Sora could feel them crawling throughout the castle. The creatures of darkness swarmed in every nook and cranny. Those didn't bother Sora. They were easy and expected. No, it was the large bodies of Nothing that made him nervous. Sora counted them one, two, three, four, five, six. Six figures of Nothing were hidden throughout the castle.
"How many?" Aqua asked. He told them. She didn't seem surprised. "Sent here by Xemnas, most likely. They're probably searching for the chamber."
"Wait, Nobodies?" Kairi asked. Sora watched as the color drained from her face. She was scared. No, that wasn't the right word: terrified. She had told of her meetings with some of the Nobodies and how they wound up losses. She barely made it out of the fight in one piece and they were only toying with her.
Sora grimly nodded. He hadn't had the pleasure of meeting with the humanoid Nobodies. Kairi had shown him the lesser beings, which weren't all that tough. They were like the Heartless, only… it was strange because there was nothing by a void within them. It was weird coming across something that didn't have a heart.
"We have to hurry," Aqua commanded quietly.
She led them throughout the castle. Sora became aware that they were being watched. The eyes on them were constant. They already know they were here. Sora frowned, wanting to tell his party members. He glanced to Kairi who didn't seem at all comforted by the situation.
Sora met her eyes and offered her an assuring smile. She should remember what she told him. She needed to face her fears to become stronger from them. Besides, she wasn't alone this time. She had Aqua and himself right beside her.
His smile seemed to relax her. She was still shaken, but was okay to push forward.
Aqua expertly navigated the maze of halls and rooms. Every room looked exactly the same and every corridor was identical. How did she know they weren't back where they started? Then again, Aqua was always amazing like that. She knew how to keep a level head and seem to just know what to do next. It might have also been that she made this castle and that alone just blew Sora's mind.
It didn't take long to find the Chamber of Waking. It felt too easy. A place swarming with monsters and not one attacked them. It set Sora on edge. Kairi was right there with him, he figured when he noticed her fingers itching to grab her Keyblade.
The two hovered by the door as Aqua stepped towards the center of the room. The room was white with a blue tint and the Master's sigil lining the walls. They were all connected by chains of light, leading to the center of the room that was decorated by nothing but a throne.
In the throne sat a flaxen-haired boy around the same age as Sora and Kairi. Sora couldn't get a good look at his face from this distance. His Master rushed to his side, crouching beside the throne, pushing his hair back to look at his face. She smiled so gently, Sora could feel the comfort she had at knowing Ven was still safe. He wouldn't be for long. They needed to get out of here now. How was he supposed to tell her that?
"Aqua, we, er, kind of have to—"
"Right," Aqua nodded. She adjusted herself in front of the throne, pulling Ven onto her back. She jogged to catch up to them, securing the boy on her back. "Let's go."
Sora opened the door. Before them stood a tall, lanky man with pointy red hair that was slicked back and bright green eyes. A smirk played on his lips as he held a chakram behind his head. "Hey, guys. What's going on?"
Sora slammed the door in his face, turning to the girls. "So, what's the plan?"
Sora got nothing by bad vibes from that guy. The lack of a heart perturbed him. He couldn't tell how much light and darkness truly resided within him and it threw him off.
"The plan is," came a voice from a dark portal that appeared across the room, "That you drop whatever you came to get and come with me peacefully."
"Not gonna happen," Sora replied stubbornly. Aqua held a hand in front of Sora to stop him from rushing in too quickly. Sora glanced from her hand to her face. Her eyes flicked back to her hand and he followed. She held out two fingers. A signal. Only two Keyblades max. Sora nodded as he understood. She discussed with him being a trump card. An act of surprise. He was something nobody would be expecting.
Didn't matter. This guy didn't look so tough.
As Aqua retracted her hand to secure her grip on Ven, Sora summoned Kingdom Key. He grinned, lunging for the Nobody. Kairi was right beside him with Destiny's Embrace in hand.
