Chapter 21 – Mission
"Master Yen Sid! The princesses are in danger!" Ven threw open the door to the top of Master Yen Sid's Tower and skidded to a halt. Terra nearly crashed into him, and Aqua barely steadied herself in time. She grabbed onto Terra's arm, and he tried his best to keep all three of them from toppling over.
The great wizard stood from his chair. "What do you mean, Ventus? Explain what has happened."
Ven did, as fast as he could, with Aqua adding important details that Ven left out in his rush to tell Master Yen Sid everything. Terra was silent. He still couldn't get the agonized look on Sora's face out of his mind.
Terra, came Eraqus's familiar voice, beating yourself up with guilt will not help him.
I know. But it's my fault this happened. I was too weak to stop him from getting hurt.
Eraqus was silent for a long moment. We were outnumbered. Without Sora's cooperation, there was nothing we could do. He was determined to save you in the way he thought best, and there was no changing his mind.
Well, he made a mistake. I'm not worth the price he paid. His heart got broken, and that's not even getting into how Riku and Kairi and the rest of his friends feel.
Eraqus's voice grew stern. Don't you dare tell him that. Remember what I said before? If he is to recover, he needs to hear from you that his sacrifice, reckless though it may have been, was not in vain. Think, Terra, think. He set out to save you and spare Aqua and Ventus, and in that sense he succeeded. You can at least tell him that. Because otherwise, whatever lies Xehanort has told him will worm their way inside his heart and make the damage even worse.
Terra's blood ran cold. You think, even now, Xehanort will still try to—
Yes. His ways haven't changed. I doubt he is through with Sora. His manipulation will continue as long as they both live.
Like he manipulated you.
Terra could practically hear Eraqus's sigh. I wonder if he ever considered me a friend, or if I was always just a tool to him.
After years of residing inside of Terra's heart, Eraqus had gradually opened up to him. It helped that Terra was older, wiser; the years had helped him see that his master was just as human as the rest of them.
And Eraqus had regrets of his own. The biggest, of course, was allowing Xehanort to wreak havoc on the worlds and on his pupils. But there was something more, something personal: the smart of betrayal from an old and dear friend.
You deserved better, Master. Terra, for everything he had been through, still had Aqua and Ven. His friends were faithful and reliable, and he trusted them with his life. But Eraqus's friend had betrayed him, and he was still hurting from that lost friendship years later.
It was my foolishness that led to all of this. I refused to see the truth of what Xehanort really is, and first you and now Sora have paid the price.
Terra's skin crawled. He was lucky; he had the light from Eraqus's heart to protect him. Not once since he'd gained his freedom had Xehanort been able to regain a foothold.
But Sora was not so fortunate. He'd freed all the hearts within his, and perhaps a boy so used to having the support of other hearts was more susceptible to the influence of Xehanort's once it had been forced inside of him. That would explain his inability to stop Xehanort from making him hurt his friends.
Unless… unless Xehanort had made it so he was completely unable to stop Xehanort from doing as he pleased. What that must have taken, the amount of suffering and darkness—
Terra didn't want to think about it.
"Terra? Are you okay?" Aqua placed her hand on his arm, and he shuddered at her touch. He made a valiant but pointless effort to ignore the image in his head of Eraqus raising his eyebrow.
"I—" With a start, Terra remembered Aqua and Ven had no idea about Eraqus's true fate. He'd never gotten the chance to tell them. But this was not the time or place. "I'll tell you and Ven about it later, I promise."
Terra paid attention again as they discussed what to do next. Master Yen Sid would create illusions of the princesses across multiple worlds to throw Xehanort off their trail, and the three of them would go to their actual location.
"Once you have found them, bring them to my home world where I will hide them."
"Understood. Thank you, Master Yen Sid," Aqua said.
Yen Sid's face grew serious. "Take care of yourselves, you three. You are exhausted, and the events that have transpired will take time to recover from. Do not be too hard on yourselves or on each other."
Terra should have paid attention to the warning hidden in Yen Sid's tone, but he didn't, and because he didn't, Ven's breakdown as they trekked through the dark, rainy streets of some unfamiliar city took him by surprise when it really had no reason to.
