"Ventus!? That's Ventus!?" Lea yelped in utter shock, surveying the tiny toddler held in Aqua's arms. The group had been gathered today for a meet up, roughly a month after the Keyblade War had taken place amongst them. Sora had gone off to find Kairi and had managed, though had nearly vanished for the price of using his power of wakening. Returned to them at last, the group had decided to have a reunion on Destiny Island. What was supposed to be already a day of cheer and fun, was now filled with surprise when Aqua, Terra and Ven showed up.
Ventus was tiny, looking no more than two years of age as he sat in Aqua's strong arms. The deep blue eyes that sparkled were very much there, reminding them that Ven was definitely the little boy in front of them. The child raised an eyebrow at his red-head friend before turning away into Aqua's shoulder, the woman's hand cupping the back of his head in response. Lea blinked, peering closer only for Ventus to let out a small noise of complaint and bury in deeper. Aqua gave Lea a reassuring smile, jogging Ventus up in her arms a little bit better.
"How?" Roxas asked, surprised to see his look-a-like in miniature form. Lea made some snarky retort about it being a baby Roxas technically as well, only to be elbowed for his comment.
"We were exploring another world," Terra explained as he sneakily stole Ven from Aqua's clutches, the little three-year-old squeaking in surprise before burrowing in his faux-brother's shirt as well. Aqua scowled at having the little one removed from her hold, but didn't make a move to take Ven back. The older male grinned, adjusted Ven to a better position on his hip, and ruffled blonde hair before continuing. "Ven decided to get up close and personal with the legendary fountain of youth. He slipped and took a dive. Ergo, we now have a tiny Ven."
"Ahhh, he's so cute!" Xion exclaimed, leaning forward to peer at the blonde-haired blue-eyed child. Ven peaked out at her before hiding again. Tutting, Terra turned Ven around to face their group of friends. Ven shot Terra a pout before blinking at them, cocking his head to the left in wonder at all the people who were bigger than him now. He knew, rationally, that he was once as tall as them, but in the current moment it sure felt like they were all giants.
"What the ever living hell, Isa!?" Lea yelled, jumping away from a nose-bleeding Isa. The blue-haired man quickly sought to plug his nose, stammering an apology. Roxas snorted at Isa's reaction, wondering if the blue-haired man had a weakness for cute things. Aqua was scowling at Isa in reaction and Terra may have taken a large step back, to Ven's confusion. Riku, Kairi and Sora exchanged looks before Sora pounced forward, smiling widely at the travel-sized wayfinder. The overgrown puppy that was Sora didn't seem at all intimidating to Ven, which put the toddler at ease, regarding Sora with curiosity.
"Do you remember us, Ven?" Sora asked curiously. Ven nodded, bringing his hand up to splay against Sora's cheek in greeting before withdrawing to pop his thumb in his mouth. Terra grinned, shrugging as everyone looked at him questioningly.
"He stopped talking for the most part," Aqua answered for Terra, running her hands through the toddler's hair. "I think Ven just prefers it that way." Ven looked up at her and nodded in concurrence.
"So why's he… acting like his new age?" Roxas questioned her. Aqua shrugged, looking back at Ven as the child poked at Sora's danging crown necklace with his free hand. Sora seemed to be having a blast, ruffling Ven's hair and poking Ven's nose with said necklace which elicited quiet laughs. Kairi and Riku had gathered by Sora as well to interact with the tiny boy that had once been in Sora's heart for all of his life. Ven gave both of them a curious look as well before smiling shyly.
"It might have been the fountain's influence? We're just honestly grateful Ven still has his memories, to be honest. We haven't really questioned the emotional side," Aqua responded. The group decided to at least stop crowding around and spread out on the beach of Destiny Island. Terra gave Aqua a reassuring smile when she looked at him before she headed towards the shore.
"So what did happen?" Namine piped up, coming to sit by Aqua as she sat on the sand overlooking the ocean. It seemed Riku, Terra and Roxas had decided upon a race while Kairi and Xion went looking for shells along the shore to add to Xion's collections. Lea and Isa were playing with the frisbee while Donald, Goofy, and Mickey were chatting and overseeing the race. Sora, it seemed, had decided to steal Ventus currently and was sitting on the ground, Ven in his lap and content to watch the ocean with him. Sora seemed to be talking quietly, Ven just nodding or shaking his head. Aqua smiled and turned her attention back to the blonde, relaying earlier in the month for them.
