8:30
"Behold. These lifeless keys used to be full of power, united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat as a great Keyblade War raged."
Ven stared at the picture in the book. It depicted a crossroads made of hundreds – maybe thousands – of Keyblades. However, in this picture, the ground was stained with blood, presumably from the former wielders of said Keyblades.
"From what legend says, it was this war that caused our universe to be remade into what it is today. It's also the reason why no Keyblader is ever allowed to interfere in the affairs of others, for fear of what destruction they could potentially bring to every single one of them."
They were no longer in the bedroom. Yugi and Ventus were now sitting in the library. The former was dressed in his usual attire of blue clothes and black choker. He was also carrying a Battle City Duel Disk on his left arm. The latter was in his blue, striped pajamas.
"But I thought the Keyblade wielders were pushed to extinction. We should be the only ones left!" Ven interrupted. "And none of us could have-"
"We don't know that." Yugi retorted. "At least, not the part about us being extinct. From what history has shown, new Keybladers have been popping up everywhere."
Pulling out a black binder overflowing with paper, Yugi slammed it on the table. He opened the binder and pulled out an article. "About five years ago, before I even met you, there were reports in Agrabah about a mysterious fire that destroyed half the village. The fire was so powerful that it could have killed all the villagers in less than five minutes. But then this happened." Yugi pointed at the picture. It depicted a shadowy figure dousing the fire with water. Upon further inspection, it was revealed that the source of the water was what appeared to be a Keyblade; the picture was too blurry for Ven to determine if that was fact or not.
"So? That doesn't prove anything! Anyone could have stopped that fire!"
"But a fire of that magnitude would have required the efforts of three or five men. One man alone couldn't have stopped it. Not without some degree of magic, that is!"
Ven shrugged. "There are plenty of magicians in the universe. Like Yen Sid, or Merlin."
Yugi ignored Ven's skepticism (and his ignorance of the fact that Yen Sid was once a Keyblade Master himself) and continued. "This happened about three years ago." He pulled out another article; this one had a picture of a giant Heartless attacking innocent people. "Remember the Heartless invasion of Hollow Bastion?"
Ven nodded. "Oh yeah! I remember! We almost got killed by the big one; he managed to stab you in the stomach three times, but I protected you from the fourth. I tell you, I really thought that would be our final scoop: Reporters/Keybladers killed by Giant Heartless Sword!"
Yugi smiled. "That's right. But is wasn't. Know why?" He pointed to the next picture. It showed a female blue-haired teenager standing over the corpse of the Heartless, while a brown-haired male teenager was standing next to her, showing off in front of some gushing fangirls.
"Terra and Aqua." They both said in unison.
Yugi laid back in his chair. "Back then, we thought we were the only ones. It was just you and me in a world that had forgotten about the Keyblade. All alone, with no one to understand our pain and the burdens we carried. But then these two came, like angels from the sky."
He looked out the window, thoughtfully. "It gave me hope, Ven. That there were people like us spread across the stars, that we had others to lean on and share our joys and sorrows with."
Wiping a tear from his eye, Yugi smiled. "But enough nostalga for one day. Let's get back to work."
And with that, the two friends resumed reading, trying to uncover the mystery of the girl who fell to her death from the giant clock tower mere hours ago.
A Month in the Life of Ventus and Yugi
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts. And sorry for taking too much time for the update, making everyone feel like I abandoned the story. A lot of things came up.
Chapter 5:
10:00
It was late now (even though the sky stayed EXACTLY THE SAME), and Aqua was just getting ready to close up shop. It had been a long day, given recent events hampering the schedule. But everyone was alive, and that's what mattered.
Terra and Riku were forced to go home early to get check-ups from the doctor. They kept insisting that they were fine, but Aqua would hear none of it. Especially when Terra called her a twot in front of her face.
That didn't help.
So with all four of her coworkers at home resting, it rested on Aqua's shoulders to take care of things. She sighed deeply and brushed the dust off her shorts. This job could get really stressful, she thought. Making a mental note to get some more food for Jimmy, Aqua packed her things and left the press, making sure to lock the door tight before she left. As an added protection, she cast a Protect charm on the door, to ward off even the most powerful thieves.
