Ventus stood in front of the shield surrounding Sora's body as the transparent Sora explained to Donald and Goofy that protecting the Keyblade Wielders was up to them. They didn't know what would happen once Ventus dove into Sora's mind. When Terra and Xehanort fought for control, nothing happened outside, but other similar clashes (Ventus and Vanitus, for instance) had some rather nasty consequences. It was even possible for the other pseudo-Xehanorts to show up and it would be up to the two non-Keyblade holders to protect everyone else.

Meanwhile, Ven made sure he had everything he needed. Ethers and Elixers wouldn't be of much help down there, but the damage to his mind might affect his body too, and apparently if someone out here could give him something to help his health or magic, it should help him in there too. They'd just have to keep an eye on any damage he took.

Ven tried to keep the butterflies in his stomach from taking over. He would be lying if he said he was confident about this, no matter what Sora said. He did trust Sora, how could he not? But that didn't make him feel ready.

"Alright," Sora said suddenly. "Everyone stand in a half-circle around Ven." Each of the Keyblade wielders lined up. King Mickey and Kairi stood in the middle. Riku, predictably, planted himself firmly on Kairi's other side and Lea took the end position. Aqua had taken the place next to Mickey, the mouse standing on her right and Terra on her left.

"Right," Sora said with a nod. "Now everyone point their Keyblades at Ven." Ven couldn't help but gulp a little at that. Having someone point their Keyblade at you usually meant they were about to attack. He had to remind himself that he was among friends. It worked, but the fact that he had to do that at all bothered him.

"Each of you has a connection with your Keyblade," Sora went on. "Find that connection, feel for it, and then try to find Ven. When you find him, you'll find me."

Ven frowned, wondering just how someone would go about doing that, but no one complained so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Ven," Sora's voice had him looking over at the other boy. The transparent specter held his hand out again. Ven just looked at it for a second before glancing back up at Sora. "Call your Keyblade."

He really didn't know where this was going, but decided to follow the instruction anyway. The Wayward Wind appeared in his hand with a flash of light and he held it out. Sora reached out with his upheld hand and put it on the Keyblade's hilt and then closed his eyes. A breeze from nowhere blew around them and then Sora disappeared in a flash of light and the Keyblade in Ven's hand took on the crystalline appearance that everyone elses' had. Except his had changed shape too.

He'd expected the shape of the original X-blade that had appeared when he'd fought Vanitas, but this one looked more like a picture of the Ultima Keyblade that Ventus had seen in one of the books in Master Eraqus' library at one point. Intricate latices and fine points wove around a thin, flowing base, but this one also had a whimsical feel to it that Ventus couldn't really explain. He liked it though. It reminded him of Sora.

I'll be with you the whole time, Sora's voice said in his head. Ven smiled. Turn about was fair play after all, wasn't it? Now Sora was inside of him for a change. The X-blade must have sensed or heard the thought because Ven felt a distinct chuckle.

He waited for a few minutes, wondering what he needed to do now, or if he should wait for instruction before entering Sora's body, when suddenly he felt everyone else. They all seemed just as surprised as he was, but at that point 'he' seemed more like a 'they'. Was this what Sora felt like now? It wasn't all that different from having Vanitas there now too, although (again) he did feel rather overwhelmed.

Apparently Aqua and Terra picked up on that because they immediately began sending him encouragement. It worked. He could feel their faith in him and the depth of it nearly sent him to tears. It was humbling because he didn't deserve their support, but it was there whether he deserved it or not, and they certainly didn't seem like they'd retract it just because he didn't think he'd earned it.

'Okay,' Lea's voice rang out, 'this is weird.'

'Kind of...intimate,' Kairi agreed, sounding slightly uneasy. Ven concurred. He could hear other people's thoughts and feel their feelings. It would take some getting used to.

'Thanks for doing this, everyone,' Sora's bubbly happiness piped up, although everyone could probably sense his underlying anxiety. So not even he knew exactly what was going to happen. That somehow made Ven both uneasy and more confident. Uneasy because the X-blade, with all of his (their?) previous knowledge didn't even know how this would all turn out; more confident because they were all on the same page—they all wanted to take down Xehanort, even Sora. The unity made him feel stronger and more sure. 'Alright, Ven, get ready to dive.'

