Chapter Eight: Fall

Something was wrong.

Ven could sense that much, coming up the path to their home. He had gone to Disney Castle to see its' construction, aiding in protecting it, temporarily. It had seemed to be the work of a rogue Dusk Keyblader, turned Dark from after the War. Disney hadn't been hard to protect, but when the presence had simply vanished, Ven felt himself grow uneasy. He was reaching for the doorknob when the cry hit him.

Our Knights!

Ven swayed, gripping the doorknob. The voice of Kingdom Hearts itself, a thousand million hearts all calling at once to their Chaser of Light. The Kingdom rarely spoke to them directly, but in times of great emergency it would. Ven reeled as the voices assaulted him once more, all crying out as one.

Cursed one! Betrayer! Darkling thing! Forbid we to allow him a hand in our Chasers! Take not one, for the others suffer!

Ven concentrated, shrieking his thought as loudly as he could. What has happened!?! Tell me!

The voices of Kingdom Hearts wailed and moaned, lamenting an event Ven did not know of yet. But when the words hit him, he could only freeze in shocked horror.

He had distracted our Light, that Twilight and Dawn may fall to Dusk…

Ven gasped. Terra! Aqua! And… Xehanort.

He threw the door open, racing inside and up the sweeping stairs, hurling open the door to Terra's room and stopping in horror at the scene. Xehanort stood with his Keyblade pointed at Terra's throat, staring across the room at a frightened Aqua. She clutched her Twilight Keyblade close to her, but seemed reluctant to use it. Ven could see why. In the split second of time that he had, he brought his own blade against Xehanort's, knocking it across the room.

Xehanort turned to him, a quiet snarl coming from his lips. He moved as if to go for his Keyblade, but shifted his weight at the last second and lunged at Ven instead. His Keyblade appeared in his hand, and he pressed the dull side of the blade against Ven's neck, pinning him to the wall.

"Xehanort!" Aqua cried, shocked. "What…? Why are you doing this!?!"

"All of you continue to betray me! You fear me and my darkness! You avoid me and find comfort in each other instead!" the Chaser of Dusk ranted. "Well, I'm leaving! I'm going to the people who will accept me for who I am!"

"Xehanort!" Terra stood, putting as much command, as well as understanding, into his voice as he could. "Xehanort, don't do this. Don't you see? This is what caused the War to begin with!" He made to step towards the silver-headed teen, but Xehanort only forced the Keyblade harder against Ven's throat. Terra stopped, seeing in Xehanort's eyes what he would do, and tried again. "Please… We don't want to lose you to the Darkness."

Xehanort's golden eyes cleared for a moment, and he loosened his Keyblade, letting Ven slump to the floor. But then they darkened over again, and he turned to the door and ran.

The others pursued him, catching up just as he reached the door.

"Don't leave us!" Ven yelled desperately. "Let us help you!"

Xehanort fixed him with an icy glare. "I hope you and Aqua are very happy, Ven… For the time you have left, anyway." He opened the door and sprinted out into the dark night, and Ven suddenly realized what part of the problem was.

"Xehanort! I don't love her like that! She's my sister, nothing more! SHE LIKED YOU, YOU IDIOT!!!" But Xehanort was too far away to hear, fading into the night like the shadows he would soon command. Aqua hugged Ven, burying her face into his shoulder as she cried.

"I cannot love him, betraying us like that…" she sobbed. "He thinks we…"

"I know…" Ven soothed quietly. "I know…"

Terra walked over and embraced them both, blinking back tears of his own. They stared off into the distance, thinking that they should have seen this coming, but hadn't. It wasn't Xehanort, they all knew, but the Darkness that had gotten into his heart. He was hurting, but they didn't know how to help him. All they could do now was wait and see what would come to pass.

xXx

Xehanort walked slowly into the darkened room. His eyes scanned the shadows, and he stepped back as a figure came from the darkness. Kneeling, he murmured, "I am here… But… They seemed genuinely upset, to see me leave…"

"More illusions." The man before him was dressed in red and black, his head was bald, and his eyes pierced all whom he looked at like they could see into your soul. He carried an elaborate Keyblade that hummed with dark energy. "They continue to play you false, as they have all this time."

"Yes…" Xehanort whispered. "Master."