saw each other awake or made contact in over seven weeks, and none expected their reunion to be anything like this. Ven wanted to say something—anything—but all conceptions of speech died before passing his throat. His friends were silent as well, but they held their tongues deliberately. There was only the heart-wrenching silence between them. No "Long time no sees" or "It's good to see you agains" or even a congenial "Give me a break, Aqua!" This was nothing like when his adoptive sister used to startle him from his naps or daydreams in the grassy fields of the Land of Departure or when his adoptive brother would ambush him for an impromptu sparring round before bestowing him with some questionable Terra-brand wisdom; some terrible weight had fallen upon them, and the look in his elder siblings' eyes and their sympathetic composure told Ven they knew far more of his predicament than they should.

He tried again to speak, but Aqua—who stood nearer than Terra—pulled him into a tight, much-needed hug, one of her hands securing his back and the other caressing his hair, positioning his head against her shoulder—something to mourn against. Astounded and speechless, the boy pirate was far too stunned by the storm of conflicting emotions racking his heart and mind amid the unexpected hug that he honestly couldn't fathom that he was supposed to hug back. Instead, Aqua broke the silence, purest empathy in her voice, "We know everything. About the pirates, Jexel, the map… It's okay. Let it out."

"H—how did…?"

"The note you left on your bunk," Terra answered. "You never retrieved it after Xehanort discovered the map. It's okay. Let it out."

When shock finally subsided, Ventus remembered how compassion worked and he shamelessly wept, wailed into Aqua's shoulder, wrapping his shaking arms around her as his shoulders bobbed and his heart bled without fear of indignity. Did this mean they expected him to stay? Were they alright with the prospect of him leaving and never coming back? And what happened to Terra's eye and cheek that they were covered in medical gauze? Suddenly, those things didn't matter. There was only the now. There was only Ven's bared, vulnerable soul and the kind, loving angels who accepted him despite every flaw and corruption that shamed him.

Aqua's fingers stroked his golden tresses as the boy's hot tears ran down her shoulder. Speaking to him in a hushed, soothing tone, "Shh—it's okay. Just get it out," she and Terra gazed upward through the transparent energy field encompassing the Jolly Roger and stared out into the majestic ocean of space. Countless planets, stars, and nebulae surrounded them as they sailed through Heaven's domain, and for the first time in eleven months—when Ventus first ran away and only a few weeks before Eraqus died of that enigmatic virus—they could look into the heavens without the weight of loneliness leaving a gaping void in their hearts.

Some time passed and the three sat reclined against the wooden railing of the crow's nest, all three of them surveying the vastness of space together for the first time in almost a year: Ven in the middle with Terra's left arm slung over his shoulder and Aqua holding the younger boy's hand. The near-empty flask of rum stood discarded off to the side. They passed through a nebulous cloud of violets, pinks, and blues and Aqua commented, "I'll bet you got to see space like this all the time, huh?"

Ven was slow to answer, his eyes still visibly reddened from mourning, but spoke genuinely all the same, "Yeah. Sailing with these guys…it was really a lot of fun. There was so much I got to do and see…" His voice faltered and there was a notable pang of anguish in his words. "It's hard to believe those days are gone."

Terra looked on him morosely. "We should've known this would be difficult for you." The other two turned to him, surprised at his confession. "You've always wanted to explore and make new friends, and I guess being a pirate and joining a crew finally gave you that opportunity. We knew all that when we considered you for this mission, and our only concern was the constant danger you'd be in. We never considered you'd grow attached to all this—to the crew, the adventure, everything…" His words were sincere. "I'm sorry we had to take it all away. We should've known…"

Ven turned his gaze away, looking ahead into the surrounding nebula again, and calmly replied, "I don't blame either of you for what happened here. This was my choice. I chose to go undercover and commit to this job all the way to the end. So, don't blame yourselves."

