A/N: Training! YAY!
"Woah! What is this place?" gasped Kairi, looking around as they followed Mickey towards the tower.
"Master Yen Sid's tower. Be polite to him," Mickey said, opening the door and leading them in. They started up the steps, glancing around in interest as they went up the various sets of stairs.
Eventually they reached the top, Mickey pushing the door open with the three kids following behind. Almost as soon as they entered, there was a coo before three winged ladies surrounded them, babbling together and patting their hair or pinching their cheeks.
"Oh, aren't you just precious!"
"They're so cute!"
"What brings you here, little ones?"
"Flora, Fauna, Merryweather, I believe that is enough," a bearded man sitting on a chair said. The three women glanced up before backing away, smiling at the kids as they headed to a different room.
The three of them looked similarly shocked, completely caught off-guard by the sudden attention. "Uhh...What just happened?" asked Riku finally, looking towards the door they had gone through.
"I apologise for their behaviour. I trust you are unharmed, however?" the man said. They nodded, looking at him, and he steepled his fingers as he glanced at Mickey. "And why the visitors? Children, nonetheless."
"Their world has been taken over by darkness, Master. I didn't want to leave them unable to defend for themselves; plus, one of them can use the Keyblade, and I think the other two may also gain the ability."
Yen Sid considered this, turning back to the three kids. They automatically straightened, looking hesitant.
"Which of you can use the Keyblade?" he asked suddenly, and they jumped.
"Uh, me, sir," Sora said, stepping forward a little.
"Demonstrate."
Sora hesitated, glancing back at the other two uncertainly. Turning back, he lifted his hand, focusing.
'C'mon...I could use you before, don't let me down now...'
'You're doing it wrong. The Keyblade is partially linked with your emotions, your will. If you will it to appear, it shall.'
Sora's eyes widened, then he straightened slightly, eyes narrowing as he focused. Yen Sid blinked, then suddenly there was a flash and the Keyblade appeared.
"Ahh, the Kingdom Key? One of the purest forms of the Keyblade...You have great promise, young one," Yen Sid murmured. He eyed him. "You have help," he noted.
Sora looked surprised, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm probably just crazy, but sometimes a voice speaks to me."
Yen Sid lifted a hand towards it, focusing. A dim glow appeared around it, another glow appearing above Sora's heart. He glanced down at it in surprise, and Yen Sid lowered his hand.
"You're heart is bonded with anothers. It is them who speaks to you; you are likely communicating on a subconscious level."
Sora's eyes softened, and he placed a hand over his heart. "Ven.." he mumbled.
Yen Sid gazed at him, then stood. "Very well. I shall train you all. I believe you have the ability to stop the rising darkness, and unlocking your latent potential may be the key to victory in this fight."
The three kids blinked then looked at each other, grinning.
"However, this training will not be easy. Make sure you truly have the will before you begin," he added. They glanced back at him, then Sora shook his head.
"I've gotta find Ven!" he said strongly.
"I'm not leaving Sora," Riku added.
"Neither am I! We stick together," Kairi agreed.
Yen Sid inclined his head. "I applaud your courage. Then, let us begin," he said, lifting a hand as the room fell away.
"So your world got attacked by darkness, you saved your brother and his friends from the darkness, and now you're looking for him?" Vanitas said as he finished his food, wiping his mouth.
"Basically," replied Ventus, shrugging. He followed Vanitas as he straightened, wandering along the street.
"Huh. Doesn't it drag you down, having people you care about?" asked Vanitas.
Ventus frowned, shaking his head. "No. Sora's helped me tons ever since he found me; plus, having him there just...empowers me, I guess."
"Woah, back up a bit. Found you?"
"Yeah. I'm...sort of adopted."
Vanitas shook his head, brow furrowing. "You just get more and more confusing, y'know that? What d'ya mean, 'sort of'?"
Ventus sighed. "It's just really long and complicated, okay? Really really simply, my heart broke and Sora fixed it."
Vanitas blinked. "Okay. That is pretty simple," he agreed, before tilting his head. "Still...how did it break in the first place?"
Ventus shrugged. "I don't know. I don't remember anything before that point; probably because my heart got broken. I don't know how, or why, or even when."
"Sucks to be you."
"Thanks," Ventus said dryly.
Vanitas raised his hands. "Hey, don't look at me like that! I don't know what it's like, so what's the point of, 'oh poor you, I know just how you feel'?"
Ventus shook his head. "Anyway, let's back up the conversation a bit. Why do you think people drag you down?"
"Well, if you're always worrying about someone else and protecting them, it distracts you. That makes you weaker, and gives the enemy an advantage over you," Vanitas explained.
"Don't you have friends?" asked Ventus, confused.
"No. I was raised with Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus, but I just kept to myself. They probably thought I had something wrong with me, especially after five years of knowing me I still hadn't opened up."
"Where were you before those five years?"
"I dunno. I'm like you; I don't have any memories before then. I always knew I could use the Keyblade though."
"And you...you didn't feel lonely during those five years, or anything?" Ventus asked.
Vanitas shrugged. "S'not like I know what not being lonely is like. I mean, I can't really tell the difference. Either I'm with people, or I'm not."
Ventus went quiet, considering this. He knew what that was like, at least...He'd spent too long not really understanding emotions or the differences between things which seemed so important to people to ever fully grasp them. It was really Sora who taught him everything he knew now about how to feel and think; without him, he'd probably be like Vanitas, or worse.
"I think I understand, a bit," he said finally.
Vanitas glanced at him, then yawned. "Alrighty, you want to do something while we're here? We've got some time to kill at least," he pointed out.
Vetus looked at him in surprise, then gave a brief nod. "Sure. I don't think Sora's in trouble, at least."
"Whatever you say. Let's go try that," Vanitas decided, walking over to one of the stalls as Ventus trailed behind him.
"You need to go after him. He's never been outside before; he could get into all kinds of trouble," Eraqus ordered.
"Master, I understand what you mean, but Vanitas isn't a child. He's proven he can look after himself time and time again," Terra argued.
"Orders are orders, Terra. Go retrieve Vanitas; I won't ask you again," Eraqus snapped.
Terra held back an angry growl, instead giving a brief nod before turning, Aqua beside him.
As they stepped outside, Aqua looked at him. "Terra, I know you're mad, but Vanitas...he doesn't understand the world the same way as we do. There's a lot he doesn't know, and you've seen how he acts sometimes. I doubt he fully grasps human emotions - and who can blame him? We've not exactly tried very hard to teach him."
"He's not a wild animal or domesticated pet either, Aqua. He deserves to do what he wants, rather than being cooped up here. I know Master Xehanort suggested we keep him here, but I think it'd do him good to experience the real world. At the very most we could just travel with him; forcing him to come back seems too extreme, and he'd just try and break out again."
Aqua sighed. "Well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to just tag along at least. Do you know where he is?" she asked.
Terra nodded, lifting his wayfinder. "He says he doesn't care about us, but he did take this. I'm not sure he's trying very hard to push us away."
"Then let's go find him. Maybe we can convince him that we just want to travel with him," Aqua decided, smiling.
Terra nodded at her, changing into his armour before forming a path and heading into it, Aqua close behind him
A/N: I am aware that Vanitas is a bad guy. I just happen to really like the kid, so I figured I could make him a protagonist in this *shrug*
Review?