Ventus touched down on the sands of Neverland, feeling the warm sun on his face and seeing a beautiful view of the sea from the cliff he landed upon. This world was stunning with the brightest blue sky, and green mountains, with even a double rainbow hanging heavenly in the sky.
The boy's wonder was interrupted suddenly by a bellow of distress, causing him to summon his keyblade. He slid down a nearby hill just in time to barrel into a beanpole of a man dressed in red.
"Blah! Smee, it's one of Pan's!" The man wailed, swinging his rapier which sent Ven headfirst into a tree trunk. "I have to deal with him too?!"
"Ughh…." The boy whimpered, rubbing his head. His eyes slowly began to focus again and saw the man and his portly assistant trying and failing to protect a chest against the Unversed.
"Leave it to me, mister!" Ven called, shaking himself out of it.
The men looked suspicious of him but wasted no time hiding in the nearby trees until he'd finished them off.
"There! Your chest is all-!" Ven's breath caught when a hook was suddenly around his throat. He slowly looked up to see the man glaring down at him.
"Mine! It's all mine, and I will not allow Peter Pan's new lackey to take it from me!"
"Peter Pan..? Who's that?" Ven asked, looking worriedly down at the hook. "I was just helping you protect your stuff! Don't treat me like some criminal!"
"Captain Hook, I do believe he's telling the truth." The little man beside them piped up and received a grateful look from Ven. "If he was with Peter Pan or those monsters, he would've tried to take it already!"
The Captain begrudgingly agreed before releasing the boy. He glared unkindly at him as he panted slightly then raised a brow. "If you're not with Pan then who are you, lad?"
"Ventus." The boy answered softly, unsure whether to give his nickname out so easily this time. "I'm looking for a lady with a black veil… Have you seen her?"
"Even if I had, I wouldn't tell a little land lover like you!" Hook huffed, turning away.
Ven frowned in worry. Adar wasn't here either? She couldn't have gotten that far ahead of him since he kept finding her Unversed everywhere he went…
While the boy wondered where to go next, the Captain clonked the head of his bumbling assistant. "Smee! Ye blithering barnacle! We're off. We shall leave this place before the light draws 'em back again."
"Light?" Ven asked in surprise. Could they also be defending the light from the Unversed? "What are you talking about?"
Hook heard the boy's urgency and could smell the opportunity it brought him. He smirked slyly before turning around with a dramatic flourish, nearly hitting the boy with his coattails. "Ah yes, it's heartbreaking…This chest, you see, contains light gathered from all around, but that dreadful boy is sure to fly down and seize it…!"
Boy? Was Adar partnered with someone in this world who commanded the Unversed in her stead? Judging by the Captain's previous statements it had to be him. "You mean Peter Pan…?"
"That's the one!" The man growled, his face nearly turning red in rage at the mere mention. "Blasted brat has tormented me and my crew for ages when all we ever wanted was to defend the light, the peace of this world!"
Ven nodded sympathetically, glancing at the chest. He was confused about how a bunch of Light of the whole world could be in a simple chest but then remembered that usually, the bunches of light were people in the other place. It didn't seem too unusual. No matter who he was, light, dark, or balanced, he'd always protect the light. "Maybe I can help you, Captain!"
"Oh, how very kind.."
Ven found himself soon heaving a chest up into a frighteningly dark and damp cave shaped just like a human skull. Why'd he have to guard the light in such a creepy place?
While the boy was looking around for any signs of Peter Pan, Mr. Smee looked worriedly at the Captain. "Pardon me, Captain, but it's about that shooting star I was mentioning to ye-"
"Mr. Smee, I ordered ye to drop that. I'll not have ya gushin' on about some shooting star." Hook growled to the man while Ven looked at him curiously.
"But Cap'n! Most shooting stars twinkle for a bit and then they go out. But this one, it kept on sparklin' and shinin' even after it crashed down. Why, what if it's a big, enormous, priceless gemstone?"
Ven and the Captain both jumped at that for separate reasons, Hook for the gem, Ven for the idea of seeing a shooting star up close, he'd never seen one land before!
"Idiot! Why didn't you tell me?!" The man hissed before glancing sidelong at Ventus. "We will head off straight away!"
"Alright!" Ven cried but stopped when the Captain's sword came to his neck, backing him back in place.
"Not so fast! You will stay here and guard my lo-light! You said you would, you don't intend to back out now, do you?"
The boy sighed in disappointment, knowing he couldn't leave the light unattended when Peter Pan was free. "No, guess not…"
"There's a good lad." Hook patted the boy on the head a bit too hard before scuttling off with Mr. Smee, leaving him all alone.
"Looks like the old codfish put that unlucky kid to guard his treasure! We won't let that stand, will we, boys?" Asked Peter Pan who peered in from a nearby tree.
"No, sir!" Cried two boys in unison. One was dressed as a fox and the other as a bear, Slightly and Cubby, two of Pam's Lost Boys.