Right about then, it hit Ven. This was it. The final battle to stop Xehanort; the one that would decide everything. He felt his resolve harden.

'Right,' he said mentally and felt his hand clench more firmly around the Keyblade.

'Okay, put your hand on the shield over my body,' Sora instructed. Ven did as he was told, stepping forward on the sand to place a hand on the shield. It rested on the warm energy that formed a dome around Sora's body. 'Now with your mind, push through it. Project your heart out and forward.'

Ven frowned at that. He'd just gotten his heart back! The idea of dividing himself up again did not sit well with him...but he trusted Sora. And he trusted the people around him. So he took a deep breath and did as he was told.

Suddenly, he was falling and then he landed in the strange emptiness that was Sora's mind. He made a mental note to tease Sora about that later.

'Ha, ha,' Sora muttered, but it was all in good fun. Riku, Kairi, Lea and King Mickey all laughed. Ven felt grateful for it. He was nervous enough and the laughter helped to break the ice, so to speak.

In the distance, he saw Xion and Roxas still battling Xehanort, but they didn't seem to be fairing very well. They couldn't really breath here, they didn't have physical bodies that could, but their mental projections looked tired and worn. Xehanort didn't seem as fresh as he had before, but he definitely seemed to be in better shape.

'Who are they?' Kairi asked curiously. 'She looks...kind of like me.'

Ven mentally sighed. 'It's a long story. I'll tell you when we're done.'

'Alright, but I'll hold you to that,' Kairi responded. Several other people sent their general agreement.

'We need to get them out of the way so they can rest,' Sora said, his mental voice somehow quieter and more somber than it had been before, despite the fact that they weren't 'hearing' it. 'Aqua, you have the best shields of the group. Could you put one up?'

'She can do that?' Riku asked, sounding rather incredulous.

'Of course she can. Why not?' Sora asked.

'Yeah, of course,' Aqua responded, sounding a little surprised herself. Then, to Ven's astonishment, his hand moved of its own accord and a shield appeared between the two fighting parties. All three of them seemed rather surprised and looked over to Ven.

"Okay, that was weird," Ven said, looking down at his hand.

'Sorry, that was me projecting Aqua through you.'

"Oh." So they could do that too? Did that mean he had everyone elses' abilities for this? Suddenly he felt far more sure about the upcoming battle.

"Ven!" Xion said as she half stumbled, half jogged up to him, sounding as if she would be gasping if they had bodies. "There you are!"

"Where were you?" Roxas asked, sounding much the same. "We..." he paused as he took in Ventus with critical eyes.

"You're different."

"And there's more than just you here," Xion said incredulously. "There are...wait, is that Axel?"

A sudden shot of annoyance from Lea.

"I'm Lea! Got it memorized?" Ven said. Then he put a hand up to his mouth. He'd just said what Lea had wanted to say.

Xion's face suddenly lit up. "You're a somebody again?! Oh, thank goodness!"

More people than just Lea felt surprise at that (and this was getting really disconcerting).

"Wait...I sense Sora too," Roxas said suddenly, his voice low. "Did you bring him back here?!"

Ven glanced down at the Keyblade still in his hand. Apparently that was all Roxas needed for confirmation.

"That goes against everything we were trying to do! Why would you-"

"Roxas," Ven interrupted firmly. Roxas still didn't look too happy, but he did close his mouth. "Do you trust me?"

It took the nobody a few seconds of hard staring before he nodded. "Yes."

"Then I need you and Xion to stay over here and rest. Sora and I and...well...everyone else will take it from here."

Xion and Roxas exchanged glances. "I don't understand," Xion said.

"And I don't have time to explain. Just, please...trust me."

'He's about to break through,' Aqua warned. Ven glanced over at Xehanort. Surely enough, the madman held a hand up to the shield. A bright light emanated from the point where the shield and his hand touched.

"Alright," Xion said, her voice rock-solid.

Roxas glanced over at her once more before he deflated and nodded. "We'll be over here if you need us."

