Another quick turnaround for a chapter that's actually a lot shorter than I expected it to be? Either way its a fun one, with a lot of good plot progressiony stuff tucked away in it. And hey, Ven's here, and I have a good time writing for him so that's pretty neat! Anyway enjoy!


Chapter 37: Broken Chains

I want you for a lifetime
So if you're gonna think twice
I don't wanna know, baby, I don't wanna know

There are three things that happen all at once:

First, Sora lets out a stark, strained cry as a bright burst of vibrant light suddenly sparks over his heart. That light is quick to dart away from him, and the moment it does, he collapses back into Donald and Goofy's arms, barely conscious and bereft of a heart that's lived inside his own for the past 12 years. A heart that's now free to return to where it truly belongs.

Second, Vanitas stalls his hand, his Keyblade still hovering over Aqua's prone form when he sees it. That light, that heart flies right by him in a flash on its way to its intended destination. And as it does, he smiles, knowing that he's about to get everything he's been after all this time. That after years of being apart, they're both about to finally become whole again.

Third, the light stops when it reaches where it's meant to be. Its radiant glow expands, practically floods the entire room in its blinding brightness. And as that heart rightfully, fully reunites with the body it truly belongs to, a courageous shout echoes through the hall. The first word spoken by a voice that's been silent for over a decade.

"Aqua!" Ventus yells, lunging forward from his longtime resting spot as soon as he gains some semblance of mobility. His Keyblade quickly finds its familiar place in his grip and he uses it to break down the cracked barrier standing before him. The second that barricade is breached, he wastes no time passing through it, his Keyblade colliding with Vanitas' before it can even come close to harming Aqua. Their initial clash is a momentous one, with enough power behind it on Ventus' end to knock Vanitas back hard into the remaining barrier, shattering it completely.

Despite just waking up from a 12-year slumber mere seconds ago, Ventus' movements are swift and steady as he rushes to stand protectively in front of Aqua, his Keyblade held tight and firm in his grip. His determined manner is a far cry from Vanitas' still somewhat weakened state; he stumbles to right himself from the palpable blow he just sustained, his hold on his weapon starting to slip as his free hand finds a place against his still-pounding head. Even so, he can't help but crack a satisfied smirk as he glances up to look at his "brother".

"Ventus…" he begins, straightening himself up to properly stand. "Welcome back to the world of the waking. It's about time you finally stopped lazing around here."

Ventus' already stern glare sharpens at this. He's all too aware that over a decade has passed since he'd fallen asleep, over a decade since he'd faced his other half and narrowly won and lost all at once. And yet, despite the span of all those years, Vanitas clearly hasn't changed one bit. "Well, I would have loved to have been awake all this time," he retorts brazenly, a bit crossly even. "But something happened a few years back that was bad enough to force my heart right out of my body. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Vanitas?"

Vanitas sneers, his largely concealed eye fixing Ventus with a hateful glare as he takes a still somewhat unsteady step forward. "You're gonna wish you were still asleep when I'm through with you, you pathetic little-augh!" He cuts himself off with a sharp, sudden shout of pain, one that catches Ventus off guard, especially when he hears it echoed by someone just behind Vanitas. Towards the far side of the hall sits a pair of familiar, friendly faces, Donald and Goofy, if Ventus remembers correctly. And positioned securely between them is the source of that echoed cry, someone that he recognizes instantly, despite having never actually seen him before. After all, there's no mistaking the one who's kept his heart safe and sound for so very long.

"S-Sora…?" Ventus whispers, his eyes wide in shock as he gets his first real look at him. Despite still being listless and weakened for a number of reasons, Sora somehow hears him and lifts his bleary gaze to meet his. He manages to offer him a worn, yet warm smile, but in his stunned shock, Ventus is hardly able to return it. Not when he glances from Sora back to Vanitas… and sees so many similarities between the two.

"What's the matter, 'brother'?" Vanitas speaks up, putting on a taunting smile as he eases himself out of his former agony. "Surprised by the family resemblance?"

Ventus is quick to shake his head to clear it. Now isn't the time to let his guard down, not when Aqua is still laying, unconscious and injured, on the ground right behind him. "No," he says. His voice comes out stiffer than he had meant it to. "What I am surprised by is that you're still here. What do you even want?"

"What I want," Vanitas brandishes his Keyblade, pointing it directly at Ventus as he continues his approach. "Is the same thing I wanted 12 years ago. I want the two of us to become one once again… and I want the X-Blade."

"You mean Xehanort wants the X-Blade," Ventus corrects, taking up a battle-ready stance.

Even so, Vanitas simply, calmly shakes his head. "No," he says, his icy grin growing. "This time, it's all for me."

Without another word, Vanitas charges forward, lashing his Keyblade out in a brutal strike. Ventus deflects it squarely, but in doing so, he nearly stumbles back into Aqua behind him, reminding him of just how risky a brawl in such close quarters could prove to be. As he successfully pushes Vanitas back once more, he comes up with a plan, one that can hopefully spare Aqua-and Sora-from Vanitas' further wrath.

"You want a fight? Fine, I'll give you a fight," Ventus concedes, despite the cries of protests he hears from Donald and Goofy when he does. Vanitas smirks daringly, yet before he can make another attempt at attacking him, Ventus stops him in his tracks. "But only if we take that fight outside."

"Fine with me," Vanitas surprisingly agrees before he teleports towards the far back of the room. "But if you think I'll go easy on you just because you're still shaking all that sleep off, then you've got another thing coming."

With that, he vanishes once more, presumably heading outside the castle entirely. Ventus only spares another brief, worried glance back at Aqua before he begins to follow. But before he can get too far, he's stopped when he spots the shaking hand reaching out towards him.

"Ventus, w-wait," Sora says, his voice still wavering just as much as his trembling hand does. Fortunately, the successive wave of overwhelming memories has stopped bombarding him from all sides since Ventus' awakening. At least, aside from the occasional violent flashes he's still getting from a much more miserable kind of past, one that he can only assume to be Vanitas'. Even so, he forces himself to focus beyond those moments, hoping to finally, fully ground himself back in the present, back into his own existence once more. "You can't fight him, n-not on your own."

"Yeah, Donald and I can help you fight him off!" Goofy eagerly volunteers.

"That's right," Donald agrees without a second thought. "We'll put him in his place!"

"I-I can help too," Sora ventures. But the uncertain glances the others all send him speak volumes to their hesitancy about such a plan. "I can help," he insists again as he begins pulling himself up to stand. "I-I'll be fine, I just need to-" He doesn't make it very far before his lingering lightheadedness gets the better of him, though as he starts to fall, Ventus is the one to catch his arm and hold him upright.

"Sora…" he lets out a small sigh, his words falling short as their eyes meet once more. As he tries to shake the unnerving thought of just how much his savior looks like the one who had nearly doomed him in the first place. "You already-"

"I know," Sora cuts him off, finally steadying himself enough to stand on his own. "I've already helped you enough. But… if you fight Vanitas again, then…" He hesitates, letting the memories he's been forced to bear witness to, memories shared between Ventus and Vanitas alike, fill in for him. "T-the X-Blade…"

Ventus' concerned expression levels out into understanding at this as he takes in a resolved breath. "It's true. The last time Vanitas and I fought, we… forged the X-Blade. And when I destroyed it, well, that's what landed me in a 12-year-long sleep to begin with, but…" He pauses, deciding to meet Sora's palpable worry with a solid, confident smile. "I have a feeling things will be different this time. Thanks to you."

