I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix and Disney.
Chapter 38
Panting, Ven ran through the woods. Terra, Aqua . . . he hadn't found a trace of either of them so far. All he found were trees and more trees. Oh, and the occasional squirrel.
He vaulted over a log, landing in a crouch. The moss-covered earth was soft under his shoes, so that he had to be careful they didn't stick in the mud. For the most part, he was okay, moving swiftly enough that the mud didn't have time to attach. However, there were a few clumps sticking to the edges.
He breathed out, turning his eyes to the waning sun. Not quite sunset, but getting close. He only had until then; he didn't expect Aqua to hang around for night, and Terra would surely follow her. Once that happened, well, then he had no idea how to find them.
Losing hope by the second, he trudged onwards. Of all times to run off . . . why now? Yes, he knew that whatever had happened with the knife had seriously freaked Aqua out, but he thought she knew better than that. If anything, he would have thought that Aqua would run to Terra for comfort. Running away like this, it didn't suit the picture he had of her.
That left two options: either Aqua had been damaged enough by her captivity that he no longer knew her – something he deemed unlikely – or this disappearance wasn't entirely voluntary.
It was that theory that he clung to as he pushed through the tangled mess of branches and leaves. He only wished he had some actual details; he couldn't think of why Vanitas would drop her off here. Unless Vanitas wasn't involved and it was someone else . . .
He knocked his forehead against a tree. He was going to drive himself crazy.
It was there, slumped over against the tree, where he felt it: a tugging in his breast. Confused, Ven rubbed the spot, shuddering as a sense of being watched swept over him. Actually, that wasn't accurate; he didn't feel like he was being watched so much as he was doing the watching. He looked around, but nothing was amiss. That did not satisfy the tug, however. Instead, it only got stronger.
It was then he noticed that his Wayfinder was glowing.
He clutched it tight in his fist, clinging onto the good omen it offered. With no further doubts, he followed the tug, letting it blindly guide him through the forest.
And boy, was he glad he did.
"Terra!"
Terra was lying on the ground. The ground around him was disturbed, with the dirt streaked as if there had been an explosion. But Ven knew it wasn't just that; he could see the fight that had happened here. After all, there was nothing in nature that could so cleanly cut a group of trees in half.
"Terra, are you okay?" Kneeling, he shook the larger apprentice, scanning over him for injuries. As far as he could tell, Terra appeared unharmed. Unconscious, yes, but safe.
Even with Ven's prodding, Terra did not wake right away. It was maybe five minutes or so later when he finally started to moan. His eyes were slow to open and once they did, blinked seldom, as if he was too tired to close them again. His hazy blue eyes, although locked on Ven, took a while to obtain that note of recognition.
"Vanitas . . ." Terra mumbled.
Ven's lips thinned. "No, it's me: Ven."
"No, Vanitas . . . he's here." Terra was trying to stand now. "We were fighting."
"You were fighting Vanitas?" Ven looked around again, half-expecting to see the masked boy leaning against a tree. "Are you sure? I don't see him here."
"Yes, I'm sure," Terra said. "He used a Holy spell and-"
"Whoa, wait! A Holy spell? As in a light spell."
"Yeah, that one." Terra's voice changed slightly as he registered the implications of his words.
Ven shook his head. "Terra, Vanitas has a heart of pure darkness. He can't use light spells. Maybe it was someone pretending to be him."
"I'm telling you Ven, it was him!" Terra said. "I don't know how he used a light spell, but he did."
"Okay, fine. Maybe it was him." Ven bit his lip. If it had been Vanitas . . . then he didn't know what to do. "Have you found Aqua?"
"No," Terra said, "she's probably gone . . . no, she's still here."
"Really? But it's getting pretty late."
"She's still here," Terra said firmly. "Come on, we have to go find her."