They were looking for a place called an arcade. Aqua had a general idea where it was, but it was taking her time to locate it again in the dark. Ven tripped over the dull, dented lid of a trashcan and refused to get up.
"C'mon Ven, we're getting close," Aqua said, kneeling beside him and brushing mud off his pants.
"It's pointless. It's all pointless." He flopped back onto the grimy wet streets. "It doesn't matter what we do. Xehanort will always win."
It was so unlike Ven's usual determination that Aqua picked up on what must be really happening. "Ven, is that how you really feel, or is that how Sora feels?" she asked.
He shook his head and stared at the dark sky above. "What does it matter? It's true."
Aqua looked to Terra for help, and he knelt next to them both. His muscles ached, and it felt good to finally sit down, even if it was in the middle of a soggy, trash-littered alley.
"Ven, what makes you think Xehanort will win this time? We have more people than ever helping us now. Sora—"
Ven's eyes flashed. "You can count Sora out."
Aqua sighed. "Sora got hurt again, it's true, but there's always hope. We're all here for him. He'll pull through."
He clutched the spot above his heart and glared at Aqua. "Hurt? Hurt? You call what Xehanort did to him getting hurt?"
Aqua winced at the biting tone of his words. She opened her mouth to speak when Terra intervened. He refused to just watch Ven hurl verbal abuse at her. The link Ven had to Sora might be the reason behind his words, but it didn't excuse them.
"Ven, that's enough," he warned. "We're all feeling down, especially you. You still have that heart link to Sora, and whatever you're feeling right now is at least partly because of that."
Instead of calming down, Ven just redirected his wrath towards Terra. "Shut up," he spat. "You have no idea. You have no idea how he feels."
Oh, that did it. Terra felt the telltale signs of anger boiling within him – his pulse speeding up, his body tensing, his vision narrowing. "Ven, of all the people in the universe, I am one of the few people who knows exactly how he feels."
"Then why didn't you stop him?" Ven asked, his voice cracking. "Why didn't you stop him from giving himself over for you? Why didn't you stop Xehanort from letting it happen?"
In that moment, Ven's anguished eyes looked exactly like Sora's, and Terra froze. It felt like someone had punched him in the chest. He just stared at Ven, unable to say anything. For Ven was simply voicing the same questions he'd asked himself.
"Ven, that's enough!" It was Aqua's turn to be upset. Her whole body was shaking, and a vein in her forehead popped out as she struggled to control herself.
"Shut up, Aqua! He has no excuse and you know it! You're just blinded by your feelings!"
Aqua's mouth opened, then she shut it, her lip trembling. In the rain, Terra couldn't tell if the water on her face was from the sky or from her eyes. All he knew was that Ven was hurting her, and he couldn't take it anymore.
And neither could someone else.
"THAT IS ENOUGH, VENTUS!" Eraqus boomed, taking control of Terra long enough to get his point across. Aqua and Ven's eyes went wide as saucers.
"How dare you speak to Aqua and Terra like this," Eraqus continued. "If you are upset with Terra's failure to protect Sora, then blame me. I was the one who couldn't keep my own son safe from Xehanort, let alone the selfless boy who offered himself up for Terra."
"Master?" Ven whispered, his face as pale as a ghost's. "Master, is that really you?"
Terra hesitated. Master, I thought we were going to tell them later.
Sorry, Terra. But I could no longer stand by as Ventus spoke to you and Aqua in that manner, especially since he doesn't really mean it. If I had let him continue, he would have said even more things he would regret.
"Yes," Eraqus finally said, as Terra allowed him to speak through him. It was something Xehanort used to do all the time, but this felt different. Terra felt less like someone was trying to hijack his body and more like he was simply the medium through which someone else was speaking.
"You mean, all this time, you were alive?" Aqua said, and Terra nodded. "Master, why didn't you say something?" she asked, her voice filled with anguish. She clasped her hands, thick drops of rain dripping off her hair and face.
"Terra didn't realize what had happened to me until after Xehanort had possessed him. And then you were lost to the realm of darkness, and Ventus to sleep."
