Fixed the weird line/paragraph break issue on AO3's upload of ch7 and did a spelling correction on ch6. The things that slip through when you are your own beta. X,D My bad, guys. Even 4 read throughs and constant reviewing while writing and I still miss stuff. But… that's why you have others proofread for you.
FYI I don't particularly plan to go through/rewrite BBS. That's pretty much unchanged between Canon and whatever was written in VtD. I still however need this base story to continue what I would like to do for post KHMoM content with the cast.
Also, I hope someone finds me funny for the madness I write.
E-t-A-v-E-T-a-V-e-T-x-A-v-E-t-A-V-e-T-a-V
Quiet now, your voice seems miles away
And somehow, I hear your song resound
A little bit softer each day
And from my tired heart, a little bit farther away
-Copeland, You Have my Attention
E-t-A-v-E-T-a-V-e-T-x-A-v-E-t-A-V-e-T-a-V
The weeks and months passed at an easy pace for the three apprentices and Master. Each coming into their own one day at a time, incorporating the youngest into their lives like he'd always been there.
As if his strange mix-up in his memories wasn't at all worrying, or his unknown past a constant murmuring question in the back of their minds.
Occasionally they would find Ventus examining a random piece of jewelry in confusion, or reach into his back pocket only to pull out a random pearl or cookie. None of them could make much sense of his strange collection of items, but he either shrugged it off with an awkward laugh or scrambled to put whatever it was back where it came from (with questionable results).
Eventually the day came that Eraqus decided that Ventus was old enough to get the facts of life, just as Terra and Aqua before him. Thus, he scheduled a specific day to have one-on-one lessons with the blond.
Ventus, knowing he would have the entire day alone with the Master was a little more than suspicious to him (and for some reason triggered a flight response that he stamped down), but learning no one had even told him he'd turned thirteen at some point caused a mini ruckus between the four Castle dwellers.
"So when is your birthday, Ven?"
Ven stared at the brunette dumbfounded, looking between the other three before slumping, "I… Was it the Spring? ...It must have been... March 28th..?"
Aqua's face fell, "Oh… that was right when you fell sick last year and it must have slipped our minds... I'm sorry. It's late, but we'll celebrate your birthday next week with all of your favorites, if that's alright?"
Ven brightened, "Sounds great!"
There were a lot of things that happened before Ventus "got sick" that seemed to have caused the others to forget everything about him from before.
Not that he could remember either to be all that mad about it.
So the scheduled day came and went, the Master and apprentice together for specified study.
The result of that day was the first time any of them saw Ventus angry.
It was not a loud thing, or a destructive thing.
It was a silent brooding anger, simmering with frustration and pointedly ignoring the source- Eraqus.
Ventus even went so far as to excuse himself from lessons for a few days, to try and calm himself down and not interrupt the other's training.
Mid-way through the first day of his personal exclusion Terra couldn't take his curiosity anymore, and with an equally lost glance with Aqua, both turned their attention to Eraqus while breaking their current practice set, "Master… What happened between you and Ven that he's so mad?"
Eraqus paused, almost caught off guard at their abrupt shift in activity before frowning, his brows low, "Well, I had been going over certain aspects of how later in life Keyblade Wielders sometimes take on different roles… However, that women unfortunately disproportionately get benched after having even their first child due to complications. That's pretty much where things went downhill." Aqua frowned at this, aware of the stark shift in equality between genders at that point, but she really hadn't gone out of the way to argue with the Master over it. Moreso from not being absolutely sure of what she was even arguing, and otherwise not having made such particular decisions for herself just yet.
"What do you mean by downhill?" Terra was genuinely a little confused, and Aqua was honestly curious.
"Well, he clammed up. Sort of how Aqua gets when learning a spell, and suddenly a number of things align and make sense. Except that the results weren't favorable."
Aqua tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "And?"
"He let me continue talking, but I was keenly aware of the fact he was getting more silently agitated. When he excused himself and requested time off to figure things out, he was stiff as a board in holding himself back verbally, and his knuckles were white."
Aqua tapped her lip lightly with a finger as she thought and tuned out the world around her as Terra and Eraqus continued speaking between one another in hushed tones about Ventus's strange behavior.
She would have to investigate.
E-t-A-v-E-T-a-V-e-T-x-A-v-E-t-A-V-e-T-a-V
Ventus was young, naive, cheerful, and filled with a strange amount of Light.
Yet, Aqua could tell that despite that, there was something else underneath, an individual with deep empathy who truly cared about others.
She might have understood if Ventus had become awkward or embarrassed (she and Terra had their share of unintended moments), but he had switched the narrative and gotten angry.
The blue haired wielder had been rather miffed herself after the Master had informed her of the history of the gender roles that were taken as fact in the past. However, Ventus had seemed to take it as a personal offense.
It was… intriguing.
