Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. Sorry if this took longer than usual, was dealing with some personal issues. They are mostly resolved, so back to adventure once more! This is less of a 'full-on' chapter and more of a set up for the next few. You will see what I mean as you read this. Hope you all enjoy!
Shivering inside a nearby cave, nightfall fell upon the kingdom of Arendelle, making two teenagers huddled together for warmth. Ephemer breathed into his gloved hands, hoping they could generate warmth. It should be summer here, right? The Keyblade warrior pondered, his eyes darting to the girl next to him. Skuld was curled in a ball, huddled frame sitting very close to the fire she cast a half hour ago. "I'm sorry if camping up here wasn't a good idea." He rubbed his neck, it feeling naked without his red scarf. Seeing Skuld sigh in content, the scarf around her neck, made him feel a bit better though.
"It's okay," Skuld said in shuttered breaths. "My fault for waking up wearing only leggings under my skirt. Wish I wore jeans instead…" She shivered, shooting another fire blast from her keyblade, making Ephemer jump somewhat. "How the heck did we wake up here of all worlds?!"
"How should I know." Ephemer spat back, somewhat playfully but his tone was clearly getting annoyed with the situation too. Skuld bit her lip, looking away from him. "...Sorry, I'm tired too." He sighed, leaning on the wall of the cave. Looking around the small hovel the two friends called a temporary home, Ephemer studied the stone-covered walls and the distinct lack of snow anywhere within the cave. Just rocks and odd formations hanging from the walls. Folding his arms, Ephemer had his mind focused on something.
"You are wondering about that Sora kid, right?" Skuld asked, Ephemer making a weak nod. "I am worried about our friends too." This made him frown, both at how he didn't really think much about them upon waking up. The only things rattling through Ephemer was finding Sora and keeping Skuld safe. He even felt somewhat guilty only vaguely remembering his friends and Master Ava, his memory a bit cloudy after their home was lost. Or was it lost… He couldn't answer this though, giving up and looking at Skuld. "We will find them, buddy."
"I know, but we gotta get off this world first," Ephemer commented, with Skuld elbowing him. "You warming up to the snow? Thought you were cold for a second there."
She giggled pushing him to the ground and having a dangerous smirk. "You're plenty to keep me warm." Ephemer coughed, fighting off his blushing face. She was never this forward back then… Sensing his thoughts and clearly not caring, she hugged Ephemer and closed her eyes. "Till the night ends, you are my pillow." He was going to protest, saying how wrong this was. "Buddy, we are two best friends lost in the frozen wonderlands of a kingdom. I like this, even if I'm freezing my butt off. Let me enjoy before we become popsicles later."
Ephemer patted her back and they both eventually closed their eyes, letting their shared warmth fight off the harsh cold winds.
"So you really don't remember them?" Charithy asked Ventus, the two watching the stars shining brightly in the sky. He was surprised to hear Terra and Aqua asking him to leave the castle for a little while, clearly talking about something important. Guess I'm talking about an important thing too. The blond turned to his friend, rather, an old friend from a time he could barely even remember.
"I'm sorry, but I just don't remember," Ventus answered weakly, rubbing his forehead. If he was being honest, Ventus was just happy to be his own person again, let alone remember a past he wasn't sure was simply a fever dream or not. Unions, a missing flower, worlds in digital lands and a lost master… It felt convoluted, in Ven's mind anyway. But seeing his new friend, someone that really wanted to connect with him again, made him try to understand everything. I have to, the least I can do. Remembering Sora always throwing himself into an adventure without much warning or logic, he just smiled at the little Dream Eater creature, ruffling its furred head. "But I do recall the dreams. I was a union leader?"
"Yeah! You helped lead the unions after the first Keyblade War." Charithy started, with Ventus narrowing his blue eyes. So I was in both wars? That's odd… So was having a dark twin filled with darkness, so what can I say? Snickering at his thoughts, Ven laid on the soft grass, letting his friend tell the very familiar but also a new story to him. "Working with our friends Skuld, Ephemer, Laurium, Elrena and your best friend Brian… We were able to keep peace after the big battle." Ventus tapped his chin, honestly wondering why those names felt important. Specifically three of them.
"There was someone else, right? I… I feel like there was." Ventus sat upright, with Charithy hopping into his lap. His small eyes went downcast, making Ven tilt his head slightly.
"Yeah, she was Laruium's sister. We all looked for her, but no one found Strelitzia anywhere." Ventus frowned, his hand clenched in a fist for some odd reason. Huh? I mean, I understand worrying about someone but why am I so angry… Anger was an emotion Ventus was very familiar with, thanks to his brother Vanitias being a pest often on his first adventure. But this made Ventus think of the odd visions of Roxas' and Sora's lights. "Ah, so the mysterious ones are your type. Better not tell Laurium."
"A-Anyway," Ventus coughed, trying to fight off the strange blush forming on his face. "You said when that black coat guy left, that our friends are back." Charithy leaped out of Ven's lap, jumping up and down like a little kid. Ventus smiled, standing up and meeting the little guy at face-level. "So how do we find them?"