Flashback
There had been rumors of a Fountain of Youth. Rumors of this spring dated thousands of years ago, particularly in this world. Tales were recounted in various ways, though none had any proof of its existence. One particular piece of folklore foretold the fountain to be aromatic, as that of a spring of violets. The water ran crystal blue and reflective, leaving nothing but mirror-like surface for the eye.
It was this tale that came to mind when Master Aqua watched one of her best friends run up to a strange looking river with the smell of violets filling her nose. She blinked, wondering why the story had come to her mind when Ventus bent over the river precariously, his feet so close that driplets of splashing water nipped at the bottom front of his shoes.
"Ven, you really shouldn't be so close to that edge," Aqua warned, looking at her younger friend with caution. The elder male behind her chuckled at their friend's excitability before shaking his head. Terra echoed her sentiment, making his way over to the other boy to pull him back.
"It's fine, Aqua," laughed Ven, waving at her concern away as he leaned forward to peer at the gushing river of water, the liquid a shining blue that had an eery glow. The childish grin on his face vanished when his foot slid from the splashes of water beneath him, causing him to lose his footing.
Everything happened in slow motion from there. Terra tried to lurch forward and grab a flailing hand, only to watch in shock as the smaller boy disappeared in a splash of water.
"VENTUS!"
They had rushed their friend back to Master Yen Sid's location in their panic to find out whatever just happened, startling Mickey who had been consulting with his mentor.
"He's so little! Is he even breathing?" A freaked out Terra blurted out as they stared at the tiny little blond-haired boy on the bed. Master Yen Sid continued his analysis without a word, a glow around Ven and the man silently.
"Really, Terra? Yes, he's breathing. He did just fall in the fountain of youth." Aqua snapped.
"Now, now, Aqua. It is a bit… shocking to the nerves to hear and see what transpired." Mickey soothed, shooting a look at the toddler as well.
Ventus was shrunken down, looking no more than two years old with cherubic baby-fat cheeks and tiny appendages. In times like this, Aqua wished dearly that their beloved Master Eraqus was still with them. He would surely know how to handle this situation and what to do about it now. Studying their friend, Aqua marveled at just how tiny he was now. She could see the baby features that would harden and shape the face of the youngest of their group.
"Besides the quite obvious difference in age," interrupted Yen Sid. "Ventus will be just fine. We do not know if he retains his memories, but he is at a healthy three years of age."
"Three? He looks barely even two!" Terra argued. Aqua shot him a look to shut him up. Yen Sid coughed before looking at the concerned duo.
"There is no way of knowing how long he will remain this size for the current moment. Take him back to your home and keep us updated on him for the time being. I will contact my own sources to see about this… fountain of youth you located." He told them. The two sighed but nodded. Scooping their friend up, Aqua gently held Ven against her chest with one hand behind his head and the other on his lower back. Ven mumbled something indecipherable and wiggled, but otherwise remained just as asleep as he had just a few short weeks ago. Aqua cringed mentally and shook her head of the description, wanting to move away from the depressing memories of their decade-long imprisonments.
Aqua looked back over at Sora as she finished talking to Namine, the girl looking thoughtful. Sora had been joined by Roxas in the midst of her story and the two were taking turns tossing a laughing Ven up in the air towards each other, looking for all the world like a trio of brothers. Aqua covered her laugh with her hand before getting up and joining the boys using Ven as a ball. Ven seemed to be having the time of his life, letting out childish squeals as he was sent soaring through the air and caught.
"Please don't drop him," Aqua called as she approached. Sora shot her a grin as he caught Ven with a jump into the air and turned towards her, Roxas walking over to them and stealing Ven away from Sora's arms. Ven let out a noise of surprise before looking up at Roxas. Looking at the identical features of both boys, it was hard to think of them as anything but related.
"You two look like brothers," Aqua laughed, noting the identical features despite the new different ages. They'd had to have a quick rehash of events in the midst of battle before meeting back up with Sora during the Keyblade war of their own, but Roxas and Sora seemed quick to get along despite different personalities on identical faces.
Roxas looked down at the tiny toddler, unsure why he was finding himself so attached to the other boy. Ven looked up as well, offering up a shy smile to the one holding him before reaching his small arms outwards towards the blue-haired woman. Roxas was reluctant to hand him over but did so, feeling a sense of loss as Ven settled himself in Aqua's hold, letting out small yawns. Aqua looked apprehensive about something but shaking her head.
"Let's regroup. I think Mickey mentioned setting up barbecue," Aqua told them. The two nodded and followed her back to where Mickey indeed was creating a makeshift barbecue, with Lea smugly using his affinity for fire via keyblade to help smoke them. Terra was arm wrestling Riku at this point when he noticed their approach.