"W-what?" Sora frowns, confused. Yet Ventus doesn't bother to explain as he looks to his pair of nearby companions instead.

"Is there any way you guys can help Aqua while I take care of Vanitas?" His expression darkens with parallel anger and guilt as he glances past them to the injured master on the far side of the room. "S-she looks like she's hurt pretty badly. But I'm not about to just let him get away with doing that to her. She definitely wouldn't let him get by that easily if he'd done that to me."

"Of course, Ven," Goofy says with a warm grin. "You can count on us!"

"Yeah, we'll have Aqua healed up in no time!" Donald chimes in, summoning his staff to do just that.

Ventus smiles, nodding his thanks to the pair as he turns to head out of the castle once more. Though not without yet another word of protest from Sora as he attempts to follow him. "Ventus, please," he pleads, taking a stumbling step forward. "Let me help you. Together we can take him, it'll be easy!"

Ventus sighs once more, his smile turning a bit sadder as he shakes his head. "You've been helping me for 12 years now, Sora," he reiterates solemnly. "And now… if I can't help you in there anymore," he glances towards Sora's chest, towards his heart. "Then the least I can do is try to help you out here."

"But-"

"I'll be back soon," Ventus assures him. Sora doesn't know how, but he doesn't seem to be afraid or even just the slightest bit nervous at all, despite what he knows might happen to him in this fight. Despite what had happened before when he'd engaged in this very same fight 12 years prior. "I promise."

Without another word, Ventus walks off, leaving Donald and Goofy to tend to Aqua and Sora to simply watch him go. Something that, even despite how relatively weak he still feels, he refuses to stand by and do so easily. Not after waiting so long to give Ventus the freedom he so rightfully deserves.

"Come on, Sora," Donald calls as he and Goofy head over to Aqua. "You should probably have another round of healing too after what just happened, just to be safe."

A much-too-long beat of silence passes, one that concerns the pair, even despite Sora's current condition. "Sora?" Goofy glances back over his shoulder. Only to find that Sora is nowhere to be found. "Huh," the captain frowns, scratching his head. "Guess he didn't need that healing after all…"

"No, what he needs is a pair of cement shoes to keep him from running off like this again!" Donald huffs, seething with immense frustration. "Alright, let's heal Aqua up first, and then maybe she can drag Sora back in here before he gets himself hurt if we can't. Who knows? Maybe he might actually listen to her…"

"We can only hope that he does," Goofy half-jokes. Still, that brief bout of levity dies out quickly. Because after seeing Sora pushed to his absolute limits, seeing him thrust into such grave danger so many times, neither of them are sure how much more of it they'll be able to take.


Vanitas grins, spinning his Keyblade in his grip as he watches Ventus descend the castle stairs to meet him in the courtyard. From the very moment his former master had brought him forward to this future, he's been waiting for this fight with eager anticipation. Even better yet, it's a fight he knows he's bound to win. With no annoying interferences from any Ventus' pathetic friends, it'll be a victory he won't let slip away from him; not this time.

"I hope you're ready to end this as much as I am," Vanitas taunts, unmoved by the stern glare Ventus sends his way.

"Believe me, I am," Ventus says simply. And from there, he doesn't waste any further time on words. He begins the battle, surprising even Vanitas as he runs forward for a starting strike. Vanitas blocks it with a swipe of his own, one that throws Ventus back a good ways, but he lands on his feet, sliding smoothly across the courtyard's stony ground as he doles out a strong wind spell. Vanitas stands firm against it, dodging the brunt of the gale before unleashing a bit of magic of his own. A strained shout falls out of his mouth as he sends a wave of bright white spikes out, ones that swiftly surge against the ground towards Ventus at a frightening speed. Try as he might to knock them away with his Keyblade, the spikes prove too strong to be broken, and their sharp edges strike his outstretched arm squarely, leaving a deep series of cuts behind in their wake.

Ventus stumbles back with a sharp hiss of pain, his Keyblade vanishing as he clutches his bleeding wounds. His focus is quick to turn back to the jagged collection of spikes gathered before him, to their marble-white surface and the contrasting veins of inky blackness pulsing through them. "Wait…" he takes pause, his eyes wide as he looks between the spikes and the one who'd made them. "Is this… Did… you just use… light?"

Vanitas draws in a harsh breath at this, his free hand pressed against his chest and his expression twisted up in agony. Even so, that agony quickly switches to anger as he tries to regain his former cold composure. "So what if I did?" he says. He doesn't bother to elaborate more outside of that.

Ventus falters, unsure of what to say, even as the white spikes begin to rescind back into the ground. "Vanitas…" he mutters, concern filling his features. Concern that practically makes Vanitas' blood boil the moment he sees it.

"If you're about to have some sort of stupid pity party, save it," he snaps, charging forward with a fierce blow. Ventus leaps out of its path, but Vanitas doesn't let up. He lashes out with a series of fast, successive swings, some of which land, but most of which are narrowly deflected. Their brawl spans across the entire courtyard, and for the most part, they both hold their own quite well. Until Vanitas decides to utilize his strange, new powers once more.

This time, Ventus is ready for the oddly bright magic Vanitas sends his way. He flips out of the way of several more spikes, and finds a manageable opening when he notices Vanitas grip his heart in pain once more from creating them. Hoping to put an end to this violent barrage, Ventus goes on the offensive and lands a sudden strike that Vanitas has no time to prepare for, much less effectively block or evade. He's thrown back across the yard, his already damaged helmet colliding with the stony ground as the rest of its black glass shatters from the impact. Vanitas lets out a furious shout as he rips the remains of his ruined helmet off, carelessly tossing it aside while he struggles to pick himself back up and get back into the fight. At least until he notices the wide-eyed look Ventus is sending his way.

"What are you staring at?" he scowls, his full face now in clear view without his helmet to hide it away.

Ventus hesitates for a number of reasons, none of which are very comforting thoughts to have. He knows he shouldn't be that surprised; it's not like he hasn't seen Vanitas' face before, after all. But even then, something is notably different about it now. Because his eyes, that had once been an alarming shade of yellow to match their former shared master's own, have shifted into something different. From a glaring gold, to a warmer, almost reddish kind of orange instead.

"Vanitas," Ventus tries again. He nearly extends a hand to help him but before he thinks better of it. Still, he can't deny the strange bout of inexplicable sympathy that fills him for his other half all the same. "Is something…" he stops, unsure of how to pose such a question. Not when he doesn't expect Vanitas to even answer it to begin with. So he ventures a different one entirely. "W-what's happening to you?"

"N-Nothing you care about, that's for sure," Vanitas sneers bitterly. Even so, his voice sounds far less certain than it had been before, Ventus can tell. Something is indeed happening to him, and even if he won't say what that something is, he's still compelled to find out what it is. For better or for worse.

"I… I do care," Ventus says. But even he doubts the sincerity in his voice as he does.