Terra rolled over onto his stomach and climbed onto his hands and knees, but he was unable to rise. It took Ven's shoulder under his armpit to lift him and even then, the older apprentice swayed dangerously. He took one wobbly step forwards, then lurched, only staying upright because he fell against a tree. Holding onto it for dear life, he moaned and rubbed his chest, face scrunched up with pain.
"Terra, are you alright?"
Terra grated out. "Light, I don't think I have any bones in my body."
Ven grabbed his arm, steadying Terra as he moved away from the tree. However, Terra, being a much bulkier, much bigger boy, proved too much for Ven to carry. Both of them toppled forwards, this time with Ven thankfully landing on top.
"Sorry!" Ven squeaked, leaping off Terra's back.
"It's fine," Terra said. As he lifted himself off the ground, his cheeks went red from the effort. "I've never felt this weak before."
"Take it slow," Ven said.
"Can't," Terra said shortly. "We need to get to Aqua."
He ended up taking it slow. It was obvious that Terra was very, very displeased over that, but at the same time, it was obvious his body was failing him. He walked like a cripple, using Earthshaker as a crutch. The keyblade itself seemed a little odd to Ven; the colours appeared brighter than usual.
Yet they continued to march onwards. It was maybe an hour away from night now, and Aqua apparently had yet to desert the world. Not at all a good sign.
Jaw clenched, Terra led, eyes fixed straight ahead. It was akin to the focus of a hawk diving at its prey. Terra barely even acknowledged Ven when he spoke, usually only responding in grunts or brisk moves of his head. That might not be because Terra was ignoring him though, but because he was too weary to say more.
Finally they heard it: sobbing.
It didn't even take Terra half a second to lurch towards the noise. The expression on his face was rawer than any Ven had ever seen on him: it spoke of terror and dread, mixed with the tiniest hint of relief. Although they had yet to see the source of the cries, both of them knew with a scary certainty that it was Aqua they were hearing.
"Aqua?" he gasped. "Aqua!"
They pushed through the last barrier blocking their path. The branches folded outwards, like a show curtain slowly opening, and center stage was their desperately-sought quarry. Aqua was curled up at the base of a tree, sobbing into her arms. There was no blood that he could see, but her clothes were rumpled in a way that spoke of mishandling.
But she was safe. Vanitas didn't have her.
"Aqua!" Both of them shouted that at the same time. Overjoyed, they ran towards her, catching a glimpse of her tear-streaked face as she glanced up-
"NO! STAY AWAY!"
Aqua's shriek penetrated through to his legs, stopping Ven cold. Terra, however, had always been a man of action. He only moved faster, though his weakness made him too slow to catch Aqua before she bolted.
She didn't run far, just far enough that there was a healthy distance between them. She was visibly shaking as her eyes darted from Terra to Ven and back again. She didn't appear hurt, but the way she twitched and moved, it was like a worm wriggling on a hook.
"Aqua?"
She backed away from them, whimpering. Her gaze was fixed on a point on the ground by her feet, angling her head downwards. But he could still see the fear etched in the lines of her skin. With a jolt, Ven realized the truth: she was scared. Of them. He thought at first it was because of what had happened with the knife, but she was reacting negatively to Terra, too. What was going on?
Terra had stopped moving, his arm still reaching out as he came upon the same fact Ven had just digested. Slowly, his arm fell back to his side. He took a careful step forwards, hunching over in what seemed to be an attempt to appear smaller.
It was still too much. She whined deep in her throat, backpedalling rapidly.
"Aqua, it's okay," Terra said quietly. "It's just us."
Even that failed to soothe her, and when Terra made a sudden move to grab her, she yelped and slapped his hand away.
"Aqua, are you hurt?" Ven asked.
She didn't address his query but glanced at him, flinching away. Ven paused, noticing for the first time that he had been circling, flanking her. He chewed his bottom lip, looking to Terra for reassurance. However, if the steely look in his eyes was anything to go by, they really were like two predators creeping up on their prey.
"Look, Aqua, it's just us." Terra held his hands up, displaying his lack of weaponry. "Vanitas isn't here. It's safe. You're safe. We just want to take you home, alright?"