His solemn maturity came as a surprise to them. He simply wasn't the helpless, childlike soul they'd grown accustomed to caring for in the three years they lived together in Eraqus' castle. For better or for worse, Ven was growing up, and the previous seven weeks of his formative process were violently undone in one tragic evening, leaving him seeming as a broken shell. But not permanently broken—there was enough left of him to be redeemed, rebuilt. His friends understood this and resolved to be the hands that guided him if he was willing to accept them…if he was willing to stay…

The nebula passed, the stars returned, and a faint, silvery glint sparked in the corner of Ven's eye—a sparkle not of celestial origin, but manmade—and he turned to Terra's left hand draped over his shoulder to inspect the faded glimmer, and on his friend's ring-finger was the metal band of wedlock. The boy pirate nearly choked in flustered shock at the sight, drawing both his friends' attention. Aqua probed, "Ven? What's—? Ah—" and before the words escaped her mouth, Ven had grabbed and held up her left hand, inspecting it for a ring complementary to Terra's. Breath left him in stupefied confusion when he found her fingers bare.

"T—T—Terra—!" Ventus stuttered in a rush of frayed emotions, "Y—you're married!—and not to Aqua!"

The grownups exchanged confused glances at each other, but when the shock subsided, they each began to chuckle until full-blown laughter escaped them. Ven looked back and forth between them, anxiously waiting for clarity.

"No, Ven," Aqua replied amid the hilarity, "I am not married to Terra. His wife's name is Naomi." She briefly snorted from the laughter before continuing," And I think you'd like her. She may only be a civilian, but she's also one of the smartest and bravest people I know." A clear admiration was evident in her voice. "The way she does field research with Radiant Garden's top scientists to study the Heartless so we can better understand them… And it's not just the Heartless; she's got this—this way of understanding people, too, and helping them work through their problems, even when things are really bleak. And that's another thing about her; she's really kind and selfless, too."

Terra stared suspiciously at his blue-haired friend. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were the one married to her."

The young woman's eyes widened, completely unprepared for that comment. But a second later, she tempered her surprise into cunning. "You better watch your back, Terra," she teased playfully, "or maybe I'll make her my wife."

And while Ven was left to nervously ponder just how serious she was about her intentions and her sexuality (he never gave much thought to the latter regarding her or anyone else until now), Terra only composedly shot back in a matching playful tone, "So you're a better ladies' man than me, but you won't take custody of my kids so easily."

At this, shock convulsed Ven into taking a gagged inhalation of air as his only means of expressing his emotionally-confused astonishment. Wha—?! Children?! He jerked his head at once back to Terra and coarsely barked, "You've spawned?!"

With those words, Terra and Aqua exploded into laughter once again while Ven was left to reel in the overwhelming confusion. When Terra finally wiped the joyous tears from his eyes, he explained after the final guffaws petered out, "No, Ven, I have not 'spawned,' as you so graciously put it. Naomi already had a son a few years back. His name's Sora, and he honestly reminds me of you a little bit. She adopted Sora's friend, Riku, after he lost his family when their world was destroyed. I'll introduce you to them when we reach Radiant Garden."

Aqua leaned closer into them, a lighthearted smirk adorning her as she inquired of Ven, "You really thought Terra and I would get married?"

"W—well—!" the boy stuttered, his cheeks flushed.

"That's really sweet," she finished as further laughter escaped her. It only makes sense, though. Terra and I practically raised Ven. It's not surprising he'd think of us as his parents.

Failing to recompose himself, Ven uncouthly exploded again, "But—when did this happen?! Was I really gone that long?!"

"Eleven months lasts a while, Ven," Terra replied. "A lot's happened to us and the worlds since you've been gone. I met Naomi after we evacuated as much of Destiny Islands as we could, almost three months ago. We've only been married eight days."

Ventus continued to stare at him, silently bewildered. "That's…not a very long time to know someone, is it?"

Terra shrugged. "Times are changing. Most people live in constant fear of their world being the next one the Heartless will swallow up, and the few who survive their world's destruction have other refugees to contend against for dwindling resources with governments unsure how to provide for them, so most of them end up in ghettos or prisons. And where there're too many people crammed together and not enough resources, there's crime. Whoever escaped the Heartless still has to fight their fellow survivors, all while holding their breath until the Heartless strike again. Any day could be someone's last, even ours. When your future looks that bleak, well…suddenly, time's a luxury we just can't afford. If we want to explore life—if we even get the chance—we have to hurry, because there may not be a tomorrow. Naomi and I understand that, so we didn't wait too long to get married after we fell in love. It wasn't at first sight, but our love is real. It's kept us going. It's made us stronger. And that's all we needed to know we want to spend the rest of our short lives together."

