I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts or Silent Hill. They belong to Square Enix/Disney and Konami respectively.

Chapter 26

Seated at Terra's bedside, Ven said, "So, there's nothing you can do?"

"Maleficent spoke true," Yen Sid said. Ven thought he heard the old wizard's spine popping as he straightened up. "Only love's first kiss can break the spell."

Just as he had feared. Ven gave Yen Sid a quiet thanks, then returned to his internal musings. Although Terra had been taken out of the picture, the path forward lay clear: find Aqua. However, Ven was certain that Vanitas had something with whatever had happened to the Land of Departure, and to take Vanitas on alone . . . he wasn't sure if he could win. If Terra had been by his side, they would have been fine; Terra had been the one to actually defeat Vanitas, after all. Without him though, Ven wasn't confident of a victory. Especially since his ultimate weapon – his light – had done so little the last time they faced off.

"Why couldn't it have been me?" he mumbled. Terra would have been fine retrieving Aqua by himself. He would have saved the day without a sweat.

The door creaked open. Blue eyes peeked in, underneath a fringe of spikey hair. Cautiously, as if a sleeping dragon lay inside, Sora opened the door and crept in. His face was guarded, empty of the grief Ven associated with him.

"Vanitas got him too," Sora said.

"Pretty much, even though he actually meant to get me."

Sora walked over, held up a hand as if to touch, then lowered it again. "Will he wake up?"

"Not on his own," Ven said. He drooped a little more. "Not until we bring Aqua here."

"Aqua . . . Is she okay?" Sora was suddenly speaking louder, more frantically. "She disappeared while me and Kairi were still in the castle and –"

Ven cut him off. "We brought her back. Turned out to be a really bad move. All we did was deliver her into Vanitas' hands"

He closed his eyes. The darkness in the Land of Departure must have invaded sometime after they had left Aqua there. But when? Had it been after their trip to the Castle of Dreams, where he had spoken to Vanitas? Maybe that's why Vanitas had been there looking around: he had really been searching for Aqua. More than ever, Ven wished he had smashed his other half's face in.

He scrunched his face up. That was a very violent and messy thought. Must have been inspired by the hate Vanitas gave him.

"So, Vanitas is there. Do you think he could have Kairi's heart with him?" Sora asked.

"Maybe." Before Sora could speak, Ven said, "You can't come. It's too dangerous."

Sora ground his teeth together in a rare show of frustration. "She's my best friend," he cried, "and I'm tired of sitting around and waiting for people to do something! Please Ven, I can't do it. She just lies there day after day and she doesn't move and no matter how hard I plead she won't wake up!"

Sora had fallen to his knees, hands clasped together as if in prayer as he begged. Ven had to turn his head away, for when he saw the tears dotting the other's face, his own heart began to crack and break. He had to forcefully remind himself that this was for Sora's own good and that it was way too dangerous to bring the other boy along. Slowly, a cold frosting expanded over his emotions, as if he had cast a Blizzard spell on them.

"I have to help her," Sora said. "Please, I'll stay out of your way, just let me help."

Quietly, he said, "What you saw in Silent Hill, that was only the beginning. Vanitas can be way worse than that. Trust me."

"I don't care," Sora grated out. "She's my best friend, and Riku's still there, too."

"Sora, you said it yourself!" Ven said. "You only got out of there because Vanitas doesn't care about you. You'll get yourself killed!"

"What about Riku?" Sora shrieked, his pitch seeming to go up an octave. "He could be in trouble, too. I left him there! I need to go back, I can't . . . I can't . . ."

He stuttered, repeating those words, becoming more and more incoherent with each repetition until he was a wreck on the ground. Again Ven looked away and squeezed his fists. Sora couldn't come. He couldn't allow it.

"Sora, I'm going to stop Vanitas," Ven said. "I'll save both your friends, promise."

"Let me help them, too."

"I can't."

Sora wiped his eyes. "Then I'll help you. If it's so bad, you shouldn't be going alone either."

"Yeah, well, I'm experienced." Ven forced a smile onto his face, hiding how nervous the prospect actually made him. "There's no one better suited for this than me. Except Terra."

