AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Hey guys! How's it going?

Bit of news for you – I have a new job! I've been at home for the last few months as the business I work for has gone dark due to COVID, so I've had a lot more time to write. I'm going to try my hardest to keep to my current posting schedule of every 5 days, but it might be that I have to take a little bit longer between chapters.

Thanks to YumeTakato, crestoflight3 and Scarlett-95 for your reviews and messages, and thank you to everyone who has added this story to the follow and favourite list.

I hope you enjoy today's chapter!

CHAPTER NUMBER | THE FIFTH APPRENTICE

The town square was beautiful, even if it was blurry, out of focus, and not a square.

Ven glanced down at his feet. The ground underfoot was made of great slabs of coloured sandstone. Those closest to his toes were crystal clear, each grain of polished stone remembered with vivid clarity, but the further he tried to look the less he could see. The town square was a circle – he could tell that much – and there was a beautiful bubbling fountain at its centre. Though he couldn't see them, he knew that the coloured sandstone slabs formed a pattern: a ring of five stars encircling the fountain's base, and five more stars around the edge – these ones larger and cut in half by a ring of blue that bordered the large mosaic.

He was surrounded on all sides by towering buildings. Each one had its own silhouette, distinctive to that of its neighbour, but they were tied together by their colours and their materials. The ground floor of each building was made from a blue-grey stone with a great brown wooden door at the entrance. Some buildings had double doors with silver-blue wrought iron detailing, whilst others were decorated with ornate purple shapes; the finer details were blurry, but Ven knew they were beautiful. The upper floors were made from wooden beams, some of which had been left their natural, rich brown whilst others were painted in shades of purple, and the walls of the upper floors had been filled with bricks and covered with cream plaster running up to the purple tiles that covered the rooves. Many of the windows had colourful bars running through the panes of glass, and each windowsill was decorated with a flowerbed filled with tumbling vines and blossoms.

Ven knew all of this, but he couldn't see it. Everything beyond his toes was fuzzy; splashes of colour that merged together in to lumps and twisted shapes that vaguely resembled buildings. Even the fountain was difficult to make out; barely more than a blue and grey blur.

He raised a hand to his temples and sighed.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked. Ven nodded slowly.

"Yeah, just a headache," he murmured. Riku frowned but said nothing further as he turned his attention towards their surroundings.

"Do you recognise anything?" he asked.

"Yes." Ven grit his teeth against another spike of pain and closed his eyes, pointing blindly as he explained what all the shapes were supposed to be. He even surprised himself by pointing out that a yellowish gap between two buildings was a stairway that would lead to the First District, whilst the looming double doors of the tallest building would lead towards the central market.

By the time he was done the pain in his head was almost blinding, and he was grateful when Riku said that they had done enough for one day. Returning to his body didn't make the headache go away, but Ven was able to pour himself a glass of icy water from the fridge which was enough to distract him until the pain ebbed. Riku was already writing in his notebook, the fingers of his free hand tapping the kitchen counter with a deep frown.

"Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"Does Luxord get headaches like this?" he asked. Riku nodded.

"Just like yours," he answered without looking up from his writing. Ven pursed his lips and folded his arms.

"What if… What if we're not supposed to have these memories?" he asked. Riku paused then and glanced up, waiting patiently for Ven to continue. "I was just thinking that these headaches, they almost feel like… like a warning. Like the memories are right there but something is stopping us from getting to them."

"Something?" Riku asked. "Can you describe how it feels?" Ven frowned, trying to find the words, but they wouldn't come.

"Something… something…" He paused, his mind travelling back several days to the first time he and Vanitas had connected their hearts. "Not something. Someone." He explained Vanitas' theory that someone had intentionally taken the memories away.

"Who do you think could have done this?" Riku asked.

"Not Xehanort or Luxu."

"You're sure?"

"Well… no," Ven answered. "But it doesn't feel like it would be either of them. It almost feels like we're missing a huge part of the puzzle. We know that Luxu and the Apprentices are over there, and we know that our missing memories are over here, but I feel like there's something missing that links them together."

"If they're even linked at all," Riku murmured. Ven frowned.

"What do you mean?" Riku looked up sharply – perhaps he hadn't meant to say that out loud – and he grimaced slightly. He was saved from answering by the door swinging open.

"Oh, sorry," came Aqua's voice. "I thought you two would be finished be now." Riku smiled and closed his notebook around his pen.

