;;Chapter One;;

Three Years later

Ventus resided in the heart of Twilight Town. In general, the town gave off a very ominous essence. It has been that way ever since Ventus left Vanitas in that isolated room up in the Crux Tower. People were disappearing.

One by one.

A young girl went missing just yesterday. She was only seven, this caused Ventus' temper to rocket to the extreme level. What the /hell/ did these people want with the children? It seemed as if almost all the victims ranged from age five to fourteen. Vanitas had just turned thirteen when they captured him three years ago.

Now he would be sixteen.

Same age as Ventus.

If he knew for sure that the abductors would go for the older teens, he would gladly make himself bait, in order to get to the bottom of this. But it wasn't going to be that easy, he couldn't afford to be reckless. This used to be about Vanitas, but now it is not just for him, but for the other people who have gone missing.

Knock Knock

The soft sound startled him from his reverie and he stopped writing in his journal. Dropping the pen, standing up, he walked to the door and opened it to see Aqua at the other side.

"Aqua..."

"Hey, Ven, is it a good time?"

"O-of course it is."

Ventus found himself stumbling over his speech. He still couldn't get over the shock that she actually paid him a visit. The last time they talked to one another, Ventus had raged about her treating him like a child and voiced some offensive material in her direction out of spite. He hated to be treated like a child and people putting limits and telling him what he can and cannot do.

He calmed down over the past week, but his defenses were still up.

Aqua had a tendency to strike a nerve, even though her intentions were pure.

After Aqua walked in, Ventus shut the door, and they both headed into the kitchen. She took a seat while Ventus went over to the refrigerator. He stayed quiet for a while before softly speaking, "Would you like something to drink?" He asked politely.

"No thanks, I'm fine. But, I'm here because I'm worried about you."

"What? Why? There's nothing to be worried about.."

"There is.. With all these young people going missing, it worries me."

Ventus took a deep breath to keep himself from lashing out.

"You don't have to worry about me. Have you noticed that all the people that have been abducted are younger than I am? Whoever it is, they are targeting the children and the younger teens." He emphasized the word 'children' and the word 'younger' out of sheer spite of what Aqua was getting at.

"So, you think that just because it's a specific age group that you can be ignorant? Ven, you need to be careful. Don't single yourself out as a possibility.."

"And what if I want them to try and get me? I can get myself out and get to the hostages." He practically told her desperately, hoping that his friend would understand. And possibly help him. But, judging by the look of disbelief on her features, it wasn't going to happen. "I can do this. I was in that Tower before, I know what it's like. I saw what they do, I have a better chance than anyone else!"

"Ven, it's too dangerous. I won't allow you to put yourself in that situation."

If this were Ventus three years ago, he would stay silent and mentally put himself down for not feeling good enough. That person didn't exist anymore, that person decided that he wouldn't be silenced anymore.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Aqua. Back off, and I'll do what I feel that needs to be done. I'm not letting you or Terra get in my way."

"Ven.."

"I think you should leave, Aqua. Just.. Please go."

The blue haired female sat up and nodded firmly, her eyes still glittering with worry. "Alright. Just.. Try to keep in mind of what I said, okay..?" She asked and Ventus nodded. After a few minutes, Aqua finally let out a sigh and walked towards the door. With her hand on the knob, she turned to look at him.

"Don't hesitate to ask for help, we'll always be here."

With that, she left. Ventus let out a loud sigh, running his fingers through his messy blonde hair.

Who would help him without trying to stop him?