"But Terra's sleeping," Sora muttered.

Ven sighed, then stood. He put his hand on Sora's shoulder, looking him in the eye.

"I'll save your friends. Trust me. Please."

He was being followed, and not very stealthily either.

Ven slowed, and waited for Sora to catch up. The brown-haired boy was panting, but looking no less determined, blue eyes hard as flint. He did not flinch when Ven glared at him, tapping his foot in impatience.

"I told you not to come," Ven said.

"I know," Sora said.

Ven groaned, armoured hand rubbing the back of his helmet. Sometimes, he wished he was more like Terra, because Sora wouldn't have dared disobeyed him.

"I'm coming with you," Sora said, "whether you like it or not."

"Fine," Ven snapped. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Bringing Sora along meant that he had to fly slower, as not to leave him behind. He could have anyways, but Ven was certain that Sora would try to follow, and end up getting horribly lost, maybe stranded in space somewhere or on a distant planet, or maybe he would find his way and wander into Silent Hill alone . . . Either way, Ven couldn't bear the thought. Sora had been through enough already, and the boy really did want to help. And the slower pace might have actually been for the best, as unlike last time, Ven wasn't utterly exhausted by the time they reached the Dwarf Woodlands. On the negative side of things though, they'd taken an extra day.

They spent one night in the Dwarf Woodlands (making sure not to eat any apples offered by old hags), then set off again, marking a course for the Land of Departure.

And what they found made him fall silent.

Mickey was right: the entire world was shrouded in thick fog. You could easily miss a castle in this, even one as big as theirs. Snow covered the ground, cracking under his boots, his footsteps filling in hardly a few minutes after he moved on. But despite the chill freezing his nose, he could still taste darkness. It was everywhere, licking at his skin, jumping back when his light rose up to protect him. He cast a sideways glance at Sora who was shivering, lacking Ven's protection.

"Here." Ven unclipped his shoulder piece and handed it to Sora. "Put it on."

Sora did so, and Ven summoned what had originally been his armour. Being magical, it readjusted itself to fit Sora perfectly. It still had the same colours, the same style. In fact, thanks to their similar builds and heights, it looked nearly identical to how it did when Ven wore it.

"Whoa . . ." Sora stared at his hands, covered in slick metal. "What is this?"

"Keyblade armour," Ven said. "It'll help protect you from the darkness."

"This is so cool!" Like a dog chasing its tail, Sora turned in circles, examining himself. "After this, I'm going to get some. Wait, what about you?"

Ven waved his concerns off. "My heart is made of pure light," he said. "I don't need it."

"Okay, then let's get going!" Sora rapped himself in the chest with a clang. "Nothing's going to stop us now."

They walked, and walked, but nothing came. There was no castle, no training grounds, not even that pile of wood Terra had chopped prior to Sora's original arrival. Ven knew he was in the right place too, because he had found the river that skirted the training grounds, and the pine woods that surrounded the castle. He knew he was standing right where the castle should be. And yet it wasn't there.

He stood still, Sora watching him curiously. Castles didn't just disappear, even with the darkness' aid. It was still here, it had to be, but he knew it wasn't just invisible either. It was hidden from him, and the real question was how . . .?

"What happened here?" he murmured.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Sora asked nervously.

"Of course I am!" Ven said. "I've lived here all my life."

Sora held his hands up in a placating manner. "Sorry, I just . . . it's just this looks an awful lot like Silent Hill."

Ven took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. "Sorry for snapping at you. You're right, it does look like Silent Hill and -"

He stopped short. A memory struck him. Eight months ago, just when they had escaped Silent Hill, he remembered looking down where the town should be and seeing nothing, not even fog. It had disappeared, slipped into another dimension of its own.

That must be what was happening here.

But did that mean this was Vanitas' doing? That his powers had somehow extended to here?

"It's here," he whispered. "Silent Hill's here."

"You live there?" Sora asked in confusion. "How?"

Ven shook his head. "No, it's not supposed to be here. It's grown."

Sora rubbed his head. "But if Silent Hill's here, shouldn't we have seen something by now?"

"You'd think, but the town's hiding from us. It doesn't want us to enter, although seeing as how Vanitas wants me, I'm not sure why . . ."