"Huh? We are going to look for them?" Charithy paused, his large head tilted in confusion. Ventus bit his lip, deja vu playing reminding him of his first adventure. I'm not leaving without asking Aqua and Terra first. Ventus said firmly, citing a clear lack of communication between friends being a major cause for the terrors they all suffered from decades ago. Sensing seriousness from Ventus, Charithy sighed. "You don't need to act all stoic. I know you want to leave this place and explore the worlds."
Ventus was broken out of his semi-serious state and blinked in surprise. "How did you know?" Ventus said, making Charithy raise his little eyebrow. "I-I mean, I was going to say exploring…"
"Out of everyone, you was the first to leap into action," Charithy said deadpanned, his somewhat cute voice being twinged with slight annoyance. "Come on, let's tell your parents we are going on a quest."
"They are my friends, not my parents!" Ventus argued, with Charithy letting out a good-natured laugh. They are more like my brother and sister man… Ventus wanted to say but just sighed. The two walked into the castle, finding Terra and Aqua staring at the seats. The very ones that their former master and he sat in. "...Guys? You alright?"
Aqua and Terra didn't reply, looking at the seats and hiding the deep frowns on their faces. Hearing Ventus' voice though, they quickly turned around and put a smile on their faces. I can tell you were having a moment guys. "Yeah, we're fine Ven," Terra answered first, meeting him and Charithy at eye level. "You guys want to have a sparring match?"
"Is that your go-to answer for everything, dear?" Aqua teased, with Terra's eyes twitching. Ven rolled his eyes while Charithy just looked dumbly at his paws.
"...I have no hands, just paws. I can't use a keyblade." He replied seriously, with the three going dead silent before bursting into a laughing fit. Not being acknowledged, the Dream Eater sighed and vanished, deciding to wait in Ven's room till they cut the nonsense out. Ven and Terra wiping tears away, Aqua's face grew more serious, reading Ven's more conflicted expression.
"What's wrong? If you were worried about us, we were just… Reminiscing about something." Aqua gave a sideways glance to the throne-like chairs across from them, her face almost forming a frown. "Want to get rid of those, one of these days."
"Well, I wanted your 'okay' if I could head out on an adventure," Ventus said boldly, making Terra and Aqua grow dead silent once more. Ventus folded his arms, unable to meet their worried eyes. "I know, we just got back together, happy as a family again. But I seemingly have a past, Charithy said as much. And my odd dreams…" Ventus sighed, looking at his shoes. "I feel like I need to find out what's going on."
"Let me come with you then," Terra said, putting a hand on Ventus' shoulder. "I failed you last time, but with me by your side, we can knock any heartless or unversed into next week." The two smiled at one another, their brotherly bond on full display. Aqua would tear up at this if she knew Terra would be joining Ven.
"You're asking us," Aqua gently prided Terra's hand off Ven's shoulder, taking Ven's hand and squeezing it firmly. "Cause you want to travel alone, right?" Ven nodded, his blue eyes having a very hard time meeting Aqua's. She spent HOW long looking for my heart and now I'm just… He grits his teeth, guilt gnawing at him. "It's okay, but know what we will be joining you the second danger you can't handle pops up."
"You serious?!" Terra shouted at Aqua, but her deathly serious blue eyes pinned him in place. "B-But what about what happened…"
"Last time, we weren't very wise." Aqua finished. They were silent, not bothering to counter the claim. "We have Gummi Phones for a reason. Not just to take pictures of everything." She gave a teasing smile to Ven, making the boy rub his neck awkwardly. Terra was going to snicker at the sight but Aqua wagged her finger at him. "Don't act like you are so innocent, boyfriend." She winked at him, Terra turning nine-shades of red. Ventus seeing the sight on display coughed, having a very hard time watching his best friends being romantic. I wonder if I will ever be like that with anyone. Aqua smiled, meeting Ven at face-level and pulling him into a hug. Terra joined as well, hugging his little brother.
"May our hearts, be our guiding keys." Terra, Aqua, and Ventus said in unison, giving one final squeeze before letting one another go.
"Now, you get rest tonight." Aqua ruffled Ven's hair, yawning herself. Seeing Terra and Ven giving teasing smiles, Aqua chapped her lips. "Well, I guess I need my beauty sleep as well." Waving the two off, she left the throne area, leaving Ven and Terra alone. After a few moments, Terra put both his hands on Ven's shoulder, giving him a serious look.
"Remember the power of our D-Links. And always stay in touch. And… And let me help out." Terra said weakly, his strong voice low. Ven hugged Terra again, making the older brother blink his brown eyes in mild surprise. His arms slowly touched Ven's back, pulling him into the embrace.
"I will be fine, trust me." They let go with Ven folding his hands behind his head. "Remember buddy, I had the longest sleep out of all of us. And I got the memories of two killer warriors rattling in my head." Ventus tapped his skull, making Terra shake his head in amusement. "I'll be fine." He was about to leave before poking his head out of the door frame. "Oh, and I know about the selfies you keep making for Aqua."
