Chapter Twenty Eight: Cinders

"The door to darkness closing brought everyone in this world back. And sadly, it came with the heartless that caused it to fall in the first place." The woman in blue looked to the boarded up windows, ash dusted walls, and locked doors with claw marks before bowing her head. "Prince Eric does what he can to keep the peace with Cinderella gone. But so many people still fear to step outside."

Ven blinked, surprised at the mention of Cinderella. But he focused, nodded firmly, and placed a hand to his chest. "Well, we're here to help take care of them. I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven."

"I'm Naminé. A friend of his." She was right beside him as she assured, "I'm sure we'll be able to take care of the heartless problem." She became a little more nervous as she asked, "And after that, there might be something you might be able to help us with too. If you have the time."

The woman looked at Naminé, and managed a small smile. "Well, I'll certainly try my best to help."

Yuffie waved her hand and rolled her eyes with a grin. "And you know who I am." But a second later, she stopped and muttered, "Wait. Did I actually give you my proper title? I was in and out kind of fast whenever I stopped by Merlin's place."

"You certainly did great ninja," the woman chuckled, as she regained a bit more cheer while Yuffie nodded in contentment. "Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, I'm the one who's kept in touch with Merlin. And it is good to see you again, Ventus."

"Huh? Again?" Ventus tilted his head as he tried to recall his first visit. "I don't think we've met before."

"Oh! No, I suppose I didn't introduce myself to you back then." The Fairy Godmother tapped her cheek with a smile. "I believe ten years ago you were a bit confused about how you got so small?"

Ventus gaped and sputtered, "T-That was you?"

"At the time I saw the darkness threatening Cinderella's friends as they worked, and thought they could use some help." The Fairy Godmother gestured to Ventus as she explained, "And at about that time that you arrived. I was sure a Keyblade wielder would be able to help without causing too much trouble if they were the right size."

"Well, you could have at least asked before making me as small as a mouse." Ven sighed and shook his head. "I was able to save Jaq and everyone else."

"I don't think you ever mentioned that trick before." Yuffie took a step back with a raised eyebrow. "Don't tell me we've got to shrink down this time too."

The Fairy Godmother chuckled and waved her hands in front of her. "No, no, that won't be necessary this time." Yuffie and Ventus breathed a sigh of relief at the news.

"Well, shrinking or not," Naminé coughed nervously before asking more seriously, "Is there anything else we ought to know about this heartless?"

"They're in the chateau at the far end of town, and the heartless will have two companions at their side." The Fairy Godmother's brow creased as she admitted, "In life, they were a mother and her daughters."

Ventus hesitated seeing that face. A face that he saw regret in. And a regret that he had begun to harbor recently as well. "You knew them a bit better than that."

The Fairy Godmother looked back across the town, to where Ventus could only assume the chateau was, and sighed. "They were Cinderella's step-family, and in life they treated her cruelly." Folding her hands, she turned back to the trio. "I hoped that at least one of them might turn away from the dark path they were walking. But on the night of the ball, they found a dark power that listened to them. A creature born of negative emotion like the ones that attacked Cinderella's friends."

Ventus paled as he realized the telltale signs of Vanitas' minions. Not only that, but that they could be controlled by anyone with enough darkness. It was no wonder Vanitas didn't just turn on Xehanort with his Unversed after going through the same cruel training Ventus did. Xehanort would override his control in a heartbeat.

The Fairy Godmother continued , "They attacked Cinderella with the monster out of jealousy. Fortunately, another keyblade wielder was there to help fight it off. Cinderella survived, but the three of them nearly died."

Naminé winced at the grim tale before noticing one missing detail. "Nearly dead? But when did they become heartless?"

The Fairy Godmother looked away, clasping her hands ever tighter and answered, "When Maleficent came years later and offered Cinderella's step family a chance at revenge."

Yuffie crossed her arms and muttered, "Let me guess, the fact that they had to die to get it wasn't a problem for them."

"When they turned into heartless and caused this world to fall, Maleficent took Cinderella. I had hoped they might be satisfied with that and would stay in the realm of darkness." The Fairy Godmother shook her head and her arms went limp at her side. "I know there's not much to be done now besides putting them to rest. Still, I can't help remembering who they used to be and what they might have been."

Ventus' heart clenched as those words brought so many to mind. Roxas, Terra, and Aqua. Good people who struggled against darkness that trapped them. Even Lea and Vanitas. Though Lea had become so different as Axel, Ven saw a glimmer of who he was when Roxas decided to stay with him. And maybe if he'd found some way to remember what had happened, contact Vantias when he was still training—.

"Hey. Ven." Yuffie's grip on his shoulder and a firm shake snapped him from his thoughts. "One thing at a time, one day at a time."

