Naomi is another OC. ...Well, kind've...technically not. She did have one line of dialogue in the first game, but no onscreen appearances or anything afterwards and almost no one remembers her, so...well, you'll see who I mean.
Chapter Eight: A World's Awakening
The void of space, trillions of kilometers away…
Vanitas was still breathing when armored Ven found him drifting through space. Unconscious, but breathing. He paused atop his Keyblade glider when he picked him up in his arms, wondering once again which path to take after he returned the masked boy to his Master: to stay with those who were once his family and forever be overshadowed by the heroes they'd become while constantly aware of the immoral filth he degenerated into, or fly away, never look back, and once again immerse himself in the life of piracy he fell in love with—the life of freedom where he'd never be ashamed of the person he'd become and always have the chance to carve his own destiny.
Such were his thoughts when he turned back the way he came and prepared for the return voyage that would conclude what might be his last mission in service to his former family. He kicked the glider form of Wayward Wind back into gear and sailed once again through the starlit blackness with Vanitas resting in his arms.
The crew's cabin of the Jolly Roger; midday of February the second…
"The closer you stand to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. And right now, you pride yourself in being an anointed child of the Light, oblivious to the Darkness that festers behind your back."
The demon Chernabog's words haunted Aqua through her slumber, bitterly reminding her their war against the Heartless was far from over. Undressed into a tank-top and shorts, she forced herself awake and sat over the side of her hammock, clinging to the thick blankets to keep her warm. Her head in her hands, she tried and failed to banish all memory of the death-bringer's lies.
"It's been there all along, but faith in your allies and your own abilities has blinded you to its presence. The Darkness grows and so shall consume you."
She looked up and saw, some short distance ahead in the large, dimly-lit cabin, the slumbering form of Ventus in another hammock, physically spent and fast asleep from retrieving Vanitas deep in space.
"He shall be your undoing…"
An unexpected smile and a relieved laugh overtook her, but she silenced herself in her joy for fear of waking him. Eyes watering again from discovering the second of her missing friends alive and well, she stood from the hammock, never releasing the impromptu coat of blankets wrapped around her, and trod quietly across the floorboards, half-afraid this was all a dream and that Ven would vanish if she wasn't careful.
But she reached his side, and for all the calluses and wear that pocked his features during their time apart, her heart still soared at being reunited with the angel whom she loved: the amnesiac child she, Terra, and Master Eraqus nursed back to health all those years ago and watched become a jovial young man. So much had changed since she last saw him—he appeared somehow older, had perhaps grown an inch or two, his unkempt hair was in dire need of a trim, and the odor of seven weeks' exposure to alcohol and gunpowder would take some time to wash away—but for all these changes, she loved and accepted him all the same.
"I've missed you so much," she whispered, careful not to disturb him.
With purest adoration in her eyes, she gently stroked his cheek to brush aside some of his greasy, golden locks and kissed him there. She wanted to stay by his side awhile longer before attending to her other duties, but a voice called her from behind a nearby stack of crates, "You don't have to worry about waking him. Kid's gonna be out for a while."
Surprised, Aqua called back, "Vanitas, is that you?"
By the time he answered, "Yup. I kicked the croc's ass," she had already rounded the small barrier between them and found the boy sitting atop a short stool, unmasked and shirtless before a small mirror with a razor in his hand and patches of jet-black hair on the floor around him. He was nearly finished shaving what little hair he had left and more than enough of the upper half of his body was still visible for Aqua to see. She stifled a gasp at beholding his every morbid scar and deformity that disfigured his head, face, and body from those seventy-nine days of imprisonment and torture—unsightly lacerations which overlapped and ran under a plethora of hellish scorch-marks and swelled, ghastly contusions, all of which covered perhaps eighty percent of his flesh and left the hair on his scalp to grow only in uneven patches, and his left eye was now dramatically more faded and filmy than the right—and the sum of every chthonic aberration rendered it impossible for anyone who didn't already know him to discern what he might've once looked like. Aqua had seen his face a handful of times since she and Terra joined Xehanort, but now Vanitas appeared as one who'd passed through a monstrous inferno yet emerged only mostly-dead.