"I'll go on and make that airhead see what's what, you two get the treasure!"
After about an hour and a half, Ven was fed up with guard duty and was now sitting on the chest in boredom, drifting off.
A rooster call suddenly rang out through the cave, startling the boy to his feet.
A boy dressed in green swooped in front of him, placing his hands on his hips sternly. "Hey, kid! What're you doing working for someone like Hook? Don't you know Neverland's for fun and games?"
"You! You're Peter Pan!" Ven gasped, summoning his keyblade.
"The one and only!" Peter smirked proudly, taking out his tiny dagger that was nothing compared to Ven's blade. "Whatcha got that out for, we don't gotta fight."
"Yes, we do!" Ven grunted.
Using his wind blades as wings, Ventus was able to soar nearly as well as Peter, allowing the two to have an animated battle in the air.
While the fight went on, Slightly and Cubby heaved the chest up, trying not to trip over their own feet.
"I'll never let you have the light!" Ven proclaimed, making Peter frown in confusion.
"Light? What light?"
"Pan, we got the chest!"
The boys turned to see Cubby and Slightly at the entrance.
"Not yet, you blockheads!" Pan yelled while Ven went soaring after them.
He barreled into them all a bit too hard, sending the chest toppling over. Ven covered his eyes, expecting to be blinded but nothing came except a fierce clattering. He peeked out to see there wasn't any light except the kind reflected from the various coins and gemstones. "Huh? What is this stuff…?"
"Pirate treasure, of course. Jewels, doubloons, you know, the usual stuff." Peter Pan shrugged, did this kid not even know what he was guarding?"
Tricked again… Ven thought, giving a sigh in disappointment. "Hook was just using me to guard his loot… Sorry I picked a fight over nothing."
"Aw, it was all in good fun." Peter smiled gently, knowing Hook could be quite manipulative when he wanted to be. "I haven't met somebody to recruit in a while anyway! Say, what's your name?"
"Ventus, but you can call me Ven." The boy smiled. He didn't quite understand what Pan meant by 'recruit' but he didn't have much time to ask as Peter was already rearing to go.
"So, where's Hook at, Ven? I'll show him to mess with a Lost Boy!"
"I think he went chasing after a shooting star." He replied with a shrug.
"Shooting star?!" The leader gasped, exchanging a worried look with the Lost Boys. "Tink must be in danger! Men, guard this treasure with your life!"
"Aye, aye sir!"
"You get him, Pan!"
The boy flew off, leaving the three to talk amongst themselves.
"What was he talking about, me being a Lost Boy I mean." Ventus asked shortly as he helped the boys turn the chest upright.
"The Lost Boys are a group of awesome kids led by Peter Pan!" Slightly explained eagerly. "We go on adventures like treasure hunts and explorations all day and then we feast on whatever we want all night! No parents, no rules, just fun all the time!"
"Oh, but Pan only lets kids in if they're really lost with nobody to love them and their original home against them." Cubby added on sadly. "Kids like that deserve some fun after all that hardship, right?"
Ven felt his heart break for the two, noticing them gazing off, clearly remembering why they themselves had joined. He knew the feeling of being lost and unloved, but also knew that both of those things didn't actually apply to him now. He knew where he belonged and knew of people who loved him dearly since the last world. He bent down to them. "It does sound sorta fun but… I think I'd be taking a place I don't deserve. Besides, I'm not lost and I already have some people to take care of me… You should find a kid that really deserves to live in this wonderful world."
"Aw, okay." Slightly sniffed, crossing his arms in disappointment. "Still, sorry you had to get wrapped up with that wannabe leader, Hook!"
"Heh, me too." Ven smiled sadly. He glanced back down at the treasure before hopping over it. "Well, I better get going…"
As he walked out, he looked up to the bright blue sky. It's true what I said back there, I'm no Lost Boy, at least, not anymore. Once this is over, I'm going to be cared for and truly appreciated by my new master, it'll be… better than Master Eraqus, won't it?
He debated this for a moment, remembering how he'd always regarded Eraqus as a father figure to him and his friends. A strict and demanding, but still loving one. From what Ven had seen, Master Xehanort shared those qualities, besides having much more belief and trust in the boy than Eraqus ever did.
Still, why was he so unsure about it?
His thoughts were interrupted by some familiar screams and he quickly ran back into the cave to find the two Lost Boys surrounded by Unversed.
The boy sprinted over, summoning his keyblade.
"Look out below!" Ven called, slamming down next to them and sending the Unversed flying.
"Ven!" The boys cheered happily.
Ven smiled before shooting off the elements at the creatures.
As he fought them, he realized a peculiarity that he hadn't thought of until then: the creatures were being disposed of just as quickly by his powers of light then his powers of darkness that he'd been experimenting with the entire journey. Master Xehanort said he had to fight darkness with darkness since the light didn't affect them… Maybe Xehanort simply hadn't tried using the light on them? That was as good a theory as any for Ven who didn't want to believe any other implications.
