Hey Everyone! Due to personal life decisions, I am not going to get nearly as much time to work on this from this chapter onward. I will still post when I can, but on the whole it's very likely that I will only be able to update once, maybe twice a month. sorry about that, but I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Terra

Further into the Fade they continued to walk, the Warden and the demon. Regardless of the fact that Vanitas had yet to try anything, Terra still kept his weapon drawn, ready for a surprise. However, the demon had no plans to do so. He was a desire demon after all, not stupid. Terra may have beat him once already, but that didn't mean he would win again. He just needed to wait until the proper moment to strike.

While Terra refused to make conversation, he was rather bemused to see how Vanitas was taking the silence. From his body language alone Terra could tell Vanitas wanted to speak although he hadn't yet. It must have been awfully lonely here in the fade. Even though he had the company of the creatures that attacked Redcliffe- one of the purple rabbit creatures was on his shoulder now- they couldn't have been all that great at conversation.

Finally, Vanitas spoke.

"You do realize that there isn't a way to tell what the Arl was poisoned with. I doubt that mage even knows what was in his possession."

Terra refused to answer, although the look on his face told Vanitas that he was right. He let loose a loud laugh, watching the Warden for a reaction of any kind. Besides his facial expression, Terra wasn't about to let him get the satisfaction. They still had a long way to go, the building he had woken up in far behind them. In the darkness, there was only the white sand that made up the path he walked.

"You're going to need to find an antidote of some kind." Vanitas smirked. "It's one of your desires. I can give you a hint, if you like."

"And why should I trust you? You practically destroyed my childhood home." Terra answered in a low voice.

"Take it as you will, but I didn't open the veil. That was Venty-wenty."

"Call him that again and I will destroy you, Arl or not."

"Fine. Ven Ven then." Vanitas replied flippantly. "You're an interesting one, Mr. Grey Warden. Did you know that?"

Once again Vanitas was met with silence. With a sigh he began to float instead of walking. It was fine that Terra was a hard nut to crack. It would be more of a challenge, but that's what made it fun. After all, his heart felt so much deeper than even he must have known. So many desires, repressed and buried deep inside. He snickered slightly as he internally began pulling at them, seeing just how far he could really go.

The Warden wasn't just anxious to find the Arl. He wanted to find his longtime friend, prove he was worthy of the title of Grey Warden, end the blight and….what was this? It looked like he was hiding a secret. A rather deadly one at that. And who should be at the very root of that secret but the other Warden. How interesting. More feelings for her were leaking out if him and the idiot didn't even notice it.

"So, you and the mage. You know each other for a while?" Vanitas floated so they were at eye level.

"Why are you asking?"

"Do you see anything else to divert my attention? Now come on. We clearly still have a bit of a walk."

"A couple of weeks." Terra replied quickly.

Vanitas smirked again. He had obviously hit a nerve. Terra's jaw was locking now, his teeth tightly clenched. The Warden looked straight ahead into the darkness, completely unafraid of what might be lurking in the shadows. Little did he know it wasn't the shadows that he needed to fear. It was what was in himself that was the real monster. More than most people, Terra walked a precarious line between light and dark. Although the light in him had been refined somehow, the darkness had plenty of room to grow. Vanitas could use that. If by some reason he had to stay in the Fade, he could at least plant a few seeds of doubt in the man.

"Say son, are you angry you never got to know me?" Vanitas asked, his face and voice having been changed to match King Hermod's.

"What are you-?" Terra turned and looked.

"I can take the form of some of your deepest desires. And one of the ones you've repressed the most was how poor little Terra felt to be abandoned by mother and father. Truth hurts, don't it?"

Once again Terra tried to ignore the demon. Seeing his father walking alongside him was more than he had ever expected out of his life, even though he knew it was an illusion. The whole time he was growing up, he wondered whether King Hermod would have been proud of him. There was such a weight on him to be the very best, even though he wasn't technically in line for the throne.

And still he somehow managed to mess that up, too.