"Just finishing up," he said.

"Luxord's just gone to change," she said as she skirted around the table to make her way towards the kitchen, bringing with her the smell of singed hair. Ven spluttered in an attempt to keep from choking and Aqua flushed. "Fire magic is not Luxord's strongest suit," she remarked, raking her fingers through her hair and crinkling her nose. Ven could see the damage now; a clump of hair on the left was shrivelled and singed and the skin beneath was pink and freshly healed. Ven winced.

"I think I'll stretch my legs before dinner," he said. Aqua nodded.

"Are you eating with us tonight?" she asked. He hesitated.

"I thought I'd go up to the summit again," he said, forcing his voice to remain steady. It wasn't a lie, after all.

"Well whatever you're doing up there, it's helping," said Riku. Aqua smiled and reached over to squeeze his shoulder.

"I'll make you up a basket, but don't stay out too late," she said. "Looks like there's a storm rolling in tonight. Last thing we need is anyone getting sick." Ven nodded and quickly ducked out in to the hall.

Keeping Vanitas a secret from Aqua had been surprisingly easy. She and Riku had been mostly preoccupied with Luxord who, in addition to finally being able to piece some small fragments of memory together, had moved on from the foundations of his keyblade training and was beginning to learn more advanced technqiues. Ven meanwhile found that he spent most of his time sleeping, often sneaking away for naps when the others were down in the arena. He'd been to see Vanitas several times since his first visit, and whilst they hadn't been able to piece enough together to come up with anything substantial, what little they had discovered had led to an increase in Ven's vivid dreams and the accompanying headaches.

He hadn't meant to go to the library, but as he slipped through the open doors something felt decidedly right about his destination. It had never been his favourite room, but he didn't exactly hate it. It had been a sanctuary of sorts on stormy nights when he hadn't wanted to be alone in his room. Whenever the storm clouds would roll in he would come down and settle in to the comfortable armchair closest to the open hearth. Aqua and Terra would always join him; he never sought them out but they were always a welcome addition, though Ven wasn't sure if he ever told them just how much he appreciated them settling in beside the fire with him. Sometimes they sat in silence, listening to the howling of the wind and the popping of the fire. Sometimes they would talk, sharing jokes or telling tall tales or imagining their future as Masters. Sometimes they would each curl up with a good book-

Ven's train of thought came to a sudden halt. He frowned, glancing towards the empty fireplace. In his mind's eye he saw the fountain and the mosaic and the town square painted in vibrant watercolours. He span on his heel, darting towards the stacks where he quickly pulled the heavy tome down from its usual spot. He dropped it heavily on to the table beside the books that had been recovered from Kairi's room – yet to be returned to their shelves – and he pulled the book open to his favourite spot.

It was exactly how he remembered it, right down to the placement of the stars in the floor and the towering buildings with their steep purple rooves. The sky was filled with great strokes of peaches and purples and blues, dotted with gleaming white stars. It looked exactly as it had inside Ven's head, but that was to be expected; he'd spent hours staring at the picture, running his fingers over the pages.

But the painting didn't explain how he knew where the stairs would lead, or where the great wrought-iron door would go. Nor did it explain why he had been drawn to the book in the first place all those years ago. The memories he and Riku had explored that had been more than those of a mere painting. He could remember how the town square felt, and he could vividly recall the smell of summer blossoms or the way the wind made the autumn leaves dance around the fountain. He had been there, he knew it, but how could that possibly be true? This was a place from the Age of Fairytales. Or, at least, it was supposed to be. Perhaps it was merely an artist's interpretation based on somewhere that still existed. Ven flipped through the pages in search of some kind of credit or citation or even a footnote, but he found none. He couldn't even find an author. He checked the bindings and the spine and inside the cover – front and back. He flipped through the well-loved pages of stories and poems that he almost knew by heart.

Aqua might know. Ven held the book close to his chest and was halfway to the door before he paused. Aqua might know… but she would probably want to hold on to the book. She'd always been more of a scholar than Ven or Terra, able to devour a book like this in a matter of days if she set her mind to it. And it wasn't that he didn't want her to, but there was someone else who needed to see it first. So Ven quickly changed course, heading first to his bedroom where he slipped the book inside his pack before heading back to the kitchen. Luxord was sitting at the table now, massaging his temples with one hand while the other nursed a glass of icy water.