Aqua stretched at her personal desk, having finished the last of her written assignments for the day before relaxing with a sigh. She slumped a little in her chair with her eyes closed, listening to the silence of the castle.
Throughout the day, none of them had seen Ventus, but she knew he wasn't in his room.
Aqua opened her eyes and slowly stood up, changing for bed before throwing a blanket over her shoulders and leaving her room in search of the wayward apprentice.
Occasionally she'd poke her head into a space where he might have a chance of being, but she had a feeling of where he was. It wasn't a terribly farfetched guess to her, even if it was unusual for the boy in general to spend time there.
It was dark in the halls, and a soft faraway light was coming from the Library.
She grasped her blanket a little tighter before carefully peeking in. Aqua blinked at the sight of stacks of books, seemingly in piles on various tables. Her mouth dropped at the mess, shocked and slightly alarmed at the very idea of cleaning it all up, let alone that Ven had gone through so many texts.
She shook her head before taking a few steps into the room and glanced around the Library in search of her friend.
He was standing, facing towards an opposite wall as he skimmed through the book in his hands with calculated ease. She watched him for a long moment before she silently came closer, "...Ven?"
He gasped, dropping the book under the desk he was at while startling badly, with a turn in his jump and flex of his fingers almost as if he were going to call his Keyblade. Ventus squeaked with a notable crack, "Aqua?!" He cleared his throat, "You scared me! Warn a guy, would ya?"
Aqua had a hand over her mouth, similarly startled by his reaction, but also horribly amused by it, "Sorry Ven, I didn't mean to scare you like that…"
The blond shook his head, looking down at the book he'd dropped before bending over and disappearing for a second. He cautiously stood and sat the book down on the desk, closing it carefully while leaving his hand over the cover as he looked back to her. It was then that he realized she was dressed for bed and quickly glanced at the clock, "It's that late already?"
Aqua gave him a gentle smile, "I figured I better see if you'd eaten before you fell asleep in some random spot in the castle."
He frowned before dimming the light off and producing a small yellow-orange ball of light in his hand. "Thanks. I was a little too caught up in what I was doing…"
Aqua smiled as she turned, allowing him to slightly lead as they left the Library together, "Did you eat today?"
Ventus rubbed his head a little bit, embarrassed, "Uh… I know I went to the kitchen a couple of times today… but it was still light out when I last ate…"
Aqua nodded, having guessed as much since he hadn't shown up for any meals, "Let me make you a quick snack with the leftovers so you don't have to go to sleep hungry."
He was silent for a long moment, before quietly responding, "You don't… you don't have to baby me, Aqua."
She stopped, immediately feeling offense before quelling it, realizing his tone wasn't patronizing or annoyed. It was genuine care underlying his words and it was confusing, "What do you mean, Ven?" The hand holding her blanket clenched.
Ventus turned to her slightly, the soft light in his hand showing his consideration, "It's just... You're really amazing, Aqua. You do so much for all of us, but I can tell that the Master and Terra expect certain things from you that they don't for themselves or me…" He broke eye contact with her, "Before… When we were first trying to get to know one another you were a lot more independent… But since I was the youngest, and you were the only girl, everyone just decided you should take care of me… And I feel like I've been holding you back simply because I'm the youngest."
He looked up to her with a sincere look on her face, "It's not that I'm saying I don't appreciate it when you take care of me… But… I don't want you to feel like you have to mother me just because I'm the kid of the group."
Aqua was wide eyed, vaguely understanding that he was mixing up his lost memories and overlapping them with her own actions. Yet, his sincere gaze and concern made her realize he wasn't being mean, he genuinely just wanted her to be treated equally. She gazed at the floor, mulling his words over for a long while before nodding with a small smile, "I understand. I'm sorry if I was… smothering you, or anything."
Ven tilted his head slightly, "You weren't but, I'm afraid it'd be really easy for you to pigeon-hole yourself into that role while Terra and the Master didn't even notice."
Aqua nodded before affectionately patting him on the head, "I'll try to be aware of it, but for now, I'd still like to see you eat something today."
He smiled with a light giggle, "Alright, thanks Aqua."
"You're welcome, Ven."
E-t-A-v-E-T-a-V-e-T-x-A-v-E-t-A-V-e-T-a-V
It was late afternoon the next day that Aqua popped into the Library to check up on Ventus. He was sitting in the chair of the desk she'd found him at the night previous, knees held to his chest as he looked out the window in thought.
She knocked lightly on the side of a bookcase, catching his attention as she smiled at him, "I see your stacks of books are a little more organized today." (Still frighteningly chaotic with more added to what she could only guess was the return pile, though.)
Ventus nodded, "Yeah. I think I've gotten through pretty much everything I can find… I'm just thinking through how I want to put together the information I found."
Aqua raised a brow as she came closer, "What've you been researching?"