"Oh, I see. You don't want to talk to your father, you'd rather talk to your dad. Is that right?" In a second Hermod's face was gone and replaced with that of Eraqus, much less somber than he had been in life. "You want me to tell you how proud I am of you. It's one of your deepest desires."

Vanitas barely had time to finish the thought before the keyblade was at his neck. Still in Eraqus' form, he locked eyes with Terra. If he didn't know any better, Vanitas would have said there was murder in the Warden's eyes. Perhaps it could have been said that Vanitas had crossed a line somewhere. Good. It was time to draw out some of those desires and have some fun. Ventus couldn't get out; not on his own and not with that mage.

"Don't you dare pretend to be him. He was better than the likes of you."

"Strike a chord, did I?" Once again he changed shapes. This time, a particular bluenette was standing before Terra. "How about this?"

"Back off, Vanitas!" Terra growled.

"I bet you haven't even told her the worst part about being a Warden in the blight." Vantias laughed.

All of the blood ran out of Terra's face and his fists clenched. That desire demon was right, as much as Terra hated to admit it. There were a few things he hadn't told her, even though he knew it wasn't fair. He was reminded of the things he had forgotten when Flynn had been speaking about those who had given their lives in protection of Redcliffe. While the Bann was speaking, he had thought back to his own late mentor who had taken the time to explain all of the ins and outs of being a Warden while they were travelling together.

"You really haven't, have you? You have to know the price of immortal glory. One of you has to die or else the archdemon goes free." vanitas finished in a near whisper.

"So what if I haven't? I will tell her after we leave you in the fade. And I will keep to my original course; it won't change a thing."

"I see. So that's why you're forcing her to make all of the decisions. So she'll be 'prepared' when you take on the old soul and die, huh? And she isn't going to get any say in the matter? Pretty selfish if you ask me."

"How is it selfish of me to sacrifice myself so that she can live?"

"Don't you get it? You're taking the easy way out. Leaving her to pick up all the pieces."

He hadn't thought of it that way. Perhaps- as much as he hated to admit it- Vanitas was right. That still didn't give him any idea of the right path, though. They absolutely could not let the archdemon live on, but he wasn't about to ask Aqua to die. She had already lived her life doing what was expected. It was time she be set free.

"What we decide to do in the end is none of your concern. You'll still be here in the Fade." Terra decided.

"Say what you will, but you know I'm right."

Soon, they found themselves arriving at a small town with buildings nestled together and a fountain bubbling as the water pushed out of the spout. It was a nice place. The Arl's heart had to be around here somewhere. If Terra had to guess, he'd say it would be in one of the highest places around. The bell tower. It looked like a bit more of a walk, but they were close enough that it didn't matter. Vanitas confirmed his suspicions.

"The old man's heart is in the bell tower. I hope you like stairs."

Aqua

It felt like they had been climbing these stairs for at least an hour, if not more. Another break would have been welcome, but they had just taken one fifteen minutes ago. Or had it been thirty? Time moved differently in the fade, so she really couldn't tell.

Things were different this time, too. They were actually, physically in the fade. It wasn't just their hearts or their minds. Exhaustion was creeping up on her and Aqua clung onto the rail as she climbed. If only Ven could have produced a strong enough wind to have carried her up all the way. But she couldn't ask him to do that. She knew he could at least lift her a little; he had already. It just didn't seem likely that he could sustain a strong wind that long. It was better this way.

Besides, they were almost to the top. Maybe she could sit for a moment before facing whatever monster was at the top. They had only decided to climb up here because then they could get a layout of the town and decide which direction to go after.

"What do you think we'll find up there?" Ven asked.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, you let me take care of it, okay? You need to stay safe; I'm not sure how vulnerable you are in this state."

"I'll be fine. After all" Ven quipped, floating around her and ruffling her hair. "I'm only a heart on the breeze."

Aqua chuckled a little at this. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Just be careful, okay? Get away if you absolutely have to."

"But…"

Aqua didn't know where exactly his face would have been, but she placed her hands on her hips and looked forward, furrowing her eyebrows and keeping her lips pursed. She could feel the breeze run chill and stand at attention, no longer causing her hair or clothes to blow around. When she felt like he understood, she relaxed. She had someone important to protect had given her a small boost of energy. They hadn't gotten much time together, but she hoped he considered her a friend.

