I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts or Silent Hill. They belong to Square Enix/Disney and Konami respectively.
To ease some concerns from last chapter, I will say right here that I am not planning to write out any lemons between Aqua and Vanitas. Oh, and next chapter will be M for sexual references.
Chapter 28
In this town of ice and snow, they were a beacon. The light of Lost Memories cut through the fog like a lighthouse's beam, beckoning lost souls inward. However, this call went unanswered, and Ven and Sora found themselves unmolested as they traveled the deserted streets of Silent Hill.
To Ven, the town had taken on a sort of haunting beauty. The way the buildings jutted out of the fog, sheer, grey and black against their snowy backdrop, became a source of fascination. Neon signs flickered in the distance, fighting bravely against the darkness that smothered them; he couldn't help but notice that when he approached they lit up for real, only to die again at his departure. Ice coated the trees, turning their branches into abstract sculptures. And all around, snow, dancing in the wind, left glittering trails in its wake.
The fog was there, as it always was, but it was no longer suffocating. It felt to Ven like it was keeping its distance, gathering at the edge of an unknown radius, like children crowding to get a closer view of a stage. And when Ven would lift his keyblade and point it in some direction, the fog lifted obediently, opening the way.
That was not the only reaction to his presence either. Streetlamps glowed brighter when he neared; awnings shuddered at his passing, as if whispering to themselves. The town really was alive in its own way, and it recognized him.
He stopped at one crossroad, Sora following suit. A light dusting of snow covered his helm, permitted to stay by a lack of combat. Still, Sora had his keyblade out, and he persisted on moving stiffly.
Ven looked down one road, then down the other two choices he had. All looked the same. Though he had accepted his connection to Silent Hill, he still was not sure how to navigate this place. He was sure it was more than memory that had guided Vanitas. Indeed, it seemed at times one was able to teleport in Silent Hill, whether it be by your own whim, or the town's.
Thankfully, he did have a guide. He reached into his pocket and took out Terra's Wayfinder. Back in the day, Terra had said he could track Aqua with it; Ven was hoping to do the same.
Inside the Wayfinder's glass orb, he could see magic swirling. Still, there was more to its contents. Though it couldn't be seen, Ven knew some of Terra's light was inside; he could taste it. It had been placed there by Naminé as a guard against the town's darkness and more importantly, Vanitas. Back before Terra could understood his darkness, the Wayfinder had stopped Vanitas from simply seizing control of the eldest apprentice. Normally, Ven wouldn't have dreamed of taking it (as if Terra would let him), but Terra was in a coma. He couldn't do anything. Plus, unlike when he had first gotten it, Terra was in control of his darkness. Vanitas wouldn't be taking over him.
"Take me to her," he said to the Wayfinder.
The magic swirled inside the orb, turning lighter. Then, he felt a tug deep inside him.
"This way," he said to Sora, dropping the Wayfinder back into his pocket. Sora followed him, and the two continued their journey through Silent Hill.
"Where are we going?" Sora asked.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Wherever Aqua is."
Sora looked at the ground. "Kairi and Riku . . ."
Ven bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't want to dash Sora's hopes, but he didn't want to falsely raise them either. "It depends on how things go with Aqua," he said. "If we can get her out without much trouble, then we'll stick around and look for your friends. But I don't think that's going to happen."
"Then when are we going to save my friends?" Sora hissed. "You two keep saying you will, but then you go chasing after other things instead!"
"We're trying!" Ven said. "But it's not like Vanitas is sitting around waiting for us. I don't even know what he's up to anymore!"
"Didn't stop you from dropping everything and going after Aqua." Sora spoke so lowly that he probably hadn't meant for Ven to hear, but he did anyways.
"What do you want me to do?" he shouted, whirling around to face the other boy. His light thrummed inside him, making the hairs on his arm stand upright. "I don't know where Riku is; I don't know where Vanitas hid Kairi's heart. I don't know anything."
He choked suddenly, eyes beginning to water. "All I know is that he has Aqua. That's all."
The wind was refreshingly cold on his skin, serving to draw away some of the heat that had gathered there. Ven hadn't even realized it up to now, but beads of sweat had formed under his clothes, making them feel clammy and damp. His chest was tight, like an iron band had been fastened around it, and the tension had forced blood to rush out of there and into his head with a dizzying effect.
Yet when a tear finally fell, it was not his.
"I'm sorry," Sora blubbered. "I didn't mean any of that. I'm just . . . it's just . . . Kairi just lies there day after day, and I can't do anything. And I know it's all my fault, because I was weak and . . ."
"It's not your fault," Ven said quietly.
"It is!" Sora nearly shrieked that. "Vanitas only caught her because she came after me. If I hadn't been there, she would have gotten out, and she would still be awake and . . . it's my fault. Everything is. Her, Riku, Aqua . . ."
"Sora, stop it!" he hissed. His arms were stiff at his side, fists clenched. He couldn't keep listening to this, not when it wasn't true.
"It's all my fault!" Sora said. "If it wasn't for me, then Riku and Kairi wouldn't have been dragged into this, and neither would have you guys . . ."