"No, you don't," Vanitas calls his bluff as he stumbles to stand. The venom in his tone is clear as he leans against his Keyblade for support, a horde of Unversed spawning unbidden behind him. Strangely, though, they make no move to attack whatsoever. "You never have. No one ever has! We both know you're the only one anyone's ever bothered caring about, even the old man. That's why he brought you here… and left me behind, alone… "

The almost despondent admission catches Ventus completely off guard. This is a side of Vanitas he's never seen before, a side he'd never expected to see. And now that it's coming out… he has no idea how to react to it. "Vanitas," he begins with a leveling sigh as he spells out a truth that both of them already know. "Xehanort never cared about either of us. The only person he does care about is himself…" He glances down sourly as he says this, especially as he thinks of every horrendous thing his former master and his followers have been doing to Sora as of late. Of all the awful things Xehanort has done to him and his friends too, 12 years prior. "But… when you say nobody else cares, y-you're not… that's not true."

"How is it not, Ventus?!" Vanitas challenges hotly, his hands curled into tight fists. "Tell me how that's not true when it so obviously is?!"

"Because," Ventus counters, but even he knows his next argument is a weak one. "W-we… we're the same."

"You still believe that?" Vanitas scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Then you really are naïve. This may shock you, but we're not the same as you think we are. I was just hidden deep inside of you, for a really long time. All Xehanort did was tear me right out of you. But now…" he regains his former icy grin, his strength largely regained as he steps forward once more. "I think it's about time to undo that old fool's mistakes. It's time we both finally went right back where we belong, don't you think so too, brother?"

Much to his surprise, Ventus doesn't argue. Instead, he agrees. "If this is what you think you really need… then fine," he relents, making no move to summon his Keyblade. "Go ahead and give it a try." His expression is calm and resolute, and Vanitas doesn't trust it in the slightest.

"You're really not even gonna try and fight back?" Vanitas asks, clearly confused. But Ventus simply shakes his head, throwing him off even more. Yet not quite enough to let him pass such a perfect opportunity like this up so easily. "Have it your way then. Makes things much easier for me."

Ventus still doesn't move, doesn't even flinch as Vanitas aims the tip of his dark Keyblade directly at his chest, grinning twistedly all the while. And yet, before he can make his move, before he can join their distant hearts back together again and forge the ultimate Key through the chains that bind them together, he stops. And senses… something. Something he's very well acquainted with, something that he's spent his entire existence dwelling deep within. Something that there shouldn't be a single speck of inside of Ventus' heart, not when every last ounce of it had been torn out of it to become him.

"D-Darkness," Vanitas breathes in quiet disbelief. He pauses, briefly thinking he must be mistaken, he must be-but Ventus' eyes, now a bright, vibrant shade of green instead of the blue they used to be, say it all. "You have darkness in your heart?!"

Ventus flinches slightly as Vanitas grabs him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him in closer. His expression is absolutely livid, his orange eyes practically glowing with unspeakable rage. And in response to that rage, Ventus simply smiles. "Yeah," he says confidently. As if he's proud of the sparse hints of shadow that have managed to settle into his heart. Vanitas nearly runs him through simply out of disgust alone for that. "Looks like I do. Just like it seems there's a little bit of light in yours now too. I guess some things really have changed after all this time."

"You idiot!" Vanitas shakes him aggressively. "If your heart has darkness in it, and mine has light, then that leaves us out of balance! We can't form the X-Blade!"

"I know," Ventus' smile widens, relief flooding through him over his now-successful plan. "That's what I was counting on."

Vanitas lets out a furious shout as he shoves Ventus to the ground, his hands shaking with anger. "How?" he asks between gritted teeth. "How did a heart of nothing but pure light like yours end up with darkness-"

"Ventus!" He receives his answer before his question is even finished. Because when he turns towards the source of this sudden call coming from the castle doors, he also finds the very source of the traces of darkness now infesting Ventus' heart. He finds Sora.

And Sora, when he sees Vanitas glance back at him, now bereft of his mask or helmet or anything else that might have otherwise hidden him away, finds a face that looks almost identical to his own.

"W-what…?" he barely manages to gasp. But before he can even try to make sense of what's happening, what any of this means, Vanitas attacks him.

"YOU!" he shouts, charging at him far faster than Sora can even anticipate. He has no time to call upon his Keyblade before Vanitas reaches him, gripping his neck with both hands as he shoves him brutally against the castle doors behind him. "You miserable little mistake!" he screams at him, keeping his chokehold tight and unforgiving. Sora tries to struggle against it, gasping for air all the while as he stares back at his own face, the black hair and orange eyes notwithstanding. Dealing with someone who looks so very much like him trying to kill him has become far too common of an occurrence for him, it seems. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

Sora's only able to answer in the form of a feeble, broken gasp as hot, involuntary tears begin building at the corner of his eyes from the air he's swiftly losing. But even still, Vanitas doesn't let up, instead cruelly crushing his windpipe even more despite Ventus' panicked protests coming from behind him.

"Vanitas, stop!" he calls, his Keyblade back in his hand as he runs to put an end to this senseless violence. Surprisingly, Vanitas does so, but only by way of throwing Sora back at Ventus at full force. The two boys brutally collide into each other, but even as Ventus is knocked over, Sora rolls back even further across the courtyard past him. Ventus is only able to begin pulling himself up before he notices Vanitas approaching him once more, the tip of his Keyblade digging into the ground as he walks forward, still seething all the while. "Leave him alone!" Ventus tries again, but Vanitas merely ignores him in favor of Sora. Sora, who, with his throat crushed and his head swimming, is clearly in no state to properly stand against him.

"I've waited all this time," Vanitas begins, his voice low, practically feral with rage. "I've been as patient as I can possibly be… And here I was, finally ready to take what's rightfully mine… only to find out that I can't, all because of you!"

Sora clumsily attempts to prop himself up, only to find himself at the wrong end of the Keyblade Vanitas is pointing at him. Briefly, his vision blurs, and instead of seeing Vanitas, he sees his phantom standing there, doing the exact same thing, just like it had done in the Realm of Darkness. Really, given just how similar Vanitas looks to his phantom, how similar he somehow looks to him, it's not that far of a comparison to make.

"I-I don't-" is all Sora is able to choke out, his voice all but gone as his damaged throat burns with pain. Fortunately, Vanitas is "kind" enough to offer an anger-fueled explanation anyway.

"Ventus' heart has darkness inside it," he growls, standing over Sora threateningly. "Darkness that only forced its way there from all the time it spent wasting away inside of your heart. Darkness that he got from you!"

Vanitas takes a wild swing at him, one that Sora only barely has the wits to roll out of the way of. Even so, what he's just heard is absolutely mystifying and maddening all at once. It's everything he didn't want to hear, didn't want to know, the mere implication that one of his newest and worst fears has come true after all. That any amount of the darkness tainting his own heart has ended up inside of Ventus' too.

When Vanitas tries to strike him once more, this time the blow is blocked by Ventus himself. He pushes Vanitas back hard, making sure to stand as a steady wall of defense to protect Sora from his violent fury. "That's not Sora's fault!" he proclaims firmly. Sora wants to protest that claim as soon as he hears it though, and he would, if not for his current lack of an audible voice. "He never 'forced' any darkness into my heart. I'm the one who chose to take on some of his darkness," he pauses, glancing back at Sora. "I-I… I wanted to buy you more time to stop it. I wasn't able to take that much, but… I hope what I did take is able to lighten your load a bit."