As she kept walking along the streets, she noticed something rather peculiar. A brown-haired boy was sitting on the stairs of one of the houses, staring at Aqua as she walked. His eyes were a cerulean blue, and a listless expression was etched across his face. It didn't take her much time to recognize who the boy was.
"Sora? Is that you?"
He nodded.
Aqua put her bag over her shoulder and walked over to where Sora was sitting. "What you doing out here? It's really dark out..."
About ten minutes later, Aqua arrived at Yugi's house in a frantic daze. Worried sick, she banged her fist on the door.
"Yugi! Ven! Open up; it's me, Aqua!"
No response came, so Aqua resorted to drastic measures. She summoned her Keyblade, Rainfell, and broke the door down herself.
The door now reduced to a pile of rubble, Aqua stormed her way into the house, looking for her two friends.
"Yugi!" She called out in vain. "Where are you?"
"AQUA, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY DOOR?"
Turning around, she heard the deep and gruff voice of her boss. Aqua breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly, she walked over to where Yugi was standing, only to receive a fist jammed into her face.
Yugi was breathing heavily, and his face was all red. "Do you know how EXPENSIVE it is to replace one of these things? I saw one the other day that costs a thousand bucks!"
"Ouch," Aqua agreed, slowly getting up. "Still, it could be worse."
"It was made of PLYWOOD!"
Aqua slapped Yugi across the face, the latter grabbing his left cheek in pain. "What was that for?"
"One, for punching me. Two, for your attitude. And three, to get your attention."
After a few minutes, Yugi calmed down. "Well, those are all good reasons. And you've got my attention. So what is it?"
10:25
The two were now sitting in the kitchen. Yugi was now drinking a cup of tea, while Aqua settled for a warm glass of milk.
"Sora said that? Must have been pulling your leg." Yugi shook his head. "The worst thing that's ever happened here was a fire. And we haven't had anything like that happen in years. Not since I took away his X - Box."
Aqua nodded. "Well, that's good to hear. So how are you feeling now?"
Yugi looked down at his tea and stared at his reflection. "Okay, I guess." He looked deep into Aqua's cerulean blue eyes. "Aqua..."
Aqua craned her neck and turned her head sideways. "Yes?"
"You're working too hard. You need a life. I think what you need, right now, is a boyfriend."
At the mention of that last word, Aqua spit out her milk dramatically, spraying it all over Yugi's face.
"E...Excuse me?" Aqua asked, gasping for breath. Her cheeks were now a rosy red, and she covered them in shame. "You've got a lot of nerve..."
"Not me, you bimbo!" Yugi bellowed, his voice now stern. "I was referring to Ventus. When are you going to tell him you love him?"
At the mention of Ven's name, Aqua looked up. Then she looked away, a sad look in her eyes.
"I won't..."
But she didn't finish. Aqua put a hand to her face, ashamed to look her friend in the eye.
"Aqua, talk to me." Yugi pleaded, now desperate for an answer. "Don't you want to be with him? I know he loves you just as much. He never shuts up about it."
Aqua murmured something, but her voice was so soft that Yugi could barely hear it.
"Say that again..."
"...luvhimasmuch..."
"What?"
Aqua looked up indignantly, with a pained look in her eyes. "I WON'T LOVE HIM AS MUCH!"
Yugi's eyes widened. This was an answer he hadn't expected from her.
"What are you saying?"
"I see you two. Together, all the time!" Aqua was slowly breaking down, tears starting to fall from her face. "You're always so happy together, having fun whenever you can, and it just seemed like you two were meant to be together!"
"Trust me, it's not always that fun..." Yugi rolled his eyes.
"I don't want to spoil that! What if I can't love him the way you do? Maybe I'll just hurt him again. Like the last time..." And with that, she broke down completely into a full fledged sob, her hand covering her face now soaked in tears.
If anyone else had been peeking in the window, they would have written Aqua off as a nutjob with mood swings. But Yugi had been with many women to understand that this was not the case. In addition, despite not sleeping with her, he was close enough with Aqua to know what she meant when she said 'the last time'.
