A/N: I forgot to mention in the last chapter, but there's a new poll on my profile where you can vote on what story you'd like to see updated more often, or vote for one of two other multichapters I haven't written yet.

"Find Xehanort, Terra. That is where you should begin." Yen Sid's advice echoed in his mind as he flew through the Lanes Between. The way the retired Master had spoken, he expected that Xehanort had something to do with the appearance of the Unversed. But how? And why? And what of the rumors he'd heard of Xehanort looking for hearts of pure light? None of it made any sense.

Hearts of pure light… His mind inevitably went back to Cinderella. It had been two days now since he'd left. How many days would it be before he could see her again?

Maybe never. Once I finish this mission, the Master will want me back at the Land of Departure again until I can pass the Mark of Mastery. But after that… well, after that he would be able to go where he wished, wouldn't he? He could visit her then. If she still wanted him to.

He shook his head; it was useless to think about now. If he succeeded in the mission, then the Master might change his mind about the results of the Exam. That was his top priority.

"Terra."

Terra jolted at the voice, one that seemed to invade his mind. Strangely, he thought he recognized it. "Master Xehanort?"

"Terra, come see me at once."

Yes, that was definitely him. But how was he supposed to find-?

A strange feeling tugged on him, like someone had set a magnet in his chest. It pulled him to nudge his glider to the left.

Alright then, Master Xehanort. He followed the feeling towards a distant star, one that appeared dimmer than most. I hope you have some good answers for me.

XXX

He landed in a barren world and found the old Master waiting for him. He did have answers - though not ones Terra had expected. Apparently the Unversed came from a masked boy named Vanitas, and that wasn't all - Vanitas was the darkness in Ven's heart, split from him because of a horrible training accident. It had been the only way that Master Xehanort could save Ven. It was a lot to take in, but it did make sense. Terra still remembered the day that Xehanort had brought Ven to the Land of Departure; the boy hadn't remembered anything, but no one had ever told Terra why. There was still one more question that he needed to ask, though.

"Master… Why is Vanitas still free?"

"Ah yes. Well, I did my best to contain him the moment he emerged, but…"

It wasn't hard to guess what had happened. "He managed to escape."

Xehanort nodded. "Vanitas uses the keyblade to sow seeds of darkness. And now, you see - the worlds teem with his ghastly underlings."

"The Unversed," Terra muttered. It was hard to believe that so many monsters could come from one person - or one other monster - but it felt good to finally have someone to blame for unleashing them.

"He has no control over the darkness in his heart. The keyblade is not his to bear. He's an abomination beyond hope of salvation." Xehanort held out his hand. "Lend me your strength, Terra. Right this wrong that I have wrought."

"But I have no idea where to find him," Terra answered, though in his heart he had already agreed. If he were able to destroy Vanitas, destroy the Unversed, then Master Eraqus would surely have to change his mind. Then he would be worthy of the title of Keyblade Master.

"What I can tell you about Vanitas amounts to this - his darkness is drawn to the light, which he seeks to disrupt… and then destroy."

Destroy. The word echoed in his mind, and suddenly his vision left him. What was going on? Was Xehanort doing this? His sight quickly came back, but what he saw didn't make sense.

Aqua, falling to her knees, battered in her armor-

A masked boy, keyblade held high overhead, poised to strike-

A blonde-haired girl, arms outstretched, facing down a terrible darkness-

"Cinderella!" He shouted with a gasp. His real sight returned in time to see Xehanort recoil.

"Who is that, lad? You believe Vanitas would destroy her?"

"Would he?" Terra asked. "She's a heart of pure light."

That strange split-second vision - it had definitely been her, but what did it mean? Xehanort seemed confused by his outburst, so he probably hadn't caused it. Was it just a trick of his fear? Already it was fading; he could hardly recall the images. There had been something about Aqua too, wasn't there…? Well, Aqua was a Master. She could handle herself, assuming the strange vision meant anything at all.

"Hmm… I cannot say it is impossible, but I have reason to doubt it. One heart of light is less tempting than a city filled with it. It stands to reason that he will strike next in that city of light, Radiant Garden."

