A/N: If you've played Dream Drop Distance and looked at the little side-files, you probably know most of what Yen Sid is talking about anyway.
Also, everyone seems to be responding pretty well to Vani being a good guy! I just really like the kid, and I really hope that at some point in the next game he's helped by Sora too (just like I hope Roxas, Naminé and Xion get to be people and Terra is a good guy and everyone is happy again), and I also figured if he wasn't constantly being brainwashed by Xehanort but raised by Eraqus like Ven was, he might have turned out a bit better.
So anyway, enjoy more Sorikai and Vanven!
"What is this place?" asked Riku, glancing around.
"A place where time does not flow at the same rate as the real world. Here, I can train you without interruption, and when we return it will be at the same point as when we left," Yen Sid replied. He turned to them. "Now, take a seat. I shall begin your instruction," he said.
The three of them quickly sat down, gazing up at Yen Sid expectantly. He nodded, beginning to pace.
"The Keyblade is a key-shaped weapon forged by man during the age of fairy tales. All Keyblades have one of three natures; light, darkness, or heart. However, these last two are exceptional, and most documented Keyblades are those of light."
"Is mine?" asked Sora.
Yen Sid nodded. "The Kingdom Key is a rare form for the Keyblade, and can only be weilded by those pure of heart. And besides, it is extremely rare to find Keyblades of Darkness or Heart. The heart must be proven before a Keyblade will appear in its masters hand. No lock can withstand it, nor can any non-agent of light."
"But wouldn't someone who's a...non-agent of light weild a darkness Keyblade?" asked Kairi.
"No. Even if someone weilds a Keyblade of Darkness, they will be an agent of light. Only those pure hearted can weild it, but how that pureness is revealed can vary. There are also special Keychains which allow the Keyblade's appearance and performance to be altered, allowing for greater versatility."
Riku raised a hand, and Yen Sid sighed. "Yes?"
"Where'd the Keyblade come from? It didn't just come from nowhere, did it?" he asked.
"Perceptive, young one. No, the Keyblade did not just 'come from nowhere'. It was forged during the time of the Keyblade War, based on the legendary X-Blade."
"What's that?" asked Sora.
"An ancient tool crafted to be the 'key' to Kingdom Hearts. Many people argue that if the X-Blade had never existed, the devastating Keyblade War may never have occured. It symbolises a perfect crossing of light and darkness, and can be reforged through a high-dimensional clash between those two poles." The three kids stared at him blankly, and he sighed. "If a Weilder of Darkness and a Weilder of Light merged, they could recreate it."
"Ohhh," they murmured together.
"So what's the Keyblade War?" asked Riku.
"The Keyblade War was an ancient fight that occured over possession for Kingdom Hearts, the source of all light. Keyblade Weilders from both light and darkness battled for control of it, and wiped out all the World's light as a result. The legend goes that the few worlds which remain today are the fragmented remnants of this World, saved by the last glimmers of light within the hearts of children."
"Why does everyone want this Kingdom Hearts thingy so much?" asked Kairi.
"As I said before, it is the source of all light. It has long since been lost, but many people have tried to recreate it, or to recreate the X-Blade to locate it once more. It could be used to provide ultimate power to the one who controls it, or is suggested to be able to give a person with no heart their heart back."
"How can someone have no heart?" asked Sora.
"There are various ways, little one. Tell me; when you were being attacked by the darkness, what did it look like?"
"Huh? Uh...well, it was all black with glowing yellow eyes, and it was really small...I guess it resembled an insect?"
"What chased you is called a 'Heartless'. They are beings who have lost their hearts, and so are reduced to that form. They wander the worlds, attacking those with hearts so that they may regain their own heart. Those whose light is pure attracts them, and only the Keyblade can defeat them and retrieve the hearts they have stolen."
"There's no other way to stop them?" asked Kairi hesitantly.
"There are ways, but none will allow the stolen hearts to be reclaimed and returned to their owners. Even then, only a Keyblade of Heart can truly return the hearts; all other Keyblades let them wander until they possibly find their original hosts."
"That's kinda sad," Sora mumbled.
"It is indeed. That is why the Keyblade Weilders strive to lead people to the light; so that they do not have to face this fate." He turned to them. "But, enough of this. Mickey believes you can all use the Keyblade; I am inclined to believe him. Sora, if you would."
Sora blinked then stood, lifting his hand. The Keyblade quickly appeared, glinting slightly in the light.
"Very good. You seem to have gained mastery over it rather quickly. Can you explan what you do?"
Sora considered."I dunno...The voice just said that it responds to my will, so if I will it to appear, it does. So I just kinda go 'come here' and it does."
"An...interesting explanation. I suppose, simply put, it can be described like this." He turned to the other two. "Do either of you believe you could summon yours based on this?"
"I suppose we could try," Riku replied after a shared glance with Kairi, the two of them standing up. They lifted their hands, trying to imagine the Keyblade appearing in their hands. After a moment they sighed, shaking their heads.
"I can't feel anything," Kairi said quietly.
"Not to worry. Specifically put, the Keyblade responds to certain wavelengths. By synchronising those wavelengths, your emotions and will, and the Keyblade together, it appears in whatever form your heart takes. If you focus on synchronising the wavelengths, it will eventually appear." The two kids looked at him blankly, before glancing at Sora. He shrugged.
"Just really want something. I wanted us to go home, so it appeared. Once you get the feeling the first time, it's easy to get later on," he replied. They took this in, facing forward again as they tried to think of something suitable.
'I...I want to protect my friends. I want to have the strength to protect them.' There was a flash, then a Keyblade appeared in Riku's hand. He blinked then gasped, staring at it.