"Aw, really?" the Nobody whined as he jumped just out of reach. "Two Keyblade wielders? That's not fair." He didn't seem all that surprised. Sora wondered what he knew, but didn't give himself time to consider it. He blocked an oncoming flaming chakram.
Fire burst up around them, preventing the three of them from leaving the room. Aqua danced away from the flames that licked the door, having to be careful to make sure the boy on her back did not get burned.
As Sora and Kairi fought the Nobody, he realized he wouldn't need more than one Keyblade. With Kairi by his side (who was an amazingly graceful fighter), this battle was a little too easy. The bombardment of flames made the whole room way too hot, but Kairi's blizzard attacks helped to cool it down.
A chakram flew passed his ear. Sora felt it flying back towards him from his left side. He dismissed Kingdom Key and raised his hand to summon Diamond Dust and block. The force of the blow pushed him back. The blade in his hand… wasn't Diamond Dust. What was Wayward Wind doing there? Whatever. It didn't matter. He lunged to slash at the Nobody.
The change in fighting style seemed to have caught him off guard as Sora landed a hit. It dazed the Nobody enough for Kairi to cast a binding spell. The man fell over, struggling against the spell, his chakrams Sora held the blade to his throat.
"Drop the barrier, Nobody." Sora ordered. Kairi stood next to him, slinging her Keyblade towards him. The man frowned.
"The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Memorize it."
"Where you the only one sent after us?" Kairi asked.
"Yes. For now," Axel sat up, shaking out his head. The barrier was still up, flames licking the walls and door. Sora's threat still stood. The man looked between the three of them, his eyes falling on Aqua. She hitched Ven up more comfortably. Sora watched as Axel's gree eyes widened. "Was that what we were supposed to be looking for?" Axel asked, exasperation in his tone. "Seriously? A napping kid? Jeeze."
Sora glanced back at Aqua who frowned. Sora turned back to Axel, who rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Go before the others get here. I don't see how we were supposed to use him."
The flames died down, giving them the chance to run. Kairi went first, holding the door open for Aqua. Sora stayed behind, his blade (Ven's blade) aimed at Axel. When the girls had cleared the room, he rushed after them. Sora was suspicious as to why the Nobody let them go. Maybe he saw he was beat? No. He was stronger than that, Sora suspected.
Kairi took up the front as Sora brought up the rear. Getting out wasn't nearly as easy as getting in. Heartless and Nobodies decided now was a great time to attack. Sora and Kairi took it upon themselves to take care of them to protect Aqua and Ven. Many times, the numbers felt overwhelming, making Sora wish he could bring out more Keyblades to just finish them. But the Organization was watching and Sora needed to hold himself back. Well, he supposed he had more power to utilize if he only used two Keyblades. Less magic was used and more strength was easier to access.
They made it to the front door when they were stopped by two Organization members. A strong man with pink hair and a woman with blonde hair. Her nymph-like smirk sent shivers down Sora's spine.
Sora ran to the front to protect Aqua with Kairi.
"So, all that was in there was a boy?" the girl asked, leaning an arm against the man's shoulder.
"If he's someone the Superior was looking for, perhaps he's more than he seems."
"Think we can make use of him?" The girl asked.
"Most certainly."
They attacked. Kunai and a rose colored scythe were drawn. Sora and Kairi grinned at each other, an unspoken agreement to take on their own opponent. Sora lunged for the man as Kairi went for the girl. He was ready, or at least thought he was.
The man proved more powerful than Sora anticipated. Holding back his power made this a difficult battle. He had rose-colored razor-winds thrown at him, was thrown in the air by a flurry of whirlwinds, and the Nobody teleported—a lot. Sora summoned Kingdom Key in his other hand, holding both in a backhanded fashion. The man was shocked, but it did not hold him back.
Sora wasn't afraid of this man. He was formidable, yes. But he'd fought worse Heartless. Sora was light on his toes, flipping over bursts of energy that came up from the ground, ducking under winds, battling his own aero magic with the whirlwinds. He got close to the man and grinned at him before slicing up under his chin, knocking him back. It dazed the Nobody enough for Sora to use a finishing move, knocking the man to the ground. When Sora was sure he wouldn't get back up, he turned to Kairi to see how she was doing.