Maybe Xehanort was right. After all, there had been Unversed in the Castle of Dreams, and Cinderella had reported that they usually didn't bother her. That was strange in itself, if Vanitas really was drawn to destroy light.

"...Alright," Terra reluctantly replied. "Don't worry, Master. I'll take care of Vanitas."

Just as soon as I check on Cinderella first.

XXX

"The keyblade is not his to bear. He's an abomination beyond hope of salvation."

Vanitas squeezed his eyes shut, holding in the tide of Unversed that wanted to explode from him.

Monster. Freak. Abomination. He didn't care if they were right. He was tired of hearing it, tired of feeling it. Maybe he should just merge with Aqua now, and end this. But no. Ventus was still the first choice; he held his face, held the other half of his memories. He could endure a little longer.

Vanitas crept down from the rock outcropping. He'd planned to ask Xehanort about Ventus's progress once Terra left, but if he faced the geezer now he wasn't sure he'd be able to contain his Unversed.

He left the Graveyard, those scathing words still burned into his memory.

XXX

"Cinderella!"

"Cinderella!"

"Cinderellaaa!"

Cinderella paused in arranging the dinner trays, trying to block the shouts from her mind. Deep breath. Everything was fine; this was the way it had always been. She could handle the shouts and the insults.

"Things can always be worse. That doesn't make it okay for them to treat you badly." She remembered Terra's words from two nights ago. More and more, she was feeling inclined to believe him.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she said, though she knew her stepmother and stepsisters couldn't hear. She balanced one tray on her head, the other two in her hands, and began the precarious walk into the hall and up the staircase.

"What's taking her so long? I bet my food's cold by now!"

"Hmph, if she even cooked it at all!"

I'd like to see you try to prepare a meal on your own, she thought. It would likely end with the whole manor in flames. Or the three of them starving to death.

Lucifer tried to trip her on the stairs, but she sidestepped him with the effortless grace afforded her by practice. Gus peeked out from her pocket to blow a raspberry at him.

"Now, now, Gus," she chuckled, "let's be nice." Not that the cat deserved it, but provoking him would only mean more trouble for her mouse friends later, and she couldn't always be around to rescue them.

"I wish-a Ven-Ven come back," Jaq said from her other pocket. "He not have-a be scared of Roos-a-fee. He strong, very strong!"

Cinderella sighed wistfully. "Yes, I wish he could have stayed too, but he did need to find his friend." He had stayed for one more night, but when she had told him she didn't plan on calling Terra for a while at least, he decided to continue his search elsewhere. She had wished she could help him, but she couldn't bring herself to try the magical link with Terra just yet. His mission was too important for her to distract him again so soon.

Besides, if she did, she wasn't certain her heart could weather another goodbye.

"Cinderellllllla!" Drizella called, and Cinderella realized she had been standing motionless at the top of the staircase.

"Cinderelly head still-a up in sky?" Jaq asked jokingly.

"If only I was," she mumbled mostly to herself, remembering the exhilaration of flying. She had relived that short flight with Terra in her dreams, but nothing could compare to the reality.

She delivered the evening meal to her stepmother and stepsisters without too much incident. Drizella accused her of stealing her hairbrush; Anastasia again gloated of how she'd danced with the prince; Stepmother handed her a list of extra tasks to be done before she went to bed. Dust the ceilings, she noticed. How wonderful. She'd be staying up until midnight again tonight, and not in the company of any kind strangers this time.

"You two go get some rest," she told Gus and Jaq, letting them scramble down her arm onto the banister.

"What about you, Cinderelly?" Jaq asked.

"Yeah, uhh, you sleep too?" Gus stared up at her. She smiled.

"No, Gus. I have work to do. But you two have been so kind to stay with me all day."

"We just want-a you be happy, Cinderelly!"

"Yeah, like when you was with Terra," Gus added.

Her face heated in spite of herself. "Yes. Well. There's no need to worry about that. Go on, get to bed."

They gave her one last grin - one she couldn't read as anything but suspicious - and darted off towards one of their mouseholes.

