Next... Terra and Snow White. Another long one. Almost became even longer – Vanitas tried to hijack it, but I beat him off with a stick.

I should probably explain that what I'm trying to do here is not only offer a different outcome, but also examine the characters' states of mind when they make these choices – hence the references and build-ups to the canon choice, though I'm trying to glance over the actual scene work (emphasis on trying). I'm looking at points in time where the characters had enough information to make a better decision, but for whatever reason, didn't.

Into the Woods

Lost her... Terra stared into the dark trees, searching for any trace of the girl's trail. Frightened as she had been, she wouldn't exactly be trying to hide it.

She said she doesn't know anything about Master Xehanort. That leaves me with just one other option. Terra turned back the way he'd come, grimacing. The Mirror. Back at the castle.

He needed to track down Xehanort, prove himself to his master. He needed to become stronger, strong enough to control his darkness, and this mission was his master's way of giving him the chance. And yet, his feet wouldn't move. Over and over, he saw Snow White's eyes, suddenly filled with terror as she ran. Ran from him, not the Unversed. He hadn't meant to frighten her, and her fear hurt after the gentle way she'd greeted him.

He'd left Aurora trapped in sleep, her heart stolen, because he didn't think he'd be able to stand up to Maleficent's magic – not yet, anyway. Losing control like that, doing what he had... It terrified him. He needed to get a handle on his darkness before he could return and make that right.

But now? Now was only a misunderstanding. If he could just apologize...

He nodded, something tight in his heart unwinding as he stepped into the trees. The Mirror wasn't going anywhere. He didn't want to regret this the way he did Aurora.

"Hello?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth. No response. Snow White had probably just kept running straight into the woods, without looking back. Judging by the broken branches and piece of torn cloth, his guess was right.

It took him longer than he thought it would, but finally he could hear quiet sobbing coming from up ahead. He puffed out a quick "phew!" and confidence came back to his strides. He could fix this. Soon he could see the clearing, too small for the sunlight to break through the thick trees. In the center Snow White was sitting on the ground, her hands over her face as she cried.

It was just before he broke from the trees that the last thing he could ever expect happened: Ven came up behind her. Terra froze, stunned, plans to apologize flying from his head as he tried to figure out what Ven was doing here.

"What's wrong?" the younger boy asked, concern carrying easily.

"Th-these horrible trees," Snow White said, voice unsteady. "They tried to grab me."

Ven came closer, holding a hand out to the frightened girl. "It's okay," he said, voice and smile both warm and reassuring. "You were probably just seeing things." Snow White started to calm down, slowly turning towards Ven and wiping the tears from her face. "It happens to all of us when we're afraid."

She took his hand, and Ven helped her to her feet. "Oh, thank you," she said, taking a deep breath as she smoothed her skirt. "I feel quite better now. I'm sure I'll get along, somehow." She seemed to realize something then, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "But I do need a place to sleep at night." Terra felt a stab of guilt. Had he actually scared her so much she didn't want to go back to the castle? Not that he could blame her, remembering the queen's cold glare. And murderous intentions. "Would you know anywhere I might?"

Ven thought for a second, apparently not finding it strange that Snow White didn't have a place to go – Terra kept forgetting that Ven just didn't know about that kind of thing. "Well, I saw a house just up ahead. Come on, I'll take you there." His head lifted a little, smiling again. "Oh, I'm Ventus. Ven for short."

"Thank you, Ven." She curtseyed. "I'm Snow White." Her voice was back to the kind, gentle ease she'd used before Terra had scared her, and the older boy marveled at how well and how easily Ven had helped her.

"Great! Let's get going." Ven turned back the way he'd come, not once seeing Terra half-hidden in the trees.

For a minute Terra thought about just leaving it at that. He hadn't apologized, but he'd hate to frighten the poor girl again, especially after Ven had calmed her down. Then he remembered this was Ven, who was supposed to be safe at home, not traveling between worlds and – and getting attacked by a tree?

Terra had thought, like Ven, that Snow White had simply imagined the trees grabbing at her. Apparently that wasn't the case, roots ripping up from the ground as they came after the pair. The trees were slow, however, and Ven gestured quickly for Snow White to go around while he swung his Keyblade at them. It might have even worked, had the Unversed not appeared to herd her back to the waving branches.

Terra ran into the fight the instant he saw them. Ven could take care of himself, but Snow White couldn't, and the younger boy wasn't used to keeping an eye on someone else as he fought. He ran past the girl and swung at the closest Unversed, which dissipated under the force of his blow, and tried to not wince at the startled gasp behind him. He focused on the Unversed, trusting Ven to handle the trees while he worked his way into the group.

A bright flash of light distracted him, and he looked to see Ven and Snow White far too close to the trees. But the branches were no longer flailing in the air, instead frozen in place. Ven aimed a quick smile at the girl, grateful and reassuring all at once, before starting in on another group of Unversed.