He noted her shock and unwilling disgust and he briefly froze, breathless and self-conscious of his own hideousness, then swallowed his anxiety and tried to dispel the awkwardness. He looked over his shoulder to Aqua and commented haughtily, "You should've seen the other guy."
His humor was lost on her. She only crept forward, her somber mood never changing, and ventured, "This…this is what Hook did to you?" He didn't speak, believing the answer was obvious enough. Instead, Aqua continued, "Why didn't the Unversed save you?"
He faced the mirror again and returned to shaving the uncharred areas of his scalp. "They tried. But the Heartless are more powerful, and that magic barrier they had over my cell didn't help much either. We struggled for a while, but then my powers overloaded, the strain became too much, and…now I'm the lovely mess you see before you." He cocked a crooked smile, "Guess this means I get to see my inner self every time I look in the mirror. Darkness and damnation, I'm ugly."
Aqua was silent, amazed at imagining all that Vanitas endured and that he lived through it. There was nothing she could say, and so only looked somberly away.
The unmasked boy noted her state of undress beneath the blanket she wore, "You here to seduce me, or were you planning on getting dressed anytime soon?"
Aqua grimaced, indignant he would take advantage of her sympathy. "Just making sure everyone came back from last night alive."
Vanitas smirked as he slipped back into the top half of his suit. "Sure ya were."
Annoyed, Aqua turned to leave, but Vanitas called her again, "Actually, I could use your help with something." She paused and glanced back, half-expecting another inappropriate pass, in which case, she would simply leave. But instead, Vanitas held up a long strip of red medical gauze and looked her in the eye when he asked, "How well can you tie a knot?"
Minutes later, they were on opposite sides of the room, separated by rows of hammocks and crates. Vanitas inspected the finishing touches on the mask of crimson gauze over his head that covered all but his eyes and mouth that Aqua helped him secure. With two thin, black sashes of cloth tied 'round his head that intersected over his blinded left eye, he studied the new barrier he'd fashioned for himself in the mirror, solemnly realizing that with the absence of his face, he would forever hide behind his masks—no longer for the sake of coolness or ambiguity, but for necessity and disgrace. He closed his shame-filled eye and replaced the black helmet, now wishing he'd spent more time without it.
As Vanitas dwelled on his future, Aqua dressed far enough away into her uniform: not the same ensemble she'd worn since her days as Eraqus' pupil and still kept, but one closer resembling a slim and lightly-armored military flight suit—colored in dusky greys and dark, faded blues—custom-made for her at Radiant Garden. A hood was attached at the back of the neck, but there was no present reason to wear it. It was the uniform typically worn for stealth missions and some ceremonies, but it was also the most conservative clothing she owned: something which she felt this pre-Gummi world would appreciate when they already had enough excitement in their lives. Then she threw on and buttoned up a brown winter coat reaching almost to her knees in preparation for the freezing weather.
Slinging a burlap bag over her shoulder, she departed for the exit and looked wistfully back at sleeping Ventus one last time. She wanted to be there when he woke, but there were other things she had to do.
The sunlit deck of the Jolly Roger; seconds later…
The corpses of Hook's crew smoldered into ashes and cinders in the vast energy globe which contained the conflagration, hovering beside the ship above the icy waters of the River Thames. They'd burned all night, and soon they'd become nothingness.