"Right. Thanks," Ven said, relieved that he could at least prevent them from being hurt anymore.

He turned and walked toward Xehanort just as the shield fell with a loud bang.

"So, you have returned, my apprentice."

"Former apprentice," Ven said. "The X-blade himself game me the mark of Mastery."

Xehanort laughed aloud. "You? A Master? The standards must have fallen rather drastically then."

A spark of anger flared inside of him. How dare Xehanort of all people say that? The man who undermined his training to begin with! What surprised him more was the defensiveness he felt from more or less everyone in the group. Even Lea.

"Perhaps we should test that?" Sora said as a projection of him appeared beside Ven.

"Oh!" Xehanort suddenly seemed delighted. "You've brought my X-blade back! Thank you, my apprentice."

It still hurt, but Ven was surprised the words didn't sting more than they did. Even the hurt seemed to be melting away. Xehanort wasn't acknowledging his skill or current status, but that wasn't exactly unexpected, and after the initial flare of anger(which was really more everyone else instead of him), he didn't feel much towards his old master, at least not in that area.

'Xehanort can't hurt you anymore,' King Mickey said, his thoughts approving. 'Not like that. You know his words aren't true, and his opinion doesn't mean as much to you anymore.'

"He's yours, if you can take him from me," Ven replied. The confidence in his voice must have shown because Xehanort frowned.

"Come to me, my Keyblade!" he said as he held his hand out. Ven felt a slight tug, and then nothing. Xehanort's frown deepened as Sora's apparition disappeared with a grin and a wink. Cheeky brat. Ages old weapon or not.

'You can call any Keyblade to you to help you,' Sora said after he'd vanished. 'Any Keyblade from an owner who consents.'

'You can have mine!' Kairi said immediately. It struck Ven as to just how amazing and trusting she was—and so strong for it.

'Mine too!' Aqua, Riku, and Terra agreed almost immediately afterword.

'Gosh, you don't even have to ask,' King Mickey said.

'Whatever you need to take out the bad guy,' Lea said at last. As each person spoke, he felt their Keyblades all appear behind him, floating in a circle that framed him. He didn't turn his head to look, not daring to take his eyes off of his former master, but he knew they were there.

Xehanort was practically scowling now. "Very well. We shall pit your light against my darkness, one final time."

Then, much to Ven's dismay, a row of dark Keyblades appeared behind him as well.

'Okay, there's definitely a drain on my energy,' Terra muttered, upset.

'Wait, why are they all Keyblades?' Riku asked. Not all of the darknesses were weilders.'

'He's using them as if they are,' Sora responded, sounding utterly disgusted. 'He's forcing them into that form! It goes against everything a Keyblade wielder should stand for!'

They didn't have time for anything else, because at that moment, Xehanort attacked. Ven met with his own show of force and the clash seemed to shake their surroundings. For a moment, Ven worried that they might do some damage to Sora's mind, but then the person in question reassured him.

'Nah, as long as we don't bring any extra people in here—and I don't mean in the form of Keyblades because that still requires an anchor outside—we should be fine. It is a mindscape after all. Shouldn't anything be possible?'

Ven dodged a swing from several of the blades, vaulting over them as they flew at him.

'Wait, if anything's possible...'

'Within reason,' Sora cautioned soberly. 'Also, remember that he has a stronger hold as of right now and will until we drive him out.'

'May not want to give him ideas,' Riku said quietly, his voice sounding more like a mutter in his head.

Ven grunted as Xehanort brought no less than three Keyblades down on the one he held in his hand. 'Right.'

Still, this was looking very one sided. He needed something more...wait.

"Hey, Roxas, Xion! Can I borrow your Keyblades really fast?" Because while they technically were a part of Sora (and maybe even him), they both held their own Keyblades. That could come in handy.

"What?" He heard Roxas ask incredulously.

"Just—" he swung and dodge rolled several times to get out of the way of yet another attack. "Just trust me! Please!" he said after he jumped up from his final dodge.

He couldn't take his eyes off of his opponent, but he figured the two of them exchanged looks.

"Then yeah," Xion finally responded.