"I thought I would try your brand of medicine," he said, lifting the glass slightly. Ven offered a sympathetic smile.

"I hope it works for you," he said before slipping in to the kitchen where Aqua was putting the finishing touches on his basket. She glanced up at him when he entered and pursed her lips, hesitating for a moment before handing the basket over with obvious reluctance.

"Now you promise you'll come back in before the storm starts?" she pressed. Ven nodded.

"I'll try," he said, doing his best to avoid an all-out promise, "but you know how fast the storms can sneak up on you sometimes." An eyebrow arched but she relinquished her hold on the basket.

"Make sure you bring-" She stopped herself short, looking suddenly uneasy. Ven frowned.

"Aqua?" he asked. She pursed her lips for a brief moment before smiling.

"Bring a jacket," she said, leaving Ven without a doubt that it hadn't been what she'd been planning to say at all. Still, he didn't challenge her (because if he challenged her on what she wasn't saying, then she might do the same to him).

"I have one in my bag," he said. It was wrapped around the book to disguise its shape. Aqua smiled and ushered him on his way.

As soon as he was outside of the keep he noticed the chill. The sky overhead was still blue, but the clouds looming on the horizon were a deep, stormy grey. Perhaps he should have packed another jacket for Vanitas who would likely still be too stubborn to join them inside the castle walls even in the face of a looming storm, but it was too late to go back now. Ven had smuggled a few extra blankets out during his last few trips, so Vanitas would be warm enough, but Ven still didn't like the thought of Vanitas hiding out in a cave while the wind howled and the thunder crashed.

When he finally reached the cave he was surprised to find it empty. The stack of blankets was still here, along with several piles of food. The lantern sat on the far side of the cave next to Vanitas' journal and pen. Ven set the basket and his pack down and frowned, his fingers brushing against the phone in his pocket. He wondered if there was some way he could get one for Vanitas. Maybe he could pretend that he'd lost his and ask for a new one. But then it would surprise him if Chip and Dale hadn't put some sort of tracking device in them. Everyone who had a phone prior to Sora's disappearance had been asked to return them a month or two after he'd disappeared in search of Kairi, and shortly after Chip and Dale had issued a shiny new GummiPhone II to all of the Guardians though they'd been tight-lipped on how exactly it differed from the earlier model.

An unnatural whisper made the hairs on Ven's arms rise and he turned to see a dark corridor opening in the mouth of the cave. He fought every instinct that screamed at him to run, but any lingering fear was quickly quelled as Vanitas emerged. He was dressed in his thick black cloak but the hood was down, and his hair was littered with brightly coloured squares of paper. He caught sight of Ven as the portal closed and Ven didn't miss the shock and unease that flashed across Vanitas' face before he was able to put his usual mask in place.

"You're early," he said tightly, narrowing his eyes. The glare wasn't half as effective when it was surrounded by a halo of colourful confetti.

"What's in your hair?" Ven asked. Vanitas frowned and lifted a hand to run it through his hair. The first pieces of confetti began to fall and Vanitas scowled at them before shaking his head like a wet dog and raking his fingers through his hair with a snarl.

"It's nothing," he growled, dusting pieces off his shoulders and stalking towards the basket of food. Ven crouched low, peering at the floor.

"Why do you have confetti in your-" The confetti burst in to flames. Ven leapt back in surprise, falling heavily on his rear as he turned to Vanitas whose keyblade was still pointed at the burning pile. He dismissed it with a flourish and glared at Ven.

"It's nothing," he repeated firmly. "Eat. The sooner we get started, the sooner I can kick you out." As desperate as he was to learn more, Ven fought the urge to press the topic further. Wherever Vanitas had been and whatever he'd been doing was his business, after all (but that didn't stop Ven from immensely enjoying the one stubborn pink square that remained stuck to the top of his hair).

"Actually, Vanitas, I was hoping I could convince you to come back with me tonight," Ven said as he reached in to the basket for a large meat bun. It was still warm.

"Nope." Well, Ven hadn't expected it to be easy.

"It's just that there's a storm coming and it looks like it could be a bad one," he continued. Vanitas took a mouthful of food and Ven took his opportunity to keep speaking while Vanitas couldn't. "Aqua and the others wouldn't even have to know you're there. There's a back entrance, round to the side. Nobody ever uses it anymore, but we could sneak you in there and we could find you somewhere to sleep, or you could sleep in my room-"

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said curtly. Ven frowned.