As they made it to the top of the staircase, the faint light that had since been giving them a chance to see had softened into cool blues and whites instead of the reds and yellows. The smell of sea salt was heavy in the air, and Aqua could hear some fast paced music playing off in the distance. Instead of getting to see the town like they hoped, each of the windows held the image of tall lighted pillars in the night.

Everything was lit up more beautifully than Aqua had ever imagined. She raced to one of the windows in order to get a better view. Softly, Ven flew behind her and stood next to her, likely as curious as she had been.

There was so much to see outside just one window. Moving lights passed in lines, one set white and the other line red. As she took on the sights, she realized there was more to smell than just salt from a nearby ocean. The smell of fried foods wafted up to the windows, and if she had kept watching, she was sure she would have jumped out to join in the reverie.

"Hey, who are you?" A voice dragged her back to the small bell tower.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize anyone was here." Aqua turned and greeted the voice.

He didn't give the same vibes that a demon normally did. In fact, Aqua couldn't really sense any magic coming from him. He was tall with broad shoulders and a red cloth under his shaggy blonde hair. His shirt was slightly open, revealing a necklace that looked like the image on the signet ring from Flynn.

"Dad!" Ventus left Aqua's side and hurried to the man, happily swirling around him.

"Ven? Is that really you?"

"Wait, you're Arl Tidus? Nice to meet you, my name is Aqua Amell."

"So you're not a demon then? Ugh, I'm so ready to get out of here. All I know is I was taking a meal with my family and the next thing, I'm here."

Ven moved more slowly, obviously disappointed. "That's my fault."

The annoyance that had once lit up the Arl's features was now replaced with concern. The wind shrunk to a small whirlwind by Tidus' feet. He tried to give his son a hug, but was met by empty air. How frustrating it must have been to be so close to someone you loved so much and yet were unable to touch. Aqua herself found a small tear welling up in her eye for this emotional moment. She wondered if she should even be intruding, and yet was grateful she had the opportunity to.

"I'm the one who opened the rift and let Vanitas out. I was trying to do a spell Pete was teaching me and then everything exploded. Those monsters that followed him flooded out and…then I was here. Well, over on another part, anyway."

Tidus was silent for a moment. He then placed his hands on his hips and then looked to where he thought his son would be. "Then be the one to fix it. Help Aqua to defeat Vanitas. Maybe once he's gone then I can get out of here, too."

"Fix it?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Tidus remarked. "Listen. We all make mistakes in life. That's no secret. The difference is how you choose to react to it. You could blame yourself all day or you can go out and make it right. It might be difficult, but I'm sure you can handle it. After all, you are my son."

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." Ventus reacted.

Aqua couldn't tell if it were a trick from the many lights outside or if something had changed, but she swore she could see a very faint outline of the boy from the castle. His spiky hair standing straight on edge, his hand clenched into a fist in front of what would have been his chest. She couldn't see a face at all, but maybe that would come with time. His appearance must have been in correlation with his confidence levels or something. They would need to encourage him until he could stand with them just as Tidus did.

"We all believe in you, Ven. Magic is hard to master, but with enough patience and time, many spells can be undone." Aqua replied.

"What she said." Tidus smiled.

The outline of Ven's body was becoming a little stronger, Giving Aqua a chance to see him a little better. Tidus held out his arms to hug his son. It was getting time to leave. The boy attempted to hug his father, but simply fazed right through, the only evidence of their touch being a small gust of wind against the Arl. Ven looked at his hand, although no one could decipher what he was thinking as his facial expression still had not returned. Tidus let his hand hover where Ven's shoulder should have been.

"You can do this. Maker keep you strong"

Ven nodded and gave his father a thumbs up before walking towards the staircase. "We'd probably ought to get going, Aqua."

