~*.*Disciples of the Keyblade*.*~
Title: Courage
Rating: K+ for safety.
Warnings: Some violence.
Characters: Ventus*, Terra*, Aqua, Master Eraqus, Baloo, Bagheera, Shere Khan
Summary: Ven tried to tell himself that taking a silver trinket from a man eating tiger would be no problem. To someone like the King maybe, but to an apprentice?! Pre-BBS.
Special Notes: Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was RawkstarVienna that suggested the trio could be traveling to other worlds. So here we have it! Trying to make it somewhat canon as I usually do. I'm a fan of in-universe/canon style stories before any Alternate Universes.
~***~
Ventus hacked apart a heavy tree limb, shoving past another branch and accidentally sending it snapping back, almost hitting Terra. Luckily the eldest apprentice ducked out of the way in time before it could hit his head.
"Remind me again," he grumbled. "Why Aqua isn't here in this God forsaken jungle looking for this silver trinket Eraqus has hid from us."
"She's doing 'special magic training'." Ven gave his friend a cheery grin. "Besides, I thought she passed this test already."
"Right." Terra gave the surrounding area a thorough search, pushing aside large leaves damp with the recent rain. The air here seemed constantly humid. A rain forest of some kind?
Ven leaned against a tree and said after a few minutes, "I don't think the Master actually hid the thing we're looking for."
"Really. Where would it be, then?"
"Somewhere dangerous, I bet. But not too dangerous. I mean…" He ducked his head, nervous under Terra's scrutinizing stare. "It's somewhere, possibly hard to get…but not hidden?" He offered weakly.
Terra sighed so hard that the tips of his spiky hair rustled. He had been doing that more and more lately. He placed a comforting hand on the youngest protégé's shoulder and said gently, "Let me do the thinking, Ven. Okay? I'm the oldest here. I know exactly what I'm doing."
Ventus blinked then scowled somewhat. Terra can pull the "eldest" card all he wants. Doesn't mean he's better than me. Aqua had told him that often, and in her more vain moments she would say she was better than Terra at a lot of things. Ven fancied he had ideas just as good as Terra, but his admiration for the person he considered his brother stilled his tongue.
"Of course," he said simply. "Lead the way."
Terra grunted and shoved through the branches, trampling wet ferns and colorful flowers dappled with dew underfoot. Ven followed wordlessly, springing around the pretty big red and orange blossoms that seemed to grow from the limbs of every tree they passed. A monkey swung away, loudly chattering, apparently putting Terra on edge.
"Anything could jump us here Ven," he said with a cautious glance around them. "Lions. Tigers. Bears."
"Oh my," Ven muttered.
An abrupt, loud growl sounded from above them. The pair froze.
"Was that your stomach?" The youngest disciple joked feebly.
Terra's face had gone pale and he looked around, Keyblade already in hand. "No."
"Oh, no worries. It was just mine," quipped a voice from above.
Ventus inclined his head back and gasped, seeing an enormous dark gray-blue bear peering down at him. It dropped down heavily, yawning hugely, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. The apprentice took several hasty steps back, but despite himself he couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!" Swiftly remembering there was a bear in front of him—capable of speech and therefore reasoning, as Aqua would put it—he added, "Hey there!"
The bear blinked at him and waved a large paw, rearing up on its hind legs. "Well, what do we have here? It's two man cubs that can understand me, too!" He warily eyed Terra's Keyblade, but luckily it wasn't exactly pointed at him. Terra seemed a bit hesitant about what to do next. "I had been asleep you see, looks like my stomach woke me up." Casually, as if nothing was amiss, the bear reached up and tugged down a grape vine, snagging the purple fruit off and taking several huge bites, demolishing one bunch in a few seconds.
Ven exchanged a brief look with Terra before deciding to speak. "Who are you?"
"My name's Baloo. Who're you?" The bear's voice sounded gargled due to the food in his mouth.
Terra must have decided Baloo wasn't a threat, hungry or not. He dismissed his Keyblade and replied, "I'm Terra, and this is Ven. We're looking for a sort of silver pendant, a trinket, somewhere here in the jungle. We're, ah, training."
"Training for what?" Baloo inquired, sitting down and looking at their clothes curiously.
"We're Keyblade apprentices!" Ven piped up cheerily. He felt very proud to be one, thank you very much. His earliest memories had everything to do with the Keyblade.
A strange look settled on the bear's face. "Keyblade…" He nodded thoughtfully. "That explains your weird get up. No man cubs look like that 'round these parts."
"Look, have you seen anything silver or not?" Terra snapped, annoyed. "We're wasting time."
"Relax. Take a look at the necessities of things. Whatever you're doing, I'm sure it ain't the end of the world if you take your time." Baloo yawned and tossed a grape bunch to Ven, who popped one in his mouth. Terra shot him a glare that the boy ignored.
"We're training to stop a possible end of the world!" Terra declared, looking a little smug.
"Possible," Baloo remarked so skeptically that the eldest Keybearer began to fume silently.
Ven half wished Aqua was here. She was one of the few people that could stop Terra from working himself up into one of his fits. On the other hand, he wanted to impress her for the challenge…that they had to get back to.