Terra finally finished his own, refusing to get distracted as yet another group appeared. "Terra!?" Ven called out, at once ecstatic and confused as he realized the other boy was there.

Despite everything, Terra grinned. "Focus!" he called back, a wide swing cutting through three Unversed. To his relief, Ven did, and between the two of them, they had soon made it to the other side of the clearing with Snow White bearing no worse than a few small scratches.

"You okay?" Ven asked her, letting his Keyblade vanish.

"Oh, I – yes, I'm..." She looked uncertainly at Terra. "I-I suppose."

Terra decided he'd just spit it out. There was a reason Aqua always said he was blunt. "I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Ven frowned, glancing at each of them. "What? Come on, Terra, like you'd ever scare somebody."

Snow White blinked, taken aback. "You two know each other?"

"Yeah, Terra's great!" Ven said, full of enthusiasm. "He's one of my best friends, and he's really nice!"

"Oh." Snow White blushed, turning back to Terra without any lingering doubt. He wondered if her easy acceptance was because she was just naturally that kind and trusting, or because it was Ven speaking on his behalf. "I'm terribly sorry. I shouldn't have run away like that."

Terra shook his head, trying to smile like Ven was – it seemed to be working wonders. Or the younger boy was just that much better than him at this. "It's okay. Those monsters appeared behind you, and I didn't think about what it looked like. I probably would have run, too."

Ven laughed, throwing his arms around Terra and catching the older boy off-guard. "Oh man, this is such a relief! I didn't think I'd find you so soon!"

Before Terra could ask why Ven was looking for him in the first place, an ominous rustle came from behind them. Snow White gasped, standing behind Ven as the two Keyblade-wielders turned towards the noise. "Let's get somewhere safe, first," Terra said, scanning the dark trees for movement.

"Right," Ven agreed. He and Snow White started out, Terra slowly backing up to follow, Keyblade ready. It wasn't until they were in the light again, in a small grove with a cottage, that he let it vanish.

"You should be safe here," Ven was telling Snow White as he led her into the cottage. "But stay put while me and Terra look around, okay?" He was grinning again as he came out, eyes lighting up when he saw the older boy still there, as if he'd expected him to vanish.

He looked so happy that Terra decided he would put off the lecture on barging in to what was probably someone's home. Different worlds had different rules about that kind of thing, after all. Then again, he couldn't think of anyone that would turn someone like Ven or Snow White away. Except maybe that queen.

Suddenly reminded of his mission – the Mirror, Xehanort, the master's orders – Terra once again felt two sides of his heart at war. He needed to get back to the castle and the Mirror. Now. But he couldn't abandon Ven.

"I still can't believe I found you already," Ven said, relieved.

Terra frowned, but not too deeply – Ven's good mood was infectious, even if he didn't know what it was for. "Ven, why were you looking for me? I'm on a mission from the master." A thought occurred to the older boy. "He didn't send you out, too, did he? Alone?"

Ven ducked his head. "I, uh... kinda ran away." He looked up quickly, blue eyes pleading as he continued before Terra could say anything. "But I didn't want to lose you! That guy in the mask – he said you were –" Ven's eyes went down. "...I don't want to be left behind."

Terra felt his heart melt. "Ven." The younger boy didn't respond or look up, and Terra sighed. He came closer, putting a hand on Ven's shoulder and making his voice more cheerful. "Come on, you know me and Aqua would never do that."

"I know," Ven said. "I know, but that guy said – and I knew he wasn't lying, I don't know how – and I just –" Ven looked up, puppy-dog eyes in full force. "You're not gonna make me go back, are you?"

Terra sighed again, raking a hand back through his messy brown hair. "Ven, you're not ready to be on your own yet. You're safest back home."

"But I don't want to be safe!" Ven said, arm going to the side in a sharp movement. "I want to be with you guys!" The puppy-dog eyes came back. "Let me go with you, Terra. Please?"

Terra was about to say no. Ven wasn't ready. Then he remembered Aurora. If he'd had someone with him then, someone to stop him... maybe she wouldn't have lost her heart. Ven trusted him enough to understand how Terra was trying to get control of his darkness without judging him for it. And Ven's heart was so full of light that Terra didn't think he'd have to worry about losing himself, not with Ven there to pull him back. Not to mention that having a little backup against an Unversed swarm might be nice. And the younger boy could hold his own in a fight, so Terra wouldn't have to constantly keep an eye on him. Thinking about it, Ven's training should have included taking him to at least a few other worlds by now...

He took a breath, going over the thought again because this was Ven he was talking about here. The kid he loved like a little brother. If something went wrong, if Terra hurt him...

No. No matter what, he'd never hurt his friends.

"Okay," he said at last. He gave Ven a playful grin. "You just better keep up."

Ven's own grin was so bright it almost blinded him.