It hit him then. Vanitas wanted him, yes, but he wanted Aqua more, and he knew that Ven would take her away. The town wouldn't open for him because Vanitas didn't want him anywhere near her.

And with that thought came an indisputable fact.

Vanitas had Aqua.

The colour drained from his face. He knew that whatever was going on was bad, but he hadn't thought it was this bad. Aqua . . . how long had he been holding her captive? She might not even be sane by the time they rescued her!

"A-aqua." His voice trembled, as did his body.

"Ven, what do we do?" Sora asked. "If we can't get in . . ."

He didn't need to finish. Without an entry, there was no rescue. Without a rescue, there was no waking Terra. Without that, there was little hope of saving Kairi or Riku, or even defeating Vanitas in the end. They were stuck.

Numbly, Ven pulled out his Wayfinder. Though the fog should have blocked out most light, it still gleamed. The glass was fogged over a bit, so Ven wiped it clean with his thumb, studying his reflection afterwards.

His hand clenched over it. "We're getting in," he declared, "whether Vanitas likes it or not."

He sucked in a big gulp of air, tasting the darkness, hoping that would give him some clue as how to proceed. It was heavy and sat in his stomach, making him feel sluggish and full. At the same time, it ran inside his veins, making the cells nearby prickle with warning, triggering a rush of defensive anger that soon transformed into hate.

One, two . . . He counted slowly, obeying his Master's teachings. As Eraqus had said, emotions were often a burden in a fight. Sure, it helped some people – namely Terra – but for someone like Ven, someone who didn't normally know hate, such a feeling would only hinder him.

You can't keep me out, Vanitas, he thought, imagining that he was projecting his thoughts the way an archer let loose an arrow. She's not yours. You don't own her.

A different part of him spoke up then. You don't own this town, either. We do.

His keyblade appeared in a flashing, glowing almost pure white. Perhaps reacting to that, or maybe Ven himself was unconsciously making it happen, the fog swirled around them, faster and faster until they were standing in the eye of a storm. Sora backed away, pressing up against Ven's back while he stood there stubbornly, refusing to be moved.

"Ven, what's happening?"

He ignored Sora's question. He raised Wayward Wind in a stroke, and the world flashed with lightning far above. Red and yellow, it jumped from cloud to cloud, booming with distant thunder.

Into the air, Ven shouted, "You want to accept Vanitas as your master? Fine, but you have to accept me, too!"

The light inside him flared, scratching at his insides, eager to be let out. He did not let it explode out of him as it would have liked, but let it fill his keyblade instead. The blade hummed, shaking.

"Let me in!" Ven cried. "You're not keeping me out!"

The fog wall built up around them, higher and higher.

"Ven, are you sure about this?" Sora demanded.

"Positive." He turned his attention back to the hidden town. "Let me in! I'm master of this town too, and I'm ordering you to let me in!"

Cold seeped through his boots, licking at his soles. He looked down where glimmered the faint outline of what appeared to be a keyhole . . .

Without thinking, he stabbed his keyblade straight down.

The tip of the blade disappeared into the ground. The whole thing shifted sideways and then with a sudden jerk, fell into place.

Light shone from the keyblade in beams, bouncing off Sora's borrowed armour and the bright surface of Ven's hair. The handle was hot in his hands, nearly melting them, but he didn't let go, biting through his lip in his efforts to ignore the pain. He could barely taste his own blood, as the light seemed to burn away his senses, until the world was nothing more than a white slate.

And the sirens howled.

But it was different, not a wail as he had remembered. This sound was brief, like a series of trumpets announcing the arrival of a king. And starting from the spot where his keyblade was embedded, the ground began to morph. Grass hardened, turning grey and curling to lie against the ground, becoming asphalt. Around them, shadows began to take shape – not monsters, simply scenery. The bright light died, though the one surrounding his keyblade still remained.

"We're here," Sora whispered, sounding like he wasn't sure whether to be happy or terrified.

Ven yanked his keyblade out of the ground, letting it sit on his shoulder. The white glow still surrounded it, but it slowly faded.

He blinked.

The keyblade he was holding was not Wayward Wind.