"N-no," Sora instantly protests. His voice is barely a hoarse whisper and it comes out painfully as he gently grips his sore throat to try and ease it. Even so, that's the least of his worries now. "V-Ventus, you… you can't do that… X-Xehanort-"

"I didn't take any of Xehanort's darkness," Ventus clarifies with a small, sincere smile. "But if I could have, I would have to help you. What I did take was some of your darkness, Sora. There's a difference."

Sora shakes his head, still not understanding how that makes it any better. Darkness is still darkness, still dangerous, still deadly, no matter who it belongs to. And now, Ventus has some of that very same darkness in his heart too and regardless of whether he took it on willingly or not, Sora knows he's still the one to blame for it.

"Who cares whose darkness it is?!" Vanitas pipes up impatiently. "It's still in there," he scowls, pointing the tip of his Keyblade at Ventus' chest. "Still ruining everything, all because you were stupid enough to let it flow freely into your heart just so you could 'protect' a worthless weakling like him." The hatred in his expression is unbridled as his glare shifts back down to Sora, though his deep disdain towards them both is palpable enough on its own.

"It's not stupid," Ventus counters sternly. "It's called doing what's right. Not that you'd know anything about how to do that."

"I know plenty about doing what's right for me," Vanitas retorts, his tone tight and cross. "And there is-was-only one thing that would have been right for me. The only thing I've ever wanted..."

"The X… Blade…?" Sora ventures a wavering, disjointed guess. Vanitas' already vicious glare somehow sharpens the moment he says it.

"No, you moron, what I actually wanted was-" He cuts himself off suddenly, another emotion very briefly piercing his intense anger. Something that almost looks like longing, like pain, like grief. But just as quickly as it's there, it's gone, buried by a mask of unquenchable outrage once more. "Whatever. Doesn't matter anymore. It'll never happen now, thanks to you."

When Vanitas moves to go after Sora once more, Ventus stops him, upholding his Keyblade to defend him once more. "I'm only going to tell you this one more time, Vanitas," he warns resiliently. "Leave Sora alone."

"What, was protecting inside that worthless heart of his not enough for you?" Vanitas rolls his eyes. "You might as well let me go ahead and kill him, Ventus. Compared to what the old man has planned for him, I'd be doing him a favor."

Sora winces as he realizes Vanitas is probably right about that. Even so, Ventus isn't about to let his murderous intentions play out that easily. "I told you to leave him alone!" Ventus lashes out with a heavy swing, one that Vanitas narrowly blocks. It's enough to get him to stumble back, putting some much-needed space between him and Sora, who, for his part, does his best to regather his bearings so he can join in on the fight. After all, even if Ventus can clearly hold his own, that doesn't mean he still doesn't want to offer him any backup he can give. It's the least he can do now, all things considered.

Ventus and Vanitas are back to their former round of exchanging fast-changed blows as Sora works on standing. He calls upon his Keyblade, taking the opportunity to cast a small healing spell to ease the remaining sting surrounding his neck as he watches the intense skirmish unfolding before him. His focus largely stays on Vanitas though as the startling revelation of their shockingly similar appearances finally starts to set in. He'd briefly noted before, in the moments that followed once he'd be freed from the haze of memories that weren't his own, that Ventus looks conspicuously similar to Roxas, something he doesn't quite know what to make of. But by all accounts, his own semblance to Vanitas is far more worrying. His mind fills with a myriad of questions as he watches his twisted "twin" duke it out with Ventus. Where did the semblance between them even come from in the first place? Has Vanitas always looked like this? Why had he tried hiding it under that helmet? And most importantly:

Does Vanitas look like him? Or does he look like Vanitas?

Sora is abruptly thrown out of his own thoughts upon hearing a sudden pained cry from Ventus. Vanitas had rammed his Keyblade into his side, forming a brutal bruise that throws off the former steady flow of the battle completely. It's made even worse, however, when Vanitas abruptly kicks Ventus down, his foot connecting with the center of his chest in a vicious blow that would have sent him to the ground… if not for the effective "cage" of white spikes he calls upon to contain him and keep him still.

"All this time and all that sleep you got, and you're still as much of a pathetic waste of space now as you were back then," he scoffs, positioning his Keyblade for a finishing blow. "You know, Ventus, you could have actually lived if you hadn't decided to play hero for some dumb kid you've never even met before today. But now that we can't join together again… you're useless to me. Still, that doesn't mean I'll have to leave empty-handed," he finally manages a sinister smirk at this as he inches his Keyblade a bit closer to Ventus' restrained body. "At least I can get the satisfaction of beating both of you into oblivion!"

Vanitas nearly does exactly that, at least until his Keyblade is blocked by a solid wall of shimmering darkness that suddenly forms between him and Ventus. Though his weapon smashes against it, that wall doesn't break. It takes him no time at all to figure out exactly where it came from. "Hmph," he sneers as he watches Sora take a bold step forward, his Keyblade summoned and his free hand ready to call upon more dark magic if needed. "You finally done sitting and sobbing on the sidelines?"

"Yes," Sora says, steadying himself for the struggle ahead. "I am."

Vanitas says nothing, simply waving his hand out to call upon a sizable horde of Unversed. Sora manages to cut his way through them easily enough, and it's not long before his Keyblade clashes with Vanitas'. And when it does, Sora takes the opportunity to bring up the question he can't keep silent any longer. "Why?"

"Why what?" Vanitas snaps back as they both maintain heavy tension between their Keyblades.

"Why do you look so much like me?"

Vanitas' already cross expression darkens at this. He leans in a bit closer, sparks flying as their weapons continue to aggressively grind against each other. "Are you really that brainless that you haven't figured it out yet?" he begins, his voice quiet and cold. "I'm the piece of Ventus that was taken away, and you're the piece he needed to be whole again. So why wouldn't we look the same?" If anything, his answer confuses Sora even more, though he doesn't get much of a chance to think on it before Vanitas shoves him back hard. He only barely has enough time to deflect his dark "twin's" next blow, but Vanitas doesn't let up, even as he continues his scornful explanation. "You define me, in the same way Ventus does. Like it or not, and believe me, I don't, the three of us are brothers who, together, make a greater whole. Or at least we did before you broke the chains that used to bind us together."

Sora shakes his head, unsure of how to protest such a claim when, by all accounts, it seems to be true. Not that that's really the part that has him anywhere near upset as the darkness Ventus has taken on for his sake. "But isn't that a good thing?" he asks carefully. He has a feeling that the question won't do anything to calm Vanitas' anger down now but he continues anyway in the hopes that it just might. "If we're not connected to each other anymore, then… that means all three of us are free. It means you're free, Vanitas."

"Free?" Vanitas lets out a harsh, bitter laugh as he lashes out with an unhinged swing. Sora rolls out of its path and spots Ventus out of the corner of his eye, working on freeing himself from the spikes Vanitas had trapped him between before. "Seriously, how stupid can you get?! I don't care about being free! The only thing I care about is being whole!"

