Sora and Kairi continued following King Mickey.
"So, dad, is everything okay?" Kairi asked.
"Well, besides all the sadness around, there's plenty to be happy for." Mickey said, but the words sounded like he was trying to reassure himself more than them "We're alive, Ventus... He's finally got a break..."
Sora decided to think of other topics. With the currently defeated members, there was six left. Six Nobodies left to defeat. He sighed: they were all crippled from losing Ventus, how could they take on six more?
He was traumatized(again), Kairi was probably still a little sensitive and fragile from being in contact with so many grieving hearts, Riku seemed mostly unbothered, but Sora was pretty sure there was still an undercurrent of feelings he wasn't showing, Mickey was also not expressing his defeat fully, but Sora knew he was crushed, and Aqua...
Sora paused, thinking about the old Keyblade Master. She was absolutely distressed to find Ventus in his arms and dead. Now she was like a mother who had miscarried, constantly mourning and shattered. As another first in his life, he truly felt sorrier for someone other than him or Riku. If she was in a better state, though... Her assistance would be invaluable.
There was a sudden stiff silence, and Sora finally took a look around to find himself in King Mickey's study. Aqua was awake now, and while it was unknown how she got here so quickly, she was intently searching the books on a rickety looking ladder. Riku was slumped on Mickey's desk, barely moving. Aqua blinked lightly, then turned "Oh, Sora..."
She suddenly turned away, fresh pain entering her expression "I-I didn't expect you to be up."
She looked down at Mickey "So, what do we need to do?" Riku shook his head "Nothing, we're not ready."
Sora blinked at the broken lilt of his voice. Riku, now that Sora was really taking a good look at him, now had his blindfold removed "We're not even sure if these guys are a major threat, and honestly..." he trailed off uncertainly "this was too crippling for anyone to be of any use now. anyways."
Aqua shook her head "I'd call what happened to Ven..." she slid down the ladder, her newly retailored sash and sleeves billowing with the breeze that followed. She paused, her eyes teary, then said firmly "I'd call that a threat." She rubbed her eyes, on the verge of losing it again.
Riku didn't even look like he heard her, but replied "You got a point... even if the guy was aiming for Sora."
Aqua turned back to the shelves, resuming her search on foot "Doesn't matter, those strikes were obviously going in for a kill." Sora turned to Kairi, who sagged with a rare (at least for her) burden of true sadness. King Mickey seemed to be thinking of the next move to make, but even he seemed at a loss for what to say.
Aqua suddenly laughed sadly as she pulled out what looked like a musty old tome "I remember this..." she flipped through the blank pages with a wistful smile "This is an imprisonment tome. Master Eraqus had one..." She trailed off at the sight of a small sticker saying "Property of the Land of Departure's Library". She shoved it back in, with a fake smile "Same copy..."
Sora knew that smile too well, and asked "Did you lose your home, too?"
Aqua blinked "Too? What do you mean 'too'?" Riku explained "Ven visited the islands shortly after you came... I think Sora barely remembers you with what happened afterwards." He barely turned his head "Say, do you remember her, Sora?"
That's when the pieces lined up "Oh! You visited a day earlier!" Sora gasped out. He looked down at his feet "I'd... I'd almost forgotten..." He looked at Riku "Wasn't there a guy shortly before her, too?"
Aqua suddenly started bawling, falling to the ground and grieving anew. Kairi knelt down next to her, then glared at Sora and Riku "Don't you two have some courtesy?! We're all hurting here and Aqua is having FAR more than her share!" she then went to soothing Aqua, adding in a softer tone "I mean, she's been gone for years only to return to her whole world being upside down and her best friend dying..."
Aqua pushed her away "I-I'm fine... Please don't be so harsh on them..." She grabbed her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes, her voice cold and emotionless "I'm the one who needs to compose myself." She stood and brushed herself off "I'm a Master, I shouldn't have responded like that-"
"You're human." Kairi said "Everyone makes mistakes."
Sora then said "Terra." Aqua stiffened as Sora continued "That other guy was Terra, am I right?" Aqua shifted a little "Yes, but how did you-"
"Ventus... Ven thought I was him for a little bit." Sora walked over to take a seat, suddenly noticing how tight his chest was getting. He let out a strained laugh "He mentioned that your master would make him do chores for a week for catching him with his Keyblade put up at that moment."
Aqua giggled. Sora liked the sound, appreciating something happy for once. He frowned moments later when the tightness in his chest was getting tighter-
"Agh!" He doubled over, clutching at his heart. He suddenly realized this wasn't just a pain from sadness. Riku suddenly bolted to him "Sora!" Sora grabbed the chair's arm, but ended up falling to the ground anyways, his breaths becoming shorter and shorter with agony.
He couldn't tell what was going on, too many things swirling in his mind and clouding out everyone's distress. What was going on? He couldn't hold anything back anymore and groaned loudly, continuing to almost claw at his chest. Kairi's voice pierced his distress "Don't worry! Sora we're trying to help you-"
Sora felt himself blackout.