With a nod, she agreed and they bid farewell to the Arl before taking the first few steps down the large staircase. Although it would be a long walk, it would be a lot easier than it had been on the way up. They didn't have to go against gravity and could take less breaks. As they walked down, neither felt the need to speak. They had both been lost in their own thoughts and would have continued to do so until they heard footsteps coming from down below.

"Well, look who it is. I told you they'd likely be with the Arl." Vanitas drew attention to himself.

"Vanitas? What are you doing with Terra?" Aqua called out her keyblade.

"Relax. I was fulfilling my end of the bargain. He beat me so I was showing him where the Arl was staying. Pretty nice digs, wouldn't you say? I think he would have loved that world in another life."

"Enough. You're going to leave us and show us how to get out of the fade right now." Aqua growled.

"So aggressive. I knew there was a reason I liked you." Vanitas smirked.

"Our deal is finished, Vanitas. Now we need to find a way out of here so Ven can get back to his body." Terra interrupted.

The demon crossed his arms and shook his head. "Ah, but you still don't have a cure for the Arl. If he goes back to his body now, he's as good as a goner."

That was right. Tidus had been poisoned and no one had the cure. It must have been seen as a fool's errand to try and save him right away. They would need something to help him before getting his spirit back from the fade, but who knew how long that would take. Not to mention they still didn't know how to get Ventus back into his body, either. Antidote or no antidote he could go back as soon as they figured out how to do it.

"One thing at a time." Aqua sighed. "What do you mean he's a goner?"

"Exactly what I said. The poison is running so rampant in his body that if his heart returns without a cure, he'll die. That's what the poison does. It attacks the heart."

"Then we'll find the cure." Aqua noted with a harsh edge in her voice.

"You know what, this could be fun. How about we play a game. I'll give you six months to try and find a cure for the Arl. I'll send him back when your time is up and it's up to you if he lives or dies." Vanitas suggested.

"And how do we know you'll keep your end of the bargain?"

"I haven't broken any rules yet, have I?" vanitas scoffed. "What fun is a game if you win so quickly because you cheat?"

Aqua hated to admit it, but he was right. If there was hope of getting any help from the Arl of Redcliffe, they were forced to take Vanitas up on his offer. He was a desire demon and must have sensed how badly they all wanted Tidus to return to the regular world. It meant that they wouldn't be seeing the end of the Blight any time soon, but then, it's not like they were going to anyway. There were still plenty of contracts to fill and the Arl was one of them.

"And to keep this a little interesting, I'm going to give you a little present, Ventus." Vanitas smirked.

Vanitas opened his hand and a small bubble of darkness appeared just above it. Slowly, it changed shapes until it solidified into an ornate mask in the shape of a rabbit. Without warning, he smashed it on Ven's face, causing the younger boy to stumble backwards. Once Vanitas released his hand, the mask seemed to disappear. At least now his facial features had appeared on his outline, although his eyes took on a sickly yellow color. Aqua wondered if that were his original eye color or if something else had happened with whatever that mask was.

"What did you do to Ven?" Terra growled, summoning his keyblade.

"Relax. I simply put a small amount of darkness in his heart. It'll act like a bit of a timer. He'll know exactly when his father is released and I'll get a chance to do something other than sit around here and mess with the lesser demons." Vanitas shrugged.

Both Aqua and Terra rushed to the future Arl's side to make sure he was alright, but he simply waved them off. He didn't feel much different except for a sudden shock of cold that had seemingly pierced his heart. It had taken his metaphorical breath away, but he was already getting used to the way this new darkness felt. It was a slight change, though he couldn't help but wonder if he would feel any different once he returned to his body.

When they were assured he was alright, the four began walking back down the stairs. Ven's outlined form began to chat amicably with Terra, telling him of any small adventures that had been missed since the older man had gone away. He bombarded Terra with questions, many of which had to be declined. The Wardens were a secretive bunch, it seemed. In the meantime, Vanitas attempted to speak to Aqua, who gave him the silent treatment.

"You're just as bad as he is. Took me forever to get him to open up. He finally started talking about you though."