"You can't stay here tonight. You'll freeze. And what if you get sick?"

"Then I won't stay here," Vanitas retorted. "I can go anywhere I want. I don't have to spend the night here if I don't want to." Ven's mouth hung open but his argument fell flat before he'd even voiced it aloud. Of course this world wasn't his only option; the dark corridors could take him anywhere, after all. Ven deflated and stuffed the bun in to his mouth as he reached for his bag. He withdrew the book and opened it to the painting before handing it to Vanitas.

"Do you recognise this place?" he asked. Vanitas took the book and inspected the picture, looking as though he was wrestling with his answer.

"I'm not sure," he muttered. "Why?"

"I saw it today. Well, I didn't exactly see it, but I recognised it. It's hard to explain," he added quickly at Vanitas' unimpressed frown. "I think we've been there." Vanitas frowned and said nothing further, though he continued to flip through the book as they finished their meal in silence.

By now the process of opening their hearts to each other was practically second nature (even if Vanitas did choose to grumble under his breath about it) and within minutes they were heaving the great doors open to the white expanse that lay beyond. By now they'd sorted through somewhere near one hundred fragments of memories, and the activated shards hovered near the door. Plenty more remained, and Ven grit his teeth as he gazed at them. He'd only just cleared the headache from the afternoon.

"Let's look for that town," said Vanitas. Ven glanced at him and he shrugged. "Maybe if we can figure out why you saw it today, we can figure out if it's important or not." It was as good a place as any to start and they carefully set out, picking separate paths through the hovering shards, careful not to brush in to any by accident. Ven peered into each of them as he passed, eyes peeled for a fountain or any of the unique buildings that lined the-

The room was dark and dusty. What little sunlight that filtered through the grimy window glinted off the enormous gears that covered the back wall, each one turning another. Three figures entered ahead of him, while another followed behind and leant against the doorframe. One of the figures – the one with the feather – moved away from the others and placed his fists on his hips.

"So this is the Master's room." His voice was muffled but Ven understood him well enough. The others split off, each venturing cautiously in to the room. The figure with the feather made for a dusty little desk and Ven hurried to follow him, watching as he reached out to flick through a book.

"Try not to touch anything." The girl with dark hair was here again too, as was the boy in the scarf who stood to her left.

"Why not?" the first figure asked. The boy with the scarf shifted and shrugged.

"I suppose you're-"

Ven sucked in a deep breath as the white void reappeared before him. He heard Vanitas grunt and glanced over to see him pinching the bridge of his nose whilst glaring at a nearby shard and cursing under his breath. An accident, Ven assumed, though it would mean that Vanitas would have to carry the activated memory back towards the door to put it with the others. They'd seen that room before, Ven was sure of it, though the details had never been so clear. Hopefully it was a sign that they were making progress.

He lost track of how long it took him to find a memory with the fountain in. He called out to Vanitas, warning him to brace himself, before he reached out and brushed his fingers against the glass-

The fountain sparkled like fiery diamonds in the evening sun. It wasn't quite night yet, but within the hour the sun would set behind the towering houses that circled Fountain Square and plunge them in to an inky twilight. Ven was the only person there, which wasn't entirely unusual for early evening when most people made their way home to eat and settle in. The gentle summer breeze danced among the flowers that tumbled from windowsills and played with gossamer curtains hung behind open windows.

"Ven, what are you doing here?"

The voice was clear but the face was not. It was blurry, like he was looking at the figure through frosted glass, but he saw the flash of red tied around the boy's throat.

"Just thinking," he answered. "You?"

"I saw you from the window. I just wanted to make sure you were all right." Ven found himself smiling.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks-"

Ven pressed his fingers in to his temples with a hiss as the white room reappeared so suddenly that it made his eyes water.

"Someone really doesn't want us knowing who those people are," he groaned. Vanitas grunted in response.

"I might have another one here," he said. He paused long enough that Ven glanced over to Vanitas watching him carefully. After a moment Ven nodded-

Two figures stood by the fountain, distinguishable just enough to tell that Ven hadn't seen them before. A boy and a girl, if he had to guess, and both were staring at each other down the length of their keyblades.

"You're the traitors!" the boy spat. The girl scoffed.

"How do we know it's not your Union that's stealing all the lux?" she demanded. "If anyone's to blame for the unions falling to darkness, it's obviously Ursus!"

