Aqua was stubborn. Ventus knew that better than anyone except for maybe Terra and right now, he was beginning to get annoyed by that fact. When Aqua set her mind to do something, she was going to do it, even if the task seemed impossible. She would find a way. Aqua was creative and always thought outside of the box, but… this… this was just pure stupidity.
It wasn't that Aqua was going to face Ansem alone. Ven knew she could take care of herself. He knew she could beat him, no problem. It was what she planned to do after that made him question if maybe she spent too long in the Realm of Darkness and it might have driven her insane.
She was going to go right into that vortex of doom and darkness. She was going to go in and try and find the Final Keyhole to seal it. By herself. Because she was stubborn and dumb.
"You don't know what's in there!" Ven snapped. "For all you know, it could take you back to the Realm of Darkness!"
Aqua shook her head. Her tired blue eyes glanced over him, exposing just how weary this argument was making her. Ven knew when Sora returned from Riku and Kairi's place, he'd jump right back in with him.
"It's a chance I'll have to take," Aqua told him.
"Not by yourself," Ven insisted.
Her watery smile broke his heart. They sat facing each other on the couch, Aqua with her legs folded under her and Ven with his crossed. She reached over to touch his face. "Ven… I can't let you get hurt again. I don't… I wouldn't be able to take it."
Ven shrank back a bit. He was terribly reminded of one of the last things he'd said to her before he fell asleep. And of what happened with Terra. And how Aqua was alone for so long. How their lives just fell apart and all of the suffering they'd been through.
They never really did patch things up, did they? Aqua never brought up the fight the three of them had. He tried not to think about it. But… maybe it was something they needed to talk about. It would be better if Terra were here for that. They needed to get Terra back for things to be better between them again.
"It's not going to be like last time," he replied quietly. "We'll be fighting together this time. We didn't exactly… sync up." He perked up. "But with all the training, I think we're better at it now, right?"
Aqua smiled, ruffling his hair. "I know. Terra is going to be so jealous."
Ven felt his smile fall. "… Aqua, if you… vanquish this Ansem guy… what's going to happen to Terra?"
She leaned back, letting her head fall back to stare at the ceiling. She was quiet for a long time and Ven waiting patiently. He really missed his best friend. His big brother. He wanted Terra to be here more than anything.
"I'm not sure," Aqua refused to look at him. "Ansem is Xehanort's Heartless… and Xehanort took over Terra's heart. So… I don't know if Terra is part of Ansem or not. But… Xemnas…" she chewed her lip.
"He looks a lot like him, doesn't he?" Ven mused, rocking back and forth. "I mean… he's older. And has silver hair. And maybe got too much sun. But… he looks just like Terra."
"We'll have to fight him, too…" Ven was shocked to hear her voice crack. Aqua…. Aqua had been so strong through all of this. Ven had never heard her waver and never seen her cry. He tried to look at her face that had become shrouded by her long hair.
"But… what'll happen to Terra?" Ven asked again.
Aqua shook her head again, letting her hair fall even more in her face. "I don't know." She whispered.
The two of them sat in silence for what felt like years. It was like something was unspoken… a pain they both understood. If getting Ansem and Xemnas out of the way was good for the World, then… then it might mean losing Terra for good. Ven refused to acknowledge that. Maybe… maybe getting rid of both of them would be the thing that brought Terra back. Or maybe… maybe… Ven had nothing. Heartless and Nobodies and everything was complicated and he just wanted his brother back!
The door opened. Sora strode briskly behind the couch, sitting on the top before falling back between them. He laid with his back and head on the cushions and his legs dangling over the back as he looked between Ven and Aqua. His gazed stopped on her and he reached over to pull hair from her face. Ven still couldn't see it, but Sora only grinned at her. She laughed, running a hand through his spiky hair.
If Ven and Terra were brothers, Sora and Aqua were most certainly brother and sister. Ven was only a little jealous of Sora. But mostly because his pseudo-sibling wasn't here.
"So, did you break her yet?" Sora asked, turning to Ven.
"She's a tough nut to crack." Ven crossed his arms.
"Aqua…" Sora turned back to her, his face in mock seriousness. "Tell me one thing: How exactly do you plan to get there?"
Aqua finally lifted her head, her blue eyes blinking in slight confusion. Had she… had she not thought of that? Master Aqua, the girl who thought everything through? How had Ven not considered that? Why wasn't this brought up before?
"I… uh…"
"Then it's settled," Sora folded his hands behind his head. "I'm going with you."