Xehanort beheld the cleanup spectacle he'd created as he drank another gulp of hot tea from a porcelain cup, sitting peacefully at a table on the deck with Mr. Smee opposite him, both bundled in winter coats. The half-Shadow averted his eyes from the crude mass-cremation, only occasionally glancing sidelong in morbid curiosity, but more often than not kept his dry, heavy eyes on the English luncheon of Cornish pasties, sausage rolls, hot tea, and hard biscuits for dipping in the tea some passing citizens handed to them in gratitude for last night. Mr. Smee had long since shed every mournful, agonizing tear his body could manage for his fallen crew, but when his body's water-supply diminished, he found there was only grim acceptance. He rarely spoke to his new master, but only mechanically ate as he was able—a man dead inside.
Aqua emerged onto the deck and Xehanort raised his cup to her. "Ah, Aqua—good morning. Or, rather, good afternoon. Care for some local cuisine? The tea on this world is exquisite."
She stuttered a failed answer, too distracted by the burning pyre and her Master's casual attitude towards it. Worst of all, she noticed the discomfort and sullen resignation his new servant was forced to endure. When the shock wore off, she answered legibly, "Just something to go. I still need to pick up Terra from the hospital."
Xehanort made an inviting, sweeping gesture with his arm toward the luncheon and Aqua poured herself a small cup of the English tea, one eye constantly on morose Smee. She stifled an explosive gag when the warm drink poured down her throat, surprised at the bitter flavor elders such as the two sitting at the table typically preferred that she was too distracted to sweeten. The old Master cackled, "I was wondering if you preferred your tea black. The sugar and milk's right there."
"It's alright," Aqua replied, anxious to move on with her itinerary. "I don't want to keep Terra waiting." With that, she grabbed a Cornish pasty from the table and made for the gangplank leading to the sidewalk.
"Suit yourself," Xehanort replied before enjoying another drink. "Oh, and we needn't worry about sealing the Keyhole any longer. I already took care of that. As it turns out, it was on the face of that large clock tower over there. Curiously, the Keyhole only appeared when it struck twelve exactly."
Aqua glanced across the Thames and at the face of Big Ben. "Twelve exactly, huh? That's not that long ago."
"Aye," Xehanort replied. "We only returned less than ten minutes ago."
Aqua nodded in acknowledgment and turned again to leave, the sight of the floating pyre of pirate corpses turning her stomach one too many times, but when she took her first step down the gangplank, the goodness of her heart ventured, "Hey, would it be alright if Mr. Smee came along?" Anything to get him away from this cruelty.
It was a surprising question, but one which brooding Smee barely had the energy to react to.
Xehanort considered it a moment, then shrugged. "I don't see why not. He could use a walk."
'He could use a walk.' —Was Xehanort treating the subject as if the half-Shadow was a pet? Aqua didn't want to believe so, but his reaction disgusted her all the same, even if it was meant as a joke, but she did well to hide her revulsion. No creature—living, Heartless, or anything in-between—deserved to be forced to watch its family burn away like this. Mr. Smee was sluggish to move, but joined Aqua in her departure without a word and they traversed the London roads in the crisp, clear winter air. They would have taken a horse-drawn cab or a tram if munny was an acceptable form of currency on this world. Aqua made a note to herself to enjoy a carriage ride back on Radiant Garden since she couldn't do so here.
They'd made significant progress clearing away the wreckage of the Nobody's near-rampage, but now that she could see the destruction in broad daylight, she understood why so many civilians chose to cower indoors and those who did decide to venture outside today formed tight clusters and chatted urgently amongst themselves about the night before: of the monster which vanished into the clouds as quickly as it arrived, of the otherworldly visitors who combatted it and spent the night among them, and of what these apocalyptic incidents meant in regards to the already volatile state of the world. They gossiped as if it were the end of days. Perhaps it was. Their eyes followed Aqua and Smee and all conversation hushed whenever they drew close enough. Smee kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ground the whole time.
After they'd passed a gossiping crowd, Aqua peered sympathetically down at the broken half-Heartless beside her. "I'm sorry you had to endure all this. No one should have to watch their family die and burn like that. I'll talk to Xehanort about his conduct when we get back."