Calmed down though he was, a visible uneasiness still influenced Ven's countenance. "But…it's just…I dunno, I always thought you and Aqua would get married. This is too weird."

Aqua put a hand on her younger brother's shoulder to comfort him. "To be honest, there were times when we thought about it. We had some on- and off-again affairs in the past—some casual and some more serious—even right around the time you first showed up. Heck, one time we even considered eloping before reason settled in. That's how we were at times." She was interrupted by the sound of Terra's uncontrolled sniggering. Aqua glanced over to him, unamused, and stoically chided, "Terra, whichever of our passionate trysts your perverted mind is recalling, could you not think about it in front of Ven?"

The brunette only stilled himself long enough to reply, "You don't want me to tell him about Caer Dathyl?"

At this, Aqua yelped feverishly as a mad blush overtook her features. "Especially not that! You promised to never speak of it again!"

Terra tried—and failed—to hold in those explosive giggles behind his hand, leaving poor Ven once again in the dark. He timidly asked, "Um…what are you guys talking about…?"

Terra opened his mouth to speak, a devilish expression upon him, but Aqua scrambled to her knees and hastily covered Ven's ears before screaming, "Don't you dare tell him!" Her muscles gradually loosened then as an air far more devious and sinister emitted from her, her ominous smile a harrowing indicator that she was about to change tactics. She uncovered Ven's ears and let her arms hang casually over his shoulders as she rested her chin on his hair and continued, "…That is, not unless you want him to hear about our time at the Palais du Louvre."

Terra gasped a gasp so gasply that one would scarcely recognize him as the calm and confident Keybearer he so typically was. Words failed him, leaving him to point an accusing finger at his former lover as his whole body shook of nervousness before he finally exploded from his shame-clogged throat, "That was not my fault! It was dark—I couldn't tell who was who or what was what!"

"Or what was whose," she added impishly, her head now just above Ven's shoulder.

Face red and quivering with indignity, Terra finally blarghed and slumped over in defeat. "You win," he muttered pathetically.

It might have been their nearness to each other, but with Aqua languidly pressed against him and in light of her victory over Terra, her laughter seemed somehow more beautiful and silvery than usual to Ven. Her arms were around him, her bosom against his back, and her laughter in such near proximity to his ears. Was she unaware of how this could embarrass a teenage boy such as him, or did she simply not care? A bashful rosiness duly graced Ven's features, one which neither of his friends noticed, distracted as they were by each other.

At length, the red in his face desaturated enough, the blonde ventured with a sheepish smile, "All that insane stuff you guys went through…you must've really been in love."

Aqua chuckled, her breath warm on his neck. "You bet we were. Every time we were together—whether it was in a flare of passion or just a casual moment we shared…" her words shifted focus from Ven to the one-eyed brunette, "Terra, you made me feel alive. In a way, you still do." At this, Terra looked up at his friends again, surprised—if not warmed—from the sudden tone-shift. Aqua continued, "And even though we could never make the romance between us last, I still value every impact you made on my life. The fact that you're still my best friend after all the ups and downs we've had should be a testament to just how valuable you are to me, and that should never be taken for granted or devalued just because our relationship is now platonic."

Terra really…was not expecting that, as it showed in the light blush on his face. Aqua seamlessly transitioned from shutting him down to lifting him back up, yet both approaches led to his embarrassment. How does she do that?!

Still mildly flustered, Terra averted his eyes, scratched his temple, and replied, "Uh…thanks, Aqua. I…'best friend' you too."

That got a satisfied giggle out of her, and that was more rewarding than shooting her down with "Y'know, sometimes you are such a girl." It wouldn't have felt right returning her heartfelt compliment with a childish insult, but darned if it wasn't tempting.