"Sora, I can't ask you to follow me into the darkness." Aqua's voice tightened. "I won't put you through that again. You belong in the Light."
"So do you, Master Aqua," Sora's grin widened. "And I've been following you through the darkness since we've met. There's no way I'm stopping now. Besides, I still need my Master to teach me stuff, and this would be a great learning experience, don't you?" Sora held his hands in front of him, spreading them as if to frame his words. "This lesson shall be called, 'Don't Follow Your Master When She Comes Up With Dumb Ideas.' It'll be good."
"If he's going, I'm coming too!" Ven asserted.
"No."
This was from both of them. What? Sora, too? "Hey, no fair!"
"Sora's… He…" Aqua fumbled to find the words. She was good at holding her case, but bad at fighting it. She had never been good with arguments and backing up her case and Ven noticed it certainly got worse when she was in the Realm of Darkness. He wondered how, since she clearly had enough practice bickering with DiZ.
"What? Stronger? Trained longer?" Ven frowned. "Can wield a billion Keyblades?"
"No!" Aqua shook her head. "It's just…"
Sora kicked his legs, folding his fingers over his chest. "She cares about you, Ven." He shrugged. "She doesn't want to drag you into the Darkness. If we can't come out… We've been there before. It's all that we know. She doesn't want that fate for you." Sora touched Ven's chest. He scowled down at the other. "You've got this heart of light. It's still broken and… you need time to heal it."
"I… We're coming back as soon as we can," Aqua promised. "It might take us a while, but… we'll come back."
"No!" Ven wasn't going to stand for that. "Neither of you are going anywhere alone! I'm coming with you! We promised we'd stick together this time and now you're… You're going to break that promise to be self-righteous heroes? You're not going into the darkness alone. I can help."
Sora somersaulted off the couch, landing on his knees to properly face Ventus. "Hey, look. We'll be back in no time. All we have to do is face Ansem, lock a Keyhole, and bam-boom, we head home. Easy."
"You say that now that you're going with her." Ven grumbled.
"Yeah," Sora gave a smug grin that made Ven want to deck him.
Aqua heaved a heavy sigh, unfolding her legs to hold her ankles. "Ven… this isn't about us being heroes." She explained. "This is about paving the way for the real ones: Riku and Kairi. This was the start of their fight. And you need to be there to help them. You've been through this and you've been through enough pain and hurt. Help them end this once and for all."
Ven frowned. "You say that like you won't be back in time to help us."
The girl hung her head, not looking at her friend. "I… was… it's just…" She took a moment to gather herself. Aqua took a deep breath through her nose, shaking her self out. "I was just… in that position before. When I didn't return nearly as soon as I thought I would… But," she smiled at him. "At least I got to see you wake up."
He wanted to be angry. He wanted to be furious. He wanted her to think this over and take him with her! He lost Terra, he couldn't lose Aqua, too. He didn't want to be without his friends any longer. Not when they were so close to being reunited. But Aqua was just so happy to see him awake. Her mind was at ease knowing Ven was safe and in good hands, even if she had to go.
"… There's nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?"
Aqua shook her head. Ventus slumped, defeated. He could argue with her until he was blue in the face. She wasn't going to let up. But maybe… Ven had an idea. It was a long shot. He knew it probably wouldn't work. But he had to try.
That night, he didn't get much sleep. Ven tossed and turned, even though he was past the point of exhaustion. He lay awake, staring through the window at the buildings across from them. Traverse Town didn't exactly have the best views. He missed his room in the Land of Departure that depicted mountains and the courtyard and stars. Especially the stars. It was so easy to watch the night sky from where his room at been. Now… if he laid at the foot of his bed and tilted his head a certain way, he might be able to see the stars. There was a little too much light pollution to get the view he wanted.
Sometime later, he felt himself dozing when he heard something hit his window. He rubbed his eye, looking back to the pane. Again, a pok was heard as a pebble hit the glass. Ventus pulled himself to his feet to shuffle over to open the window and look down. There he was. Tall, gangly, clad in black and carrying a bag that held the usual. Ven glanced at the door, hoping Sora was sleeping or not paying enough attention to sense the Nobody that called for Ventus.
The blonde didn't want to chance Sora waking up. He quickly grabbed his armor and leapt from his window, landing lightly on his feet on the street below. The red-head chuckled as Ven turned to grin at him as best he could. He was so damn tired. But he needed to talk to Lea.
"Come on, before Sora notices." Ven's voice croaked with exhaustion and the argument as he fixed his armor to his sleep.