"That's definitely not true," Ven said. "Vanitas –"
He trailed off, eyes wide.
He had heard the sound of metal scraping against rock.
He backed right into Sora's armoured suit, pushing the other boy back. The contact finally broke Sora out of his fit of self-loathing, and he picked up on Ven's fear right away. Sora stayed behind him, shakily raising his keyblade.
"Light!" Ven barked, pointing Lost Memories in the direction he had heard the sound.
His keyblade vibrated as the light coursed through the shaft. It escaped the tip in a small beam, like a laser. All around the beam's diameter, the fog rolled away, packing into an ever-thicker cloud as the circle of clear space around the beam expanded. It was like watching the birth of an eye in a hurricane, accompanied by the same sort of thrill and terror.
The fog swirled, revealed more and more.
And right there, standing tall in the road, was the Bogeyman.
It was exactly how he remembered: humanoid, tall and beefy, a pyramid-shaped helmet atop its shoulders. It wore nothing except a bloody butcher's apron. Adding to that image was the Great Knife, a rusted blade longer than Ven was tall. Like an executioner of old, that's how it appeared, with the same apathetic demeanour and judging stare.
That's what it did. Stare.
Then it lurched forwards.
"No, go away!" Ven screeched. He aimed Lost Memories at the monster, making it pulse as it had when he had chased away the hounds.
But though Ven had mastery over them, it was not the same for this monster. The Bogeyman ignored his commands, persisting in stumbling forwards. Its head was slightly turned, so that the slits in its helmet faced them, allowing it to get an eyeful.
For each step it took, Ven and Sora took three back, until they were nearly jogging. Finally, Ven snapped out of his trance, and grabbed Sora, shrieking, "Run!"
They took off. The Bogeyman did not break its shambling gait, but Ven knew it would be right behind them. It was one of the 'delights' of this place. They ran into the home, Ven lacking the precious seconds to even lift the fog. And though they were swift and lithe, he swore he heard the Bogeymen right behind them.
A sign lit up as they approached, a blinking neon arrow pointing at the entrance, as if shouting 'In here!' Like moths to a flame, they veered straight towards it, Ven swiftly unlocking the door and yanking it open.
It seemed to be some sort of clothing store, old and abandoned. Motes of dust floated in the single ray of a cracked light. They scattered as Ven ran through them, pulling Sora along.
Panting, Sora asked, "Now what?"
Before he could answer, the entire store shook.
The door to the outside bulged, groaning as some great weight was thrown into it. The force disappeared, allowing the door to return to normal, but then it shuddered again. And it didn't only shudder, but splintered as the Bogeymen hacked into it.
Dazed by the sight, Ven forgot about Sora, and thus jumped when the other boy shouted, "Ven, over here!"
Sora was pointing at an air duct in the corner, large enough for them both to travel through. With no further comment, Sora hopped on top of a counter and using his keyblade as a lever, started to pry the grate from the wall.
Meanwhile, the Bogeyman had just stepped over the threshold.
Ven tossed a light spell at it, just to buy Sora some time. The Bogeymen staggered, reeling back as if Ven had thrown a desk at it, but kept coming. The knife screeched, making a deep groove in the wood underneath it, striking as a pen line on a piece of paper.
"Sora, hurry up!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Sora cried. He'd gotten about half the grate off at this point.
The Bogeyman was too close. Ven could see it shifting its grip, preparing to raise its knife in a mighty swing. With a wild, adrenaline-fueled cry, he lunged, stabbing forwards; maybe, if he got one good hit this would be over and they would be safe –
The Bogeyman grabbed his keyblade.
It swung that instead - with Ven still holding onto the other end. By the time it occurred to him to let go, it was too late. He was lifted right off his feet, flung to the other side of the room into a collection of manikins the way a bowling ball smashed into pins. They all fell, some on him, some beneath. A few centimetres away from the pile, a decapitated head rolled to a stop, artificial eyes staring right at him.
The Bogeyman stared.
Then turned towards Sora.
It's here for Sora! This, Ven knew with absolute certainty. He struggled, pushing at the pile of manikins with all his might, screaming, "Sora, get out of here!"
Sora fumbled his keyblade at that moment, and the grate, hanging on by just a corner, fell back against the wall. The boy turned jerkily, instantly seizing up at the sight of the monster.
"Sora, go! Run!"
Sora snapped back into action, pulling the rest of the grate off with his bare hands just as Ven kicked the last manikin off. The other boy hesitated, looking back at Ven, who only again screamed for Sora to flee. With what might have been a shaky nod, Sora dove into the air duct, just a second before the Bogeyman tried to grab him.
How long had it been since he had last breathed? Ven didn't know, but it felt like an eternity. His lungs felt sore, as if he had just been running a marathon. Still, he breathed easily as the Bogeyman blankly stared at the spot where Sora had disappeared.
Only for his heart to stop as the Bogeyman chopped through the wall.
Dust rose in a grey cloud, making Ven cough. When it cleared, he saw the Bogeyman standing in front of a crevice in the wall, the blade of its knife inside.
It pulled the knife out.
It was bloody.