"I can still be happy," she said to herself. That was one thing she always believed she could choose: her stepfamily might control her actions, but she could control her attitude. Whether or not Terra ever came back, she at least had that. And she'd always have those sweet memories, too.

"Sing, sweet nightingale, sing sweet nightingale…" She sang to herself as she descended the stairs in search of her broom. The melody kept her mind off of her fatigue. "Oh sing swee-"

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK. Three raps on the door cut off her singing. Who would be here so late at night? Had the Prince really come to propose, as Anastasia kept claiming he would?

"Answer that, Cinderella!" Her stepmother called from above, even as Anastasia came flying from her room.

"No, wait! Let me do it! It's for me!"

"You're in your nightgown, Anastasia," Cinderella gently pointed out. Her stepsister paused halfway down the stairs before sprinting back up.

"The Prince can't see me like this! Where is my dress? You better have washed it already!"

Cinderella just shook her head and made for the door. She highly doubted it would actually be for Anastasia, but she also had no idea who it could be.

She pulled open the door with a polite "May I help-?" only to have the breath stolen from her lungs.

"Hey." Terra stood in the doorway, tall, dark, and handsome as ever. He was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as she stared. Had she fallen asleep during her chores? Was she dreaming? "Sorry to come by so late, uh, I can come back later if it's-"

"Who is it?" Drizella yelled from upstairs. "I know it's not for you!"

Cinderella slammed the door. With herself on the outside of it. If her stepfamily was really so inclined to find out who was here, they could come down themselves. Until then, this moment was hers.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, no, demanded. "If my stepfamily sees you, they'll-!" They'll never let me see you again, she would have finished, if emotion hadn't closed off her throat.

"I'm sorry," he said, stepping back with a wince. "I should've thought before - I'll leave."

"What? Terra, no." She instinctively reached out for his hand, but then hesitated. "Forgive my outburst. I was just surprised to see you back so soon, and - why are you back? Did you find the answers you were looking for?"

"Well, sort of." He sighed. "My mission's going to be even tougher than I thought, but I did learn some things. I know where the Unversed are coming from now."

"You do? That's good, isn't it?'' She asked, but his troubled frown said otherwise.

"I guess. There's a boy in a mask who controls them. His name is Vanitas. I was told he's looking to destroy light anywhere he can find it."

"That's… that's terrible."

Terra nodded. "That's why I had to come back. You have so much light in you, Cinderella. I had to make sure you were safe from him."

Her heart beat quickly; it still hadn't recovered from the shock of his sudden appearance. And just to make sure she was safe, too… "I'm alright," she assured him. "I haven't seen as many of those monsters nearby since the ball, though some people in town were saying they caused quite the commotion in the castle today."

"In the castle? But not here?" He frowned again. "Strange…"

"Well, the castle is the beacon of the kingdom. I suppose it makes sense."

"The castle isn't the brightest thing here; you are." He said it like an obvious fact. Her blush didn't seem to faze him. "If Vanitas's Unversed are here, they'll come for you."

"I don't understand. What kind of light do you think I have?" She asked.

He opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment the door slammed open. He stepped back from the porch as Anastasia came barrelling out, her magenta dress rumpled and her auburn hair flying everywhere.

"The prince is mine, Cinderella! You can't-!" Her jaw dropped when she saw Terra. She looked him up and down once, then twice for good measure. Cinderella had to clear her throat before Anastasia finally asked, "Who are you?"

"Uhh…" Terra shared a look with Cinderella.

"He's, uh, the blacksmith's apprentice," she blurted the first lie that came to her mind. With those muscular arms of his, it would be believable. "I, um, put in an order for some new… fireplace pokers at the marketplace today. He just had a question about it."

"Fireplace pokers?" Anastasia sneered.

"Winter's coming. They're very important, you know. For starting fires." Cinderella forced a smile. Goodness, she hated lying. But if they knew Terra was her… her what? Her friend? Regardless, if they saw that she had time to spend with him, they would surely fill it with more meaningless chores.