Ven waited with bated breath as Terra approached her. But once again, Aqua backed away, keeping the same distance.
"Aqua, stop fooling around!" Terra barked. His face was flushed. "We have to get out of here before Vanitas arrives."
"N-no." The response was weak, but unmistakable.
"No?" Ven repeated. "Aqua, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing!" she snapped. "Nothing's wrong with me."
Judging by Terra's furrowed brow, he understood her just as little as Ven did. "What is wrong with you?"
Aqua backed away, shaking her head. "I don't . . . I don't want to go back with you. I-I want you to go away. Both of you."
"What!" Ven was surprised to hear that escape from his mouth and not Terra's. "What do you mean? Aqua, Vanitas is out there; you can't stay here, especially not alone."
"No, no." With each syllable, she shook her head fiercely. "No, I don't want you here. Just leave me alone."
"Aqua . . ."
"Okay, enough is enough," Terra said. "We don't have time for this."
Aqua looked at him.
And then she ran.
"Ven, after her!"
He didn't think, simply obeyed Terra's command. He'd always been the fastest of the three of them and even though Aqua's terror made her quick, it also made her clumsy. He raced ahead of her, judging the distance between them, then leapt out right in front of her, arms held wide. It was enough for her to skid to a stop, at which point Terra caught up. With him in front and Ven behind, Aqua froze, chest heaving as she entered the realm of hyperventilation.
"You done?" Terra demanded.
Ven couldn't place the emotion she displayed. It was horror or anguish of some kind, the same look of someone who had just woken from a horrific nightmare. And clearly, to her, he and Terra were the monsters she had seen in her dreams.
She tried to bolt again, but he and Terra moved quickly to cut her off. With a frustrated groan, Terra said, "Aqua, I will put you on a leash if I have to!"
Ven knew right away that was the wrong thing to say. She didn't get frightened or angry; instead, her face went completely blank. The coldness of it was almost surreal to the panic that had been there before.
She mumbled something indistinct, triggering Terra to say, "You want to say something?"
"I'm not . . . I'm not yours . . ."
Ven's mouth fell open. Hearing that jangled a nerve inside him that he hadn't even known existed. And the emotion it fed, it wasn't pleasant.
Light, what was wrong with him? It was just words, so why did it matter so much? It wasn't like . . . even if Aqua meant them, that was her business, not his. She . . . she was right. She was her own person. She wasn't theirs.
Of course, even if he was a wee bit possessive, it was nothing compared to Terra.
"Aqua, get over here." His tone was devoid of inflection, and that made it absolutely terrifying.
"N-no!" Despite the stutter, she sounded bold now. "No! I'm not yours! I'm not your goddamn pet!"
Ven didn't even register the last word, his mind having shut down when he heard her swear. But Terra heard what she was saying, and he lunged, blue eyes glinting as his huge arms began to circle round-
Something warm and metallic slapped Ven across the face.
Ven threw his arms over his head, expecting a weapon of some sorts to follow. There was nothing though, and he peered out between his fingers. Aqua and Terra had separated now, the former with her keyblade. She was standing across from Terra in a fighting stance. Terra, he was holding himself, his hand doing little to stem the blood from a wound that spanned the expanse of his entire chest. Ven wiped his face, his hand coming back red and telling him what exactly had hit him: Terra's blood.
Just a few metres away, Aqua was panting, looking every bit the fierce warrior she had been before Silent Hill.
"You're not touching me again," she said. "You don't fool me."
While Terra healed his wound, Ven took the initiative to address her. "Aqua, what are you doing? We're your friends!"
She hissed, "Don't play that game with me. I know what you think of me – what you both think. I'm not your pet, Ventus. Not anymore."
Kingdom Hearts, she was insane! "L-let's just talk about this," he said. "Okay, Aqua? Put your keyblade down-"
"No!" Rainfell swiped through the air, making them jump. "I'm not falling for it."