Although she continued to remain silent, his words did have an effect on her. What had he said? She resisted the urge to stoop to his level though. He had no reason to tell her the truth. Instead, she listened in on the conversation Terra and Ventus were sharing. From the sounds of it, their childhoods had been ones filled with wonder and exploration. Hers by comparison had been rather lonely.

When they arrived at the bottom, they were surprised to see Aerith standing there, waiting for them. Aqua ran to her and looked her over. Just like with the Arl, she didn't feel like this was a demon. Aerith grabbed her hands and smiled gently at Aqua.

"I'm so glad I find you! I'm here to bust you guys out of here."

"Wait, how?" Aqua looked in confusion.

"Zack and I went back to the circle to get first enchanter Mickey and the necessary lyrium. I'm here to help Ventus get back, but since you two are physical, we'll need to find the rift on this side of the veil. When you're safe we can fix it right up." Aerith explained. "Also, I received a note from a mage named Anora. She was just finishing up her harrowing, and I guess Cid was sending her away for a while. But she wanted me to make sure you got it. Come see me when we get through."

"Get those two out if you want, but Ventus belongs to me. I need him if I'm going to be able to come and go as I please."

Aerith dropped Aqua's hands and placed her hands on her hips. The look she gave Vanitas was hard and so stern that Aqua was willing to give her whatever she asked for. How had someone who was so soft have a look that could make her so intimidating?

"I like a challenge." Vanitas walked a couple of steps toward her.

To stop him from moving forward any more, Terra grabbed Vanitas's wrist and yanked it back. Vanitas wasn't going to hurt anyone on his watch. He gave the wrist a squeeze to remind him how outnumbered he was. Terra probably shouldn't have felt satisfaction at the way Vanitas winced, but he did anyway.

"You're not going anywhere." Terra threw his wrist down.

"And i suppose you're going to stop me?"

"I have once before."

Vanitas bared his teeth before summoning his weapon. They raced toward each other with weapon in hand and began to fight ferociously. While they were distracted, Aerith attempted to pull Ventus away from the battle, but instead only felt a rush of wind. Aqua shrugged her shoulders and waved her arm in order to catch his attention. The young mage was distracted by the show of power between the two men in the hall. He begrudgingly went with the women when he finally noticed them, but kept the fight in his peripheral vision so that he wouldn't miss out on anything.

"Ah come on, Aqua. I could have helped him in there." Ven whined.

"Sorry Ven, but Vanitas is right. As long as your heart and body are separated, Vanitas can jump between the Fade and the real world as he pleases. We need to use this time to get you back home while he's distracted."

"I'm never going to be useful for anything other than sitting in the palace all day, aren't I?" Ven sighed, his form fading a bit.

"Not at all. I'm a mage too, and believe it or not, I thought I was only useful for cleaning the house and having children. But after everything that's happened, I've found a home and a place in the magical community. I promise you will too."

"What if I never get out of the circle? I don't want to be trapped there forever. I've heard stories."

Aqua placed a hand where his shoulder should have been and looked into those yellow eyes. They must have been unnatural. More than anything a shudder moved up her spine as she took them in. Just what had Vanitas done to him? Was it anything that could carry over into the real world? She was so lost that she didn't notice Terra flying at them after taking a hit from the demon. Thankfully Ven pushed her out of the way in a giant wall of wind while Aerith cast a barrier spell to help him land.

"Leaving so soon?" Vanitas walked out of the bell tower building, dust on his shoulder and a few bits of rubble in his hair.

"As a matter of fact, they were." Aqua nodded at Ven and Aerith before stepping up. "And you'll be staying here with me."

Fighting may not have been the best option, as she still hadn't completely recovered from everything yet. But there was one thing she could do, at least until terra could get up and help her fight. Taking a deep breath, she leapt at him. When she was close enough, she took his jaw in her hand and planted her lips onto his, a large pit growing in her stomach. The kiss wasn't as bad as she had expected; in some ways she was ashamed to admit that it was nice. He smirked into her kiss and grabbed her around the waist, trapping her in his embrace. He deepened the kiss and slid his tongue over her own lips, which caused her to shudder. She kept her mouth firmly shut, praying to the maker that Terra would intervene soon.