Smee never looked up at her. "I don't care." His words were dry and bitterly resigned—the words of a man too weary of life to be bothered for whatever fate befell him in the long sunset of his existence.
His fatalistic attitude struck a pang of unbridled remorse and empathy from the woman who, not twelve hours ago, would have been his enemy. But she only saw a life abused beyond the limits of humanity, and now that they were on the same side, it was unbearable to leave the matter as it was so long as she had the chance to treat it. "Smee," she pressed, "it doesn't matter if your side lost or if you're half Heartless; you're a living being and it's wrong for anyone to treat you like a soulless beast."
The words were dry on his tongue. "What would you have me do? I…I thought I could move on when—when I helped clean up all the rubble and saved those innocents last night. I—I thought maybe I had a chance at becoming something greater than what I am… But, when I saw Mr. Xehanort b—burn all my friends like that right in front of me without caring for how I felt…" he paused, choking back on something, then continued, "it made me realize I'll never be anything more to him than this: a funny little half-Heartless ab—abomination for him to point and laugh at."
Though the prospect of Xehanort pointing and laughing at a small half-Heartless like an abusive owner toward his crippled pet was too surreal to be true, she understood what Smee felt. More likely, Xehanort's usual manner and odd sense of humor was misplaced on their draftee at a time when he needed compassion more than anything else. There were any number of reasons why Xehanort would perpetuate grief in heartbroken Smee, the most likely being he simply didn't think about what he was doing, but Aqua resolved to confront him about it nonetheless.
She finally answered, "Well, whatever the Master thinks of you, you know I'll never treat you in that way, and I'll make sure Terra and Ven never do either…Vanitas is out of my reach, though. You're one of us now and we don't treat our own like garbage. Come talk to me if you have any problems."
She spoke as if Ven would be staying long enough for his treatment of Smee to be an issue. Does she not know? She doesn't know Ventus is thinking about leaving?
He didn't say anything, but afforded a short glance up at Aqua, but where she mistook it for a gesture of appreciation, he truly looked on her in piteous realization that she was unaware of Ven's present crossroads.
Chernabog's words rang true. "…you pride yourself in being an anointed child of the Light, oblivious to the Darkness that festers behind your back."
Terra's hospital room; a short time later…
The still-silver-haired Keybearer sat upright in his bed, the Darlings on either side of him as they all stared downward at the open locket Terra held before them. Even the infant Wendy, in Terra's arms, found some vague interest at the small, sepia-toned daguerreotype of a young brunette woman crouching beside her toddler sons; the mother and her younger son beaming their affection and the slightly older boy affording only a thin smile within the metal case.
Mary grinned amiably. "You have a beautiful family, Terra."
Though smiling as well, George added, "I confess, I assumed you were too young to already have sons that age. But perhaps things are different on your world."
Terra chuckled. "You are right about that, but I'm only the step-father. Naomi is two years older than me and she had Sora six years ago. The silver-haired one is Riku, a friend of Sora's they adopted after their world was destroyed. We may not be related, but my new sons have accepted me nonetheless. I truly am blessed to have them as my family." The Darlings couldn't have seen Terra's wedding ring around his finger when they first spoke last night, not with the bloodied formal gloves to the now-ruined suit covering his hands. But now that only a hospital gown and bedsheets adorned him, it didn't take long to notice the silver glint around his left ring-finger.
The door opened and a nurse stepped through. "Terra, you have more visitors." And from behind her, Aqua stepped into the room in a long, brown coat with a burlap bag at her side while Mr. Smee lingered in the doorway. The nurse left to perform her other duties.
"Hey, Terra," Aqua greeted softly. Then she quirked an eyebrow at her friend's audience gathered 'round the locket and teased with a smile, "Showing off the family?"
Terra smirked back. "Something like that." Then he closed the locket and motioned to his visitors, "Aqua, this is George and Mary Darling and their daughter, Wendy. They're the ones who took down Hook."