"That's rich, coming from a Leopardos," the boy spat. He drew his arm back, ready to strike. The girl leapt back and the tip of her keyblade flared. Ven bolted, planting himself squarely between the two and holding a hand towards each of them.

"Stop this!" he cried. "This isn't right!"

"They're the traitors!" the boy yelled. "Leopardos should be disbanded-"

"So you have one less union to worry about? You wish," the girl hissed. "Ursus are the ones stealing lux-"

"We don't know that anyone is stealing lux," a new voice cried. The dark-haired girl was back, her face as blurry as the others' though her voice was clear. It sounded tired. "We should all just go home. Fighting like this won't solve anything." The pair eyed each other for several long minutes before finally dismissing their keyblades.

"Stay in your lane, Leopardos," the boy hissed. He turned sharply on his heel and made for the Second District. The girl shouted several curses after him before heading towards the Market. The dark-haired girl sighed.

"Another one," she murmured. Ven frowned.

"Another?" She nodded.

"I had to break up a fight here yesterday, too," she answered. "It's getting worse. If we don't do something-"

Ven grimaced against the growing pain in his temple. He was kneeling now, pressing his forehead against the floor, and as he came back to his senses he slowly sat up. He glanced across the void to see Vanitas still standing, though his hands were clenched in to white-knuckle fists and the vein in his neck looked ready to burst.

"This is getting us nowhere," he spat. Ven wanted to agree, if only so they could call it a night and he could try and rid himself of this headache. But they'd only seen three memories, and he had even more questions than before. He sat back on his heels and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

"We have to keep trying," he said. "I just wish could find something useful-"

"Ven."

He opened his eyes and blinked several times to try and figure out what he was looking at. Some distance away stood a wooden door that most definitely had not been there before. It was fairly plain, decorated with a few purple swirls, and standing completely alone. Ven glanced at Vanitas who seemed equally disturbed by its sudden appearance.

"Should we go through it?" Ven asked.

"Might as well," Vanitas grumbled. "Poking these memories is getting us nowhere." Slowly Ven hauled himself to his feet and began to pick his way through the floating memory shards towards the door. He reached it at the same time as Vanitas, and for a long moment they simply stood there, examining the door. Ven circled it slowly, reaching out to poke the front and the back, but the door didn't move. Something was holding it in place, even if they couldn't see or feel it. He came to a halt by Vanitas' side, and after sharing a nod he pulled the door towards them.

Fountain Square lay beyond, as real and vivid as the fragments of memory, but when Ven stepped through the doorway there was no pain. He glanced over his shoulder as Vanitas followed him through; on this side of the door it appeared set in to one of the houses, though it was clear to see the white void beyond. It looked like some sort of fever dream – a great expanse of white trapped inside a tiny house.

"Look," Vanitas murmured. Ven turned his attention back towards the fountain where five figures had appeared, arranged in a perfect 'v' shape. Ven watched them carefully, but they remained still as statues.

"It's the Apprentices," Ven murmured. Vanitas nodded in agreement. At the front of the 'v' stood Ira, the silver hair of his unicorn mask tumbling over his shoulder and onto the white cape around his shoulders. The gold trim on his blue and white robes gleamed in the sunlight, and Ven couldn't help himself from reaching out to poke the dangling purple gems.

Behind Ira's right shoulder stood Aced. He was even more intimidating up close, with his broad shoulders and his looming height. The golden eyes of his bear mask gleamed from beneath his cream hood. Standing opposite him, behind Ira's left shoulder, was Gula. He was much shorter than the others, leaving Ven at eye-level with his gleaming leopard mask. The blue gems hanging from his cape sparkled like sapphires, casting green shadows on the yellow of his tunic.

Behind Gula there was Invi. The fabric of her cape was drawn up over her chin, leaving only the shadow of her nose visible beneath her serpentine mask. The tail of the mask snaked out from beneath the hood, curling down beside her face and coiling over her shoulder.

"This isn't Luxu," Vanitas murmured. He was studying the fifth figure who stood opposite Invi. Ven was sure that he'd never seen her before (and she was definitely a woman), and yet as he studied her he found himself hit by an undeniable wave of familiarity. Her cape and hood were a delicate pink trimmed with gold, and her mask was that of a fox with two tall ears poking out from the hood. Her cape was decorated with sparkling emeralds while her tunic was a dusty sort of purple wrapped tightly over a cream skirt.

