Now, Ven's going to do something a little different. Been holding off on this one as I wasn't sure if I could use something like this in the full version of Left Behind, but I've got more outlining done for that and it doesn't seem likely, so. Here we go.

Following Your Heart

Aqua walked out the the Tower, carrying Ven's unconscious body on her back. Once she found Terra, she was sure she'd be able to wake the boy up. But first... "Ven needs a safe place."

While she was wondering where to take him (and how to use her Keyblade while carrying him), Ven's hand twitched, then raised. She gasped as he summoned his Keyblade, light gathering at the tip before shooting forth and opening a gate.

She wasn't sure where the door led, but Aqua smiled and nodded. "Alright. If that's where you want to go." She wasn't going to ignore her heart anymore... or her friends'. She hefted Ven, readjusting her hold, and walked into the light.

She stepped onto a beach and blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the night she found herself in. She heard a gasp and looked down, finding two familiar boys looking up at her with wide eyes. Why would Ven bring her here? "Sora? Riku?"

Riku tilted his head, giving her a confused look. Sora, on the other hand, smiled brightly as he ran over to her. He leaned around to give Ven a curious look. "Is he okay?" Sora asked. His expression was still decidedly happy, which made it all the stranger when a tear ran down his face.

Aqua blinked, crouching down to eye level with the boys and sliding Ven from her back, holding him up in a sitting position. She felt oddly protective of these two – maybe because they were so similar to her friends – so if this little boy, whose heart seemed as bright and warm as the sun, was crying, she wanted to know the cause so she could fix it. "Sora, did something happen?"

"Huh?" Sora asked, looking to Riku for an explanation.

Riku frowned, concern filling his eyes. "You're..." He lifted a hand, pointing at Sora's face.

Sora reached up, touching the tear trail and seeming just as surprised as they were. "That's weird," he said, wiping at his face with one hand and holding the other over his chest. "It's like... something's squeezing me inside..."

Riku's frown deepened, and he looked over at her and Ven. "Maybe..." he said slowly, crossing his arms as he thought, "it's because someone's really hurting. And they're waiting for you to help them."

Sora's tears had dried as he listened to Riku, watching the silver-haired boy with clear admiration. These two were so much like her friends it made Aqua's heart ache even as it made her smile. "Well, gee, do you think there's something I can do?"

Riku looked at Aqua and Ven again, and she could practically see the gears turning in his head. For the first time, she thought she saw a little of herself in the boy, as well. He gave his friend a reassuring smile. "Maybe he just needs you to open your heart, and listen."

Sora frowned and kicked at the sand, clearly not getting it. "I don't know, Riku. You say some weird stuff sometimes." He grinned anyway. "But I'll try it!" Still smiling, he turned to Ven, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Sora?" Aqua asked, but the boy didn't respond. She looked to the other boy, still held up in her arms. "Ven?" Brows furrowed, she turned to the last boy on the beach, as confused as she'd ever been. "Riku?"

"You guys are from the outside world, right?" Riku was watching his friend intently, but there was warmth in his eyes as he did, along with a sort of pride. "They say there's a lot of different worlds out there. And they're all connected by one big sky." He glanced at her, one hand going to his hip. "That's what Sora's name means, you know. And he's really good at making people feel better."

Aqua frowned, turning the information over in her mind. "How do you know about other worlds, Riku?"

The silver-haired boy shrugged. "There's a couple stories about a boy who left. He wanted to travel the stars and see all the worlds that are out there."

"But those are just stories, right?" Aqua gave him a warm smile, seeing that intelligence spark back to life in his eyes. "You know about them."

Riku shrugged again. "I'm a kid. I believe a lot of stuff."

Aqua honestly hadn't expected him to to use that defense. "Well, you weren't too surprised by Ven and I showing up. Have you met someone from another world before?" She arched an eyebrow, a hint of slyness entering her voice. "Maybe a tall boy with a sword like a key?"

Riku frowned and crossed his arms. "So?"

Maybe it was wrong of her, but Aqua couldn't help thinking how cute Riku looked right then. "I'm pretty sure you've met a good friend of mine. And I know he must have passed something very important on to you." Seeing Riku wasn't going to buy it without some kind of proof she knew Terra, she smiled. He was so serious... "He said something like, 'in your hand, take this blade,' right?"