This was a pearly white keyblade, unlike his previous keyblade, though blackened around the handle. It had a sleek, smooth appearance to it, and a single tooth at the end shaped like a heart. The interior of the heart was missing a corner, but the rest was coloured a pale red, diluted when compared to the bright red markings on Vanitas' body suit. Ven held it up, marvelling in its pristine colour and longer reach. When he swiped it though the air, it felt perfectly balanced, as if he had been using it all along.

How . . .?" he whispered.

And the keyblade spoke to him, Lost Memories.

"That's your name, huh?" he said, twirling it in his hands. "Why come to me now?"

So you can do what you must.

He must have looked crazy to Sora, nodding and speaking to something that didn't seem to be alive. "You're connected to Silent Hill, aren't you? You're like a crown."

The keyblade did not answer, but vibrated.

Ven, accepting his badge of honour, pointed Lost Memories down the road and shouted, "Light!"

A beam of light shot from the end of the keyblade, cutting through the fog. Half a second after, the fog began to recede. It rolled back from the place the beam of light had been, like a wave going in reverse. The snow-covered road revealed itself, as did the buildings afterwards. Though it remained foggy behind and beside him, the way forwards was clear.

"How did you do that?" Sora asked.

Ven said, "It's a special privilege I have. Come on, let's get going."

Where they were going, Ven wasn't entirely sure. Though he, too, was a god here, that did not mean he was as powerful as Vanitas. First off, Vanitas had much more experience than he did. Also, this town was built on darkness, something Ven couldn't touch. He was an angel descending into hell, the yin to Vanitas' yang.

They made it halfway down the road before the first of the monsters appeared. They were hounds, green-furred, eyeless, snuffling as a pack gathered in an alleyway on the edge of the fog. Long canines flashed, dripping with saliva above black gums. Sora took a step back, his breathing heavy with fear, although he did not hesitate to summon his keyblade.

One hound – the alpha, perhaps, if they worked that way – stepped forwards. Fur bristling, growling fiercely, it approached the two boys as the rest of the pack fanned out behind it. They moved almost silently, only betrayed by the snow's crinkling.

Ven swiped Lost Memories through the air. "I don't have time for this. Just leave us alone!"

The keyblade pulsed with agreement, burning white.

Growling, the pack drew closer.

Then stopped.

The lead hound paused mid-step, ears perked. As if curious, it cocked its head, staring with nonexistent eyes straight at Ven. The other hounds seemed similarly puzzled, whining amongst each other.

"Huh?" Ven straightened up out of his fighting stance, baffled. "What's going on?"

The lead hound whimpered now, licking its lips, turning its head in submission. It still held one paw in the air.

"Uh, scram," Ven said. "Go away!"

His keyblade hummed, repeating his order in its own secret language. The hounds whined, drawing close together like a sports team in a huddle.

And they left. Just like that.

For the next two minutes, Ven and Sora stayed where they were, expecting them to come charging back. But one minute passed, then the other without incident. Slowly, they lowered their keyblades, accepting the fact that there wouldn't be a fight this time.

"It was that easy?" Sora said. "You just have to tell them to leave?"

"Only for me," Ven answered. "I'm the only one who can do it."

He looked down the road, to where his former light spell's range finally ended and fog cloaked the world. He hadn't even been here an hour yet, and already things had changed drastically. He stared into the fog, then down at his keyblade, accepting the truth: Silent Hill was no longer the monster it had once been.

Setting his jaw, he took out his Wayfinder, clipped it to his keyblade, and marched forwards.

This time, things were going to be very different.

So, I've written ahead enough that I think I can estimate stats. Anyways, I'm predicting this story to be somewhere from 170K to 180K and to end on a chapter somewhere in the mid-fifties. Yay?

Review Responses:

Guest: Yeah, Terra has a lot of problems, and Aqua's often the victim of them. Both he and Ven have done some very shady things to her. Actually, in terms of being honest with her and all that, Vanitas has them beat. And hey, isn't is a good thing when the plot thickens? XD (Yes, Riku was referring to that word that begins with a R)

MoonLitSparklesofTwilight: Haha, thank you! :D