"G-Go to bed! You will understand one day!" Terra shouted, with Ventus laughing like an idiot. Terra sighed, a good-natured smile forming on his face. He was going to head off but paused, looking at the second thrown. He frowned as if seeing something. Walking out of the throne area, silence overtook the castle for the night, adventure awaiting a boy and his odd cat friend.
"You can't be serious, pal." Pete scoffed, his cartoonish arms folded and narrowed at a Mewman vendor across from him. "You're lucky I ain't stealing the pies from ya." He pushed a fist full of Munny at the Mewman, his pie hat nearly falling off. The short man looked at the munny, frowning and shaking his head.
"Nope, do not accept these…" He saw how shiny the Munny was. "Hold on, I just saw it sparkling." Pete rubbed his large eyes, annoyed at how stressful it was getting a pie to eat. Living off corn the past few weeks while his master was trying to get the princess to trust her, was annoying to say the least. Scoffing, he eventually just stormed off, yanking the two pies from the man's hand and throwing one of them into his big mug.
The large cat-man was unnerved at the odd looks he was given, but his eyes drifted to various slime monsters and more exploring the town. Guess they aren't friendly with people like me. Overhearing his master talk to the Queen of this dump, he figured that monsters and the humans didn't take kindly to one another. Can't blame 'em. My fists are a force to be wrecking with. Pete made a boastful laugh, earning annoyed glares from some Mewmans. "Oh come on! At least I'm wearing clothes. What are you punks wearing, rags? Some kingdom this is. I hate the rat, but even he clothed his people."
"Take it up to her then, you idiot." One of the town's people shouted, turning around in a huff and storming off. Whatever. Peter scoffed in his mind. Being used to people hating him, he just figured that's how people are supposed to act. Would be nice though if someone like me. Sighing at himself, the large catman saw his master peeking from the bushes, rubbing her pale chin. "Hey boss, I stole ya a pie."
She saw the pie in his hands, giving him her usual 'I hate you and would kill you in a second insect' expression before sighing and taking a bite out of it. "...This is oddly enjoyable. Where did you find this, you idiot?"
"I found it from that vendor over there. They didn't even know what Munny was, ha! What backwater kingdom did we found ourselves in boss?" Maleficent just ignored him, her eye locked on the little butterfly on the pie. "Uh… You okay? Gone all quiet on me."
"Silence! I think I found something of interest." She took off the wrapping more, seeing a place called "Pie Island" at the bottom of the pie. "Well, what do we have here? My vessel's mother is found after all."
Pete heard some footsteps, his large eyes narrowing. He saw four figures, groaning in annoyance. "Oh fishsticks, the keyblade fools are here. What do we do boss?" Maleficent rubbed her chin, taking out her staff and waving it around.
"Remember when the brat told us about a lizard man that nearly ravaged this kingdom?" Pete scratched his head, clearly lost. "Doesn't matter, I have a brilliant way to keep them busy while we do them a favor."
Pete looked lost still but his master didn't care, waving the staff and black Shadow Bugs forming together, conjuring a figure out of a princess and prince's nightmare. Yellow eyes blinking, from the tall blob, they blinked before it's form cleared up. "Huh… So I'm still alive after all. Tell me, how do you know of me, Toffee. You can't be Eclipsa, you don't look like her." The lizardman looked at himself, clenching his fully-formed hands, no missing finger in sight. His large tail flicked as if adjusting to new nerves made up of darkness.
Seeing the man fix his suit jacket, looking oddly professional, his lizard jaw slowly formed a sly smile, seeing Star and Marco walking into the town. "I want…" He held up his hand, simply nodding as if he knew already. "Very well, your body can only last so long."
"Oh, I'm used to borrowed time." The lizard cracked his neck, conjuring a curved blade and walking to a bush to hide. He turned around, nodding at Pete and Maleficent before leaving their vision. The witch laughed, but Pete just gulped as he ran into the corridor she just conjured up.
prince of underbrush - Don't be sorry, cause I'm pushing this latest chapter super late :P. And Mewni is a really fun location, as it felt so fitting for a Kingdom Hearts adventure. While I am adapting elements from S3 and the opening of S4, I'm really toying with a ton of fun original ideas as well. Really happy with what I'm doing with Mewni in this fic. Aqua eating heartless is a mystery that I will not promise to answer ;).
blackpackager - Oh I think you will like this chapter.
Sentinel07 - Thank you!
redlox2 - Considering Ven's Spirit Friend is the original Dream Eater, expect them to pop up eventually. But not sure when exactly, so stay tuned on that. And Mewni isn't really that much of a confusing world; Star is a magical princess that has spells, Marco is her best friend/boyfriend, and the world is one chaotic mess of adventure and fun (with some serious stuff ofc). If you want to be cleared up on a lot, just watch the opening to S4 (which should be out on Demand in most places) and it should help. And I can answer any questions on the show via DM's. This applies to not just you but other readers as well.
TaitanoRules555 - Thank you!
7 - Glad I have your interest peaked ;).