"No!" He threw himself at the monster. He couldn't lose someone to this town, not again. Sora was still alive. He had to be alive. He must be alive.
His pulse roared through his ears, making him deaf to his own cry. Screaming, he swung at the Bogeyman, who blocked with his own blade, looking almost curiously at him. A second strike was deflected the same way. Then a third. Then a fourth.
With a cry of frustration, Ven threw his keyblade. It smacked the Bogeyman right in its helmet, bouncing off crazily to the side. Panting, hunched over, Ven stood there, waiting for the monster to make its next move.
The Bogeyman raised its knife . . .
And turned back to the wall.
"Stop!" Light, why? Why was it still attacking that spot? Hadn't it done enough?! Ven lunged, fingers automatically curling around his keyblade's shaft as it returned to him. His momentum carried him, and his keyblade went up –
Then down again. Right into the Bogeyman's back.
He had never heard it scream before. Now, though, if asked, he could tell you that it was a horrible, shrill sound, like nails scraping against a chalkboard. The keyblade had only sunk about the width of his forearm before being stopped by pure muscles, but that still brought the Bogeyman down to one knee.
He yanked his keyblade free, splattering the floor with black blood. It congealed, bubbling thickly, surface rippling as the Bogeyman pushed itself to its feet with the knife as support. It turned to face Ven, spine arched slightly as if exhausted. But if the monster was tired, it certainly didn't show when it lifted its knife.
He dove to the side, tucking into a roll as the knife passed over him. It sliced into the counter, tossing the upper half into the air. A shower of wood splinters fell upon the ground, inches away from where Ven waited.
The next blow pulverized the pile of manikins Ven had hid in before. Then a poor table that had only been holding clothes. Then the door. By this time, Ven was backpedalling into the street, arms held out for balance. Space and agility were the key to surviving a fight against this thing. That, he knew.
Once outside, the Bogeyman seemed to hesitate, as if thinking about going after Sora. Ven shouted at it, made faces, anything he could think of to distract it.
"Come on!" he cried. "I bet your master would be happy if you caught me."
Come to think of it, where was Vanitas? Ven would have thought his other half would have been stalking him since the moment of his arrival. Yet he had seen no signs of the other boy. What was keeping him?
The Bogeyman did not move. It continued to stand there. Waiting for something maybe? Ven didn't know.
He lowered his keyblade, confused as to why –
He heard something behind him.
There was no time to dodge. Before he could even look, the flat of some blade smashed into his side, and he could feel his ribs bend under the force. He skidded across the street, losing a bit more skin with each inch, his arms soon becoming a red mess. He gasped in pain, but not from that, but the nerves that were firing all over his chest, centered at his throbbing ribs. He tried once to stand, and the blast of pain was enough to stop him from trying again.
"C-curaga!" he hissed.
Did it work? It certainly didn't feel like it. Pins and needles were creeping their way up his side; his skin felt like it had been scraped off by sandpaper.
He raised his head, eyeing his new attacker. At first, he was confused because hadn't the Bogeyman been in front of him before? Then, he looked sideways, saw it again and finally remembered what he saw when Terra had fought Vanitas in the Station of Awakening.
There had never been just one Bogeyman.
It was not the Great Knife that this Bogeyman wielded, but a thinner blade. It was curved upwards, keen, covered in blood and rust. His own blood? Probably not, but Ven couldn't help but glance at his formerly torn flesh.
He forced himself to stand, holding his ribs, hunched over so far his hands could nearly touch the ground. The knife-wielding Bogeyman approached first, followed by its brother. Ven tried to hold Lost Memories, but with his slouched position and single hand, he couldn't quite manage to lift it. The keyblade remained slanted downwards, tip resting on the ground.
The first blow came, and he barely staggered back in time. The second skimmed the edge of Lost Memories, making his entire body shudder. And there was no third one, because the Bogeyman, close now, simply reached out and wrenched his keyblade away. It went spinning through the air, embedding itself in a wall nearby.
Before Ven could even think of summoning it back, the Bogeyman grabbed his throat.
It lifted him high into the air. He could only thrash wildly, clawing at the monster's thick flesh. Even if his nails had been able to gain some purchase, he knew it was hopeless; a little pain wouldn't stop it. He reached for the light within him, tossing it out at his foe, and though the Bogeyman groaned, the grip only tightened.
No, please no! He couldn't go down, not when Terra, Aqua and everyone else were relying on him. He tried to order the Bogeyman to release him, but all that came out was a gurgle.
Holding him at arm's length, the Bogeyman turned its helmet slightly and through the slits, Ven thought he caught glimpse of an amber eye. As if reading his mind, the vice upon his neck tightened, threatening to pulverize everything within. He was sure that had he been able to see it, the Bogeyman would be smirking.
He blasted it with more light. Then more. Yet the Bogeyman did not release him. Black coated the fringes of his vision, steadily sweeping inwards. He couldn't feel his limbs anymore. With the last rational thought he had, he groped about for light, for any light.
Right before he lost consciousness, in his pocket, Terra's Wayfinder burned.
I'm on vacation for a week, so no updates during that time. Sorry!