Kairi was struggling. When the girl had got a chance to see how her colleague was doing, it distressed her enough to distract her momentarily.
"Marluxia!"
Kairi threw a blizzard spell at her, freezing her in a block of ice. The girl panted, turning to Sora. She was hurt, bleeding and static made her hair stand on end. Sora rushed to her, casting cure as he asked how she was doing.
"I'm fine. It won't hold her for long." Kairi turned to Aqua. "Let's go."
The three rushed out of the castle, activating their armor. Aqua set Ven down as Kairi and Sora summoned their Keyblade Gliders. She pressed the armor on his shoulder to activate it before pulling him on to Kairi's glider. It wouldn't fit the three of them at all. Kairi wasn't thrilled about having to drive it herself, but there wasn't much they could do.
Sora and Aqua climbed onto his. It was a bit cramped as she held him around the chest to secure herself. Sora looked back towards the castle, noting how a young man with silver hair stood in front of the door, simply watching them as they jettisoned off.
When they made it back to Traverse Town, Sora tumbled off his glider, raising his fists in the air. Victory! Sweet, sweet victory! They'd made it back in one piece! They'd saved the boy, battled against the Organization, and made it back alive! Was it time to sleep yet?
Back in their designated flat, Aqua laid Ven in her bed. That was when Sora finally got a good look at him. He looked crazy familiar. Where had he seen him before? He definitely felt like he knew him, even though he knew they had never met. He was Aqua's friend. He had been in that Chamber for as long as she was in the Realm of Darkness. There was no possible way for Sora to know him.
But he did. In his heart, he felt connected to him. It was like he'd know Ven his whole life, yet he knew nothing about him. Sora summoned Wayward Wind, studying the Keyblade. This wasn't his. He knew it. When he used it, he battled in a completely different style than his own. Maybe it was time to give it back.
He felt Aqua watching him from her place at the desk. She was nursing wounds sustained from Heartless and Nobodies that had escaped Kairi and Sora to attack her and Ven. Sora wondered what she was thinking. The boy she had mistake Sora for so many times was right here, right now… so what did she think of the boy she helped raise?
"Here. This is yours." Sora placed the blade in Ven's hand, resting it on the bed. He watched Ven's hand curl loosely around the handle with a smile. Looking to the boy's face, Sora's smile fell rather quickly. Ven's eyes had become half-lidded. Still asleep, his lightless eyes stared straight ahead. It was really creepy.
"Ah!" Light sparked from his chest. Sora clutched it, stumbling back. He felt as if his heart was ripping apart, a piece of it trying to escape with all of its might. It hurt. It hurt so badly. He reached behind him for support, unable to stand on his feet from the pain. Aqua was quickly behind him, her question of concern unheard.
Leaning against Aqua, light burst from his chest, filtering through his fingers. Something was in his hand. Panting, he pulled his hands away from his chest to inspect it. It rose, shining and twinkling before making its way to Ventus. Sora watched the light sink into Ven's chest, spreading a glow throughout his body before settling. Sora looked up at Aqua who looked back at him, furrowing her brow in confusion.
They watched the boy expectantly. Something was bound to happen. They were still trying to process what just happened. Somebody needed to have answers, right? Maybe Ven would? Sora hoped Ven would.
Slowly, the blonde sat up, rubbing his eyes with his free hand and groaning. Sora pulled himself straight up, backing away from the boy as Aqua moved closer slowly… then, ran to his side, dropping on her knee to level with him. She waited. Sora waited.
Ven turned to the girl. "Aqua?"
I had trouble deciding if I wanted to write this from Kairi's point of view or Sora's. I ended up writing boy views side by side and seeing which one I preferred. Eventually, I wrote more with Sora than I did with Kairi, so, we get Sora's view once more!
And Ven! Aaaah! I love Ven!