"As long as we get them back," Roxas agreed.

He didn't see their surprise when their keyblades more or less disappeared from their grips and appeared within the tornado of weapons surrounding Ven and Xehanort. It didn't give him an edge, but the two extra keyeblades helped immensely, evening out the playing field a bit. Ven still felt like his former master put him on the defensive though. He'd been able to keep fighting through sheer determination and no small amount of luck. The other six wielders in his head urging him on and lending him strength when they could helped too. His speed and agility trumped Xehanort's, but the madman still had power, stamina and an iron will of his own. Frankly, Ven knew he was getting through by the skin of his teeth. He'd been able to land a few strikes, but it didn't seem to be doing much good.

They fought on until somehow, Xehanort got in a really good hit. Ven didn't know whether it was from his fading strength or the realization of just where they stood in the battle and the resulting distraction that caused, but he went to dodge an attack, and was just too slow. Pain lanced through him as Xehanort's keyblade rammed him in the stomach. Everyone in his mind cried out and he sensed that several of them moved. For an instant, Ven felt his hold on Sora slip and hoped Xehanort couldn't tell. He was also grateful this was in the mindscape because while he moved the same as if he did have a physical body, that blow would have probably had him down for the count in the real world.

'No!' Mickey thought loudly, tone commanding. 'We said we'd trust Sora and Ven! So now we have to believe in them!'

Ven appreciated that. He really did. But then Xehanort was there, before he could dodge or twist, and his hand snaked out, grabbing the Keyblade in Ven's hand. Desperately, the blond reached forward and wrapped his own hand around the nearest part of the hilt.

"The X-blade is mine!" Xehanort crowed, half triumphant, half giving an order.

"Not happening!" Ven growled out, trying to keep his own anger and frustration in check. He knew simply lashing out at this point wouldn't do him any good, but he wanted to. Xehanort was just too much and he had begun to feel trapped.

'Let me,' a new voice spoke. Apparently everyone heard it because everyone seemed surprised and taken back. Ven, however, knew that voice.

"Vanitas," he muttered. In his mind's eye he could see his black-haired counterpart standing, for the first time, patiently, as if simply waiting his for turn. He no longer sported the expression of haughtiness or anger, and although the blank expression Ven could see there still didn't seem to fit on Sora's countenance, it still seemed so out of place on Vanitas that it spurred Ven into making his decision.

He'd never know how his eyes switched color, but despite his temporary relinquish of control—for the most part—he could still see and noted the unhappy surprise on Xehanort's face.

"Hello, old man," he heard himself say in a much deeper voice.

'Ven!' Aqua said worriedly, 'What are you doing?'

'Trust me,' Ven thought back.

'We do trust you,' Terra cut in.

Ven smiled internally. 'Then you trust him.'

They still weren't happy, and Ven could tell they weren't the only ones, but they did back off. It was a good thing they did too because it allowed Ven to focus. And then they moved.

He didn't know how his body was even capable of maneuvering as Vanitas made it, but he'd been able to throw Xehanort off and proceeded to use the Keyblades in ways Ven hadn't even considered. He seemed to think multiple steps ahead with a focus that bordered on scary.

'He taught me well,' was all Vanitas would say on the subject, and it still seemed entirely too bitter.

As round two continued, things began to flash across his mind. Every now and then (and it grew more frequent as the battle continued) he'd know what Vanitas was doing and could remember what would come next. He began to understand and somehow almost remember which strikes would be the best to follow up an attack and he began to be able to contribute to Vanitas' fight. Thankfully his other half welcomed the help and their movements seemed to flow more. Their surroundings somehow slowed down and they took full advantage.

More images of Xehanort—the old, Master Xehanort—teaching him shot through his head. They were entirely unfamiliar to him.

'Why can I remember these?' he wondered because they weren't his. They had to be Vanitas'.

'The cracks in your soul that separate you and Vanitas are closing. You're healing.' Sora said sounding relieved and pleased.

'I thought I had already healed!' Ven replied, many of the other voices echoing his sentiment.

Sora chuckled as if something entirely naive amused him. 'Something like that doesn't just heal. You started the process. You and Vanitas both are keeping it going.'