"Hmph. I can't believe you got my hopes up for a blacksmith's apprentice." She stuck up her nose and strutted back inside - though she did cast another appreciative glance over her shoulder before slamming the door behind her. Cinderella let out the breath she'd been holding.

"I'm sorry about her," she said to Terra.

"Don't worry about me. I'm sorry I almost got you in trouble. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

She stared into his eyes; it was easier to do that here, when he had retreated to the porch step below hers. He didn't need to do anything. Just letting her see him again was more than she would have asked for. But, since he was asking...

Maybe she could have some kind company again tonight.

XXX

"You're quite sure this isn't below the dignity of a knight?" Cinderella asked him a few hours later as she handed him a tall broom.

"I promise." He smiled, then stared up at the high ceiling of the foyer. "Your family really expects you to reach those cobwebs all by yourself?" That sounded more difficult than taking out the Unversed he'd been fighting for the past couple of hours. Though she had said she hadn't seen them, the woods around her house were still teeming with the monsters.

She fetched the ladder from a hidden closet and leaned it against the wall. "That and more. I'll still need to scrub the bathrooms before bed, but I doubt I can sneak you in most of those."

He grimaced. "And I thought chores in the Land of Departure were bad…" He'd never complain to Master Eraqus again. Not that he was often bold enough to.

"The Land of Departure? I haven't heard of that kingdom."

Terra froze. "Uhh…" He fished for a lie, then finally sighed. "At this rate you're going to find out all of my secrets."

She smiled almost slyly. "Does that mean you're going to finally tell me?"

"I wish I could. Honest. There's a lot of rules I have to follow though."

"Well, I suppose I have to respect that," she relented. Another ladder emerged from the closet, which she placed against the opposite wall. "Be careful, this one tends to wobble."

He nodded, and they took their positions atop their respective ladders. She was right; it did seem a little unsteady. He gulped and reminded himself that as a part of his armor, his boots has the special effect of protecting him from falls. Just as long as he made sure to land on them, and not his head.

Despite how ardorous and pointless the task was, Terra found himself enjoying it. They kept up a light conversation, always checking their volume to avoid waking her family. Even without her fancy ensemble and the magical atmosphere of the ball, Terra could feel Cinderella's light seeping into him, alleviating his frustrations and fears about Vanitas. He still didn't understand why the Unversed would have congregated at the castle, though - unless he had somehow heard that she was at the ball, and assumed she lived there? He doubted there could be anyone else with enough light in this world to attract the monsters. He decided not to worry about it too much at the moment; he was just glad she was safe.

Well, as safe as she could be while basically being enslaved to her family. There had to be something he could do about that, but he had no idea what. Helping with her chores for one night wouldn't do much in the long run, but at least it was something, he supposed.

"So, what do you usually do to pass the time while you're working?" He asked.

"Oh, I sing to myself, mostly." She stretched the broom high above her head, balancing precariously at the top rung of the ladder. Maybe he should lend her his boots.

"Really? My friends and I like to do that sometimes when we clean together." Usually Ven would start it, belting out some pop song or another that had stuck in his mind in defiance of his memory loss. The younger boy had a better voice than himself and Aqua, but he insisted that they all sounded best when they sang together, and would sometimes pester them until they joined in.

Cinderella laughed. "That sounds lovely. I'd love to hear your voice sometime."

"Huh? Uh, I don't know-"

"Cinderelly! Cinderelly!" A tiny voice saved him from being forced to admit that his singing voice wasn't all that great. The voice belonged to a familiar red-shirted mouse running out from a crack in the baseboard. "Ven-Ven here! Ven-Ven want to see you!"

"Ven?" Terra nearly fell off of his ladder; he braced himself against the wall for balance. "Ven is here?"

"Wait, you can understand Jaq?" Cinderella asked. "I thought I was the only one who could."

He shrugged. "I can hear the mice, but I didn't understand whatever the birds said to you the other day." He figured the keyblade had something to do with it, helping him understand other languages.

Cinderella looked relieved, for some reason. "Oh. Well, anyway, Ven said that he's been looking for you. I met him the same day I met you, but I didn't learn that he was trying to find you until you had already left. He taught me how to use your… what did he call it? 'Dee Link'?"