Aqua and Ven simply stared at him as the rain continued to fall, cold on their skin and soaking their hair. The mission to find the princesses had all but been forgotten.
"Aqua, Ventus, there are many things I must speak to you about, and I owe you both an apology," Eraqus continued. "Especially you, Ventus. But until the princesses are safe, you must hurry and carry on with your mission. I promise, with Terra's permission, I will talk to you more later."
They nodded, silent and shocked and numb. Aqua was the first to recover. She cast some drying spells on her clothes and hair, and Terra did his best to warm Ven up with one of her blankets.
"Aqua, Terra, I'm sorry," he said. "Master Eraqus was right, I never should have said those terrible things. I… I don't know what got into me."
Terra ruffled Ven's hair, just like he always used to. Water droplets went flying all over his clothes, but he didn't mind. "It's okay, we know you're not yourself right now."
"It doesn't excuse what I said," he said, sighing. "Especially to you, Aqua."
"No, but I appreciate the apology all the same." Aqua pulled a towel out of her pouch and got to work drying his hair.
He frowned, his eyebrows knotting. "How long do you think this will last?"
He brought up a good point. Was this newfound connection to Sora permanent, or was it only a result of recent events?
Aqua pursed her lips. "It's hard to say. You didn't feel anything from Sora before this, did you?"
He shook his head. "No. Not since I left his heart."
"Then your connection was probably reactivated due to the intense emotional and mental trauma Sora went through," Eraqus said through Terra again. "It is doubtful he was conscious of what was happening, but either his heart reached out to yours or yours did to his. Perhaps both."
Ven pulled the blanket tighter around him. "Sora… reached out to me?"
"Of course he did," Aqua said, tying the towel under Ven's chin so it formed a protective little hat. "You're his oldest friend. You've been a part of his life since he was just a baby."
Ven nodded. "Yeah. When my heart was just a bunch of fragmented pieces, he helped me. Now it's my turn to help him."
"That's the spirit," Terra said, standing and offering his hand to pull Ven up.
"I think you've helped him already," Aqua said softly as she tucked her things back into her pouch. "As awful as he must be feeling right now, he still isn't feeling as bad as he could be." She straightened and gave Ven a sad smile.
Ven put a hand over his heart. "You mean… you think I've taken on some of his hurt already? Without even realizing it?"
"Absolutely," Terra said. "Why else would you have been feeling so lousy?"
Ven untied the towel, dried it with an Aero spell, and handed it back to Aqua. "I thought that was just because I could feel what he was feeling. I didn't realize I might be able to transfer some of it onto myself." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I wonder… I wonder how much more I could handle."
Aqua and Terra exchanged nervous glances. "Ven, that's a noble sentiment, but it'll have to wait until after we move the princesses," Aqua said.
"Aqua's right," Terra said. "We need your help, and if something goes wrong and you can't fight, then we'll have an even bigger problem on our hands."
Thankfully, Ven agreed. "I'll wait till we get to Destiny Islands, I promise."
And that was that. They finally set off again in search of the princesses. As important as that conversation had been, Terra wished it could have waited till later. They would be lucky if it didn't cost them the entire mission.
Still, he couldn't deny that things felt better now between the three of them. He thought of their fight on Radiant Garden and how it had torn them apart. They'd fought again today, but this time, he felt closer to them instead of further away.
I guess something's changed, after all this time, he thought rather ruefully. We're finally learning how to get to the bottom of our problems before they tear us apart.
It wasn't much, but it was something. Terra clung to that shred of hope as they continued on.
"The princesses are hiding in here?" Terra stared at the room they'd entered. Various black machines of different shapes and sizes lined the walls. On each of them was a different set of characters and designs. Terra could make out what looked like a soldier battling thousands of insect-like drones on one of them, and colorful ghosts chasing a big yellow face on another.
It was interesting, sure, but where on earth the princesses could hide in here, Terra had no idea.
"Well, not exactly." Aqua strolled over to a machine with a young girl driving a go-kart covered in sweets on it. "These are all electronic games." Her lips moved as she read the writing on it. "Yes, this one's it," she said, nodding. "Are you guys ready?"