The blue-haired Keybearer's and the half-Shadow's eyes widened considerably in shock, scarcely believing what they'd just heard. Aqua stuttered, "You—you finally stopped Hook?"
"Terra did most of the work," Mary replied, "but we did help in some small way."
George added, "Your friend saved us all from that Heartless madman. We only returned the favor. You must be Ms. Aqua, then."
She nodded. "Just 'Aqua's' fine." She held out her hand in greeting and George shook it, then Mary. "Thank you for taking care of my friend."
"He's told us so much about you and Ven," Mary replied. "It's wonderful knowing there are friendly faces beyond the stars."
Terra looked past Aqua, Wendy still in his arms, and noticed the timid half-Shadow wrapped in heavy layers and keeping to himself in the doorway. The bedridden Keybearer called warmly, "You must be Mr. Smee, right?" The ex-pirate hadn't expected this Keyblade Master to know who he was, let alone address him in such a way. Terra continued, "Aqua told me about you last night. You were a big help clearing away the wreckage and rescuing civilians, I hear. Welcome to the side of Light."
The small shadow-man was too timid to reply, but only trembled slightly and regarded his new acquaintance with eyes weary but grateful to have found such a tolerant ally. He nodded in Terra's direction, too timid and heartbroken over the death of Hook to speak.
Visions of Terra's present congeniality and of the dark fire he unleashed against Hook in the theater clashed in Aqua's mind as she remembered the poison words Chernabog spoke: "It's been there all along, but faith in your allies and your own abilities has blinded you to its presence. The Darkness grows and so shall consume you. He shall be your undoing…"
She dismissed the thought. How could anyone as kind and caring as Terra possibly give in to Darkness? I know I thought I saw him use a dark spell in the opera house, but what did I really see? Just a quick glimpse of fire clashing with Dark energy—for all I know, that was a regular fire spell colliding with Hook's shadowy form. I must not've been seeing clearly in the pressure of the moment. I did have two Invisibles trying to skewer me, after all.
Aqua held up the burlap bag and approached Terra's side to hand it to him. Under normal circumstances, she might've tossed it for her friend to catch, but not with the infant Wendy in his arms. "I brought you a change of clothes for whenever you're ready to leave. Master Xehanort told me after I returned last night we'll have to attend a press conference today. The Heartless did a lot of damage and the people will have a lot of questions they'll want answered." She turned to George and Mary, "I assume Terra's already told you everything?"
"That, he has," George answered. "Keyblades and Heartless and doorways to other worlds—it was all a bit much to take in, but after that 'No One' appeared in the sky last night, it's simply too difficult to deny."
Terra muttered under his breath, "It's called a 'Nobody,' but…"
Mary added, "To think there are worlds out there besides our own and that we're all under threat of invasion by the same enemy… I'm only glad there are heroes such as you to protect us."
Aqua nodded. "That's why we joined the Coalition of Allied Worlds: to unite as many realms with a common enemy as we could and combine our resources to stop any who would threaten us. We'd like your world to join, as well."
"Another alliance is the last thing England needs," George cut in. "You are foreigners here, so I wouldn't expect you to know, but our own world is so plagued and wrought with convoluted alliances and ententes that we live in fear of one small incident plunging our entire planet into war—a catastrophe that would surely destroy us all if it were to happen."
Terra was the one to answer. "Isn't that why your world could use a common enemy?—something to rally your entire planet against and forget what divided you in the first place?"
"You speak of war as if it were a grand opportunity," Mary interjected.
Wendy crawled adventurously over Terra's arms as the young man replied, "It's not just an opportunity; it's an awakening. I don't like how they got us here, but the Heartless have forced many worlds to reevaluate old feuds and priorities, and I honestly believe we've improved because of it. It's required us to put things in perspective, and now that we see the bigger picture, so many peoples who were once enemies have united and extended a welcoming hand to those from other worlds. There's never been a time of such unity in this galaxy's recorded history."