He broke eye contact with her, almost as if he really didn't want to say before putting his feet back on the ground with a slight tilt of his head, "...Hey Aqua?"
"Hmm?"
"...Can I hold your hand?"
She blinked, holding up her palm and looking at it before she looked at him again, "Uh… sure? Is there any particular reason..?"
He stood up before carefully cupping his hand to hers, examining them this and that way before adjusting the hold and carefully threading his fingers through hers, "Your hands are really small and thin, even compared to mine… I hadn't noticed before." He was frowning a little but still clearly curious.
Aqua on the other hand was mildly unsettled while also being flustered by his adjusted hold. Their hands were held up between them, "Well, boys tend to have bigger hands."
He nodded slowly before lowering their hands between them as he carefully held her hand with more assurance, "Were you checking in on me like Terra earlier?"
She nodded, trying to decide how she should take Ventus's behavior.
He gave her a friendly smile, "Which means I should probably go get some food, huh?"
Aqua mutely nodded again before Ventus nodded in response, releasing her hand and running off to the door before glancing back at her still form, "Are you returning to practice..?"
She jolted, turning as she went to follow him, "Uh, sorry. Yeah, thanks Ven."
He smiled before he gave her a slight wave and ran off towards the kitchen.
She paused at the doorway of the Library, looking down at the hand he'd held bewildered. What had that been about?
E-t-A-v-E-T-a-V-e-T-x-A-v-E-t-A-V-e-T-a-V
It was bright and early as all three apprentices returned to their usual schedule of in-class lessons that Aqua noticed Ventus holding a green notebook in clenched hands to his chest and determination on his face.
She could already feel how interesting today's lessons were going to be.
Ventus placed his notebook onto his desk in an uncharacteristically controlled movement that even had Terra lifting a brow in interest as they shared a look.
Interesting indeed.
Master Eraqus entered the room, lesson plans in hand as he nodded a greeting to his students, "Good morning to all three of you. I'm glad to see your return, Ventus."
The blond pursed his lips with a nod, the older two split between internal cringing or mad giggling over what was in store for them today.
Eraqus of course sensed the brewing storm as it were, and since he had let the boy do as he pleased for three days, he figured he may as well let the storm blow through so they could continue in relative peace. "I know you've been searching through a great many books in our expansive Library. I believe all of us are curious about just what it was you were researching."
Ventus nodded in agreement, looking from the Master to his notebook, running a hand over the cover before standing up from his seat, "Should I start now?"
Eraqus waved a hand with a nod, "Let's hear it."
Aqua felt the temperature drop, but bit her lip to hold back the immature giggle she could feel trying to rise up from her throat.
It was almost as if the Castle itself was shaking in anticipation.
Ventus's posture straightened as he began to speak with an oddly authoritative voice, taking command of the situation as he began his speech, "Three days ago you took me aside for sexual education, in which also incorporated the history of gender differences and inequality for Keyblade Wielders throughout history." Eraqus was already starting to look like he was going to nurse a headache, coming to cross his arms over his chest almost petulantly as he listened. On the other hand, Aqua and Terra were paying apt attention, still toeing the line of not wanting anything to do with this and hysteria. "I couldn't help but be disappointed. I knew something had to be off, or wrong with what those in charge were doing in the past in their attempts to protect female Wielders- or their blatant disregard of their colleagues."
Ventus shared a quick glance with Eraqus who nodded for him to continue, "So I went through every book in the Library that had anything to do with reproduction, famous women who Wielded in the past, amongst anything and everything else that had even the vaguest relation to the subject. What I found was depressing. There was very little information that was honestly of any use as to how to protect our colleagues, leaving them helpless when they need support most. With this, I believe Wielders have lost literal centuries in not only progression of Keyblade Wielding in and of itself, but lost a great deal of ground in protecting the Worlds as a whole because they just… didn't want to deal with it."
By this point, the Master and two older apprentices were completely wrapped up in Ventus's speech. This was not their usual carefree and innocent Ventus.
This was a very different Ventus they did not know.
The blond continued, undeterred, "Of our many books, I found one hundred and sixty five erotic novels-" Eraqus immediately choked with a startled 'What!?' As Ventus continued, "Twenty five books related to male reproductive health and related issues, one book about the female reproductive cycle that's next to useless, one book about babies, seven books about jewelry crafting, ten books basically about 'How to Have your first off-World secret affair,' and three books about how to imbue various Magic and protections into various materials. Oh, and seventeen books written by various Masters on why one shouldn't take on a female student, no matter how amazing their potential is, since it's a waste the second they decide to have a family."
Eraqus was rubbing his face by this point, somewhere between wanting to sink through the floor, frustration at past Guardians, and otherwise complete embarrassment that he had somehow missed an entire collection of inappropriate reading materials in the Library and that a thirteen year old found them all.
Ventus set down his journal and sat down, "So that's my report, Master."