Next time I get the chance, I have to tell Master Xehanort about this and that I won't be using the darkness to help him balance the universe. I know he'll be disappointed but I'll just figure out another way to help him and the rest of the worlds…
"Alright, you got 'em all!" Cubby cheered, hugging Ven round the middle after he and Slightly ran out again.
The skinner boy crossed his arm with a brow raised. "You sure you don't wanna join the gang!"
"Yes, I-!"
"Ahoy! How fare ye', lad?"
The three jumped in fright at the very familiar voice and whispered to each other, "Hook!"
"Quick, you gotta hide!" Ven hissed, shoving the children into a nearby crevasse. He turned and hurriedly leaned in front of it before the Captain could see, whistling slightly as if he hadn't even heard him in the first place. "Oh, it's going great! No need to worry 'bout me, Captain!"
Hook approached the boy smugly before showing off a lantern he'd just procured. On closer inspection, the light wasn't from a candle but rather a tiny girl with wings, a fairy!
"Whoa! Who's that?" Ven gasped in awe, getting on his tiptoes to see her better. She gave a sharp jingle in anger when he tapped the glass, frightening him slightly. "Heh, sorry…"
"Tinker Bell, one of Peter Pan's dearest friends." Hook explained, lifting the thing higher. "So long as I have his precious pixie, Pan's demise is all but assured…!"
The villain's glee was quickly interrupted when a gust of wind blew up and took the lantern from his hand, sending it straight to the ground.
The fairy was free with the shatter of glass and promptly kicked Hook in the nose.
"How did you-?!" The man wheeled back in shock and pain before turning to see Ventus hiding a smile. "You! Just as I suspected, you're with Pan!"
"Whatcha gonna do, make me walk the plank?" Ven asked, Tink sticking out her tongue behind him.
"Far worse! I'll cut you into bits till there's nothing left of you! One less nasty little boy to bother me!" Hook bellowed.
The two quickly clashed sword on key but before the battle could even begin, the ticking of a clock interrupted them.
Ven looked around in confusion but Hook seemed to know exactly where the sound was coming from, gasping in fright.
The boy followed his gaze and saw a crocodile with mismatched eyes that ticked back and forth in time with the clock looking hungrily at the Captain.
Before they could say a word, Hook ran off screaming in fear, leaving the thing to swim after him.
"Hurray! We sure got Hook this time!" Slightly cheered, running out with Cubby in tow.
"More like that croc got him this time." Ven laughed before seeing Tink fly up into the night sky.
Her glittering pixie dust dotted the sky like stars and Ven couldn't help but remember the last time he'd sat beneath true ones:
"Aqua… y'ever wonder what stars are?"
A calm silence filled the air as they sat close together watching the stars.
Ven found himself wiping away a tear at the thought that it was the last night he'd ever spend with them. Even if we can't hang out like that anymore, we're still always going to be best friends… If they stay in my heart and I stay in theirs, we're never truly apart.
"Aww, so much for pirate treasure…"
Ven turned to see the Lost Boys looking downtrodden thanks to the gold and jewels being scattered around the room thanks to all the fighting. He didn't know if even the strongest Magnet spell could gather all that up… "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry guys. I didn't realize the gold and jewels meant that much to you…!"
"Nah, we don't really care about that stuff." Slightly assured him.
"But, uh, Pan was counting on us…" Cubby reminded them, making the two wilt.
"Hmm, uhh…" Ven thought for a minute. What else but treasure could go in a treasure chest? It didn't feel right to leave it empty.
He then remembered a long time ago when Aqua had just gotten to the Land of Departure.
"Aqua, Aqua, I got it!" Ven plopped down beside the girl and Terra before showing her a small music box that was painted midnight blue like the night sky with little splashes of silver and gold as the stars. "Ta-da! This is my most valuable possession! It helps me sleep at night and I figured it might help you too! I don't need it anymore because I'm all grown up."
Terra got a jab in the ribs before he could laugh. "Pfft- Ow! I didn't even say anything!"
"Yeah but you were thinking about it!" Ven smirked back.
Terra shrugged with a laugh.
They suddenly heard a somber lullaby start up and turned to see Aqua was now mystified by the little box, clutching it tightly as if she'd never let it go. She looked at Ven and he thought he could almost see a smile.
"Thank you… Ven… I'll… treasure it forever."
"Got it!" Ven snapped and looked between the two boys. "If gold and jewels aren't what you like, then you should put some real treasures in there, things you love and cherish with all your heart. That way, they'll be safe forever."
"Yeah!" The two cheered after a quick glance at each other.
"Real swell idea, thanks!"
Ven waved goodbye as the boys trotted out much happier than before.
Wonder what I'd put in there… Ven thought to himself, glancing at his wayfinder. It was far too precious and new to stash away, he knew that. He placed the treasure to his heart before seeing Tinker Bell's little light leave the cave.
He was left in the dark again, just as he'd finally found some light.
How cliché…