"Aqua, relax," Terra said. "We don't have our keyblades out either."
"We just want to talk," Ven said. "Aqua, we're your friends. We wouldn't hurt you."
"You're one to talk!"
"Aqua-"
"I know what you did to my heart!"
Silence. Ven stared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing. Aqua . . . she couldn't be talking about that. It was his most closely guarded secret; she and Terra shouldn't have any clue about that!
But he had been muddling around with her heart. It was naïve to think that she would never notice.
"Ven, she's kidding, right?" Terra asked.
When Terra's eyes widened, Ven knew he had hesitated too long. In a low voice, the eldest apprentice said, "What did you do?"
"I'll tell you," Aqua spat. "He's trying to control me, just like Vanitas did."
"Aqua, please, it's not like that." No, no, no! She wasn't supposed to find out yet, and Terra definitely wasn't supposed to find out like this. She was going to ruin everything!
"I don't understand," Terra said.
"It's his light, Terra!" Aqua shouted. "He did the same thing that Vanitas did to me."
"Aqua, please, don't tell him. Not now!" He was practically on his knees begging, but Aqua showed no mercy.
"He took some of the light in his heart-"
"Aqua, please, stop!"
"-and forced it inside mine-"
"Stop talking!"
Her mouth snapped shut. He could see the muscles seize up in her throat as they stopped working. Then, he understood. He hadn't just told her to be quiet; he had ordered her.
Oh, no. No. This couldn't be happening. He had sworn he would never use his powers to control her; had sworn he would never stoop to Vanitas's level. But he had done it, albeit not entirely intentionally, and in front of Terra. It was one thing to do it to Aqua while she was alone because he could always make her forget-
"Aqua, finish the story," Terra said.
But she didn't. She couldn't. She clawed at her throat, working her jaw furiously though the sounds that came out were garbled like she had been gagged. Before Terra's astounded eyes, she raised a shaking hand and pointed at Ven.
"Ven?" Terra stared at him, waiting for an answer. It was obvious by the way he spoke that he already knew.
Ven swallowed. Then he said to Aqua, "Ignore my previous command."
It seemed that all her words tried to escape at once, ending up like a muddled choke. She glanced fearfully at him, then turned her full attention to Terra, who was still waiting for her confirmation.
"Vanitas," Aqua said, "when we first went to Silent Hill, he forced his darkness into my heart so he could control me. And Ven's doing – done the same thing with his light."
Terra closed his eyes.
"Guys, it's not like that!" Ven said. "I didn't do it to control her; I did to protect her. It's not the same. I had to do it!"
"Gees, Ven," Terra said, voice tight. "You think you went a bit overboard there?"
"You don't understand!" Ven cried. "Terra, we never got rid of Vanitas's connection with her. I could feel him lurking inside her heart. He was just waiting to take her over again, so I . . . I beat him to it. I filled her heart with my light before he could with his darkness. It's not the same. I would never do something like that to control her!"
"But you did," Terra said. "I just saw you."
"It was an accident. I didn't mean to!"
Terra said nothing for a long time, not until Ven shyly said his name. Then he blinked once, and said, "You really are Vanitas's other half."
Ven stepped back. Tears pricked at the back of his eyes.
"And now . . . Shit, she's gone."
Ven looked around. Just like Terra had said, Aqua had fled. Eager to change the subject, Ven said, "So, we go after her, right?"
A beat passed. Then Terra said, "I don't think you should come."
"Terra-"
"Go."
The tears fell freely. "Terra, please, don't do this."
Terra hesistated a moment more.
Then he walked away.
Ven shouted after him, but Terra did not stop. Too shocked, too wretched to follow, he collapsed to his knees where bitter sobs shook his body. Clumsily, like a babe that had just discovered her fingers, Ven took up his Wayfinder and held to up to the light.
There, with the trinket slowly rotating by its chain, he finally accepted the truth.
The trio had been broken.