She'd since released her affectionate hold on Ventus and propped herself in a seated position with her hands on the floor, returning to her earlier monologue, "Love works in strange ways, Ven. Feelings can come and go and you don't always end up with who you thought you would. Most often, you don't marry your teenage sweetheart. You both grow up, you meet other people, and life goes on. But Terra and I are still the best of friends and we'll always treasure the experiences we had—you don't ever have to worry about that." Then, she quirked her eyebrows and a mischievous smile formed on her face as she play-poked Ven in the ribs, earning a quick squeak and a wince from him as she probed, "And what about you, ha? You have any off-world girlfriends from your swashbuckling days exploring the high seas?" A potentially dangerous subject, but she hoped this wouldn't salt any fresh wounds.

Terra hadn't considered it, and now Aqua's inquiry piqued his interest as well. He looked to Ven expectantly, his expression just as teasing as Aqua's. Ven flushed madly between them, then he sprung to his feet and leaned over the far side of the railing, inhaling and exhaling loudly to catch his breath in the panic. Though his friends attempted to abstain from laughter, he made it just too difficult and they soon guffawed at his reaction.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ven," Aqua called, genuinely apologetic despite her mirth. "I didn't mean to embarrass you that much."

"Does this mean you really do have a string of lovers awaiting you on different worlds?" Terra pressed.

Aqua jabbed him. "Terra!"

"What? You mean to tell me you can't see our little Ven turning out to be quite the ladies' man?"

"Our Ventus would be a perfect gentleman and he'd never dream of cheating on any maiden he's confessed his love to."

"Who said it was cheating? Maybe it's all a consensual harem; women throw themselves at him willingly and he's a respectful lover to each of them."

Aqua considered it a moment, looked studiously at flustered Ven, and conceded with a playful smile, "You could be on to something there. Our Ventus has always been quite the looker. I wouldn't put it past him to have the girls so head-over-heels that they would agree to be his lovers all at once. Are we on the right track here, Ven?"

He turned back around to face them, now redder than ever, and waved his hands before them. "No—that's not it! That's not it at all!"

They laughed their cheery laughs again, wiping away tears in their eyes from their kid brother's priceless reactions. Terra replied, "Well, if you don't tell us about your love-life, we'll just have to make one up for you."

"How many girls do you think he's brought up here?"

"Guys," Ven anxiously barked, "I've never had a girlfriend!"

"Really?" Terra asked in half-disbelief. "All that time breaking the rules and living as you please and you never sought the company of attractive women?"

"Well—" Ven stuttered again, "—not, like…I mean, I've talked to plenty at the taverns and the villages and we always had a good time—but nothing like you're describing!"

"Aww," Aqua admired, then turned sidelong to the bandaged brunette, "See, Terra? Our Ven is a perfect gentleman."

Terra shrugged. "Could'a fooled me."

Ven almost snapped back with a "What's that supposed to mean?" but reservation stilled his words. He recalled key moments of his days as a pirate and hesitantly brought himself to reveal, "Nah…the real playboy…that was Jexel." The grownups' demeanor sobered at once and they looked to standing Ventus in genuine surprise. They hadn't expected him to discuss something as personal as his dead crewmates so soon—possibly never. Ven continued, "Or, at least, that's what he thought of himself. He struck-out more often than not, but that never brought down his spirits. He had fun trying. The funny thing, though: when he finally met a girl he swore he was completely in love with—Marina—he changed immediately. He tried being respectful and got all nervous whenever she was around or when we talked about her…" There was that misty-eyed nostalgia overtaking him. He brought a hand to wipe away some forming tears, unconsciously using the one that gripped Jexel's eyepatch. When he realized his action, he jolted in surprise a moment, then stayed as he was, a quivering half-smile gracing him.

Understanding the weight of the topic, Aqua carefully ventured, "So, what happened? Did he get the girl?"

Ven lowered the eyepatch-grasping hand and continued wistfully, "Eventually, yeah. He had a lot to prove, though. She knew what a player he was and that didn't make it easy. So, I tried putting the good word in and I guess it worked. It didn't last long, though. It couldn't. When Hook decided we were going to raid her village next, Jexel and I helped her and her family escape before the rest of the crew found her. We stole her a small Gummi Ship, pointed out the safest systems to travel through and—" Something bitter caught in his throat—regret?—but he gradually swallowed it and resumed his tale, "…she wanted us to come along. I really wanted to, but knew I couldn't until Vanitas was safe, and Jexel…" he choked again and wiped away more of the saltwater gathering in his eyes. "…he had this look. Like, he really didn't know what to do. He wanted to run away with her, sure, and I kept trying to convince him to go, but he said he wouldn't go anywhere without me. And you know I—I couldn't."