Terra and Aqua were dazed, but Terra snapped out of it first, "Wait, what do books related to jewelry and Magic/protections have to do with everything else?"
Ventus looked at Terra with a blank look that almost begged to question him if he was really that dense before blinking, "'Cause most girls wear jewelry or fabrics as accessories, right?"
Now Aqua was back in attention, the three again giving the youngest their attention as Terra nodded, "Yeah…"
The blond frowned, "Well, if the biggest reason girls stop being able to Wield after having kids, or become weak from the process is because of Magic… then isn't it reasonable to take items they wear on a regular basis and imbue them with Magic Resistance so their Magic can stop being drained, and potentially protect them from overload at birth..?"
Aqua stared at him in shock. It was completely logical and reasonable, so why weren't there items- "Oh."
The boys gave Aqua her attention as she rubbed her head and glanced at their teacher, "Master Eraqus… is there a history about status items that no one talks about anymore..?"
The Master frowned, "I… possibly. I do believe I overheard girls talking about such things in the past, but I…" He faltered, "I didn't really look into it."
Lovely, and now they were the only known Wielders left, with nothing to go on.
Aqua studied Ventus for a moment, "Why did you fixate on this so much, Ven?"
Ventus blinked as he looked at her, "Aren't you angry?"
Her eyes widened in shock, "Angry?"
The blond huffed as he sat back in his seat, "Whether it's something you want, or maybe one day your own apprentices after you become a Master… Where are you going to turn to protect yourself and them from being crippled by what's generally considered a part of life's cycle?"
Ventus ran his hands through his hair, "I just find it so weird that no one tried harder to protect the great women who became Wielders purely because they found it inconvenient to bother. What a waste."
It was at this that Aqua noticed Ventus minding a unique and rather antique styled ring under his desk.
Another random piece of jewelry from his randomly appearing inventory.
Suddenly something clicked, "Ven, do you know how to add Magic to jewelry?"
He blinked with a tilt to his head, "Uh-" He shoved the ring into his pocket to hide it, "Sorta? I've tried a few different things before reading those books, but I have to read them further to really... get results." The blond shrugged, "I've only managed to imbue something like anti-static into a plain ring. It's not much and not really useful."
Aqua was shocked while Eraqus was now thoroughly intrigued, "Ventus, imbuing objects with specific and targeted Magic is something the Moogles are more known for because of how complex it is. It may seem small to you, but that's… incredibly impressive, since you don't know anywhere near as much Magic as Aqua…"
Ventus blinked in surprise, looking from one person to the next before flushing lightly as he rubbed his head, "R-Really? I didn't think it was all that impressive…"
Aqua sat up straight, clapping her hands together in a single movement, "Ven, how about we study imbuing Magic into objects together? I'd personally like to see those books myself, if I'm honest… and it'd be fun to have someone else to study them with."
Ventus looked at her for a long moment before smiling brightly, "Sure!"
Terra smirked, "So Master, what should we do about that Ero collection?"
Eraqus glared at his son before clearing his throat, "Yes, those… materials most definitely need to be prepared for the fireplaces. They'd be perfect material for kindling, I'm sure."
Ventus blinked with a completely innocent look on his face that Aqua would have sworn was fake, but somehow she knew despite her sinking stomach that he was being naively serious, "But Master, didn't you say all books were precious because each held the potential for an entire World within them? Isn't it considered criminal to burn them?"
Terra turned his head away as he tried to stifle a hysterical laugh, instead clamping his mouth shut as his shoulders shook from his effort.
Aqua was somewhere between rubbing her face in embarrassment and joining Terra in his hysterics.
Eraqus held Ventus's gaze for a long studious moment as he determined his motivations before his shoulders slumped in defeat, "You're serious."
Ventus tilted his head, "...Yeah? I mean… if a book has characters in it, doesn't that potentially mean that they're people living out their own lives within the confines of that book's linearity?"
Eraqus's eyes seemed to go dead as finally Aqua gave in and started giggling, which led into both Terra and herself nearly leaning on each other in hysterics as Ventus was left utterly confused and pouting, "Awe c'mon guys, why are you laughing?!"
Aqua wiped tears from her eyes as she answered chokingly, "Because, Ven, you're not wrong and it's unfortunate that you're right!" She was somewhere close to sobbing with a cough she was laughing so hard as Terra fared barely better.
Eraqus sighed gustily as he rolled his eyes, "Alright then class, be dismissed for an hour to control yourselves. We'll reconvene in the Library to carefully pack away the many novels that shouldn't be there and hand them over to someone who can properly deal with them, understood?"
Aqua and Terra nodded, unable to gain the breath to answer as Ventus watched them unsettled, "Uh, sure Master. See you in an hour."
Eraqus couldn't leave fast enough.
The Memories within the Castle walls were faring no better than his two apprentices.