"Ready for what?" Ven asked. He pointed to a little slot on the side of the machine with a bright orange button. "If you mean the game, I think you need munny to play it."
"Oh, we won't be playing it," Aqua said. "Not like that, anyway. We're going inside of it."
Ven brightened, and Aqua attempted a smile in return. But what had happened still hung heavy in the air, dragging the mood down with it.
Until Aqua grabbed Terra's hand, and it was like he was a teenager all over again, complete with sweaty palms and racing heart. Eraqus's eyebrows were going to meet his hairline at this rate.
You know, Terra, it would make things a lot easier for me if I could just hand the castle over to both you and Aqua.
Master! Terra knew he was long past the age where getting this flustered was appropriate. When he had been the right age, he'd been obsessed with becoming a Keyblade Master, and then over a decade of his life had been stolen away by Xehanort's schemes. So here he was, a grown man somewhere in his early thirties, reacting like a teenager after Aqua had just grabbed his hand because he had that little experience with romance. Much to Eraqus's complete and utter amusement.
I always suspected, but I didn't think it was prudent to say anything, Eraqus said, not even bothering to hide the laughter in his voice.
You don't seem to have any qualms about it now, Terra shot back. If anything, you've gone soft, Master.
Eraqus sighed. You and Aqua have lost too much time together as it is. Forgive an old father for wanting happiness for his children.
Ven took Aqua's other hand, and she counted to three. They shrank down, down, down, then a ray of light shot out of the game and pulled them inside. Code flashed by as they entered the world of the game, and just like that, they were next to the stands of an enormous racetrack.
Terra had never seen anything like it. The entire thing looked as if it had been made out of sweets and candy. Dozens of candy-covered go-karts rushed past on a golden road, their racers each wearing sweets-themed hats and clothing and goggles. The finish line was red and white checkers with a lollipop archway overhead, and resting on top of the archway was an enormous butterscotch trophy.
"Woah," Ven said. "What is this place?" He stared after one of the go-karts as it whizzed by in wonder.
"Sugar Rush," Aqua said, placing her hand on Ven's shoulder. "Sorry, Ven. No racing today. We need to find Pri-I mean, President Vanellope. The princesses are staying with her."
Thankfully, it didn't take long for the president to find them instead. But when Aqua had mentioned a president, Terra hadn't quite expected, well, the girl before them now. Her dark hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and studded with candies, and she wore a green hoodie and matching pants.
She can't be older than ten. How did someone as young as her become president?
Then it all clicked. Her picture was the one that was on that game they'd seen in the arcade. Of course she was the president.
"Hey, Aqua, good to see you again!" she said. "What's up? Entered any races lately? No one's beat your record except for me. My citizens would love to see you race again. What do you say?"
Aqua shook her head. "Actually, we're here to—"
Vanellope poked Terra, a sly grin on her face. "Looks like you brought your boyfriend so I could finally meet him, huh? Is he gonna race too?"
Aqua's face flushed. "P-President Vanellope!" she sputtered. "We're here for the princesses. We don't have any time for racing. We have reason to believe they're in danger."
Vanellope frowned. "In danger? What happened?"
"One of our own was captured. Do you remember Lea? The man with red hair?"
Vanellope nodded. "Your cover's blown. Better get the princesses outta here, and quick. C'mon, this way."
Vanellope lived in a lavish candy castle. She led them through its colorful rooms and decorated hallways till they reached a grand room filled with candy-cane seats. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she showed them a barely-visible door in the wall. They went through it and followed her down a steep staircase, descending lower and lower underground. Terra frowned. Had the princesses been stuck down here this entire time?
Presently they emerged inside a great cavern made out of… chocolate? Yes, as it turned out, Vanellope had an entire secret cavern under her castle made of chocolate. Dark chocolate spikes stuck up from the ground to meet milk chocolate ones growing from the ceiling. Sprinkles and gumdrops dotted the landscape, and a pool made from white chocolate oozed and bubbled nearby.