His friends gaped at him in wide-eyed pity and awe, understanding how the rest of this tragedy played out.

Ven was on the verge of all-out bawling again. "If I just forgot about the mission—forgot everything about Vanitas, Xehanort, you two—and just went…!" He sighed, and what seemed a coming squall of anguish settled into something he held inside, just below the surface of his hot tears. "I could've saved my best friend, but I chose to kill him over a complete stranger instead." Ven remembered Smee's accusatory words from when the half-Shadow confronted him about the map to Treasure Planet last night. "Who is Vanitas to me? Why did I choose to save him instead of…?"

Terra and Aqua were standing at his side soon enough, both pulling him into a heartfelt group-hug. He trembled from the turmoil somewhat while in their grasp, and though tears ran, he avoided any dramatic outbursts. He'd had enough of those. With a last few sniffles, he pulled back a little and his friends gave him space. Another sniffle, some wipes at his drenched face and eyes, and then he finished his story. "Marina got away. We don't know where she went or if she's even still alive: only that she escaped the pillage. And that's—that's the last we ever saw of her…only five days ago."

There was the troubled silence, then Terra placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Ven, no matter how everything turned out, I don't want you thinking of yourself as some heartless murderer. That was a difficult choice, but you did everything in your power to try to save your friend and Vanitas, and if nothing else, you helped that girl and her family escape Hook's wrath. The fact that you're grieving for the friends you've lost only shows that you do have a heart. There's not many people who could endure this, but you're pretty remarkable. Even now, I can tell how much you've grown, and even though it's difficult, you really are becoming a man."

Looking up to his elder brother, Ven made a slight grimace. "Is it always this hard?"

To which Terra replied, "No. Some days, you get your eye gouged out."

Though stupefied at first, a small, appreciative smile crept over Ven and a brief, sputtering laugh escaped him. "How d'you think your family's gonna take it?"

Terra shrugged, smiling lightly. "Naomi will be terribly worried at first—probably for a while, actually. She's one of the most courageous people I've ever met, but…" he chuckled to himself. "She's also the most worrisome when it comes to those she cares about. I did nearly die back there. A scar and an eyepatch will take some getting used to. Sora and Riku will probably think it's cool, though."

Considering Terra's words a moment, Ven regarded the strip of black cloth in his hand that once belonged to Jexel, the limb that carried the memory of his friend slightly trembling. I wanted something to remember you by. This is all I could save before Xehanort threw together that pyre, and you in it. But…what use do I have for an eyepatch? Looking back up to Terra, Ven suppressed his sorrow and extended the hand to his brother, surprising him when he offered the black cloth. "So, impress them," he said of Terra's stepsons. "Or give Naomi a heart-attack. Whichever comes first."

Speechlessness was all Terra was capable of in those moments after his brother's selfless offer. That last trinket of a close friend forever lost… And he's giving it to me…? A small gathering of mist formed in Terra's left eye at the gesture, but the emotional maturity that came with his years and experiences allowed him to refrain from anything dramatic. With a gentle, heartfelt smile, the bandaged, brunette knight graciously accepted the blonde pirate's offer. "Thank you, Ven. This really means a lot." He wanted to say more, but what else could he say? Sentimentality wasn't his strong suit.

A small half-smile from the boy becoming a man, "Don't mention it," but the gift wasn't without sacrifice on Ven's part and Aqua knew this immediately by the subtle, pained expressions on his face, and it was for this selflessness that she grew to love him even more. Chernabog's prophecy loomed again in her mind—"It's been there all along, but faith in your allies and your own abilities has blinded you to its presence. The Darkness grows and so shall consume you. He shall be your undoing…"—and the scene of Ven's altruism before her dashed any doubts the demon tried to imprint on her.