'Will you two shut up?!' Vanitas growled, but there was little malice behind his intent. Still, he brought up a good point.

'Sorry.' Ven muttered.

"So," the madman cut through their thoughts as Vanitas and Xehanort broke away from their fight, each landing hard on the blackened ground and refusing to look away from the other. "Vanitas. I thought I sensed you."

"Miss me?"

Xehanort just raised one of his eyebrows as he studied Vanitas intently. "Why have you chosen to fight for them? What could they possibly offer you that I cannot match?"

A few of the others (namely Terra and Aqua) allowed their worry to spike. Despite the fact that a day ago, Ven would have agreed with them, he had to scoff now. Did they really think that Vanitas would just join Xehanort again? Did they think that Ven would? Because both of them would have to go this time. Too many of Vanitas' thoughts were running through Ven's, and he suspected the reverse as well.

To all of their surprise, Vanitas laughed outright. "You really don't get it, old man. I was never on your side. I thought you knew that."

And Xehanort actually chuckled. "Of course I did. But why them?"

At that point, Ven interrupted. To his surprise, he and Vanitas both spoke. Having two voices coming out of his mouth felt disconcerting, and he wondered if Sora felt like this when speaking in his 'Keyblade voice'.

"Because we're whole and we're free."

"Free from your machinations," Vanitas' voice that time.

"And finally able to heal again," Ven agreed.

Xehanort shook his head and sighed. "I thought I had educated you well enough. It seems I was wrong." Then he frowned directly at Ven. "Vanitas, you don't need the light."

Ven was about to answer, but Vanitas beat him to it. "I need the light like Ven needs the darkness. We can only progress by knowing the other side. If you don't know that, you'll never be able to wield the X-blade to his full potential."

At that, Xehanort grinned. It wasn't nice. "And you will?"

Vanitas matched his grin. "Absolutely."

The thought that ran through Ven's mind at that point definitely originated from Vanitas, but it almost made him want to hit his head. How had he not thought of that?!

'The Keyblades will come to the X-blade first,' Vanitas answered, his voice surprisingly calm and patient.

Ven didn't know if it was because something of Vanitas still resided in the Keyblade Graveyard or if he'd simply figured out how to reach across time and space, but the Keyblades answered his call. Somehow he had reached out to the Graveyard and all of them—every single one—appeared in the black ground around them, as if suddenly thrown there at great speed. Then, as one, they rose.

Xehanort's eyes grew wide when he saw what was coming and managed to throw up a shield before the wave of keys hit him. In the back of his mind, Ven sensed confusion and wonder from the others, but he was too focused on working with Vanitas to use the Keyblades against Xehanort to concentrate on it at all.

"NO!" Xehanort growled angrily. "NO! I will have it! The X-blade is mine!"

"He was never yours," Ven and Vanitas stated simply. "He is his own person and will always belong to himself."

With that, they shot forward just as his shield fell, and Ven knew their Keyblade had sliced straight through his old master. Out of the corner of his eye, Ven saw Xehanort's Keyblade fall from his hand, knocked away only to be caught by Sora.

Ven and Vanitas both stood and blinked in surprise. Then they looked down and saw that the Keyblade they held was their own Wayward Wind yet again. When had that happened?

Sora looked down at the dark Keyblade in his hand and the other dark Keyblades behind Xehanort vanished. Then he looked up at Xehanort, his eyes so full of sadness it almost made Ven's heart break all over again.

"Xehanort, you were allowed the oldest Keyblade. You were judged at one point to be worthy of the greatest of honors. Now I see that honor should not have been bestowed upon any mortal. I am sorry." With that, he bowed ever so slightly. When he stood, though, his face bore a hardness that looked far more at home on Vanitas. "However, you must answer for your crimes. You blighted countless worlds and lives in pursuit of your goal. You made your goal destroying the worlds and remaking them as you saw fit. You broke your vows as a Keyblade Wielder and instead of bringing peace, you brought ruin. Do you deny this?"

Xehanort, suddenly looking almost as old as Ven remembered him, grinned maniacally. "I deny nothing!"