"Over there," Vanellope said, pointing to an offshoot of the main cavern. "I better go warn my friend Ralph. The bad guys could be here any minute."
Aqua led the way, and Terra brought up the rear. The passage was narrow and low, and Terra had to squat to go through it. Just when his back was starting to ache, the roof became higher again and he heard a voice off to the left.
"There you are."
Terra's heart froze. Oh no, that's—
They rounded the corner, and Xigbar and Xaldin were there. The princesses had barricaded themselves behind a barrier of light that shimmered in the air, preventing Xigbar and Xaldin from coming any closer, but who knows how much longer it would hold out.
"Aqua! Is that really you?" Cinderella called. Her face had lit up at the sight of Aqua, and the other princesses cheered up considerably.
"Get away from the princesses!" Aqua summoned her Keyblade and charged.
"Easy there, sweetheart." Xigbar barely managed to block her attack in time. "Close quarters isn't really my forte."
Xaldin hurled his lances at Terra, and Terra knocked them out of the way and dove at him.
We have to get the princesses out of here.
"Aqua, make an opening to the Lanes Between!" he shouted.
"In here?!"
"I don't think so," Xigbar said, using his arrow guns to try to pin her to the wall. "You aren't going anywhere, and we're not leaving till we have what we came for."
Terra looked up. Chocolate stalactites dotted the ceiling, and a reckless plan formed in his head.
"One step ahead of you!" Ven threw his Keyblade at the ceiling, and Terra concentrated on the stalagmites sticking up from the ground around them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aqua cartwheel around Xigbar and move closer to the princesses.
Xigbar and Xaldin looked up a moment too late. Terra summoned great chunks of chocolate from the ground right as the stalactites came crashing down on top of all of them. A swirling portal to one of the Lanes Between opened up, and Aqua went through it with the princesses in tow just in the nick of time, sealing it after her. Good. At least something had gone right today.
The rest of them were trapped underneath enormous chunks of chocolate. Terra couldn't see Ven and his left leg was stuck. Well, more like everything was stuck, but his leg was hurting, so it got top priority.
"Ven?" he called. "Ven, where are you?"
Ven groaned. "I'm here." He lifted a hand in the air to prove his location.
"You didn't think that through, did you?" came Xaldin's muffled voice. "No matter, we will find the princesses in the end." His grunts as he tried to free himself carried over, and Terra knew he had to get free first.
He held out his hand. Flames materialized in the air above it, and with a sigh he realized it was dark fire.
Xehanort's gone, but the darkness is still there. I have to do something about that.
He held the flame to the chocolate on his leg, hoping to melt it. The surface of the chocolate began to ooze and bubble, and he tested his leg. Still couldn't move it yet.
Xigbar finally came to. "Sheesh, you are one disorganized bunch. I don't know why Xehanort's so worried. Between your little performance just now and Sora's stupid stunt, I don't know how you manage to—"
"SHUT UP!" Ven burst free from the chocolate imprisoning him. His whole body was shaking, and if looks could kill, Xigbar would have been dead on the spot.
Xigbar simply laughed. "Oh, did I piss you off? You can glare at me all you want, Ventus, but it doesn't change the truth. Sora's an idiot, and you're not much better."
"Don't you dare talk about Sora like that!"
Terra tested his leg again. He could move it now. With a great effort he lifted it up through the chocolate. He glanced at Ven, who was trudging through the chocolate piled all over the ground towards Xigbar. The latter was still trapped under the rubble, and Terra couldn't see Xaldin.
"You should have seen his face when we tortured him," Xigbar said, and Ven froze.
"Ven, don't listen to him," Terra warned. Xigbar's taunts were meant to get a reaction, and the best thing to do was to stay calm. Terra healed his leg as best as he could and turned his attention to the rest of the rubble trapping him.
"He was all weepy 'cause he thought you guys had abandoned him."
"We would never abandon him!" Ven cried. He swung his Keyblade at Xigbar's face. One of Xaldin's lances went whistling through the air and knocked his hand back before the Keyblade could connect, and Terra broke through the remaining rubble.
"Ven, we need to get out of here," he said, picking his way over the remaining rubble towards him.
