Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Kingdom Hearts and I never will. Only my OCs. (sobs forever)

I hope you guys aren't too upset… I kind of had surgery last week and couldn't upload a chapter because I was in and out of the ER. So yeah. Sorry about that, but I'll try to make this chapter a little longer than usual. I also updated one day early.

Also, a guest reviewer asked last chapter if Mai would end up at Yen Sid's after everything ended. All I can say is that I won't say anything ;) Sorry, but you'll just have to wait until the end of this chapter.

Enjoy!

Chapter 24:

Vanitas jokingly released Mai's neck and she scurried over to Ventus' side. He was seething with anger and hardly gave her a second glance after he knew that she was safely behind him.

"Mai, stay out of this battle." Ven gritted out as he summoned his weapon. "This is between me and him."

"But – "

There was no time for her to finish her sentence as Ventus lunged forward. The two boys immediately engaged in battle, and Mai couldn't help but bite her lip in anguish. Oh, Ventus… You're doing exactly what he wants you to do… Somehow, she knew that Vanitas was smirking triumphantly behind his mask.

She watched as Ventus engaged his shotlock and fired at his target. All of the attacks hit home, causing Vanitas to double over. However, Ventus was not cold-hearted, and so he allowed his opponent to recover. He breathed heavily, weapon still at the ready. The two were in a face-off, so Mai took the opportunity to jump in.

"Ventus, don't fight him, please!" Mai tugged at his tensed arm, flinching as she noticed that he had a cut on his forehead. "It might not be too late!"

The boy's eyes widened as he realized that he had done what he had been trying to avoid. "No!" His heart raced in his chest, perhaps knowing that it was in danger.

Vanitas let out a chuckle as he got to his feet, seemingly healed from his wounds. "You've done it, Ventus."

And then, what happened next was something that neither of them had been expecting. The seamless black mask melted away, its edges glowing with some sort of dark embers. Mai's breath caught in her throat as a pair of smoldering golden eyes locked with hers. Inky, spiked locks framed Vanitas' face in contrast and the metal half of the mask lined his jaw. His corporeal appearance was intimidating, to say the least; he truly embodied the darkness in Ven's heart.

Satisfied at the reactions he had drawn from them, Vanitas continued his little spiel. "Now that my body is about to perish, you and I will have to join together."

For one short moment, Mai truly believed he had been speaking to her, but his eyes flicked over to Ventus at the last second. She had to pinch herself when she thought that she saw a hint of regret in those golden orbs. Vanitas was nothing but a monster; that much, she was sure of. And, as such, it was her duty to defend Ven from him. She tightened her grip on her boyfriend's arm even as a small tremor shook his body. His skin still feels cold, Mai frowned, wishing she could do something to make his blood flow more easily. I'll just have to fight for him.

Nevertheless, Mai couldn't help but feel her heart clench in fear as a wave of darkness exploded from behind Vanitas. "The χ-blade will be forged!"

Blue blobs flew out and instantly knocked Mai to the floor, while others trapped Ventus in their embrace. She had never seen the blonde boy as enraged as he was at that moment, and she, herself, had never been so scared for him. "The Unversed… come from you?" He struggled uselessly to get the enemies off.

A condescending chuckle came from the dark boy's lips. "It happened when you and I were split into two. The negativity took shape as these monsters." More and more Unversed popped out around the three, causing Mai to clumsily get to her feet once more. God, Vanitas was like a walking arsenal! A pang of chilling fear ran through her at the revelation. Perhaps… perhaps there could be no winning. Perhaps, it was the end.

"They are what I feel," Vanitas clenched a fist, already feeling the victory within his grasp. "a horde of limitless fledgling emotions under my control. I released them in all the worlds I could, hoping to lure you away from home and isolate you from your Master." He shrugged. "Of course, Master Xehanort kidnapped Mai for some extra motivation."