Honestly, I don't know why I'm still thinking about this. Why would a Heartless speak anything but lies to me? It's all some twisted effort to make me doubt my family and I won't fall for it. There may have been doubts at first—about Terra and Ven—but they've proven they haven't let Darkness overtake them. Their hearts are much too noble for that.

And it was in dwelling on this that she remembered another scene not unlike the one playing out before her: perhaps two-and-a-half years ago, if not more, when Ventus doubted his own abilities as a swordsman and future Keyblade Master and a simple act of benevolence on Terra's part—passing down the wooden Keyblade he'd trained with for years unto the younger student—had brightened Ven's spirits and encouraged him to continue his training. This exchange of small but significant gifts between brothers…

Terra spoke again. "You know, Naomi and I never had time for a proper ceremony."

Ven raised an eyebrow. "Huh? How do you get married without a ceremony?"

The brunette answered, "Well, the official part is just signing a marriage certificate. That's all the government cares about. And since life's been hectic for everyone lately, signing the certificate's all we've been able to do. We still want an actual wedding. So, if you're available…"

Ven's eyes widened, anticipation of joy slowly rising in his throat, "What?"

Terra smiled warmly. "You wanna be my best man?"

Grinning widely and with a small blush on his face, Ven was only breathless for a second before answering like his old self again, "You bet I do!"

Aqua giggled at their exchange, a sharp, cheerful snicker breaking through as well. They turned and Terra asked, "What?"

Stifling her outburst, Aqua simply remarked, "You two would make the weirdest brothers."

Terra and Ven exchanged confused glances, both caught off-guard at their sister's observation. Muddled words fumbled in their mouths when they tried and failed to retort and Aqua only giggled further. She smiled lovingly at her family, surrounded on all sides by the majestic lights of space. Now's as good a time as any, I suppose.

"Hey, now that we're finally together again," Aqua started as she reached into her pocket, then finished as she produced the items she searched for, "I can finally give you these." Three bright, star-shaped pendants, all crafted from stained glass—one aquatic azure, another ethereal emerald, and the last solar amber—all ornately rimmed with metal and all casting faint, enchanted glows. The young woman beamed as she held them up by their strings for her amazed friends to see. "They're called 'Wayfinders,'" she explained as she handed the emerald pendant to Ven and the amber to Terra, "Back on Destiny Islands, there were these trees with star-shaped fruit, and the fruit represented an unbreakable connection between whoever shared them. So long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like one, nothing can ever drive you apart. You will always find your way back to each other."

Ven especially marveled at the charms' supposed power. I'll always find my way back to them, no matter what? …I guess, even if I do decide to run off and be a pirate again, I wouldn't be separated from Terra and Aqua forever. So long as we share these, then no matter how far gone I am…I'll always find them again?—or they'll find me? He smiled fragilely, the thought bringing welcome warmth against his fears that choosing freedom would mean losing his family forever.

Aqua continued, "I would've liked to have given you these before the Mark of Mastery Exam…" If Ven hadn't run away months before… If Master Eraqus hadn't died so soon after… She shook the encroaching gloom from her mind and finished, "…but that doesn't matter now. The past is the past. We're here now, and that's what's important."

She noted the overflowing gratitude in Ven's features as he studied the pendant cupped delicately in his hands. He looked up to her, sheerest thankfulness and admiration in the long-lost soul's eyes, "Thank you so much, Aqua."

And that childlike gratitude and love was enough to warm Aqua's heart. She smiled brighter, chuckled, and tousled the boy's golden hair. Then, she glanced over to Terra, who only stared into his gift with a thin, enigmatic smile. Aqua assumed he was simply too moved for words, having received both Ven's cherished eyepatch and now this good luck charm, and then she added, "Technically, you're supposed to make them with seashells—and the fruits themselves are probably extinct now," Now that Destiny Islands is gone, and all—"but I did the best with what I had." A small, creeping laughter bubbled in Terra's throat, presumably in overwhelming joy, or so Aqua hoped. She further assured them, speaking through Terra's sniggering, "And I did weave a little magic in them, so that should compensate for—"

Terra burst out into full-blown hysterical laughter, drawing the annoyance of Aqua and the confusion of Ven. Guffawing until he wiped the tears from his left eye and the wound in his side threatened to reopen, the brunette barely calmed himself enough to ask, "Aqua, where did you hear about this?"