"Such a shame it took a war to achieve it," Mary commented wryly but understood the greater picture all the same. She looked to Aqua, "When will you need to leave for your press conference?"
"Pretty soon," she replied, "and we'd like to bring Terra back with us before it starts. It's in a few hours, but we need to get everyone up to speed. And again, thank you so much for taking care of Terra for us."
"Of course, of course," George nodded with a smile as he shook Aqua's hand in departure. Terra handed Wendy to Mary and they, too, left as George added, "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Miss." To both her and Terra, "You and your family are always welcome in our home."
Mary nodded as she shook Aqua's hand, "I only pray we meet again under more favorable circumstances."
"Likewise," Aqua replied. Terra added his own farewells and then the Darlings were gone, leaving only the two Keybearers and the demi-Heartless in the room.
Terra sighed. "So, another one of these 'world address' speeches? I understand the importance, but someone needs to make bureaucracy more exciting."
"Easy for you to say," Aqua retorted with a nervous smile, "You're not the one giving the speech."
It took Terra a moment to realize her meaning, but when he did, he looked at her in profound shock. "Hold on—you're giving the speech?"
She nodded. "Master Xehanort thinks I'm ready. That, and he says he's getting too old for this."
"So he leaves the burden to the younger generation?" He laughed. "It's about time, though. I really do think you're ready to take on higher responsibilities. We are Masters now, after all."
Her somewhat nervous demeanor softened and she smiled appreciatively at her friend. "Thanks, Terra."
He returned her smile. "You're welcome." Then he returned to business, pointing to his silver hair. "Now, can you change my hair back to normal?"
Outside London's City Hall; some hours later…
Thousands congregated to the steps before City Hall, all beyond fearful and desperate to hear the Keybearing visitors' answers to their brimming questions of cosmic monstrosities, the coming apocalypse, and the truth of life among the stars. They needed answers and the miracle-working spacemen to provide them. Xehanort and Terra stood attentively on opposite sides of the platform, Terra dressed in his official, earth-tone uniform resembling the one Aqua had worn since she and Smee went to discharge him from the hospital—his hair returned from silver to its original, dark brown color but the bandages on his face remaining; masked Vanitas stood beside Xehanort and Smee beside Terra. Behind the central podium was Aqua, and she delivered the address.
After assuring the audience the immediate danger was over and their world was safe from further Heartless invasion for the time being, she told them an abridged version of their universe's history as the Coalition understood it—the very same that she learned from Kairi's grandmother in Radiant Garden.
"Long ago, our worlds were all one, protected by Light. Places you may have heard about in legend, such as Atlantica, Midgar, and Olympia—you remember them in obscurity because they were all part of this larger, single world, just as your planet was eons ago. And this ancestral world was bathed in a Light that brought prosperity to its people…"
But far away, below-deck of the Thames-stationed Jolly Roger, a farewell note was left by Ventus on his hammock as the recently-woken boy himself reached topside of the ship, eyeing the door to the captain's cabin and the prize that lay within it. I've made up my mind. I'm going. I can't stay here anymore. I can't face them again. But if I have to leave my friends behind, I can at least take the map to Treasure Planet with me. If nothing else, at least I'll have that…
Aqua continued, "But greed overtook the people's hearts and they began to fight each other for the Light, each determined to take it for themselves…"
Ventus swung open the door and removed the Neverland painting, leaving only the sealed vault between him and the map. He raised his rusted Keyblade with fiery determination in his eyes. The Dark seal on my back is gone. I checked. Xehanort must've removed it while I slept. Now, nothing can stop me from solving that map! I'm so close… He pushed aside every pang of heartbreak threatening to wrest his will away from him—to keep him imprisoned under a new master and forever in his friends' shadows when he could be his own master and cast his own shadows. The light shone from Wayward Wind. Treasure Planet will be mine…
"…and with the conflict they created, Darkness entered the Realm of Light…"
Ven grunted as his Keyblade's power surged and blew past him, ruffling his hair and clothes. He had to look away, only now remembering just how intense the Light could be.