"Key," Riku corrected. His frown deepened to a full-on pout as he realized what he'd given away. "He said to keep it a secret..."

Aqua started to laugh – that was so like Terra – but cut off as Ven's hand suddenly reached up, resting in Sora's hair. For a second she thought she saw a faint glow, but it was gone in an instant, and Ven's hand slid away, again limp at his side.

Sora grinned, opening his eyes and nodding. "Okay, I will," he said.

"Well?" Riku asked, smiling at his friend apparently returning to normal.

"I think it worked!" Sora said, much more animated than he'd been before. Aqua barely saw Riku send her a smile before the younger boy turned to her. "He said he has to go to sleep, but he'll be okay. And he wanted me to tell you it's not your fault, so don't be sad."

Aqua tightened her hold on Ven, blinking away the tears. So her friend really was still there. She hadn't doubted it, not really, but to hear it from someone else... it was like the weight of the world had just lifted off her. "You heard him?" she asked.

Sora nodded. "I had to listen really hard." He rested a hand on his chest, smile brighter than it'd been before. "He said I helped him a long time ago. I don't remember, but that's why he heard me call him, so he's gonna stay with me until he can wake up."

"Stay with you?" Aqua repeated. If this was where Ven wanted to stay while she was searching for Terra, she couldn't fault the choice. But she had no idea how long it would take to find their missing friend. It wouldn't be fair to leave him with these boys.

Sora tapped his chest. "Right here," he said. His face and voice shifted, becoming more serious. It was strange to see it on his young face, but the look was familiar, too, and something about it made her incredibly sad. "And one day, when we're strong enough..."

"We'll open the door again," two voices said in unison. She wasn't surprised by hearing Sora's, but the other voice, the one she'd barely heard...

She looked at her sleeping friend and saw a small smile on his face. "Ven?" she asked softly. That's when it hit her: Sora had the same expression that Ven got when he watched the stars, when he claimed he could almost remember something. Ven's body started to glow, then broke apart into golden sparkles. "Ven!" The lights swirled around Sora, and the younger boy grinned as he reached out to touch them, the light slowly fading to settle within his heart.

Sora nodded again. "Mm. I don't mind." He suddenly tackled Aqua with a hug, and for a second she could swear it was Ven holding her. "We'll be alright. You don't have to worry."

Aqua was caught somewhere between laughing in relief and bursting into tears. "Alright. If that's what you want." She wrapped her arms around the little boy, resting one hand on his head. "I guess I've given you another job, haven't I? I'm sorry to ask so much of you, Sora."

"It's okay!" Sora said, grinning at her. "This way he won't be lonely, and it helped you feel better, right?"

Aqua smiled, still fighting the urge to cry. "It did. I know I can trust you to take good care of my friend." She looked over to Riku, who was standing with his arms crossed as he watched. "And you'll take care of Sora, won't you, Riku?"

Riku nodded, serious. "He's my best friend. Of course I will." He smiled a little, holding up one hand to study it. "And I made a promise, to protect the things that matter." A faint sparkle of light shone in his hand, and Riku closed it in a fist with a satisfied smile as he looked back at her. "Like my friends."

"Good." She tousled Sora's hair, then went over to give Riku a hug, as well. "Friends have to look out for each other. You for him, and him for you. It can't work just one way." If she'd learned anything on this journey, it was that. "And when I see you two, it really makes me believe everything will work out. I can't thank you enough for what you've done."

She knelt between them, taking Riku's hand in one of hers and Sora's in the other. "I need to go look for my other friend now. It may take me a while, but I'll come back. I promise." She stared deep into Sora's eyes, knowing her next words would reach her friend. "Terra and I will wake you up in no time, Ven."

The boys nodded, and she stood, calling her Keyblade to her hand and pointing it to the sky. The secret of the worlds didn't seem so important with these two boys. She heard twin "whoa!"s as she put on her armor and shifted her Keyblade to its glider.

Smiling broadly under the helmet, she flew up to the gate, clutching her Wayfinder in one hand. Ven's safe. Of that she had no doubt. Now tell me where to find you, Terra.

And as she reached the Lanes Between, she felt a pull on her heart, a whisper in the back of her mind that led her forward.

Oh, and people that have suggested things, don't worry; I'm working on them.