"You should have heard his screams as we broke his heart, piece by piece," Xaldin said, elevating his lances into the air. "A piece for your broken heart, Ventus, a piece for Terra's loss, a piece for Aqua's despair…"
Terra's blood ran cold. His mind worked too quickly and put all the pieces together. He knew exactly how Xehanort had broken Sora now. His earlier advice had all but been forgotten. If Ven didn't do it, he would kill Xigbar and Xaldin himself.
He felt more than saw the dark aura swirling around him. Eraqus's warnings inside his head went unheeded. All he could see were the two men in front of him, the two murderers gloating about destroying the biggest, kindest heart he had ever met, and he couldn't take it anymore.
They were going to pay. They were going to suffer for what they had done.
The wall across from them rumbled. Everyone's attention was drawn to the sound just in time for two enormous fists to break through.
"Need a hand?"
A large man wearing a pair of brown overalls and an orange shirt burst through the former wall, sending chocolate chunks flying. President Vanellope was perched on his shoulder. She took one look at Xaldin and Xigbar and glared.
"Get 'em, Ralph!" she shouted. Ralph made quick work of all of the rubble, blazing a path towards his targets. Xaldin and Xigbar took one look at Ralph's destructive power, summoned Corridors of Darkness, and disappeared.
"Cowards!" Vanellope yelled after them. She hopped off Ralph's shoulder and ran to Ven. "Are you okay? Where's Aqua? Where are the princesses?"
Ven staggered to his feet. "She got them out. They'll be okay."
Vanellope sighed and collapsed in a pile on the ground. "Thank goodness."
Terra put his face in his hands, reason making its indignant return after being pushed to the side in the face of blind rage. I'm doing it again. The darkness still has a hold on my heart, Master.
Eraqus's voice was grim. Truth be told, Terra, I was about ready to go after them myself. But we must find a way for you to control your darkness before it takes control of you again.
I know. Terra looked up, only to see that Ralph was staring at him. The man frowned, his big bushy eyebrows nearly coming together to form one large unibrow.
"Are you alright, uh…"
"Terra. My name's Terra." He offered his hand, and Ralph shook it. "Thank you for coming, Ralph. If you hadn't, I don't know what I would have done."
Ralph gave him an understanding look. "Don't mention it."
Vanellope sat up in the most dramatic manner possible, and Ralph went over to her. "Felix is gonna hafta come fix all this," she said, eyeing the ruined cavern and sighing.
"He won't mind," Ralph said. "I'll tell him to come over tomorrow after closing time."
Vanellope brightened at the prospect, then turned to Terra and Ven. "You two better get going. Aqua's waiting for you, right?"
They both nodded.
"Thank you, President Vanellope, for all your help," Terra said.
She waved her hands in the air. "Don't mention it. It's the least I can do. Tell Aqua to drop by whenever she wants. She still owes me a rematch."
And with that, it was time to go. Ven said nothing as they traveled through the Lanes Between. Xigbar and Xaldin's words still hung heavy over both of them. But there was something Terra needed to talk to him about before they saw Aqua again. He urged his glider forward so he and Ven were right next to each other. Still, the noise the gliders made was loud enough that he had to raise his voice to be heard.
"Ven, don't… don't tell anyone else what Xigbar and Xaldin told us."
Ven turned his armored head. "Not even Aqua?"
"Especially not Aqua. It's bad enough that we know. Sora wouldn't want her to know, too. What he went through… I get the feeling it's not something he wanted any of us to know."
Terra understood. There were a lot of things from his own time spent under Xehanort's tyrannical rule that he never wanted Aqua and Ven to know. They couldn't change what had happened, and it would only make them sad about something they had no control over.
When they went through the portal to Master Yen Sid's world and emerged inside a peaceful forest filled with oak trees, Aqua was waiting for them on a nearby moss-covered boulder, along with the princesses.
"Terra! It really is you!" Cinderella cried, striding over and taking his hands in hers. "Thank goodness you're here, and Ventus too!"
Terra bowed low. "At your service, ma'am."