"Is… is that what you actually wanted all this time?" Sora asks, trying to understand. Genuinely wanting to understand why the similarities between him and Vanitas seem to stop at appearance alone. "To be whole?"

Vanitas flinches, caught off guard, almost as if he believes he's said too much. As if he's let a chink in his stoic, hateful armor show, a rare moment of vulnerability that he refuses to face, that he can't let stand. "Shut up!" he shouts, leaping at Sora Keyblade-first once more. But despite the sheer power behind his next swing, when Sora blocks it, he doesn't back down.

"If that's what you really want, then there's gotta be another way to make it happen, a way that doesn't involve you needing to hurt someone else," he says as evenly as he can, even as Vanitas sends another wave of white spikes his way. His anguished cry that comes along with it surprises Sora, especially when he thinks about how notably painless his own parallel powers are to use. "Maybe… maybe I could help you-"

"Why would I ever want your help when this is all your fault in the first place?!" Vanitas snaps furiously as he lunges his Keyblade at Sora once more. This time, the blow lands, but only partially as it strikes his exposed side, creating a sizable cut. "I don't need you!" he yells, swinging his weapon once more and taking immense satisfaction as it catches Sora in the shoulder in a hard, painful blow. "I don't need Ventus!" He flexes his free hand out, and as he does, the spikes that Ventus has nearly managed to slip out of by now tighten around him, entrapping him once more. "I don't need help! All I need now is…" He trails off briefly, almost as if he's unsure of what he wants or needs now. At least, until he comes up with something that still won't satisfy him all the same. "All I need is the X-Blade. And to get rid of this stupid light that I'm sure I got from you," he presses his hand against his chest before glaring viciously back at Sora. "Once it's gone, the only thing that'll be left is to find a different heart of pure light to forge the X-Blade with. After all, there are plenty out there," his scowl finally shifts into a cruel grin at this, one that unnerves Sora as he's reminded of his equally sadistic phantom yet again. "I met one not too long ago, actually. Really sweet girl; I'm sure you know her. Now, what was her name again…? Karry? Karen? ...Kairi?"

Sora gasps, genuinely shaken by the mere idea of Vanitas coming anywhere even remotely close to Kairi, much less going after her in the way he's implying. She's more than capable of protecting herself now, he knows that. Still, that doesn't mean he still won't strive to stop anyone who so much as threatens to bring her harm. "Stay away from her!" His outraged shout echoes across the courtyard as a heavy burst of dark energy pours out of his hand freely. Vanitas cuts through the first wave of it with his own magic, but he's unable to do it again when Sora sends even more his way. When he's struck in the chest and thrown back, his own magic falters, his previously-formed spikes falling away enough for Ventus to finally break free from them. He rushes to Sora's side, his Keyblade at the ready to help him fend Vanitas off as he slowly begins to pick himself back up off the ground.

"Stand down, Vanitas," Ventus urges resolutely. "It's over. You're outnumbered."

"Tch, hardly," Vanitas scowls, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth. He stands shakily, a vast collection of various Unversed coming into existence as he does. And yet, before any of them can so much as attack, sharp dark spires burst out of the ground from under every single monster present, destroying them all on contact. Ventus watches, his eyes wide with alarm as Sora seamlessly draws those shadowy spikes back into the ground, while Vanitas lets out a pained yell when his Unversed are taken out. He's known about Sora's strange new powers for quite some time, there's no way he couldn't after spending so much time inside his heart. But he's never been able to actually see them in action until now.

And now that he can… he's not so sure he likes what he sees.

"Vanitas, please," Sora reasons, taking a small step forward. Despite the palpable power he'd just displayed, his expression is calm and sincere as he extends a hand out towards their common foe. "We don't have to fight. Just let us help you-"

"I already told you, I don't want your help!" Vanitas interrupts, annoyed and angry. Two things that only grow when he notices the sympathetic looks both Sora and Ventus are sending him now. "And I don't want your pity either! The only thing I ever wanted is something I'll never get to have and both of you are to blame! You two took everything from me-" He pauses, only for a second, his eyes closed and his hands clenched in tight, practically shaking fists as he forces out a rigid, unstable breath. "So now, I'm gonna take everything from you!"

He raises his Keyblade high, ready to bring it down for a brutal strike against the pair. Though before he can even come close to landing such a strike, he's stopped as another Keyblade entirely suddenly slams into his from above.

Vanitas stumbles back from the unexpected strike, and likewise, Sora and Ventus are similarly surprised to see Aqua land squarely on the ground before them, her former burns largely healed thanks to Donald and Goofy. The aforementioned pair isn't far behind her, rushing down the castle's steps, more than ready to join the fray alongside her.

"Aqua!" Ventus exclaims, unable to suppress an immensely elated smile at the sight of her.

"Ven," Aqua glances back at him with an equally bright grin. "I'm so glad you're alright. That both of you are alright." She extends her smile to Sora, relieved to see him back on his feet after what he'd been through earlier. That relief soon turns to shock, however, as Vanitas regathers his bearings to glare back at her, allowing her a first full glimpse at his face. "What?!" she gasps, aptly bewildered as she looks between him and Sora and the startling semblance they share. "H-how-"

"It's a… long story," Ventus interjects, exchanging a diffident glance with Sora.

And it's a story neither of them have any time to give as Vanitas suddenly leaps high over all three of them, He lands on the edge of the courtyard behind them, his own Keyblade disappearing despite the three poised ready to stand against him. "There's always someone getting in the way…" he mutters to himself, irritated in knowing that he truly is outnumbered, and even more embarrassingly, outmatched. Still, he doesn't take his leave without coldly threatening Sora and Ventus once more. "This isn't over, not even close. You both better watch your backs, because the next time I see either one of you, you'll be dead before you even know what's happening."

A dark corridor blooms to life around him, and without another word, he allows it to swallow him up. All while his vicious vow to mercilessly, spitefully destroy Sora and Ventus alike hangs heavy in the air even after he's gone.

At least, until Aqua cuts through that with something much warmer instead. Ventus is caught off guard when she runs a gentle hand through his hair and offers him a fond, contented smile. "Good morning, Ven," she whispers, finally voicing the greeting she's spent 12 years longing to say to him. A greeting that feels so extraordinary, so miraculous even, to be saying at all after so much time of thinking she never would.

The tables are turned however, when Aqua finds herself surprised with Ventus answering her by way of an unexpected hug. "Good morning, Aqua," he echoes every bit as happily as she returns his comforting embrace.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long," Aqua sighs sadly as they pull away. "I wanted to wake you up so much sooner, but-"

"It's ok," Ventus assures her, shaking his head. "My heart was in good hands in the meantime." He briefly smiles at Sora, though it soon fades into worry. Worry that Sora catches far before Aqua does, worry that he immediately knows the source of, especially when he catches Ventus' gaze drift toward his heart.

"Sora-" Ventus starts, even though he has no idea where to begin. Sora quickly cuts him off however, with yet another surprise embrace. One that's meant to accomplish so much more than what it might seem.

"P-please," Sora whispers to him tensely, his voice so quiet that it's barely audible. Ventus catches it clearly though, even if none of the others can. "Don't tell Aqua or any of the others anything about… w-what's happening. I can't… I-I'm not ready for them to know yet. Please."