"Okay, okay, sheesh." Lea snickered as he opened a dark portal. Ven activated his armor to follow his friend to their usual place. Oh, man. That sunset was so bright right now.
The top of the clock tower in Twilight Town was the place these two had taken to meeting when Lea was available. It hadn't been often, maybe three or four times since Ven had woken up, but it was still nice to see his old friend when he could.
Lea sat down, handing Ven a sea-salt ice cream. Ven settled beside him, holding the treat with both hands as he took a moment to wake up. He wondered how much he should tell Lea this time. He knew there were certain things neither was supposed to talk about. It was an unspoken agreement. The two wouldn't talk about work or saving the worlds or plans. They still had their own sides, even if they didn't agree with one another.
"Did I wake you from your beauty sleep?"
"Naw," Ven took a bite of the ice cream. "Couldn't really sleep."
"Never had that problem," Lea stretched. Ven snorted. When he sat with him… it was so hard to believe he didn't have a heart. He acted like a normal person. He didn't even seem like a bad guy. He just… wanted to be whole again. And wasn't that what most people want?
"Aqua and Sora are going on a dangerous mission and…" Ven kicked his feet, frustration returning. "They don't know if they'll be coming back."
"Oh." Lea was silent for a while. He knew not to ask what the mission was. He knew not to ask for any more information than that. Ven knew it would be a hard statement to follow up with. "That's… rough. But, I'm sure they'll come out just fine."
Ven laughed. "You say that like you're rooting for them."
"Hey, if they're fighting more Heartless, that's good for me, remember?" Lea laughed. "More hearts in Kingdom Hearts, the sooner I get mine and I'll actually be able to feel hurt when you insult me so terribly by forgetting who I work for."
"Yeah, I guess." Ven sighed. "What'll happen to the new girl, though? She's… well… her heart is with Kairi."
"Huh," Lea took a moment, his lips pursed as he mulled it over. "I hadn't… actually thought about that. How's the Princess doing, anyway? She didn't lose her memories, too, did she?"
Ven shook his head. "No… she's fine for the most part. But she's really upset you guys took her Keyblade."
"Say what?" Lea was taken aback. Like he… genuinely had no clue.
"Yeah… Lea, the guys with the scar faces came in, beat up Riku and Kairi, and Naminé used this weird chain thing to take Kairi's Keyblade." Ven explained. "Did they not clue you in?"
"Scar faces?" Lea frowned. "Xigbar and Saïx."
… Braig and Ïsa?
Lea shook his head. "No… I haven't really had a mission with Naminé since her third day. She's kind of… uh… well, she's not a fighter, that much I can tell you. They thought she'd have a Keyblade and was completely blown away by her… other ability. Nix." Nix. It was their clue word to say when they couldn't say anymore. "I tried to teach her some magic, but… she didn't take it very well. But, who knows, maybe she'll get stronger. They certainly hope so, anyway." He shrugged. "I mean… if she… has a Keyblade now, then, who knows."
The two ate their ice cream in silence. Ven chewed over his next words carefully. He didn't want to upset his friend. Or… accuse him of anything. But he had to know.
"Lea… you knew they were going after Kairi, right?" The warning still rang fresh in his mind. Make sure the Princess isn't left alone! At the time, Lea wouldn't elaborate. It was as the two were leaving and before Ven could ask more, Lea pushed him into the Corridor.
"Nix."
"But—" Ven turned to him, not going to take that for an answer. "Did you know they were going to try and take her heart?"
Lea sighed heavily. "No. I just knew she was going to be targeted."
Ven felt a little better about that. He wanted to know how much Lea knew. If he knew more than he had let on when he first warned Ven, Ven wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to be in his company anymore. It had been bugging him since Kairi was first attacked and he felt much better knowing Lea had been left out of the arrangements.
"Come on, Ven," Lea huffed. "I take you here so we can get our minds off this stuff and that's all you wanna talk about."
Ven felt a smile creep onto his tired face. "You caught me at a time when this is all I have on my mind. Sorry."
"Next time, no work, got it? No Organization, no Keyblades, nothing." Lea pledged. "Got it?"
Ven nodded. "Got it."
"So, maybe you want to sleep now, huh?"
Ven looked down at his ice cream stick. He nodded. "Yeah… I might try that."
Lea opened a dark portal for Ven as he burned his wooden stick. "Hope we can do this again."