"Terra!" Another tiny form dashed out of the hole in the wall. Terra did a double take at the unmistakable voice.

"Ven!" Terra climbed halfway down the ladder, then leapt the rest of the way to the ground. The impact shook the floor enough that mouse-sized Ven fell over, but Terra knelt down and scooped him up into his palms. "How did you get here? ...And how did you get so small?"

"That's what I'm asking!" Ven threw his arms in the air. "How come you still get to be big?"

"Maybe it's because you're so small to begin with. The world just thought you were closer to a mouse than a person." Terra grinned. He'd decided to just take this world's strange magic in stride.

"Oh, hah hah! Very funny!" Ven put his hands on his hips and stuck out his tongue. By that point Cinderella had descended her ladder and knelt down next to Terra.

"I'm so glad you made it," she said to Ven. "I wasn't sure the magic would work from so far away."

"Of course it would! Terra and Aqua and I use it all the time. Well, ever since she gave these to us a week ago, anyway." He pulled out his Wayfinder.

Terra put together what the two of them had said. "You made a D-Link with Cinderella too?" He asked Ven. Part of him felt a little bit hurt, though he knew it was irrational. It wasn't like one D-Link would overwrite the other.

"Uh-huh! She wanted to know how to make it work, so she'd be able to talk to you again. You're welcome." He grinned, but the expression then slid from his face like water off a leaf. "Can I talk to you alone now?"

Terra looked to Cinderella. "Do you mind if I step outside? I can come back and help finish up in a minute."

"Don't worry. You've already helped so much, I can handle it from here." She stood, holding her broom upright like a mage's staff. "Will you be staying in town, or do you need to leave again?"

"...It wouldn't be a bad idea to stick around," he decided. Master Xehanort had predicted Vanitas would strike in Radiant Garden, but that prediction could be wrong. He might get farther by checking out the castle here before flying off to a completely unknown world.

Cinderella smiled brightly. "Then I can meet you in the market tomorrow afternoon. I'll tell my stepmother I forgot one of the ingredients for supper."

"Sure," he found himself answering with a grin, before his mind could catch up to him. He needed to focus; Vanitas was still on the loose. Then again, Vanitas was still on the loose - so he could be looking to target Cinderella. Keeping close to her might be both his best way of finding him, and the best way of protecting her.

"Wonderful! Look for me around the butcher's shop when the clocktower strikes noon."

"I'll be there." He stood, wishing he could hug her goodnight, but Ven was still standing on his palms. The younger boy was grinning like he'd just won the lottery.

Terra bid Cinderella goodnight, hoping her chores wouldn't keep her up too late, and carried Ven outside. The air had chilled since he'd first arrived; they must have been cleaning for longer than he'd thought. He sat down on the steps of the porch, letting Ven stand on his knee. It was still difficult not to laugh at his friend's predicament.

"So, what's the matter?" He asked. "Did the Master send you to eliminate the Unversed and look for Master Xehanort too?"

"Huh? Uh, not exactly…" He ruffled his hair, then sighed. "Don't laugh, but I was scared, okay? I wanted to make sure you were okay, after what that weird guy in the mask said…"

"You saw the boy in the mask?" Terra demanded, his blood running cold. "Where was he? Did he hurt you?"

"Uh… no, all he did was say - it probably sounds stupid - but he said you were going to be a different person. Whatever that means." Ven scowled. "How do you even know him?"

He was going to be a different person? He didn't even know Vanitas; why would he say that? Unless it was just a taunt to get at Ven. But why hadn't he attacked? Ventus was apparently pure light, though Terra couldn't sense it the way he could the Princesses of Heart; he seemed like exactly the kind of person Vanitas would target. Unless it had something to do with them once being the same person?

"Terra?" Ven asked quietly. "He… he wasn't right, was he?"

"What?" Terra shook off his thoughts.

"About you being a different person." He looked up, his eyes earnest as ever in spite of their small size. "I went to the same worlds you did, and… there were some people who said you did things. Bad things."