Kairi shook him "Sora! Sora stay with me!" Riku was flat out panicking, begging Sora not to leave him. Aqua quickly took control of the situation and forced everyone back "Give him space! Give him space and let me and Mickey look at him!" Mickey and Aqua barely touched Sora's limp body before his hand slapped at the ground lightning fast. It looked like his skin was being consumed by something that looked horrifyingly like black muscle.
Everyone quickly backed away as Sora helped himself up "You need to learn resisting only makes things worse, little idiot." There was an echo of his own voice, but darker and deeper. He stood, opening his once again golden eyes "Just makes things worse for everyone."
Aqua summoned her Keyblade, everything about her vanishing into sheer fury "LET HIM GO YOU FREAK!"
Sora laughed, tapping his cheek with one gloved hand. The transformation had ended at halfway to his elbow, though "Oh? Is the little master back? How cute." He turned away "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a phase two to enact-"
Aqua slammed him against the bookcase with her Keyblade angled at his neck "I said you let him go."
Sora sighed "I thought I mentioned last time that if you kill me like this, you're also gonna kill him." Aqua faltered. Sora took the opportunity to knee her, and backed away "But hey, if you wanna play, we can play!" He summoned a fiendish looking Keyblade covered in chains, and was grinning psychotically.
A psychotic grin Riku recognized. "Wait... I-I thought-"
Aqua charged with only the most pained and tormented war-cry anyone could ever hear. Sora held her back with only one hand, idly inspecting the other "Hm, you've gotten weaker." Aqua was spitting and and screaming in his face "I WILL NOT LET YOU GET AWAY THIS TIME!"
Sora pushed her off, sending Aqua tumbling across the floor "No, you will." he pointed his Keyblade at her neck "Because I'm not gonna go easy on you this time." He paused when everyone else aimed their Keyblade at him. "Okay, maybe you will," he then aimed his Keyblade at himself "Or maybe you won't. Depends on you, really."
There was silence as a stalemate unraveled.
"Funny how you people always think you can win." Sora started backing away to leave "Because sometimes you can't-"
His eyes suddenly widened while his mouth gaped open in shock, his Keyblade vanished, and he keeled over face-first into the ground with a small utterance of a curse "Damnit..." Standing behind him was Queen Minnie, hand shimmering with recently used magic. She lowered her hand, sighing "Oh dear, I knew something dark had trespassed here."
Mickey smiled "Right on time, Minnie." She smiled back and walked over to hug him.
Kairi, meanwhile, knelt next to Sora. The black muscle on his arms didn't vanish, so there was no way of knowing if this would last forever or not- "Ri...ku...?" Sora whispered. Riku helped him up "Yeah, yeah I'm here."
Sora stared at his hands, his eyes their normal blue "What happened?"
Riku shrugged "You... kinda got possessed."
Sora flexed his hands, his face mask-like "I- did I hurt anyone?" Kairi shook her head "No one, really."
Sora nodded, then buried his face in his hands and curled up "Good..." Aqua walked over and roughly grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at her "Sora, you are Sora, right?" She stared at him, then asked Riku "What happened?"
Riku looked confused until Aqua hissed "Should be over a decade now, how did you lose your home?!"
Riku then began explaining, Sora curling back up without any of his own commentary. Kairi silently listened, finally getting an answer she'd been dying to hear since meeting Sora and Riku. Aqua sat down, cross legged, and sighed "I knew it..."
Sora lifted his head and tilted it onto his arms "Whaddya mean?"
Aqua took a deep breath "Sora... That wasn't Ventus who destroyed your home. He was trying to save it."
"I... I don't understand." Sora said, looking confused and horrified. But pieces were lining up: different eye color, rapid change in personality- Aqua pointed at his heart "Sora, Vanitas- the same person who is now sleeping within you and taking you over like some kind of virus -possessed Ventus and was the one who destroyed your home." Aqua noticed Sora's eyes widening and tearing up, then said "Ventus was trying to help you-"
"What have I done?" Sora sobbed. He gripped his head and hung it between his knees "It all makes sense now, but what have I done?!"
Aqua watched him quietly, looking broken herself. Riku hugged Sora "Hey, hey it's okay... you didn't know..." Kairi did the same "Sora, everyone makes mistakes."
Aqua noticed that Ven's Wayfinder had fallen out of Sora's pocket, and she gently picked it up and examined it. The glass was cracked and chipped from being dropped, dried blood filling them up with spidery lines of jarring red. Otherwise it was so much the same, with serene sea green glass and sculpted pewter she had so lovingly crafted herself for Ven. For a young man she had considered her dear baby boy, even if he was too old for "baby".
She then gently put it around Sora's neck, joining the hug and softly placing her head against his "I'm sorry."