"Ven!" Aqua called once again as she scoured Radiant Garden for any sign of him, her panic growing as the sky began to lighten to signal that dawn wasn't far off. "Ven, please! Answer me!" With a tight chest, she entered the sewers and navigated her way through the steps and between the pipes until she came to some sort of platform below. "Ven..." she breathed, but he didn't turn around to face her. Instead, he leaned against the railing, staring off into nothing, and he didn't stir as she came to stand a pace or two behind him. "Please, Ven. Let me explain..."

"I should just go to the Master and have him finish me off," he mumbled. "I deserve it after making such a stupid decision."
"Ven..." she pleaded. "It's not what you think! I-I don't know what happened..." She placed her hand gently on his shoulder, and he spun around to face her with furious red eyes that struck straight for her heart.

"I thought you said you hated him!" he yelled, his words echoing around the sewers. "What about all that stuff you said about tearing him apart for turning you?!"

"I do hate him!" she insisted. "Please, Ven, you have to listen to me..." He didn't appear to be in any mood to listen.

"Uh huh..." he sighed and turned back to the railing. "'Cause I could totally tell by the way you were kissing him and letting him hold you like that." His fingers clenched into tight fists. "And here I thought you needed someone. Here I thought I was helping you by giving up my soul so you wouldn't be alone." He let out a quick, harsh laugh. "I'm a moron. No, you're set! You've got that damned Vanitas!"
"Ventus!" she cried, breathing heavily, and it seemed she'd finally managed to get his attention. "Please, I'm begging you. Hear me out. He caught me off guard, and something about him... he said it was because he's the one that turned me, so he gains some sort of control over me." She shuddered at the thought. "I wanted to fight him. I really did." His harsh gaze didn't soften, making her feel lower than dirt.
"I gave up everything for you!" he said desperately. "You wanna know why I betrayed the master? Why I chose you over Terra? Why I let my soul be sealed?" He shook his head. "Why I let my wings burn? I mean, come on, Aqua!" He threw his hands up and started pacing, and she wasn't entirely sure if he was talking to her or just himself. "I would have been okay just being a companion for you since you didn't have anyone else to turn to..." His hands clenched into tight fists. "But I can't... I can't stay if you've already got someone else. Even that bastard who used to call himself my friend." He hissed the last word like it was a bad taste in his mouth. "I could have at least stayed with Terra and the master! You would have been okay and they didn't have to know." He groaned. "I really should just have them kill me," he went on, making her heart jump.

"Ven!" she interrupted. "No... please, don't. I don't want to see them hurt you."

"Or, heck, I've got a Keyblade," he went on, ignoring her. "Stupid heart is only making things worse for me. I'm better off without it. I..." He sighed. "I can't live with this- not pretending I'm okay when you're off with someone else... Damn it, Aqua, I love you! Why do you think I did all this?! Why do you think I lied to the master and almost killed myself for you? Why-" He suddenly stopped, snapping his mouth shut, and stared at her as she stared back in shock. It was some time before he spoke again. "D-Did I just say that out loud?"

"Uh-huh," she said quietly as she nodded slowly, and he bit his lip and looked down uncomfortably.

"Er... you can forget that part," he mumbled. "It's just... I guess I wasn't thinking straight..."

"Ven..." she took several steps toward him. "Do you really mean it?" He looked up shyly. She could imagine how red his face would be were he capable of blushing.

"Yeah," he said after several moments of hesitation. "I love you, Aqua. Or, at least, I think I do..." She looked away for a moment with a crestfallen face.

"No, you don't," she said, and he stared at her. "Not really. That's just my toxin talking... I'm the one that turned you."

"Aqua!" he almost cried, catching her attention again as he approached her. "Weren't you paying attention?" he asked with a small smile. "I asked you to turn me because I love you. I mean, all that stuff about being strong enough to fight Xehanort and Vanitas is true too, but..." He looked down again. "I wanted to be with you. And since you couldn't die with me, that left me with the option of living with you. You... The thought of spending eternity with you makes all the sacrifices I have to make more bearable." Again, he snapped his mouth shut for a moment. "But... seriously, forget it. I don't want to make things even worse for you."
"Ven..." She took hold of his hand gently. "I... You really love me? Truly?" He nodded and said nothing else. "I'm so sorry... I've done so much to you, brought you so much pain, and yet you put up with all of it for me..." She shook her head. "Please, believe me. The only feelings I have toward Vanitas harbor on hatred... And I'll find a way to fight him."

"I believe you," he replied. "But... tell me honestly, will you? How... How do you feel about me? Seriously, be honest. I just want to know. I'll be okay with us just being friends."

"I... I don't know, Ven," she admitted. "My head and my heart are just... confused. I've got a lot to sort through. But I care about you- you know that." Again, he nodded. "I'll give you an answer. I promise. But I just don't think I can give you a real one right now."

"I understand," he assured her, and she looked up and pulled him a tight embrace that he gladly returned.

"But please, stay with me," she pleaded. "You're right... you're all I have right now. You're the only shred of humanity I still have in me." He pulled her back, his hands on her cheeks as he looked into her eyes.

"That's not true," he said with a smile. "But we'll figure it out, okay? And we'll always be friends. I'll always have your back. And I will gladly help you beat Vanitas."

"Ven..." she mumbled. "You said you used to be friends with him."

"With the real Vanitas," he elaborated. "Not what he's become now. You and I are vampires. He's a pure demon." He shook his head. "I don't know what happened to the boy I used to know back home or if he's still in there, but..." She nodded.

"Then we'll do it for him too. And Xehanort won't be far behind." She took his hand tight in hers and held it close. "And we'll do it for the master... We'll avenge the apprentices he lost." He met her eyes with his own sorrowful gaze as he nodded again.

"I miss the days that the three of us spent together," he admitted. "And... We'll never be able to again, will we?"
"I don't think so," she said with a shake of her head. "But you're right: Terra will find others, whether it's in the form of a friend or an apprentice. He can move on." She smiled weakly. "But you and I will always be together, right?"

"Right," he agreed. "Now, let's get rid of the freaks disturbing the peace."