Indignant, the blue-haired woman answered, "From Sora, of course. What better source for info of a Destiny Islands tradition than a Native Islander?"

Terra only shook his head, smirking and holding back further laughter. "Oh, Sora…my poor, naïve son," He said to himself.

Still cross with him, Aqua asked, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Terra exhaled and ran a hand through his hair before explaining. "I heard about this from Naomi when we were still dating. That star-shaped fruit you were talking about: that's called the 'paopu fruit,' and the tradition goes, when two people share one, their destinies become forever intertwined. It's, ah, usually for…romantic gestures."

Ven restrained an explosive chortle, but Aqua wasn't amused, instead shocked ghost-white and speechless with a gaping mouth at her unintended deed.

When some seconds of varying awkwardness and silent hilarity passed, Ven inquired with a cracking smile, "Aqua…did you just propose to us?"

Now she was flabbergasted, screaming and stuttering at her blunder and waving her arms in front of her. "No! It's nothing like that! It's just—!"

"You know," Terra interrupted, "if Naomi finds out she's suddenly involved in a four-way polygamous relationship, it could make for some awkward dinner conversations—not to mention sleeping arrangements."

Aqua pulled at her hair and seethed, "Terra, you know I didn't mean it like that!"

Ven asked his brunette friend plainly, but with an air of impishness, "So, if we both marry Aqua, does that make you my husband-in-law?"

Completely red-faced and annoyed, Aqua held out her hands demandingly. "Gimme the damn stars."

Her friends only held them closer and turned partially away and Terra replied, "No."

Aqua lunged at the older of the two polygamists and they tangled in a childish scrabbling contest for possession of the benignly painful Wayfinder. Terra laughed at the situation he found himself in until Aqua used the full weight of her body to slam him to the floorboards (the impact of their fall knocking over the sealed rum flask and causing it to plummet to the deck through the spaces in the railing), where she subdued him in a painful arm-bar and leg-scissor submission hold to make him release the Wayfinder. The brunette gagged and exclaimed, "Hey! I just got out of the hospital, remember?!"

The blue-haired woman clenched harder. "You're young. You'll walk again." Of course, the severity of Terra's wounds were significantly reduced by earlier healing sessions after he was checked out of the hospital, but no one paid any conscious mind to this. Instead, Ventus only marveled at the surreality that these two wrestling monkeys were revered Keyblade Masters and he was only an uncivil pirate. Clearly, the universe made a mistake somewhere.

Straining on the verge of defeat, Terra called to his blonde friend, "Ven! Save my engagement star! Marry Aqua for the both of us!" and cast a minor wind spell to propel the pendant from his hand to Ven's, who fumbled with the unexpected pass before finally catching it.

Releasing Terra from the death-grip, Aqua clumsily tried to sit up and extended a hand to the more obedient of her brothers. "Ven," she commanded, "gimme the Wayfinder."

Instead, Ven held both his charm and Terra's tight and leapt backwards over the rail of the crow's nest, calling a jovial "I do!" before his flight turned into a descent.

Alarmed at the stunt, Aqua scrabbled to her feet and leaned over the edge, where she found Ventus some meters down, laughing hysterically with his knees hooking over the rungs of the wide rope-ladder connecting the nest to the deck. He was familiar with the layout of the ship, sure, but he was also at least buzzed from drinking before Terra and Aqua found him, and it was for this that Aqua worried about his present safety. Or, she would've if she wasn't incensed at all the teasing.

In seconds, she'd practically flown down to Ven's position on the rope ladder and was soon wrestling with him upside-down along the twine net, Ven giggling madly all the way.

"Just gimme the—! C'mere, you!"