Said girl felt her face mar into a feral expression, both at his words, and at the fact that he was now moving closer towards the two of them. Dreams Light appeared in her hand. "St - Stay the hell away from us, fajitas boy." To her chagrin, her voice quivered weakly at the end. All their other enemies had been able to be defeated, but Vanitas? He was starting to become another story, and Mai didn't like the helpless feeling that was trickling in.

"Even your insults lack maturity." Vanitas laughed, obviously enjoying the power he had over the two. "You're so weak, Mai. Just stay out of this, unless you want to end up dead."

Ventus increased his attempts to break free, wanting nothing more than to bash his counterpart into the ground. "Leave her alone!"

Vanitas smirked. "Gladly." He was right in the other boy's face. "You know, we needed to make you stronger. The Unversed were the perfect opponents, and you were the perfect imbecile who walked straight into our trap." He shook his head mock-despairingly. "Better yet, no matter how many times you defeat them, their negativity flows right back into me."

The two blondes froze while the Unversed continued to squirm around Ventus. "You never stood a chance against us, Ventus." Vanitas sneered as he summoned the darkness back into him. He had tears in his eyes from the pitiful expressions that the couple supported. "Now, Mai, if you'll excuse us, we have somewhere to be."

He waved a hand at her, and the Unversed immediately turned their attentions to the girl. Mai brought up her keyblade in alarm, but made quick work of the Floods. Nevertheless, they had fulfilled their purpose and the two boys disappeared in an orb of light, but not before she made one desperate look at Ventus. Her eyes filled up with tears as she saw fire and acceptance in his. Acceptance for what was about to come, and acceptance of the thought that he might not make it out alive. Acceptance that he would do his best to protect his friends from Vanitas, even if he died in battle.

"VENTUS!" Mai choked brokenly.

But, he was gone. All that was left was a shockwave that was rapidly approaching her and her unconscious friend. Mai knew that the impact would be brutal, so she managed to snap herself out of her phase and darted over to Aqua. "Aqua, you've gotta get up!" She risked a look back. The wave of light was almost to them. "Aqua, please!"

She did not stir. If not for the slight rise and fall of her chest, Mai would have been convinced that she was dead. Seeing as she was not, however, Mai had to do her very best to keep it that way. She hugged Aqua tightly as the maelstrom hit them.

The brute force caused the two girls to fall off a cliff (again), with the younger one getting the brunt of the collision. The combined hits of the ground and Aqua's pressure on her chest caused Mai to lose consciousness almost instantly, but not without seeing a pair of rounded ears in her periphery.

She felt a muddled spark of curiosity before her head rolled to the side and everything went black.

At the same time that Mai blinked out of the real world, Aqua jolted back in. She stared confusedly at the sky as her thoughts collected themselves. Mai was next to her, but was seemingly unconscious. So, where was Ven? Her eyes widened. Could it be that…?

"Gosh, I'm glad you're okay." An overly peppy voice broke her out of her thoughts. He didn't seem to be much of a threat. "Your friend doesn't look too well, though."

Aqua sat up and examined the blonde girl. "No, she doesn't… But, where is Ven?"

As she spoke, she took note of her surroundings. To her relief, Ventus was standing a few feet above them. "Oh, thank goodness. Ven! You're safe!"

The bluenette sprinted over to the boy, figuring that Mai was safe enough in her current location. She frowned slightly as he kept his face downcast. "Ven?"

Behind her, Mickey halted in his tracks at the sight of the weapon in 'Ven's' hand. That was not Wayward Wind. Quite the contrary; it was the exact image of the χ-blade that could be found in Master Yen Sid's book. The mouse opened his mouth to warn her, but it was too late. Vanitas, for he was sure that it was not Ventus attacking his friend, thrust the blade at Aqua's heart. Mickey threw himself in front of her in the nick of time and managed to parry the blow with his Shooting Star.

"That's not Ven!" He panted, keyblade at the ready.

The blonde boy's outfit changed before their eyes. "Correct. I am not Ventus." A wild demonic grin split his face. "His heart has become a part of mine now!"