Ventus hesitates, unsure of how to respond to such a request. The fact that Sora's been trying his best to keep the damage being done to his heart hidden from just about everyone is no secret to him. But he had hoped that secrecy was something he'd eventually let go of for the sake of getting the help he really needs. Still, it seems that isn't something he's willing to do just yet, even if he absolutely should.

But Ventus, on the other hand, isn't bound to that same stubborn secrecy. Now that he's awake, he's completely capable of telling everyone everything. He's more than free to speak the truth that Sora won't otherwise say. He knows this, just as well as Sora does. And yet…

Sora had welcomed his heart when it had been on the brink of fading away. For 12 straight years, he had harbored his heart within his own, safe and sound while his body slept. He had given him a second chance when he'd needed it most. He'd done him such a great, momentous favor, one that Ventus knows he can't ever come possibly close to repaying.

Except, perhaps, through an entirely new favor of his own.

"I-I… ok," he relents softly. He nearly adds a condition, that he'll only stay silent so long as Sora makes the choice to tell the others himself. But it seems like it's something so obvious, or at least he hopes it's obvious, that he refrains. For now. "I won't say anything. I… I promise."

He promises, and even as he does, he wishes he didn't have to. Because Sora needs help, he needs it badly and he needs it soon. If anyone knows that, it's someone like Ventus, someone who's spent such a long time now watching his heart suffer, watching it sink deeper and deeper into such destructive darkness each and every day. But that kind of help isn't something Ventus can simply force him to accept, he knows that. He knows just how much different that kind of help would be than someone like him simply inviting some of that darkness into his own heart to lighten the load on Sora's. Which means the most he can do now is hope that Sora will actually decide to accept that help before it's far too late.

"Thank you, Ventus," Sora says, the gratitude in his voice real and immense.

In spite of it all, Ventus can't help but smile somewhat at this. "Call me Ven," he says as their hug dissipates. "All my friends do."

"Ok," Sora nods, more than happy to do so. "Thanks, Ven. For everything." For everything he can't say out loud, for his courage and kindness in shielding his heart from darkness, for even going as far as taking on some of that darkness himself. It's something he should have never had to do to begin with, a sacrifice he should have never had to make. But now, Sora, at the very least, finds some solace in the fact that he won't have to anymore. Now, Ventus is awake, his heart is free, he's right back where he belongs, where he's truly supposed to be.

Which means, now, with one heart down, there's only two left to go. And only so much time left to save them.


The group returns to the Mysterious Tower in high spirits, though when they head up to check in with Yen Sid, those spirits raise even more, especially for Sora. Because as soon as they enter the sorcerer's chamber, he breaks out into a huge smile the moment he sees the pair that's among those already gathered there.

"Riku! Kairi!" he exclaims, not hesitating to run over and envelop them in a cheerful embrace. Axel, Mickey, and Yen Sid all watch their warm reunion in apt amusement from the sidelines, and as Aqua, Ventus, Donald, and Goofy enter the room behind Sora, they can't help but let out a shared, light chuckle over it too.

"Sora!" Kairi happily returns his hug. "Riku told me everything that happened in the Realm of Darkness. I'm so glad you made it back-that both of you made it back safely."

"Well, I promised you we would, didn't I?" Sora smirks as their embrace disbands. "And look at you, back on your feet already!" he says to Riku, who's indeed fully recovered former injury. "Does it hurt for you to be walking around on it like that?"

"Not at all, thanks to Kairi," Riku says, sending Kairi a proud grin. "Her healing magic works wonders."

"Tell me about it," Sora agrees. He skims the shoulder that Kairi had completely healed from a potential fatal wound back at Beast's Castle.

"Aw, come on, you two," Kairi blushes, flustered, as she playfully punches both of them on the arm. Even so, she can't help but smile as she looks between the pair, already knowing that the bond between them has been repaired. That what had gone wrong between the three of them finally, somehow, set itself right once more. And now that it has, they can at long last start picking up right where they had left off before their most recent adventure had begun. They can finally be together again, just like they're supposed to be.

"Wait," Aqua suddenly interjects, her eyes wide as they settle on Kairi in particular. "Kairi?"

"Yes?" Kairi frowns as she looks to the unfamiliar woman approaching her. Still, it doesn't take her long to put two-and-two together about who she is. "Oh! You must be Master Aqua!" she bows her head in respect for the highly-regarded master she's heard so much about. "It's an honor to meet you, ma'am."

Aqua stays silent for a moment or two as she looks over the girl in front of her. She lets out a soft, stunned gasp as she notices the simple pearl necklace she's wearing, sensing the gentle aura of magic brimming from it. Magic that she had cast years ago. "We've already met," Aqua says, taking on a bit of an incredulous smile.

"We… have?" Kairi raises a confused eyebrow. And yet, even though she's certain she's never met Master Aqua before in her life, she can't deny there's something oddly familiar about her. Almost as if she's part of a faded memory that's been long forgotten somehow.

"Yes, in Radiant Garden," Aqua explains. "You were just a little girl at the time. A group of Unversed were trying to attack you, but Mickey and I arrived just in time to save you from them."

"Oh, gosh!" Mickey pipes up, amazed by this discovery. "That little girl was Kairi?"

Aqua nods, her smile turning warmer as she turns back to Kairi. "I guess that spell I cast on you must have worked. It led you to someone who would keep you safe." She glances at Sora and Riku at this, even though they're both just as visibly bewildered as Kairi currently is.

"I-I'm sorry," she shakes her head hesitantly. "Those days are hazy for me. I don't remember much-" She stops short with a gasp as her own fractured memories suddenly rush in to contradict her. Because suddenly, briefly, she can recall snippets of something that's been buried by time. Of a frightening horde of dangerous monsters, of the brave, kind woman who had come to her rescue, of the bouquet of flowers she'd offered that woman as a simple thank you, and…

"Wait, I-I… I think I do remember you," Kairi says with a shaken gasp. It doesn't take her long to break out into a small smile all the same, especially as Aqua brightly returns it. "I remember you and I remember the spell that -" She pauses, looking back at Sora and Riku just as Aqua had before, her heart sparking with warmth and comfort as she does. She soon finds that she can no longer contain those feelings, or the gratitude she feels towards Aqua for that spell, for the very thing that had brought her to the Destiny Islands and to two of the people she cares for most, in the first place. "Thank you," she whispers as she suddenly hugs Aqua, most likely overstepping her boundaries with the Keyblade Master in the process. But if she is, Aqua doesn't seem to mind in the slightest as she readily returns the embrace.

"You're welcome," Aqua smiles as their embrace comes to an end. And, as it does, Yen Sid calls the group gathered before him to order for the meeting that's about to begin.

"At last, we are all assembled," the sorcerer starts succinctly. "First: Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done and the challenges you have overcome these past several months. For not only have you made great strides in counteracting Xehanort's schemes, but you have also returned Aqua and Ventus to this world." He offers the aforementioned pair a nod of cordial greeting. "We are fortunate to have both of you back."

"Thank you, Master," Aqua says politely. Even so, there's a hint of shame in what she says next. "I only wish we could have returned to help sooner. We're grateful to all of you for everything you've done to rescue us." Her manner is still solemn as she turns to the rest of the group, almost as if she regrets that they had to go through so much to do so in the first place. Which, for the most part, is completely true.