While Aqua had Vanitas distracted, Aerith cast a spell and she and Ventus were gone. Vanitas looked over to see the light the spell casted and immediately pushed Aqua away from him. His yell ripped through the air as he summoned his weapon and held it above the mage. Twice he slammed it down at her, and it would have hit if she hadn't been able to summon her own keyblade in time. She tried shooting ice magic at him, which did thankfully slow him down. As he prepared to hit her a third time, she rolled from her position and shot another ice spell at him. While his attention was on her, Terra came barrelling from the side and tackled him. The Warden managed to get a two good punches in on him.

"The first one was for what you did to Ven. The second one was for what you made Aqua do."

Terra got up and Aqua used one more ice spell just for good measure. Vanitas slowly faded as all defeated demons do. With this being the Fade, he was likely to show up somewhere around here soon, but hopefully it gave them enough time to find where the rift had spit them out. As they walked, Aqua held her arms around her and kept her eyes down on the ground. She wasn't proud of what she had done, and she was even less proud that she had found some enjoyment in it. Terra kept his eyes peeled, hoping to find something soon, but the small town they had found themselves in kept leading them to dead ends.

Finally, as they found a small road that led them away from the city, Aqua could feel a strong magical pull from what must have been the rift. They began to walk faster and faster, until Terra had them running. Aqua was tired, but they needed to get out of the Fade as quickly as they could. Just before they got close to the rift, Aqua grabbed tera's hand and caused him to slow to a stop.

"Wait, Terra-" Aqua blushed. "Please. I hope you don't think ill of me for doing what I did."

"What? Why would I do that?"

"I just….I didn't want you to think less of me for using myself to get what we needed."

"Aqua." Terra's look softened as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I promise that nothing you do will ever make me think less of you. I know we've only known each other for a couple of weeks, but you're pretty good out there. There aren't many others i would rather have fighting by my side to save the world."

"You mean that?"

"Well, I mean we could do without Skuld. She's got something out for me, i think. And Stitch is always finding his way into troubles. Did you hear he left a rabbit carcass in Ava's bag? Troublesome, but harmless." Terra chuckled.

Aqua smiled and gently pushed him for his remarks. She grabbed his hand and they walked toward the rift. Standing to meet them on the other side was a team of mages, all with their staffs pointed directly at them. As soon as they realized who had walked through, they lowered their weapons, First Enchanter Mickey smiling ear to gigantic ear.

"Alright, they're through. Everybody, together!" Mickey cried.

At once the mages hoisted their staffs in the air and created a barrier around the rift. Mickey was holding up both his keyblade and some kind of talisman with the picture of a multi-eyed wolf. As soon as the rift was sealed, the talisman broke, and on the floor was a pile of fine dust.

"I'm glad to see you guys are safe." Mickey reached out a hand to Aqua.

She knelt down and placed her hand in his, looking at him. "Yeah. thanks for the extra help with Aerith."

"How is Ven?" Terra asked, pulling them from their conversation.

"He's okay now. His heart took a bit of a beating in the Fade, but it's nothing we can't handle. You can go up and see him, if you'd like."

Terra nodded and hurried up the stairs, Aqua close behind. After instructing what the mages on what to do, he decided to follow them, knowing that once better, Ventus would need to be admitted to the circle. As he arrived, he found Terra and Aqua embracing the boy. He was still weak and had an unusual darkness attached to him, but it was faint. Mickey would see to it that he would be monitored closely. There was something about it he didn't trust.

Alright, that's it! on to the notes!

For the view from Tidus' window, I wanted to recreate Zanarkand, as the Tidus here is taking more from ffx instead of kingdom hearts. honestly, kingdom hearts did Tidus and Yuna pretty dirty. it also was mean to Squall and Rinoa, but that's a discussion for another day.

I knew I needed something to help seal rifts, as that's going to be a huge thing in the third game. so the talisman was there as a one time use thing to help seal the rift. there will be more explanations in story 3.

Thanks for the continued support!