A mangled gasp came out from Aqua. No!

"This χ-blade will open a door – one that leads to all worlds! Then, keyblade-bearing warriors will flock here from each and every one of them to battle for the light within Kingdom Hearts!" Two voices echoed as one. "And just like the legend says, the Keyblade War will begin!" A manic look marred his eyes as Venitas (for the two had combined) brandished the weapon of power at the moon. It was disturbing to hear such violent words coming from Ven's mouth. Aqua just couldn't take it.

"Shut up! I'm sick of your nonsense! Give Ven his heart back!"

"Heh." Venitas grunted amusedly, as if saying that the idea itself was preposterous. In return, Aqua lunged forward with Stormfell in hand. The time for chatting was over, and Aqua would get Ven's heart back for him.

Or, so she thought.

Meanwhile, Ventus was having his own issues. It seemed that after defeating Vanitas inside his heart's platform, his heart was too weak to work in his body. Despite the fact that Vanitas had warned him of this, he had hoped against hope that he would be strong enough to pull through; strong enough for his friends, and strong enough for Mai. But, it was not to be.

Mai.

His heart yearned to see her one last time. Even as Vanitas gently faded away into the light, Ventus held on. He needed to say goodbye to her, somehow, and soon. Already, he felt the shattered remains of his heart getting pulled towards another. Whether this meant death or resurrection, it was of no matter. He was finally at peace.

With that thought, Mai's unconscious mind was unlocked to him. The girl lay on her own heart's platform, seemingly sleeping. However, at the sound of footsteps echoing on the stained glass, she got to her feet. It was Ventus. She smiled in relief. If he was there, with her, then everything must have turned out okay.

"Mai…"

His eyes told a different story. They were full of melancholic contentment, two very different emotions that didn't usually mix. She stepped forwards slowly, not wanting to hear the truth.

For the last time in a long time, Ventus leaned forward and hugged her tightly. Mai clutched onto his backside, feeling the very real fabric beneath her fingertips. She never wanted to let him go. "Ventus, please… Don't leave me."

He pulled back, holding her at arms length. The bottoms of his feet began to disappear, but Ven paid it no heed. His attentions were focused wholly on the girl in front of him; the girl whom he had shared his adventures with. The first girl whom he had laid eyes on after waking up out of his coma. His first friend. The one who had sat with him outside the castle, and who had promised him eternal friendship. The girl whom he had fallen for.

"I love you."

Mai's eyes filled with tears at the revelation. "Ventus…"

"I'll always be with you, never forget that."

Ventus gently kissed the side of her cheek before his body finally dispersed into the light. He was gone.

The girl left behind touched her face where his lips had been seconds ago and hot tears spilled down her cheeks when she realized that he was actually gone. Xehanort had won.

"Ventus…" She raised her tear-stained face to the darkness above, praying for some sort of glimpse of him. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be. "VENTUS!"

"Mai!"

"Huh?" That wasn't his voice. If it wasn't his, than whose was it?

"Please, wake up!"

The glass beneath her began to crack and Mai wiped her eyes as she glanced down at it. A giant portrait of her body lined the side of the circular platform, but she had no time to admire the details. The mosaic shattered and she fell into the darkness. But, she didn't care.

Life was not worth living without him.

Unbeknownst to her, the platform rebuilt itself as her consciousness returned to the real world. Where only her body had been before, there was now another one holding her hand.

One could easily guess whose figure it was.

The resounding sound of skin against skin rang around the room.

"Ouch!" Mai sat bolt upright. "That hurt!"

The left side of her face was stinging, and she could only assume that she had been slapped. But, by who?

Almost immediately, the irritated girl was trapped in a hug by Aqua.

"Thank goodness you're alright." The bluenette's voice cracked. "I thought for a second that you were in a coma too."

"Too?" Mai echoed confusedly. "What – "

And then, she remembered.