"I… I know her…" The pain was back again but Ven grit his teeth against it. There was a name, bubbling under the surface… A… A…

"Ava."

They said it together. Ven couldn't say where it had come from, but it brought with it a blinding stab of pain that lanced through his skull. Even Vanitas let out a yelp as his hands flew to his temples.

"Well," he hissed, "I guess we're right."

"Y-yeah," Ven agreed. "But if this isn't Luxu, then where is he?"

"More importantly, where is she?" Vanitas retorted. "Why haven't we seen her?" Ven groaned; that was more important. The thought that there could be another Apprentice out there, unaccounted for, made his blood run cold.

There came a deafening rumble of thunder. Ven glanced towards the sky, but the beautiful washes of purples and blues remained untouched. He waited, counting under his breath, and as he reached thirty-four the thunder came again. Vanitas looked up with a frown.

"What's happening?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. Ven glanced at the Apprentices again, reaching out to poke Ava in the shoulder, but she remained still as stone. The thunder boomed again and Ven winced as his headache thundered in response.

"The storm," he groaned. "I don't think the thunder is here. We should go." He was grateful when Vanitas didn't object. They swiftly made their way back through the wooden door and carefully picked their way back to the great white doors which they hauled shut before returning to their bodies.

The chill was instant. The storm was here, all right, and it was blowing rain straight in to the cavern. Ven grit his teeth against the headache and tried to keep the shivers at bay as he reached for the book. Several fat raindrops had landed on the picture but the book was otherwise unharmed. He pulled his jacket from his pack and wiped the pages dry before wrapping the book back up again. Aqua would kill him for not wearing the jacket, but the book was more important now.

"Vanitas," he called, shouting to be heard over the wind, "come with me." Vanitas eyed the storm warily and shook his head. Ven clenched his freezing fingers in to fists. "Please-"

"You should get going," Vanitas shouted back, folding his arms and pressing himself against the cavern wall. Ven fixed him with a look but Vanitas didn't budge, and Ven finally relented. He was too cold and too wet to shout it out with Vanitas in the middle of a storm, especially when he'd proven himself more than capable of taking himself somewhere more pleasant if he wanted. Ven hoisted his pack higher and grabbed the now-empty picnic basket before heading out in to the storm.

The wind nearly picked him off the ground, and he quickly dropped low to the ground with a curse. The mud squelched underfoot as he carefully shimmied his way down the path, grateful to have done it enough times now to know the route nearly by heart. He was almost back at the summit when his foot slipped in a patch of mud. His heart leapt to his throat, and for several minutes all he could do was hold on to a nearby rock and wait until a flash of lightning allowed him to find his footing again.

"Ven! Ven, where are you?"

Someone was shouting his name. He stumbled off the narrow shelf and back on to the flat of the summit.

"I'm here!" he shouted. He barely heard himself over the driving rain and the rolling thunder, but it seemed that he was loud enough for his rescuer. He saw the dim glow of a flickering lantern approaching followed by Aqua in her armour. Ven cursed – why hadn't he thought of that? He'd left his pauldron in his room, and he was suddenly very keenly aware of how cold his left shoulder was without it.

"Ven! Thank goodness you're all right!" she cried. She closed the distance between them and held on to his elbow tightly. "Where's Vanitas?"

"He didn't want to… wait, what?! You knew he was here?!" He lifted his hand to shield himself from the rain.

"I've known since he brought Kairi back to us."

"He brought Kairi back?!"

"Ven, where is he?" she pressed. Another flash of lightning left streaks across Ven's vision and he blinked furiously, wiping rainwater from his face.

"He wouldn't come!" he shouted over the thunder. "I tried-"

"Take me to him. I've made up a room for him on the other side of the castle-"

"He won't come, Aqua-"

"He might if we both try." Ven grit his teeth and glanced back towards the path. It was what he wanted, after all, and if Vanitas' only fear was Aqua finding out perhaps it would help him to know that she already knew. He wiped the rain from his face again and turned on his heel, motioning for her to follow.

Progress back up the path was slow, and once they were past the narrow shelf they had to almost crawl on their bellies to keep the wind from knocking them off the face of the mountain. Ven was relieved when the mouth of the cave finally came in to sight, and he rolled in to it.