"…and laid siege to everything within that world, determined to consume all life for itself…"
The vault unlocked, and Ven fervently swung it open, ignoring the anguish in his heart telling him to stop. It's mine! It's—!
Gone.
The map to Treasure Planet was gone.
He froze in soul-crushing disbelief, then trembled as a rush of emotions formed and racked him in their agonizing wake. He held himself tight and fell to his knees. No! It can't be! Where could it have gone?!
"And so, Darkness conquered the world, and it was believed all was lost…"
He ravaged the cabin in his mad search for the vanished crucible. This isn't possible! This is impossible! No one else knew about it! No one except…!
"However, fragments of Light remained in the hearts of children. From this Light, children were able to recreate the lost world…"
Beside Terra, Mr. Smee peered inside his heavy winter coat, assuring himself the copper spheroid he took from the vault was still there. Terra and Aqua are the only ones who've shown any kindness to me since I joined Xehanort. They would be heartbroken if Ventus left them and never returned. If stealing this map means keeping Ven here with his family, I'm only too glad to do it.
"But the Darkness still existed and continued to fight them. It was in the wake of this war between Light and Darkness that the world was divided and scattered across galaxies, leaving these newer worlds fragmented and incomplete…"
With a signal from Xehanort, Smee produced the map from his coat, and the old Master used his Keyblade to activate the round vessel in a brilliant spectacle of his weapon's own magic power and of the device's scientifically-advanced properties as its shimmering light projected a vast holographic display of the known universe that spread into the ranks of the onlookers, prompting startled cries from the unsuspecting audience members who found themselves physically immersed in a miraculous display of the cosmos. Shaken but unharmed, they finally beheld physical proof of the fragmented worlds their herald spoke of.
Aqua pointed to a single celestial body in the projected sky. "This is the world you live in, and all these other lights are further remains of that original world, many of them inhabited by your long-lost cousins. We've been scattered and hidden from each other all this time, and the true Light has been asleep deep within the Darkness…"
Mr. Smee glared into the star of London as vengeance resolved itself in his mind. And, as long as you're here, Ventus, I'll always have you in my sight. I'll know when you're weak and vulnerable. I'll always be ready. But one day, your guard will drop, and there I'll be: waiting to pay you back for everything you've done to me. I'll even make it look like an accident so your friends can mourn you, keep your remains, and never worry about finding a phantom culprit. I've brought you back to them, and someday soon, I'll give them the finality they need by ending you so close to home. It'll be much more satisfying for them than if you ran away and they never heard from you again. At least now, they'll have closure.
"Only recently, a door to the innermost Darkness opened and the Heartless returned," Aqua continued. "They've declared war on all of us—on all of these lights in the sky you see around you. But their arrival has also reminded us that we have allies among the stars—that when we band together with those other worlds many of us forgot existed, we stand a chance of beating the Heartless. We can crush this threat and prevent the kinds of disasters like you experienced last night from ever happening again. Together, we can do this. The Darkness seems strong now, but I promise you: the Light is coming!"
Ventus raced in blind fury from the captain's cabin and returned to the deck, fuming with scorching hatred for the half-Shadow urchin that singlehandedly destroyed his future. Rage sweltering from his very being, the boy pirate screamed a long, bloodcurdling shriek of vengeance to the cloudy heavens: "SMEEEEEEEE!"
And in his rage, he never once detected the wicked eyes that monitored him all the while: the eyes of a raven, its feathers black as ebony, who served a far higher evil than itself. With the sight of Ventus and all his exposed vulnerabilities committed to memory, the raven grinned maliciously and took flight over the Thames and into a deeper, darker part of the city.