"It wasn't a dream…"

Aqua's heart broke as she watched the younger girl's world come crashing down on her. "I'm here." She offered hesitantly, rubbing Mai's shoulder in an act of comfort.

"Yes…" The blonde girl affirmed. "But where are Ventus and Terra?"

The older girl's calm façade broke at the mention of the boys' names. "Ventus is here. Terra… is gone."

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" Mai demanded, the anguish catching up to her. "Where is he?"

"He's not here!" Aqua lashed out, instantly regretting it. "I'm sorry, Mai."

Said girl's head bowed downwards as she contemplated her next question. "Is… is Ventus alive?"

Aqua bit her lip. "Yes." Mai sighed in relief. "But, his heart is sleeping. Yen Sid said that it seems his heart has left; possibly bonded with another's."

"Oh."

Neither of them said anything for a while.

"When will he wake up?"

"… We don't know."

Mai slumped down even further, still avoiding looking at Ventus in fear of breaking down.

"But… If his heart returns, he can wake up." Aqua offered as some form of encouragement. "Yen Sid and Mickey said that if we believed in him, he would always be able to find his way back to us."

Hm. "I guess."

She finally risked examining Ventus. He appeared to be peaceful, and the slight rise and fall of his chest proved that he was, indeed, alive.

"What are our next steps?"

"Find somewhere safe for Ven, and then find Terra." Aqua nodded firmly. "Are you ready to go?"

Mai continued to gaze at Ventus. "Yeah." Her hand caressed his and Aqua's heart throbbed at the tender gesture.

"I'll carry him."

The bluenette leaned down and grabbed the sleeping boy. After many attempts at finding the most comfortable position, she eventually settled him on her back. "We just have to go down those stairs to get outside."

Mai nodded, not bothering to ask where they were. Everything in all the worlds seemed so unimportant to her now, except for three people; Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. She had to be sure to hold onto them tightly.

After about a dozen flights of stairs, they reached a wooden door that led them to the front lawn. The worlds above glittered in the night sky as Mai surveyed them calculatingly. "Which world does Ventus belong on?"

At those words, his arm twitched. "Ventus?" Mai tittered hopefully.

However, his face remained clear of any emotion. Wayward Wind popped up in his hand, and a beam of light shot out ahead of them. As a result, a glowing arch rested a few feet ahead.

"All right." Aqua half-smiled. "If that's where you want to go."

Mai came over to the arm that had moved and poked it, wishing that it would reciprocate. Nothing happened, as expected. "Stop playing games with us, Ven. It's really not funny."

She could almost imagine him laughing in response. Almost.

But, it was time to get a move on.

"Bye-bye, creepy tower." Mai muttered. "Thanks for all the wonderful memories, you lump of bricks."

With that, they entered the doorway under the sad eyes of Mickey Mouse, who was watching from a window.

He sincerely hoped that they would meet again under better circumstances.

On another world, far away, Noelle stopped what she was doing. She and Lea had been sparring when her heart throbbed painfully in her chest. Her staff clattered to the ground as she put a hand to her chest perplexedly.

"Noelle?" Lea lowered his chakrams. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "Yeah… But, she's not."

"Who?"

The brunette reached down to pick up her staff, choosing not to answer his question. "It felt an awful lot like her heart was torn apart." She mumbled quietly.

She got into a ready position, insinuating that her friend should do the same.

Mai, Ven, please; stay safe.

Lea let out a keai as he attacked her, and all unsettled thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind. After all, she was probably only imagining things.

Oh god. I cried three times as I wrote this chapter; especially during Ven's goodbye to Mai. I apologize for all the sadness and angst, but it needed to happen. I wasn't going to change the entire plotline, you know ;) Anyways, that's why there will be a continuation. Stick with it, and they'll eventually get their happily ever after. Key word being, "eventually."

Anyways, only two chapters to go in Shattered Hearts (I think). More like one chapter and an epilogue.

But I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Have a fantastic week.

- SoraMaiDay