About four years ago, sometime before meeting Yugi and Ven, she had a boyfriend. Yugi didn't know all the details, but Aqua had loved him unconditionally, and would have given her life for him. She almost did, in fact. Multiple times. They were so caught in love that it seemed like they would be together forever. But her Master disapproved of her relationship and threatened to kill the boy if she would not return. Aqua was so blinded by love, so ready to throw her life away to someone whom she met recently, that she rebelled against her Master and ran away with her lover, all the way across the universe.
But the Master would not have it. He sent Terra to bring her back to their world, but the latter was unsuccessful in completing this task; Aqua proved to be successful every time. Terra refused to give up, however, and kept getting stronger every time. Eventually, in the last of these fights, Terra overpowered Aqua to a point that he almost killed her. However, Aqua's lover got in the way at the last minute, losing his right arm in the process. Enraged at Terra for what he had done, and scared for her lover and protecting him, Aqua was forced to choose between the people that loved her, and the person she loved. Aqua was too weak and too rattled to fight for what she loved, and went away with Terra back to their own world.
Yugi never found out what happened to the lover. It was less so because of the fact that he couldn't find out, but more so because he loved Aqua as a friend and did not care enough to dig deep into her private life, into secrets she did not want to be uncovered.
Nevertheless, he did care enough to dig into her heart at the moment.
"You need to forget about the past. You've become a lot stronger since then. I know you can love him as much as I do. And when I look in Ven's eyes, I know that he can love you as much as he loves me."
Yugi wasn't gay, and he didn't think of Ven in that way. Although Ven would always depend on Yugi no matter what, his heart beat only for Aqua. He was madly in love, and he was only slightly afraid to show it.
Flashback
They were at home having breakfast. Ven sighed. "Do you think Aqua likes roses? I think I'll get her roses for her birthday. What do you think, Yug?"
Yugi shook his head, as he sipped some more coffee. "I don't care, Ventus. I just do not care."
End Flashback
Flashback (2)
They were at the beach, watching Aqua in her skintight blue one-piece swimsuit. She was constantly hitting Terra across the face with the beachball, while Riku snapped pictures of the blue-haired maiden.
Ven sighed, lying down on the blanket in his blue trunks. "Do you think Aqua should replace Terra as our model? Her body is just so... breathtaking!"
Yugi shook his head, as he sipped his coke. "I don't care, Ventus. I just do not care."
End Flashback (2)
Flashback (3)
They were at the office. Ven was at the desk, waiting for calls, while Yugi was writing an article on his laptop. Aqua bent down in front of the blond-haired boy, handing him a drink and flashing him a cute smile. She then walked back to her desk, Ven watching her intently as she left.
Ven threw a cup at Yugi, getting his attention.
"Hey Yug?"
"What? I'm busy."
"Do you think Aqua works out a lot? Her breasts and butt. They are are just... divine." Ven whispered this time, knowing Aqua was in earshot.
Yugi shook his head, as he finished his sentence on Aladdin and other street rats being a menace to society. "I don't care, Ventus. I just do not- Wait, what did you say?"
Ven just smiled and gave him a wink, possibly suggesting something.
This motion earned the boy a punch in the face. Ven fell to the ground, grabbing his face in pain.
"Pervy little bastard..." Yugi rolled his eyes and went back to work, while a concerned Aqua walked over to check on Ventus...
End Flashback (3)
Yugi cringed at that last one. He never should have bought Ven all that porn.
"Something wrong?" Aqua noticed that Yugi was blushing a deep red.
Gulping, Yugi brushed it off. "It was nothing! Just remembered something is all."
If Aqua was skeptical, she didn't show it. Instead, she got up to leave. "Well, I've got some food for Jimmy. It's on the table if you need it. I better get going."
Just as she was about to leave. Yugi stood up from where he was sitting.
"Wait."
Aqua paused and looked back.
"About today..."
Yugi could have sworn she saw a twinge of fear in her lips.
"When I saved you all, after I..." He looked down. "When I asked Ven about what happened, he told me that I did something to the Heartless. But he didn't tell me what."