Sora seemed to sag ever so slightly. "By your own admission you are judged by all Keyblades as being unworthy of wielding one." He held his hand with the Keyblade out and it began to glow.

For the first time, Xehanort's eyes widened in fear. "No, no wait! You can't destroy that! It will kill me!"

Sora shook his head sadly. "But you are already dead. You died when you gave up your body and tried to forcibly take on another. I am merely sending you on. Despite everything you have done, I wish you peace in the life to come."

"No, NO!" Xehanort said, lurching forward desperately, hand outstretched as if to grab either Sora or the Keyblade (or both?), but then the light in Sora's hand flared. It wasn't like the soft, white light that had faded into existence whenever Sora had used his power before, but a bright, harsh light that seemed to penetrate everything.

Ven had to look away and he still felt he would be blinking stars out of his vision for decades to come.

When he turned back again, Sora stood with an empty outstretched hand, still looking as if his heart had been torn in two. Xehanort was nowhere to be seen. For a moment Ven himself felt a shot of pity for the man who had given up so much for nothing because he had convinced himself that nothing was everything.

They sat there for who knew how long, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Ven! Sora!" Both of them seemed to snap back to the present as they turned to meet the two figures running up to them.

"Roxas! Xion!" Sora said happily and ran up to them, throwing his arms around them both, much to their surprise.

'Wait, Isa?!' Lea's voice rang out in their heads and then everyone was gone, leaving the four of them alone in the blackness of Sora's mind. Ven actually stumbled with the loss, not realizing how much he'd come to rely on everyone else. Still, he welcomed the relative stillness.

"Wait," Roxas said, shaking his head and glancing around worriedly. "Where's Xehanort?"

Sora's face fell. "He's passed on."

Xion's own eyes widened in shock. "You killed him?"

Sora sighed. "No, I cut off his tie to this world. It wasn't natural. He shouldn't have been here. So I sent him on to where he belongs."

Roxas just blinked at him for several minutes. "Wait, you mean...he can't come back?"

The brunet took a deep breath but managed a weak smile. It looked completely fake to Ven, but he applauded the effort mentally. "No."

At that, Roxas nearly collapsed in relief. "Then it's over."

"Finally," Ven murmured. They had succeeded. It was...surreal. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to fix what Xehanort had done. They still had so much to work on. There were worlds that needed to be rebuilt and heartless to take care of and Kingdom Hearts even.

Kingdom Hearts.

Something occurred to Ven and he turned to Sora in shock. "You're Kingdom Hearts."

Everyone looked over at him with varying degrees of confusion, except for Sora. He looked impressed.

"I'm the lock to Kingdom Hearts—the entrance, you could say," he corrected, "which is why I can harbor hearts."

"Wait," Xion cut in quietly. "If you're the entrance to Kingdom Hearts...what exactly is it?"

The soft smile that appeared on Sora's face seemed far too old for him. "It's a save haven for lost hearts, kind of a half-way point between this world and the next. "It shouldn't really exist, and most hearts that go there do end up simply moving on."

"Like Xehanort just did?" Roxas asked sardonically.

Sora shot him a glare. "Something like that," he replied defiantly. Roxas just raised an eyebrow in return.

"When a heart is removed unnaturally from a body, the body and mind should die."

The sudden spark of realization that lit up Roxas' face seemed quite the contrast from his expression only moments before.

"Which is why nobodies shouldn't exist."

Sora nodded, "yup."

"Wait," Xion said again, "if that's the case, then Kingdom Hearts itself shouldn't exist."

Again Sora smiled widely looking pleased. "Yup."

"Then, why does it?" Ven asked.

"And who created it?" Xion added.

Sora glanced around at all three of them as if to study them for a few moments before he apparently decided to answer with a shrug.

"Since the worlds have forgotten it, I'll tell you. Keyblade wielders should know. The person who created Kingdom Hearts was the creator of the Keyblade...and the original wielder of Xehanort's Keyblade."

Stunned silence met his proclamation, so Sora continued. "His name was Nomura*."

xXx

*Because why not? Thought it would be a fun nod to the head guy. :D

Thanks again to Lexik