"Vanitas!" he shouted, brushing his hair from his eyes. "Please don't panic, but-"

The cavern was empty. Not just of Vanitas but of any sign of life. The blankets, the food, the lantern… gone. It was as though Vanitas had never even been there. Ven scrambled to his feet as an unpleasant tightness began to settle in his chest.

"Vanitas!" he cried as Aqua finally made it in to the cavern behind him. Though it wasn't exactly dry or warm inside, Aqua dismissed her armour and Ven didn't miss the crestfallen expression on her face. She finally glanced at Ven who could only shrug. "He was here… right here…"

"It's okay, Ven," she said softly. She moved as far away from the entrance as she could and sat heavily against the wall, wiping a tired hand over her face. "At least he's not here in this weather. Wherever he is, he's probably a lot better off than we are right now." Ven let out a light laugh that was half-wheeze as he settled in beside her. He granted her a moment to catch her breath – she had climbed all the way up in this weather, after all – before rounding on her.

"So you've known Vanitas was here this whole time?" he asked. Aqua nodded.

"After he brought Kairi back from the Graveyard I think he took off for a day or two but then I saw him sneaking out of the kitchen," she answered. "I thought it might have just been a one-off until I caught him again the next night, too." Ven bit the inside of his cheek and let his head loll back against the cavern wall.

"Well I guess I can't really be mad at you," he said. "Not unless I want you to get mad at me." Aqua let out a breathy laugh and rested a heavy hand on his knee.

"You were just trying to help him," she said, "just like Kairi and Naminé. I think he trusts you."

"Yeah, well I wish he would trust everyone," Ven mumbled. Aqua patted his knee.

"Give him time, Ven," she said softly. "He'll come around eventually."

They lapsed in to silence, listening to the storm howl outside. Every now and then a sharp gust of wind would bring a wall of rain inside the cavern, but other than that they remained mostly untouched. It was certainly better than being outside; Ven didn't much like the thought of walking back down the mountain in this weather, but they couldn't very well stay in the cave. His stomach churned nervously and he wished that Vanitas had left some of the food behind. He didn't know what time it was, but it had certainly been several hours since he had eaten.

He frowned. Slowly he turned towards Aqua who was leaning her head against the cavern wall with her eyes closed. The flush was starting to fade from her cheeks now, and her breathing had finally returned to a normal, quiet rhythm.

"Aqua?" She opened her eyes to look at him.

"Yes, Ven?"

"You… You weren't really stress-cooking, were you?" She sat up taller, leaning away from the wall as she let out a light laugh.

"No, Ven. I wasn't stress-cooking," she said. "I wasn't sure exactly what Vanitas would eat or how much he would take, so I wanted to make sure he had plenty of options."

"And the picnic baskets… You knew I'd be sharing them with him."

"And hopefully leaving some behind," she said, reaching over to poke at his belly with a laugh. Ven felt his ears flush.

"We didn't eat it all! Vanitas has got a whole pile of food left. Well, he did." The thought of it made his stomach rumble and Aqua laughed. It was contagious, and soon Ven was laughing too until a deafening clap of thunder sent his heart in to his throat.

"You did all that for Vanitas?" he asked as the thunder died away. Aqua nodded.

"Of course," she said. "I-" She stopped as a spiral of darkness sprouted from the floor, forming in to a dark corridor. Ven didn't miss the way she flinched as the darkness oozed in to the cavern, though it was quickly smothered as Vanitas emerged.

"Why?" he asked. His voice was low and flat but his eyes were gleaming with a million unasked questions. "Why would you do that for me?" Aqua sat up a little taller.

"Because I know what it's like to feel totally alone," she answered. Vanitas glared.

"You don't know anything," he hissed.

"I spent a long time wandering the realm of darkness with only myself for company," she answered calmly. "No food, no shelter, no rest… It's hard. I knew I couldn't force you to stay, but I thought if I could just make life a little bit easier for you it might help."

"But why help me?" he snapped. "What do you want from me?"

"Vanitas!" Ven scolded. Aqua squeezed his knee and offered Vanitas a small smile.

"I don't want anything from you, Vanitas," she answered. "This isn't a trade or some kind of bargain. I just want to know that you're safe."

Vanitas eyed her warily, a thousand emotions flashing behind his eyes. Ven held his breath, eyes flicking between the pair nervously until Vanitas finally shifted his weight on to his back foot with a sneer.

"I won't owe you anything," he said curtly.