"But I didn't say..." He sputtered for a second, before shaking his head and clenching his fist. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Yuffie had a point. Ever since he had woken up, it seemed like there was no shaking this feeling of guilt. But dwelling on it wouldn't do any good. Not right now. "Sorry. I'll try not to get sidetracked again."

"Ven, it's not about getting sidetracked." Naminé's hand held his own as she looked into his eyes. "I know you want to help as many people as you can. But running yourself ragged to try and save them won't help anything." It wasn't much, but as she stroked her thumb over the back of his hand, Ventus could feel the fear in his heart subside. With a gentle smile, she affirmed, "You've done good too. For everyone in Hollow Bastion and for me. Please don't forget that."

With a weak smile, Ventus held onto her hand a little tighter. He gave a weak chuckle "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be having these moments so often."

"You shouldn't apologize for letting your heart feel the sorrow it does for others." The three of them were surprised as the Fairy Godmother turned to them and spoke firmly. "There are moments where we must bear the burdens of our hearts and carry on. But those emotions are important to have, even the sad ones." She smiled as she clasped her hands together. "How else will we recognize when happiness comes?"

And right now Ventus was able to recognize it. He smiled, giving Naminé a nod before looking back to the Fairy Godmother. "Thanks. I know I'll be able to find that happiness with my friends." And honestly, that was the real difference wasn't it? When he first set out so long ago, he tried to do so much of it on his own. And though he made friends along the way, Ventus never found any of the answers he was looking for.

But now? Traveling with Naminé and Yuffie was so different. Talking through things with them, Naminé's past, his own troubles, and Yuffie's outlook on life. He really started to know them better, and because of that he trusted them. Maybe that was what he didn't understand before. That there was a difference between just having friends and truly knowing them as a friend. It meant spending time with them, though the good and the bad.

Maybe that's all he needed to do, just try his best to be there for the people he wanted to help.

"So!" Yuffie clapped her hands together. "Bringing things back to fighting heartless at the other end of town." She turned to the Fairy Godmother with an expectant smile. "Don't suppose you know of a shortcut of the magical variety?"

The Fairy Godmother closed her eyes and shook her head, "If I sent you there myself with magic, it might spook the heartless and cause them to run. And who knows where they'd go to hide in town."

While Yuffie was dismayed, Ventus shrugged at the news with a weak chuckle."Looks like we've got to walk."

"Actually," Naminé held his hand to stop Ven before fishing around in her pockets and asking, "how comfortable would you be riding a giant bird?"

"Kweeeehh!"

"Woooaaaah!" Ventus clung to the chocobo's feathers as it dashed through the town. "I can ride my glider like it's nothing! Why is this so hard?!"

"I'd ask it to slow down, but we're in a hurry!" Though Naminé was in control of the summon, she gripped the bird more to stay on then to direct it. Fortunately, it seemed to understand where it needed to go well enough.

"Just hold on and we'll be fine!" Yuffie was the only one who handled riding the bird with ease as it galloped through the street. "And keep an eye out for the heartless!" She called out as she flung a kunai up above, striking a shadow mid-leap.

Ventus really wished the shotlock worked while he moved, unfortunately the chocobo's jostling made focused aiming impossible. Naminé had an even worse time, as the hectic ride made it impossible for her to pull cards from her deck, much less use her sword. Still, Ventus was far from defenseless. The strike raid was a decent tool to clear not only heartless, but the few barricades that were blocking the road.

Barricades which were only getting larger and larger the further they went. Wood snapped and splintered ahead as his keyblade smashed through the debris, knocking down heartless on the other side. The three of them ducked as the chocobo leapt through the opening, trampling the remaining soldiers as they finally reached the outskirts of town. "It's got to be close," Yuffie muttered as she scanned the hills illuminated by moonlight. "Probably the biggest...There!" She pointed to the hill far down the road where a chateau stood, a single high window illuminated on the overgrown walls.

Thankfully, the Chocobo slowed as they had reached their destination. Ventus and Naminé sat themselves up on the bird, no longer needing to hold on for their lives. But as they did, Ven couldn't help but notice Yuffie's slight wince as they approached. "Something wrong? You think there's going to be a trap?"

"Not a trap specifically, but…" Yuffie looked back with a raised eyebrow, and asked, "How many times have we gone into some kind of big, run-down, house of heartless?"

Naminé tilted her head and answered, "Two? Three if you count Hollow Bastion."

Yuffie nodded and then asked with a hint of annoyance. "And how many times did it wind up collapsing around us? And yes, I'm counting that warehouse as one time."

That question caused Naminé and Ven to look at each other before the two gave a nervous chuckle. Ven weekly offered, "I mean, it hasn't been that mean that many times..."

The chocobo came to a stop at the gate besides the chateau, where Yuffie dismounted. "I just really hope this pattern doesn't keep up. Especially with Hollow Bastion."