Aqua gulped nervously, but she flashed a smile anyway. "Oh. I-Is that so?"
"Yes." Yugi nodded. "Maybe you could tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"What I did to them? I can't seem to remember anything."
For a moment, Aqua stood there, unsure of what to say. Yugi said nothing, waiting for Aqua to reply. When she finally did speak, she said, "Take care of Ven. I'll see you tomorrow."
And with that, the Keyblader was gone, leaving Yugi all alone.
Just then, something inexplicably happened.
"Ahhhhh!"
Yugi grabbed his head, which was now throbbing and causing him unmeasurable pain.
"No! Not again!"
Every so often, Yugi had what was called "memory lapses". Ever since he was fifteen, there would be instances where he would be dragged down deep into his past. Images that he didn't understand, people that he didn't remember. All came flooding back to him in random order-
-a cute three year old, with striking blue hair and cute, rosy cheeks, running up to the brown haired-
"Ugh!" The lapse was over. Yugi slowly got up. They usually didn't last for very long, and he didn't always remember them. This one in particular was so short that he completely disregarded it. When he finally composed himself.
"Nooooooo!"
That was Ventus! He was in trouble!
"I'm coming Ventus! Stay there!" Yelling loudly, the tri-color haired man rushed upstairs...
"Nooo... Olette. Let her go; don't kill her. She didn't..." Ven groaned.
"Ven!" Yugi rushed to Ven's bedside and pulled off the covers. The boy was sweating profusely, and his face was swollen red.
"Oh, god..." Yugi whispered. Thinking quickly, he summoned his Keyblade.
"Water!"
A glass of water appeared in his hand. Yugi retracted Fenrir and moved Ven's head so that he could see it. "Ven." He shook the boy. "Get up!"
Slowly, Ven opened his eyes. "Y...Yugi?"
Offering the water, Yugi nodded. "Are you okay?"
Ven was sitting up now, holding the water in his hand. Slowly, he took a sip.
Yugi summoned a chair and sat down, keeping Fenrir on the left side of the chair. "You had me worried there for a second." Then he looked down, putting a hand on Ven's shoulder. "I know it's hard for you to have lost your friend today..."
Ven choked back the tears as he kept drinking the water. Some of the tears fell into the glass.
"After everything that happened today..." Yugi couldn't bring himself to mention anything else. "I never got the chance to tell you."
Ven put the glass aside. "What?"
Before he knew it, Ven was caught in an embrace, as if from a brother to a brother. Yugi hugged Ven tightly and whispered in his ear:
"I'm sorry for your loss."
Ven started crying into Yugi's jacket. He didn't know why he was crying; it just felt like the right thing to do.
Yugi patted Ven on the back; he planned to comfort the boy until he fell asleep.
When Ven was finally well enough to go back to bed, Yugi left the room. The younger had been too distraught, so Yugi didn't bother telling him stories about his youth as a freelance reporter like he usually did. Instead, he went back to his own room and looked out the window. Tomorrow, he would go to the Land of Departure, where Terra and Aquas' Master resided. He would ask him if he knew of any freelance Keybladers he should be wary of, in order to get a lead on finding the murderer.
Once he got tired of looking at the moon, Yugi went to bed, discomforted with the knowledge that he could, potentially, be forced to kill one of his own kind...
The Keyblade Graveyard, 1:00 AM
Master Xehanort was sitting on the ground, in the middle of the Crossroads, eating a plate of chicken wings. Apparently, the family of the pizza man Xehanort murdered sued the company he worked for, putting all of the workers out of work. Xehanort didn't really mind; he was more of a chicken man anyway.
"Plus, they burnt the crust." Xehanort thought out loud. "Perhaps killing that man WAS fruitful, in a way."
This is the part where he usually thought back on his plan and how it would begin to take shape. But Xehanort was too hungry to think about anything else. Instead, he started to dig into the small cup of ice cream from that place that Eraqus requested. He heard that the ice cream was really good this time of year.
"Oh well," the Keyblade Master reflected on his lack of a soliloquy. "There's always next chapter..."
To be continued...