Terra winced. What could he say to that? Ven had always looked up to him. For all of Aqua's joking, they were like brothers; it was his responsibility to stay strong, to be a good example. But now Ven knew the truth.

"They… they were wrong, right?" Ven asked, pleaded. But Terra had to be honest with him about this.

"I did hurt someone," he admitted, dodging his friend's gaze. "Her name is Aurora. Maleficent controlled me somehow, made me… steal her heart. I wasn't strong enough to fight it." He shut his eyes tightly. "There really is darkness inside me. But I'm doing my best to fight it."

"Terra… I'm sorry."

He opened his eyes - that hadn't been what he'd expected Ven to say. Ven was so full of light; he'd expected him to be afraid, or hurt, or even disappointed, which might be worse than anything.

"I got her heart back from Maleficent," Ven smiled. "She's all better now."

"She is?" Terra asked. When Ven nodded, he grinned in relief. She's safe… a guilt lifted from his shoulders. It didn't excuse what he'd done, but at least she would be alright. "I wanted to return to get her heart back myself, when I was stronger… but I'm glad you did, Ven. I'm proud of you."

The younger boy beamed at the praise. "I'm just glad she was lying. I knew you wouldn't do anything bad on purpose," he said, clenching a fist. "Maleficent and that masked guy didn't know the first thing about you."

That didn't alleviate any of Terra's concern. "But how did he find you?"

"I… I don't know. He was at the Land of Departure, the day of your Exam. I guess I just thought he came with Master Xehanort or something." He shrugged. "But you know who he is?"

"His name's Vanitas," Terra answered in a low voice. "He's the one behind the Unversed."

Ven made a choking noise. "What?"

"I found Master Xehanort, and that's what he told me. He gave me a mission to hunt him down."

"Then let me come with you!" Ven said. "He won't stand a chance against the two of us!"

Terra shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ven. I can't do that." He couldn't bring his friend into such danger, especially knowing what Vanitas really was. They may have avoided a fight once, but there was no telling what would happen a second time.

"Why not?" He asked, fist over his chest.

"I just can't. I don't want you to get hurt."

"What about you?" Ven demanded, though it was hard to take seriously when he was small enough to fit in the palm of Terra's hand. "What if you get hurt, Terra? Or if you hurt someone else?"

The words hit him like a spear through the chest. "...So that's what it is." He picked Ven up off his knee and set him on the porch before standing.

"Terra, wait! That's not what I meant!" Ven protested. "I just want to help! Why don't you ever let me help you?"

Terra wanted to snap something back, but then he saw Ven's face. More specifically, saw the tiny, almost invisible tears glinting in the moonlight.

Light, don't cry… He never could stay mad when Ven cried; all the anger dissolved to guilt. It didn't help that he could just imagine Cinderella looking out her window, seeing him yelling at a tiny boy.

"Ven…" He scooped him up in his palms again. "Hey. Actually, I do know a way you can help me."

He sniffed. "...You do?"

Terra nodded, forcing a smile. "So you heard I'm sticking around this world for a little while, right? There's been more Unversed here lately, so I think Vanitas might be here."

"So you are going to let me fight?" Ven's face brightened. Terra chuckled.

"Ven, you're the size of a mouse. What are you going to do, tickle him to death?"

"...Would that work?"

He laughed. "I've got a better idea. Xehanort says that Vanitas is trying to find and destroy light. I'm worried he might come after Cinderella."

"Hah, I was right!" Ven grinned knowingly. "You like her, don't you?"

Terra froze. "What-! Why would you ask that?"

"Why are you blushing?" Ven asked smugly.

Terra glanced back at the door, as if Cinderella would suddenly appear to witness his embarrassment. Not that it should be embarrassing if he liked her. She was kind, and pretty even without the sparkling dress, and she made him feel like he could be the hero he wanted to be…

You are not helping your case, he told himself. "She's… my friend," he replied lamely.

"Your girlfriend~" Ven sing-songed. Terra scowled and set him back on the porch.

"Goodnight, Ven." He started to walk away. He'd still need to find an inn tonight, unless he wanted to camp in the woods again.

"Wait! You never told me what you needed me to do!" Ven called, and Terra sighed.