"Yeah, thanks!" Ventus chimes in, his manner much more upbeat.

"I feel bad, and not just for keeping you both waiting so long either," Mickey says, sharing some of Aqua's remorse. "We tried, but… we still haven't found Terra yet… I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Aqua shakes her head. "Terra studied with Master Eraqus, just like us. He's our responsibility. Besides," her expression lifts into a small smile as she looks to Sora, remembering what he told her before about Terra. "Apparently, we have a pretty good lead about how to help him."

Sora nods at this, excited for the chance to help the final missing member of this trio. To help save Terra from Xehanort's clutches, in the hopes that doing so might also lead to a way for him to save himself from the exact same fate.

"Mickey told me that you saved me in the Realm of Darkness," Riku speaks up, addressing Aqua. "I should have gone to save you right away, but… I was too inexperienced to try. And because of that, you had to wait there alone for far too long. I know that I let you down, and I-"

"No, just the opposite," Aqua interrupts, prompted by rising guilt that's enough to counteract Riku's own. "I was glad to be able to help you back then. And… I'm sorry that I didn't make bringing me back any easier for you…" she sighs as she glances down at her hands. Remembering all too well that they had been treacherous, monstrous claws not all that long ago.

"Did ya know Riku's a true Keyblade Master now?" Goofy speaks up with a wide grin.

"And he's the leader of the guardians of light!" Donald adds just as enthusiastically.

"Really?" Aqua looks to Riku, aptly impressed by this news. "That's wonderful. Congratulations, Riku. We'll be more than happy to follow your lead." She smiles and Ventus nods in eager agreement, both of them already clearly on board. Something that surprises Riku, to say the least, given just how much more experienced they both are than him. But if they're both willing to work under his leadership, then the least he can do is strive to not disappoint them; or any of the other members of the team, for that matter.

"Sora could use a bit of work though…" Donald remarks pointedly.

Sora jolts at this, his lasting smile abruptly disappearing upon hearing this. Still, he plays off the spark of embarrassment such a comment brings well enough in front of the others. "Yeah, that's right, rub it in…" he mutters, crossing his arms.

He hopes that the moment will simply pass after this, but his cheeks flush bright red when almost all of the others burst into a bout of amused laughter. Sora doesn't join in that laughter in the slightest, but he does force a fake, complacent grin onto his face in the hopes of showing he can take it all in stride. Even if he really doesn't want to.

"It's good to see you neither of you have changed a bit since the last time I saw you," Aqua says after the levity has passed. She smiles as she looks between Sora and Riku, who simply exchange a confused glance as she does.

"What do you mean?" Riku voices the question they're both thinking.

"Oh, that's right," Aqua chuckles softly. "You were both so young, just like Kairi was when I met her. You probably wouldn't remember."

Even, Sora tries to anyway, curious to know when he might have met Aqua before, another long-held connection he has to someone that's only starting to come to light now. "Um… Uh…" he hangs his arms behind his head, hoping for some sort of distant memory to come to him, though ultimately, none do. "Sorry, I've got nothing."

"Me neither," Riku agrees, quite perplexed himself.

"It's ok," Aqua assures. "Like I said, you both really were very little. And it really was just a chance encounter too. But even if you don't remember it, I can tell you both remembered what I said back then; you've been there for each other, protecting each other all this time. I couldn't be prouder of you both."

Sora and Riku pause at this as they look to each other once more. Because they both know what Aqua doesn't, that there have been moments where they weren't there for each other, where they fought and bickered and stood apart instead of standing together like they're supposed to. But now, the best they can hope for is that they've grown past those moments, that after all the hurdles they've crossed and challenges they've overcome, they'll fight for each other instead of against each other from here on out.

This moment is soon interrupted by Axel, who, despite being quiet throughout this meeting so far, clears his throat to divert attention toward him. "So this is all very touching, guys," he begins, hands on his hips. "But where exactly do I fit in? I mean, come on. Ven looks just like Roxas-or is it Roxas that looks just like Ven?"

"Roxas?" Ventus asks, curious. "Who's that?"

Axel draws in a long sigh, facepalming in exasperation. "Riiiiiight. Now I have to explain all of that to you-which in and of itself is a crazy long story-and I'll have to explain it to him once we bring him back, and apparently everybody already knows everyone and this is an insane amount to get memorized!"

Despite his faux frustration, Ventus can't help but let out a small chuckle all the same. "Sorry, Lea," he offers his old friend a fond smile, one that Axel gapes in surprise upon seeing.

"Huh? You mean… you remember me?"

"Yeah, 'course I do! It's hard to not have someone like you memorized."

"Ya got that right," Axel smirks, glad to see that Ventus hasn't changed even when he has since their brief meeting so long ago.

"Whoa! Axel, you know Ven?" Sora asks, aptly intrigued.

"Uh… who's Axel?" Ventus frowns, not familiar with "Lea's" Nobody name.

"See? See!?" Axel huffs indignantly. "It's a major brain-ache trying to make sense of all this! You'd have to be out of your mind to even begin to keep track of the huge mess we have on our hands here."

"Worry not. There will be plenty of time to sort everything out as you all embark upon your next few missions," Yen Sid interjects, getting the meeting back on track.

"Yep," Mickey agrees. "There's still a lot of work we've gotta do, even now that we've got our seven guardians."

"Yeah, we still need to save Terra and Roxas and-" Sora stops short, that same sort of hesitation that he'd felt once before cutting him off before he can say Xion's name. Hesitation that her heart is clearly filling him with, as if she wants her very existence to remain hidden, forgotten, as much as he might wish he could share it with the others. "And, uh… and Naminé too," he finishes instead, knowing that she still needs to be recovered somehow as well. Even if that list does come up short of one person they have to save.

"Well, you did say you met what remains of Terra's mind, didn't you, Sora?" Riku asks. "His body and his heart must still be with the Organization, but if a piece of him is still free out there somewhere, then there's a good chance we can save him."

"Leave it to Ven and I," Aqua readily, eagerly volunteers. Because after 12 years apart from Terra, the only thing she finds herself wanting now is to see him again. To see him for how he's truly supposed to be once more. "We'll bring him home."

"Yeah, I made Terra promise," Ventus says solemnly, a bit sadly even, over just how long it's taken him to fulfill that promise. And how much he's failed Terra because of it. "I told him I'd be there for him when he needs me. And now, well, it looks like he'll really be needing my help."

"Our help," Aqua corrects, placing a supportive hand on Ventus' shoulder.

"And I'll figure Roxas out," Axel says, resolute, ready to reunite with Roxas, to finally set something that had gone so wrong right. "Don't know how, but… I'll bring him back."

"We'll help too!" Donald chimes in sternly.

"Yeah, we still gotta find that Key to Return Hearts, don't we, Sora?" Goofy points out.

"We do," Sora nods, his hand resting lightly over his heart. "And once we get it, we'll use it to bring Roxas back." "And Xion too," he almost, almost adds. But even if he doesn't, the sentiment is still the same; that he'll do whatever he must to save those last two hearts inside his own. Before it's too late.