"I won't ask," Aqua promised. "The Land of Departure is a home for anyone who wields a keyblade. It could be your home too, Vanitas. I've already made up a room for you. It's on the far side of the castle, with your own entrance so you don't have to-"

"I know," he said shortly. His sneer finally fell away and he looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I found it. And all the food." Aqua smiled.

"It's your room, Vanitas," she said. "No strings attached."

Another uncomfortable silence settled upon them as Vanitas seemed to battle with this new information. He glanced between them several times while his fingers twitched anxiously. Shadows bubbled at his feet but the unversed didn't take shape.

"Nobody goes in without my permission," he said at last. "I don't want any of you Guardians snooping through my things."

"Of course," Aqua agreed.

"And the food that's in there, that's mine too." Ven supposed he meant to be firm and decisive about the matter, but it came out sounding more like a question as his voice began to pitch awkwardly. It was almost endearing, until he followed it up with a fiery glare.

"All yours," Aqua said. "And you're welcome to anything in the kitchen, too. The food is for everyone." Vanitas seemed torn somewhere between anger and apprehension, and he opened his mouth several times but the words didn't come out. Eventually Aqua pulled herself to her feet and offered him a smile.

"We'd better set off, Ven," she said. "This storm isn't going to lift any time soon, and if we don't leave now we might not be able to make it back." She offered a hand to Ven and pulled him to his feet before turning to Vanitas. "We'll see you at the keep. Or not, I suppose. It's up to you."

Vanitas' eyes quickly flew to the mouth of the cave as another flash of lightning threatened to blind them. The thunder came almost instantly this time, and a steady trickle of water was beginning to pour in to the cavern.

"It's too dangerous," he muttered, though he seemed to regret it. His face twisted in to a scowl and he folded his arms. "I'll… I'll take you back."

"How?" Ven asked. Vanitas jerked his head towards the dark corridor and Ven felt his stomach twist. Dark corridors weren't all that different from the Lanes Between, he knew, but the thought of walking through one unprotected… he knew he'd fare better than Aqua, given that he had more light in his heart than darkness, but Aqua also had her armour.

Something heavy landed squarely on his chest and he fumbled to catch it, wrapping his arms around it before he'd even realised what it was. He glanced down to find himself holding Vanitas' cloak.

"Will you be all right?" Aqua asked. Her fingers were twitching, like she wanted to reach for his shoulder. Vanitas shifted out of her reach.

"I'll be fine," he answered. "It's not that far." He turned his attention to Ven and watched him closely until he finally conceded to put on the cloak. It was still warm, but it clung to his wet skin and clothes. He tried not to frown at the feeling.

"Thanks, Vanitas."

"Don't mention it," he grunted. "C'mon."

Though the corridor felt very similar to the Lanes Between, it certainly looked a lot different. Instead of the empty blackness between worlds this was a swirling tunnel of purple, black and grey that spiralled around them. Ven zipped the cloak all the way up to his chin and flipped the hood up to hide as much of his face as possible as they followed Vanitas through the corridor.

True to his word the distance was much shorter travelling by corridor, and within minutes they were safely within the walls of the keep. They emerged in an unfamiliar part of the castle, though it didn't take Ven long to figure out where they were. Vanitas turned towards a nearby door and hesitated, his hand hovering over the handle as he turned back towards them.

"I… I appreciate what you've done." The words were clipped and forced and seemed to cause Vanitas great pain as he said them. Aqua beamed nonetheless.

"You're welcome," she said. "Good night, Vanitas." He grunted in response and quickly slipped inside. Ven heard the click of the lock followed by the scraping of heavy furniture being shunted along the floor. He reached towards the door but Aqua stopped him with a light shake of her head.

"Let him do what he needs to do to feel comfortable," she said, and she tilted her head away to motion that it was time for them to go. Ven spared one last glance towards the door before allowing her to lead him down the hall back towards the heart of the castle. When they were finally back in familiar territory Aqua pressed a finger to her lips.

"It's late," she whispered. "Everyone else will be asleep." Ven nodded and pressed a finger to his lips to show that he had understood.

"Goodnight, Aqua," he whispered back. She smiled.

"Goodnight, Ven."

So now Ven and Vanitas have discovered Ava. (Don't worry, I wasn't going to leave the sweetest little Foreteller out of this story forever!) But they raise an excellent question: Where is she?

Let me know what you think by hitting that review button, and I'll see you in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!