Naminé hopped off to the side shaking her head. "We won't let it collapse Yuffie, I promise." The bird leaned down towards her, and was rewarded with a pat on the head and a smile. "Thank you for taking us this far." The summon closed its eyes and preened at the praise.

Ventus slid off the side, and gave an appreciative nod. "Yeah. Thanks Chocobo." Standing upright, the summon vanished away, leaving the three standing before the chateau gates. Now that they were closer, they could see the light in the window had a red hue. An open window at that.

Slowly, Ventus managed to wedge the rusting metal bars open far enough for them to get through. Stepping closer to the towering building, Ventus sniffed and then coughed at the smokey, noxious odor. "I'm pretty sure something's burning. And it's not just a fireplace. We've got to get upstairs."

Yuffie jogged ahead to the wall and gave a tug at the vegetation. "I think we can climb up with these plants." As if to illustrate, she began to scale the wall with ease.

Naminé gripped the vines nervously and looked over to Ventus, who nodded as he began to climb as well. She sighed, and began to lift herself off the ground. "At least we won't have to worry too much about getting caught off guard by heartless inside." As the three of them got closer to the illuminated window, something more than the midnight wind could be heard. Naminé stopped and whispered, "I can hear someone talking. Stay hidden."

Ventus and Yuffie nodded as the three simply shimmied to the large window's side. Slowly, the three of them peeked through the open window.

Two large, purple panther-like creatures circled Pete, who was talking in the center. They watched him with round yellow eyes, one with orange streaks near its head, the other with black. Their flaming claws scraped along the fine wooden floors, leaving smoldering marks as they burned. And of course, the heartless symbol on their foreheads was unmistakable.

But the dominant feature in the room was the colossal Heartless beast that lounged across the end of the room. Even though it sat on all fours, it still took up space from floor to ceiling. It was hard to say if it's face was like a cat, a dog, or something else entirely. It simply sat with yellow disinterested eyes, listening as Pete rambled on. "—sure it's not what you were probably hoping for. But trust me! Once we pull this off, nabbin that Cinderelly 'll be—"

"No!" Ventus hissed as he heard that snippet of the plan. "We've gotta move fast!"

"Wait." Only for a pair of hands to hold him back and Naminé's voice to stop him. "Let's see what else he has to say."

"—especially now that you're souped up on darkness!" Pete chuckled as he made the latest point. The heartless did not seem particularly impressed, but neither were they ready to devour him for his heart. Pete continued, "We just need to head to the realm between and search the place top to bottom. Once Maleficent gets what she's after, we can start getting to work on putting down any and all obstacles between us and what we want!"

"The realm between?" Ventus whispered as he pulled away from the window. "But what would they want there? Where would they even go?"

Naminé muttered as she clung to the wall, "There's only one place I know of there."

Looking back in, the three saw the heartless had a different opinion on the plan. The two circling Pete stopped and made their way back to the larger heartless who looked down upon him. Slowly, a thin yellow line made its way across the beast's face as it slowly began to smile. Pete cackled at the reception "See? I thought you might like that! We can hash out the details with Maleficent right now if you want!" He began to gesture, and opened a large portal of darkness for the massive creature. He turned to the two heartless, rubbing his hands together. "Speakin' a details, I think there's a few meddlers their way right now which you two can take care of, while the missus and I step out to discuss terms."

Ven looked over to Naminé and Yuffie, who gave a nod. He swung along the window frame into the smoking living room, keyblade at the ready. "You're out of time! Freeze!" Taking aim, he fired bolts of blizzard at Pete and the heartless.

Pete squawked as the ice hit him, while the smaller heartless dodged. "Ow! Oh come on! Couldn't ya wait!?" The two heartless hissed at Ventus as Naminé and Yuffie joined him from the window, sword and kunai at the ready.

But even as the ice hit the largest heartless, it was unmoved. It only looked down at Ventus and began to growl louder, shaking the room. The eyes of the largest heartless glowed brighter until there was a blinding flash and a snarl. The three of them staggered back, stunned by the light and the intense heat that came with it. The smell of smoke had gone from faint to overpowering in an instant. They heard Pete laugh and call out, "Later losers! Enjoy the barbeque while the two of us head over to the castle to get that keyblade!"

"What?! Hey! Wait!" Ventus called out, trying to shake off his daze. Fortunately, his vision cleared up quickly enough. Unfortunately, Pete and the large heartless had gone through the portal, which already vanished. Leaving the two smaller heartless to stalk towards them in the living room that suddenly had fire everywhere.

"I knew it," Yuffie muttered as she readied her kunai. "Naminé, do you have Leviathan ready?"

She shook her head, and summoned her cards. "If I use him he could flood the town."

Ven winced as the fire around the two heartless began to spread, antiques and finery beginning to tarnish from the head. He summoned his keyblade to his side and settled into a stance along with Naminé and Yuffie. "Looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way."