"Naminé is right here, safe with me," Kairi speaks up, her hand skimming over her own heart. "Whether we find the Key to Return Hearts or not, I know we'll find a way to help her, and the others too. Trust me-" she smiles at Sora as she says this, sending him the same unspoken message that she used to give him so many times over the course of his lengthy recovery. "I'm not giving up." "And neither should you," she doesn't say aloud, but her smile speaks it all the same. A smile that, despite everything he's up against and all the hidden fears and worries he's harboring, Sora can't help but return.

"Kairi's right," Mickey says, just as resolved. "We're all in this together, when it comes to finding the rest of our friends, and when it comes to finding the rest of the Keys too!"

"Keys?" Aqua inquires. Likewise, Ventus offers the others a curious look too.

"The thirteen Keys to the Kingdom," Yen Sid fills the pair in. "Certainly, in your training, Master Eraqus must have mentioned them to you."

"Wait, you don't mean the Keys that are meant to unlock Kingdom Hearts itself, do you?" Aqua gasps, familiar with the ancient legend.

"Y-yeah, I think Master Eraqus did bring them up once or twice," Ventus rubs his arm apprehensively. "Are we supposed to be looking for them?"

"We have been," Riku nods, though he does recant slightly. "Well, actually, aside from the last one, Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been going around searching for them."

"We've gotten five so far," Goofy explains.

"While the Organization has three..." Donald grumbles with an annoyed scowl.

"Which means there's only five left to find," Sora finishes, knowing that not a single one of those five can fall into the hands of the Organization. Three is already bad enough of a loss as it is. "Unless you guys found any while you were away?" he asks Kairi and Axel, hopeful.

"Sorry, but no," Kairi shakes her head, frowning.

"We checked several worlds and turned up empty-handed each time," Axel shrugs. "Guess we don't have that same knack for finding them that you three do."

"Only after the remaining Keys have been secured away from Xehanort's grasp can the fated battle between light and darkness take place," Yen Sid says, his tone serious and grave. "Time is of the essence in locating the remaining few, which is why, Aqua and Ventus, we would be most grateful to have your assistance in tracking them down."

"Of course," Aqua says, and Ventus adds a nod of ready agreement. "We'll do whatever we can to help."

"Thanks," Riku smiles at the pair. "If there's nothing else we need to talk about, then let's rest up for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll work out how we're going to find the rest of the Keys. Does that work for everyone?"

The others all agree, more than prepared to ready and willing to undertake the great tasks that stand ahead of them. To bring back those who still need to be found, to liberate the lost hearts of their long-gone friends. To find the final few Keys still scattered amongst the stars.

And, above all else to stand together against Xehanort and the Organization, and to stop their evil ambitions in their tracks, once and for all.


Though the others all split up to various rooms within the tower following the meeting, Aqua and Ventus find themselves wandering outside its walls. They come to sit on its steps, both of them immediately captivated by the glistening sky above them and the peaceful quiet that permeates it. A peace that's meant for a moment between just the two of them, to say what needs to be said.

"The stars here are so beautiful," Aqua begins with a light, contented smile. "I noticed it the other night when I first arrived. They… remind me of that last night we had together at home, all three of us."

Ventus glances over at her upon hearing the wistful sigh she lets out. Clearly, she's missing the very same thing he is right now, the only one among them that's still yet to find his way home. "We've gone without this for too long…" he mutters, drawing his knees to his chest as he glances away from the stars.

"We have," Aqua agrees. The longing and shame is clear in her tone.

"...I… remember dreaming a lot, when I was asleep," Ventus says after a beat or two of silence. "Of you and Terra. Of Sora and his friends too, I think, and plenty of people I didn't recognize. There's a lot I'm not able to remember about all of it, but-" He stops himself short before he can say what he recalls far too clearly. Of what he did when his heart was still inside of Sora's, of the darkness he'd faced to protect it. But he made a promise, not to say a word about any of that to anyone. So, he doesn't, as much as he wishes he could. "I-it's like… I've been part of some big adventure," he goes off on a different tangent entirely, forcing a bit of a halfhearted smile onto his face. "Even if it wasn't actually an adventure I was having."

"I've been… places too," Aqua says, not bothering to elaborate. Not wanting to tell Ventus about that place, about the loneliness and grief she'd suffered there, about the shadows she'd been dragged into and the hope she'd lost when she had. Those days are dead and gone now, as far as she's concerned. Because she's back within the light; she never has to return to the darkness again, and she hopes she never will. "But pretty soon… things will be back to normal." Another hope she has, one that can only come to pass once all three of them are together again. Once she can, once all of them can put the years of painful separation behind them for good.

Ventus smiles genuinely as he pulls out his Wayfinder charm and holds it up towards the starry skies above them. Aqua takes in a gentle gasp when she sees it, her heart warmed as she realizes he still has it, even all these years later. "Let's share stories when Terra's back," he says brightly, more than ready to do exactly that. To bring Terra back into the light, to his place by their side where he belongs.

Aqua takes her own charm out at this, raising it to the sky just as Ventus already has. "Yeah," she agrees, holding onto that hope, onto the final wish she has left to come true. Onto the chance that someday soon, the three of them will finally be together again. "We will."

"You know," Ventus brings his charm down, shifting the subject to something else. "Everyone's done so much to help us out. I wish there was something we could do to thank them for all their hard work…"

Aqua pauses at this, sharing the sentiment, though much like Ventus, she's not sure how they could go about doing such a thing. That is, until she happens to overhear a bit of laughter coming from one of the tower's upper balconies.

She glances up that way to find Sora and Kairi stepping out onto it, engaged in a lighthearted conversation she can't quite hear from the ground. Even so, she can hear Kairi's warm, amused chuckle over something Sora says, paired with her playfully pushing him as they lean in close to each other against the balcony's railing. Aqua can't help but smile at the sight of the young pair, easily sensing the close bond between them, a bond that reminds her of her own closeness to Terra that she had once deeply treasured. Along with all of the feelings she'd never had the chance to make known.

She lets her own regrets wash away, however, as she continues watching Sora and Kairi stargaze together, their hands incidentally overlapping as they do. Despite this, there's still a strange sort of hesitance between them, something that's easy to see even from a distance. Aqua has a hunch about where that hesitance is coming from; it's something she's far too familiar with herself after all, something that can hold any heart back from sharing what it truly wants to say. Still, she smiles all the same as she comes up with a way to tear that wall of hesitance between the pair down, and of the perfect world in which to do it. "I think," she says to Ventus with her newfound plan in mind. A plan that, if all goes well, will show Sora, Kairi, Riku, and all the others, the very sort of genuine gratitude they rightfully deserve for all they've done to save them. "I have an idea…"


Ohohohoh is Jen setting up for a fluff chapter next time around? She iiiiiiiis and its about time tbh, this story is getting too damn angsty so we need a bit of sweetness to balance it out. Which is why I'm excited to announce that the next chapter is kinda gonna be a Valentine's Day special, because its filled with some romance and its gonna be super cute and its something I've been looking forward to for quite awhile (plus like I said we need some sweetness before we dive off the deep end as we head even further into Keys' second half where things... go over the edge ;3). Anyway, with all that said, please don't forget to let me know what you think in the REVIEWS! Until next time :)