"He getting to that point?" Terra asked, drawing attention to the yawning Ven. Aqua nodded before setting Ven down on his feet for the first time since they got there. Ven wobbled a little before yawning again, rubbing his eye with a fist before blinking up at Terra. Instead of immediately walking towards one of his best friends, Ventus plopped down stubbornly and pushed his hands into the sand.
Sora blinked at the child's refusal to go near Terra suddenly, but laughed when Ventus pouted and shook his head suddenly.
"Ven…" Aqua sighed, crouching down. "You know you're going to need a nap."
"No!" Ven protested, the first word he'd said all day. His voice was high-pitched and pouty, looking up at his surrogate sister with defiance.
"Not a thing for naps?" Lea asked curiously, coming over to lean against the tree beside them. Terra and Aqua gave him long suffering looks before Terra reached over and scooped Ven up. The little boy wiggled in protest.
"Can you blame him?" Sora suddenly answered in realization. "He'd been asleep for over a decade." Once those words were spoken they got a little quiet, realizing that Sora was right. It certainly made sense to the others why Ven wouldn't want to sleep, and judging by Aqua and Terra's faces they had already discovered that to be the reason.
Aqua sat besides Terra who was shifting a protesting Ven around until the little boy settled in defeat, leaning tiredly against Terra's shoulder as he was cradled in his lap. He looked up at his friends with a sniffle, shaking his head.
"Relax Ven, if you don't want to sleep, just at least lay down there okay?" Aqua assured, brushing his spiky hair from his face. Ven nodded quietly and shuffled closer to Terra's chest while the others talked.
The half of the month they'd spent with a de-aged Ven had been a whirlwind of emotion, Ven recalled in his head as the group chatted and shared food. Terra had been too terrified to even interact with Ven, his nightmares of possession still deep in his mind. It had taken over a week before he would hold Ven and even longer to do anything with him. Ven had a meltdown finally and they'd managed to resolve some of the fear in Terra's mind. Now, Terra still had qualms, but he had no hesitation in hugging his little brother to him or playing. Aqua had even discovered Terra taking Ven in the early morning for 'training' via what she called 'baby gymnastics' to Terra's amusement and Ven's outrage. Sure it probably could be termed that with all the flips and tumbles Terra manipulated Ven's little body into, but she didn't have to say it like that.
He hadn't felt like talking much ever since it had happened, finding peace in using his body language and facial expression to make a point. While there were quite a lot of downsides thus far to being miniature sized, he enjoyed the spoiling that Terra and Aqua showered him with. He was never alone anymore, something he'd feared ever since waking to Vanitas standing over Aqua with his keyblade poised for her. The Keyblade war had left its mark on them, Terra so afraid of hurting his friends he'd nearly exiled himself. Aqua so sick with fear of losing her friends and being alone in the darkness that Ven hadn't slept in his room even before the shrink. He was never far from her sight, he noted. That suited him just fine.
Perhaps being tiny wasn't a hindrance much. There was no reason he had to fight, and there wasn't a whole lot of difference than if he were big. They honestly had always treated him like a child, something he'd protested before. He relished in it now, knowing he was far older but having no maturity experience to match being essentially 28 years old. He'd fallen from the battle with Vanitas at 16 years old, but even then he'd never felt his age. There was always something at the back of his mind saying he was even older than that, but he couldn't place why. Why did he always feel so relieved to be smothered with attention by Terra and Aqua instead of battling to fight? He really couldn't find the answer to that.
Ven rubbed his eyes again, not wanting to sleep but tired. He hadn't fallen asleep for long last night, startled by memories of funny animal-looking people and more of having his heart split in two. He blinked up at Aqua and Terra, watching their whole faces alight. They weren't burdened by the actions of their history right now, more present with this group of people than they had been in a long time.
That was perhaps, another reason Ven didn't want to talk nowadays. Studying people provided him with a lot more insight. He needed to process everything that had happened in the last twelve years of being asleep. To process what had happened in the battle that change the trio's fates. To remember what had happened to him dating back to the minute Vanitas had been created from him and Sora filling his void.
As his eyelids fluttered until closing, Ven reflected that he was happier to have these opportunities. He was thankful to Sora for giving them all this happy ending, this connection to one another.
It was perhaps the first time since this all started that Ven fell asleep peacefully, knowing he'd wake up soon enough and not a decade later.
Author's Note: I don't know where this is coming from or where it was headed. I just know Kingdom Hearts 3's ending left me with the urge to be a fangirl.