"Keep an eye on Cinderella, alright? You D-Link with me if anything happens to her." It hurt his pride to ask for help, especially after Ven's teasing, but his ego would just have to handle it. It was the best way to keep both her and Ven out of trouble at the same time.

Ven saluted. "Don't worry, Terra! Your girlfriend's safe with me!"

Terra groaned one last time before jogging off into the night.

XXX

Vanitas jolted up in bed, his heart pounding erratically. What was going on? Had Aqua tried to escape? No, his Cursed Coach was rocking back and forth peacefully; he could make out her silhouette lying down with her back to him. Had one of his other large Unversed been destroyed? He'd left one in Radiant Garden; he reached out to it and felt it buzz faintly at the attention. Funny, he would've thought Terra would have attacked it by now.

If it's not the Unversed, then… He groaned as the feeling pounded in his chest. Light, pushing down on him from the outside, making it hard to breathe. Ventus, you freak. What are you doing this time?

He'd come up with tricks to block his heart from his other half's; most of the time they worked. But Ventus occasionally found ways to sneak through, usually when he was excessively, painfully happy.

Stifling a grumble, Vanitas let down his safeguards and followed the feeling. It was almost like tracing an Unversed, if one that wouldn't obey him and made him burn when he tried to make contact. At least Ventus didn't know how to make it work the other way around.

A flood of sensations poured in from his other half: relief joy worry hope Terra safe Cinderella gratitude-

Vanitas gasped, pulling back from the onslaught of light. He only caught vague impressions and images, but it had been enough to know that he was with Terra. And he seemed to be on this world, of all places, which didn't make sense. Vanitas should have felt him more strongly if that were the case.

Whatever the reason, he grudgingly had to thank Ventus for the information. Terra was here. That wasn't good, not good at all. Xehanort expected him in Radiant Garden by now; Vanitas was going to suffer for failing to lure him there. And if Terra and Ven were here because they knew about Aqua…

His eyes darted to her sleeping form. He might have to take precautionary measures, but for now, the best strategy was to lay low. He didn't want to relocate just yet; moving her too far through the corridors could have dangerous side effects. He'd already used them to get her to this storage room in the first place, as well as to lead her to and from a spare bathroom as necessary. Each time she'd come out of the corridor nearly throwing up.

Hmph. Serves her right. She had been particularly stubborn today, refusing to accept food and scribbling in her little book any time he tried to talk to her. Her willpower was impressive, honestly. He would've caved if someone had offered him the chocolate cake he'd had his Unversed steal from the kitchen today. Regardless, he didn't want to kill her - on purpose or on accident.

Why? Because she played pretend with you for one night? Well, playtime's over. Now she knows the real you, and she doesn't want anything to do with you. You knew that from the start.

Monster. Freak. Abomination.

"Shut up," he growled, pounding a fist against his helmet. Sleeping with the thing was irritating, but better than Aqua waking up and seeing his face. And it was still better to sleep here in a real bed than in the Keyblade Graveyard. Overall, things were still looking up.

Ventus, you better not blow this for me, he thought hard at his other half. That was when he realized: in the stream of impressions he'd received from Ventus, not one of them had been about Aqua. So they most likely weren't talking about her… but he had felt another thought, another name. Cinderella. Terra might have mentioned her in his talk with Master Xehanort, he thought. Vanitas had been a little more focused on other things.

"He's an abomination beyond hope of salvation."

He knew Xehanort was right. Maybe that was why it hurt.

Whatever. Mope later. Cinderella, why does she seem familiar? He tried to sort through the feelings he'd gotten from Ventus; they had come so quickly. But her name was associated with light, even more than usually came with Ventus's emotion-vomit.

Brighter than Ventus… no way. She was that Princess of Heart, wasn't she? The one he'd seen Terra approach before the ball. He'd thought for sure that his Unversed would've scared her off. Was she the one he'd shown up to the castle with, too?

Someone important to Terra… important enough that he would come back here rather than continuing on to Radiant Garden…

Vanitas was still wearing a smirk when he finally fell asleep.