'I want to save the worlds from darkness. No one should be forced to live in darkness if they don't want to.' Another flash, and a Keyblade appeared in Kairi's hand. She gave a happy smile, looking it over in awe.
Yen Sid stared at them a moment, glancing between the three Keyblades hurriedly, then slowly shook his head. "I never thought..." he murmured, frowning, then waved them off as they looked up at him. "It is of no matter at this time. I may need to speak to each of you privately, however." They glanced at each other, then accepted this and turned back.
"Hey, Mister Yen Sid, what's our Keyblade's names?" asked Kairi excitedly.
"Yours, my dear, is Destiny's Embrace. A powerful weapon for the purest soul. And yours is Soul Eater; beware the meaning of it's name."
"Can we go find Ven now?" asked Sora excitedly.
Yen Sid raised a hand. "Patience. You only know how to summon your Keyblades; now it is time to learn how to weild them," he said, waving a hand.
Aqua and Terra wandered down the street, glancing around. "He must be somewhere near here; the Wayfinder is practically burning," Terra muttered.
"Terra, look! Over there," Aqua said suddenly, grabbing his arm. Terra turned, following her gaze before blinking as he spotted him. Then he realised what she was looking at.
"Who's the other kid?" he muttered as he started forward, Aqua at his side.
The two boys looked up as they approached, Vanitas scowling. "Oh, great. You two," he muttered. The blond beside him looked at them curiously.
"Are these your friends?" he asked, looking at Vanitas.
"In the loosest sense of the word," Vanitas snorted.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ventus," the blond greeted, unaffected by his gruff attitude.
"It's nice to meet you as well, Ventus. I'm Aqua, and this is my friend Terra," Aqua replied, smiling.
"Why are you with this guy?" asked Terra, motioning to Vanitas.
"He said he'd help me find Sora. I'm...not particularly good at moving between worlds yet, and he said he was just wandering about, so I tagged along," Ventus replied.
"Who's Sora?" asked Terra.
"My brother. We got separated when our world was attacked."
The two of them glanced at each other hesitantly. "I'm sure he's fine," Aqua said finally.
"Yeah, he is. I'd be able to tell if he was in trouble," Ventus replied innocently. They blinked, looking a little confused, though Vanitas didn't seem too weirded out.
"Well, anyway, we should get going. Tell Eraqus I'm not going back, and he's a stuck-up prick," Vanitas said, easily summoning his Keyblade and lifting it.
"Wait, Vanitas. Master Eraqus may want you back, but we both agree that you should be allowed out, so long as we accompany you," Aqua quickly said.
"Do what you want. You found me easy enough the first time," Vanitas said, before darkness shot out. It quickly surrounded the two boys, before they vanished, and Aqua sighed.
"He's such a brat," Terra grunted.
"Let's just move on, Terra. Can you lead the way again?" Terra nodded, changing into his armour before he lifted his Keyblade as well.
Ventus stumbled slightly as they arrived at the next world, Vanitas seeming unpertubed by the slightly rough landing. He stretched, wandering forward as he looked around in interest.
"Now, this place is new to me. Where'd we get transported?" he wondered. Ventus frowned, then blinked.
"Radiant Garden..." he murmured.
Vanitas glanced back. "What? Didn't catch that."
"Sora was here! Him, Kairi and Riku were all here for a little bit, but then they left again..."
"If you knew that, why didn't you just come here in the first place?"
"I didn't. I mean, I know now, but not before. It just sort of...came to me."
Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "Riiight. Anyway, where'd they go?"
Ventus frowned, trying to focus, then sighed. "I don't know. I'm just getting bits and pieces from Sora; nothing specific."
"Well, 'fraid we're stuck then. I mean, you probably led us here in the first place, so I dunno if you wanna try doing it again or.."
"No, probably best not to. We don't know where we'd end up. Anyway, they may end up coming back here eventually, so we could probably wait a bit for them."
"Well, that's up to you. I'm pretty sure those two idiots will come after me soon, so I don't particularly want to hang around for too long. So long as you're fine with being left behind..."
Ventus bit his lip, glancing back at him, then sighed. "Can we at least wait a little while? I mean, it's not like your friends are trying to force you to go home or anything, so I'm sure we can just hang around with them for a bit."
Vanitas grunted. "Whatever," he muttered, but he made no indication that he was moving on and Ventus gave a happy smile before following after him.
The two wandered around for a while, talking to people and browsing the various stores. Ventus was pretty much interested in everything, looking at whatever caught his eye, and although Vanitas didn't show it he seemed pretty curious too. After investigating everything of interest, they found themselves just walking down random streets as they looked around.
"So, how come you can use the Keyblade?" asked Vanitas, looking at him. Ventus glanced at him, then shrugged.
"I don't know. I kept dreaming about it for ages, but I never used it until...yesterday? Wow...It's really only been a day?"
Vanitas yawned. "Well, may as well buckle down somewhere for the night. Follow me, I think I saw an inn near the marketplace," he said, heading back with Ventus behind him. As they headed towards the inn, they briefly saw Aqua and Terra walking into the marketplace. Vanitas smirked then hurried up, staying out of their sight as he slipped into the building. Ventus hesitated before following him, shaking his head.
They quickly booked a room with two single beds, before heading up to it and crashing onto the beds. Ventus quickly fell asleep, snoring happily, and Vanitas shook his head before curling up under the covers and also falling asleep.
A/N: I can't remember if I mentioned this, but there's no pairings in this so far. There may be in later parts, but for now I'm happy enough having everyone platonic.
The doc uploader is also being weird on me, meaning I have to figure out a way to put these up without it making it all into a giant paragraph - so, if there are any sentences that seem weird or have more than one person talking in them, it's because I had to split up the sentences manually again.
Review?