But Ven's will was adamant and his reflexes lithe, making him impossible for Aqua to maintain a solid grip on. And in the midst of their rope-affixed tangling match, Terra flung himself over the nest's side and slid down the ladder and collided into both of them, sending the three hurtling further down the net until they sailed uncontrollably over the ship's edge—

—and slammed right into the magic force-field encompassing the Jolly Roger, the immediate area of the supernatural shield becoming visible in frayed hexagons upon impact. And with the dazed Keybearers planted firmly against the spherical barrier like bugs on a windshield, they slid slowly down the curved contour with a trail of smeared saliva in their wake until the three came to a stop at the base of the force-field some meters under the bottom of the Jolly Roger. To land in a dogpile underneath a seventeenth-century pirate galleon floating through space yet remain perfectly safe atop a nigh-invisible magic floor…well, that was uncanny. Were it not for the magic field recycling oxygen and keeping space out, they would very well have plummeted into the cosmic sea in that one uninterrupted direction until acted upon by an outside force. But now…

"Terra, we are dead and it's all your fault," Aqua charged, still somewhat dazed.

"No, it's totally Ven's," Terra quipped. "Everyone knows it's Ven's duty to cover any and all dense surfaces with fluffy pillows, and he has failed us. What do you say to that, Ven?"

"Could everyone get off me?!" Ven pleaded from beneath his two friends.

Laughing, Terra scuttled off from the top and Aqua rolled aside soon after, leaving Ven pancaked on the magic floor. Miraculously, both his and Terra's Wayfinders were still in his hands.

Aqua reached to reclaim the amber pendant, but Terra beat her to it and took the Wayfinder for himself, flashing a cheeky grin at her that sharply contrasted his heavily-bandaged face. Aqua pouted at him, "We're not getting married."

"I know," he said back. "It's just fun to mess with you."

Ven groaned and Aqua helped him sit up. She addressed them both in a steady, unreadable tone, "I just wanted to do something nice for you two. Our family's been broken for a long time and we're only now together again. Master Eraqus is gone—Ven, I don't even know if you're going to stay—and for a while, we were even worried about losing Vanitas. It's important now more than ever to make sure we'll never lose each other again. That's why this is important to me. That's why…"

She wouldn't cry in front of Ven, but both of her friends understood the distress beneath that façade of strength she wore. Ventus placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned to find him staring pleadingly into her eyes. "Aqua," he said, "we really appreciate what you've done for us. And even if I do go away again, I'll keep this with me," he held up the Wayfinder. "That way, we'll never be truly apart. I'd forgotten for a while, but you and Terra really are my family, and you're the one that made me remember. As far as I'm concerned, this is the greatest good luck charm anyone could ask for."

Just the silent amazement on her face proved to Ven he'd said the right thing, and when Aqua's surprise settled into a loving smile, she chuckled happily and wrapped an arm around him, holding him close in a one-armed hug. "Now, that's the kind of reply I was hoping for." She turned to Terra and outstretched her other arm. "You too, Terra. Get in here." Moments later, the elder of her brothers was at her side, held under her other arm as he reached his own around his brother and sister.

They stayed there, holding each other and seated atop the invisible barrier under the Jolly Roger, admiring the tranquility of the solar system—majestic nebulae, beautiful worlds, dazzling stars—and the three of them knew: no matter what distance fell between them, no matter what dark forces schemed and struggled to destroy them, they would never truly be apart.

A nearby Gummi Ship flew beside the Jolly Roger—the very same Xehanort and his disciples traveled in to reach London—piloted by Vanitas to ensure they returned it to Radiant Garden in one piece. Various Unversed tended to other areas of maintenance in the out-flying vessel, leaving Vanitas surrounded only by the manifestations of his negative emotions for company. He observed Terra, Aqua, and Ven together at the base of the magic shield through the black visor of his helmet, a mixture of disarrayed emotions muddled through and around him: some akin to longing or corrupted into envy, but there were others linked to empathy and those still that reeked of disdain. All of these fueled a barrier of false superiority he'd constructed around his darkening heart. If there was any sorrow, he never confessed it, yet the Unversed around him were evidence enough of the vast-reaching spectrums of negativity that coursed through him.

He thought of Eraqus' former students: Those poor fools… Everything they've fought for—everything they think they've accomplished… None of it will last. Unless they learn to submit or stand aside when the time comes, it won't be long before they lose it all. It's only a matter of time…

Two real-life locations which bear some relevance to different Disney films are mentioned in this chapter. Can you find them and name the movies they're related to? (There are multiple correct film answers for the French one.)