It was always a hope. Ven might be busy or Lea wouldn't get a chance to nab him for ice cream or they might actually have to fight each other. What would happen when that time came? Would their loyalties waver or… would they have to fight to the end? Ventus didn't want to think about it. He always tried not to when they parted ways. They'd wave and smile and Ven would go back to Traverse Town while Lea would go back to The World That Never Was.
Lea was kind enough to make a portal to Ven's room. The boy pulled off his armor, tossing it onto his nightstand before flopping heavily onto his bed. The taste of sugar still stained his mouth, but he didn't care enough to brush his teeth again. He just wanted to sleep.
Ven slept later than he intended to the next day. Of course, that would happen when you fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning. He didn't even bother to look at a clock before he fell asleep, so he wasn't even sure how many hours total he'd slept. He knew he wanted to be up early enough to walk down with Aqua and Sora, but they were gone when he woke up. He quickly got ready, grabbing an apple to eat on the way to the base.
He knew they wouldn't leave without saying a proper goodbye. He knew they wouldn't leave without telling Riku and Kairi they were leaving, first. Aqua was their new Master. If she was going somewhere, they had to know.
But Aqua was his friend first. And she still wasn't leaving without him.
When Ven entered the base, Riku and Kairi were bickering with Aqua and Sora. It would be the same song and dance as it was the night before. They wouldn't be able to change their minds and Ven knew there was really only one way to go about this.
"But what about the Keyblade you gave Kairi?" Riku asked.
"She should still be able to hold on to it," Sora explained. "As long as I don't call it back or… well, the worst. But neither should happen."
"It would be better if we all went together," Kairi insisted. "We could fight against the darkness."
"The light needs you here," Aqua repeated for the umpteenth time. "We'll make way for you to target the Organization. Ven's going to be with you every step of the way."
"Does Mickey know you're being stupid?" Riku queried, folding his arms.
"I told him my idea last time we met, but… it wasn't really thought out at the time and I haven't seen him, so…" Aqua shook her head. "He's here to help you two. Sora and I will keep fighting. We'll come back."
Ven dropped into a seat. "It's no use," he shook his head. "Their minds are made up. Sora and I tried stopping her last night, then… he volunteered and now they're both in on it. They ganged up on me and everything last night."
Aqua put a hand on Ven's head and smiled that kind smile that never failed to make him feel warmth in his chest. Love might be the word. He felt her love for him and its power was so strong… he was weak against it. "We'll be back before you know it."
"… I'll get Terra back. And then the three of us can finally go home." Wherever home was anymore. He was told about Castle Oblivion and how it replaced the Land of Departure. They'd have to find a new world to go home to and, personally, he didn't care where that may be. As long as Terra and Aqua were with him and… now, even Sora.
Sora and him had become closer than he thought possible. It must have been because of him taking refuge in the other, but… it hurt to think he'd lose him, too. The idea of a separation made his heart ache. Sora was his other brother. And if things went wrong… he'd be left without family.
Aqua kissed his forehead before turning back to the brunette. "Sora, are you ready?"
Sora nodded. As the two walked towards the door, Kairi ran up to him, grabbing his wrist. He stopped, turning to her with wide, inquisitive eyes. She turned his hand, putting something in it, determination furrowed in her blue eyes. "This is my lucky charm." She told him. "Be sure to bring it back to me, okay?"
Sora looked at the charm in his hand. It was made of shells and shaped like a star… very much like… Ven pulled out his green Wayfinder. His eyes met Aqua's as she retrieved hers. Her smile lit up and Ven couldn't help but return it.
Even if he and Aqua were separated… they'd find each other again. As long as they held on to their Wayfinders.
Aqua and Sora left. The room stood silent for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Riku broke it.
"They're idiots if they don't think we're going after them."
I've REALLY wanted to write from Aqua and Ven's point of view for a while now, but I wasn't sure if I should since this is Sora, Riku, and Kairi's story. But they aren't getting a lot of development and they're sort of major characters and the only way I figured I could remedy that was to write from their point of view. Also because I love them so much. So, expect an Aqua chapter soon.
Also, Ven's the only one that'll refer to Axel as Lea because he's stubborn. He's also the only one allowed to because he wore him down. Axel just got annoyed when he tried to correct him so often, he just is like "whatever, man. I give up."
This one's also a very dialogue heavy chapter, which I feel I haven't written in ages. AAAAAH DIALOGUE IS DIFFICULT. Because you can get carried away and ignore the things you should be trying to focus on and I feel like that's what happened here. Sorry for that.