The other princesses greeted them afterwards. He'd met Snow White and Aurora before, but it was the first time he'd seen the princesses known as Belle, Jasmine, and Alice. Seeing Aurora again brought a stab of guilt. The last time he'd seen her, Maleficent had forced him to take out her heart. He wondered if she remembered what had happened.
"Can we go home yet?" Alice asked, her face hopeful. "We've done all sorts of exploring, we've had all kinds of adventures. President Vanellope was a lovely host, but I am frightfully overdue to go home."
"Yes, I'm worried about my husband Philip. He doesn't do well when I'm gone for too long," Aurora said. Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle all nodded and mentioned their own loved ones. Terra felt even worse about keeping them away from home.
"Actually," Ven said, rubbing the back of his neck, "we brought you here because you're still in danger. Xehanort found out where you were hiding, so we had to move you somewhere else."
Jasmine put her hand on Ven's shoulder. "Our worlds need us. Our families need us. Please, let us go home."
Terra was reminded of how badly he'd wanted to see Aqua and Ven, and he was half-inclined to take all of the princesses home as they had requested. But Aqua held firm.
"We'd love to, but if we take you back now, Xehanort will just try to kidnap you again. I'm sorry, but we can't let you go home yet," she said.
"Isn't there something we can do, then?" Belle asked. "Kairi is out there fighting, and the games in that arcade were our only connection to the outside worlds. We've done what we can to protect the light from there, but it doesn't feel right for us to keep hiding."
Snow White nodded. "We held back the darkness at Hollow Bastion. Surely we can work together and use our abilities against Xehanort."
The other princesses murmured their agreement.
"There is something you can do."
"Terra?" Aqua and Ven both turned to him, questions on their faces.
"Very soon, we'll have to fight Xehanort. There's a prophecy that says light will expire and darkness prevail, and Xehanort wants to make it come true." He'd based his entire plan on it, even. But who could say what it really meant.
"We can't let it come true," Terra continued. "The light in your hearts is sustaining the worlds. If anything happens to you, they'll fall to darkness."
"Yes, but I don't see how hiding away is the answer," Belle said.
Aqua took Terra's hand in hers. Warmth radiated up Terra's arm at the show of support.
"Maybe… maybe you can do something to strengthen the barriers protecting the worlds," she said. The princesses all agreed to this with a great deal of enthusiasm.
Aurora spoke up. "But what about Kairi? Don't we need her to succeed? Our powers are most effective when our number is complete."
Aqua's expression softened. "It's true, but right now Sora really needs her. He sacrificed everything to save us, and until his heart's mended, it's better if she stays with him," she said, her voice quiet.
Ven closed his eyes. "Yeah. Separating them will only hurt him worse. He's despairing enough as it is."
"Sora got hurt again?" Alice asked, and the three of them nodded. The princesses' faces fell. An air of solemnity had descended on everyone, and no one spoke for a long moment. Terra's thoughts kept going back to what Xigbar and Xaldin had said, and it was with a great effort that he contained the storm brewing inside of him.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Snow White finally asked. "Anything at all?"
"Let Kairi stay with him until his heart has healed. Then she can go on your mission with you," Aqua said.
"And until then, you'll have to stay here in this new hiding spot," Terra said.
"We understand," Jasmine said. "Sora's the key to everything, and that means his wellbeing comes first."
The other princesses nodded their agreement. They finalized their plans after that. They would go into hiding one more time until Kairi was ready to join them, then perhaps Merlin and maybe even Master Yen Sid would take them around to strengthen the light barriers protecting the worlds as the rest of them made their final preparations.
For once their luck held out. None of Xehanort's people showed up, and they rendezvoused with Master Yen Sid without incident. Terra allowed himself to think that maybe, just maybe, things would get better from here on out.
It was time to go to Destiny Islands, to where Sora waited for them. Terra could only hope they would be able to help him.
A/N: Eraqus has really taken on a life of his own as I've been writing this story, and that included wanting to comment on what was going on around Terra. So I thought sure, why not? and decided to let him go for it. The Wayfinder Trio in general has been a lot of fun to write, too, so I wanted to spend some time focusing on them. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, thank you for reading!