"Baloo, we're not exactly timed, but speed is better for our test. Have you seen any odd silver trinkets? Items? Baubles?" Ventus tried being polite, like he knew Aqua would. He tried to take pointers from the both of them, but the older apprentices' values and mannerisms clashed often.
The bear wrinkled his snout. "Only weird thing I've seen 'round lately would be this sort of silver heart. Had a tiny design on it, didn't see properly." A careless shrug. "Don't matter none, though."
"Why not?" Terra asked impatiently, obviously resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
"Look, don't spend your time looking around…for something you want that can't be found," suggested Baloo. Something about his dark eyes told Ven he knew where the trinket was.
"Where is it? Please. It's important."
Sighing at the youngest apprentice, the bear answered truthfully. "Shere Khan found it. It's with him, no doubt." He said it dramatically, obviously expecting a reaction. He didn't really get what he anticipated.
"Where's this 'Shere Khan'?" Terra scoffed.
"Right now? Sleepin', not wanting to be disturbed no doubt. He's a man eater; even you two might have trouble with him. Do yourself a favor and stay away." The lazy bear leaned back and looked like he was going to fall asleep again.
Terra snarled, "Where is he? If we die then—"
"Baloo? Who's there?" A different voice called nearby.
Terra's palm met his face. "Oh for the love of—"
A black panther slid out of the trees and noticed the two humans and the bear. He surprised Ven by not raising his hackles or growling, instead he just asked, "What's going on here?"
"These two want to steal Khan's new pretty bauble." Baloo shook his head mournfully.
"What!? No, don't. Believe me, even if you two are…" He looked the students up and down. "Travelers from somewhere far beyond this jungle. Shere Khan is nothing but trouble, fears nothing but man's gun and man's fire. You'll get killed!"
"Thanks for the concern." Terra said flatly. "But either tell us, or we'll go find someone who will."
"What if they run into Kaa? Or King Louie?" The panther fretted to Baloo. "I think you two would be better off just leaving," he added gently.
"We can't. Please, c'mon…um…" Ventus gave the panther an expectant look.
"Bagheera. Who are you?"
"I'm Ven and he's Terra. Please, Bagheera, it's important for our training. Then we'll be out of your hair…er, fur, for good. We're great runners and fighters and I promise we'll leave if this tiger proves too much. Okay?"
Bagheera looked unhappy. He looked from Terra's cold blue stare to Ven's pleading sapphire, then at Baloo. The bear shrugged, not speaking again. "Oh," moaned the panther, flicking his tail. "I'll take you to Shere Khan's current resting place, but we have to be quiet and careful. He doesn't like to be disturbed."
"Promise." Ven gestured to Terra and the pair followed the big black feline through the jungle.
"Little britches?" Baloo said suddenly. Ventus realized he was talking to him.
"Yeah?"
"Be careful, alright?" The bear smiled and there was nothing there but warm concern.
"Right." Ven waved cheerily and set off after his friends' retreating forms. He heard Baloo singing softly.
"I mean the bare necessities, old Mother Nature's recipes, that bring the bare necessities of life…"
~***~
Bagheera's size didn't affect his stealth. He was almost a black shadow, completely soundless, moving quickly but quietly, frowning all the while. They had reached a dip in the forest and bamboo-like plants and trees, and in the tiny clearing, sleeping right out in a patch of sun, was a massive tiger. Its tail swished in its sleep.
Shere Khan.
"Now," Bagheera said so quietly that Ven had to lip read, his ears unable to pick up some of the words properly. "If Shere Khan has what you're looking for, it's probably under his paws. I don't know exactly how you plan to get it…"His whiskers drooped. "Will you not reconsider?"
Terra shook his head, speaking for Ventus also.
"Right." He sounded disappointed. "I'll leave you two here. I'll be close by, in the treetops. I can create a distraction if he comes after you." Bagheera obviously didn't like being near the tiger that was bigger than he was, and no doubt stronger, but his compassion for the duo kept him near. The panther nodded at them before leaping into the trees with a silent jump.
The pair of Keybearers retreated a little farther into the forest to be safe, watching Bagheera's black silhouette vanish into the leafy foliage above.
"Okay," Terra began after he had gone from their sight. "Look at his right paw. What do you see?"
Ven squinted through the jungle's mass and saw a flash of silver. Luckily the tiger was laying on his stomach, back and front legs stretched almost to their full lengths. Under the foot his friend had pointed out was a small silver heart, one corner poking to the side and thus visible beneath Shere Khan's claws.
"I see it. What now?"
"I'll create a distraction. You grab it." Terra explained. "We can take a single tiger." He sounded reasonably confident.
"I don't think we should kill him, though. Remember what Master Eraqus said about the world order?" Ventus slid his eyes to meet Terra's gaze.
"No meddling, so no killing," amended the eldest apprentice. "Just stay back. I'll make a sound, and you get the charm when he leaves it."
Ven shook his head. "This is a dumb plan."
"It's one cat."
"But it's a tiger." He argued.
Terra narrowed his eyes but the novice interrupted him. "Let me create a distraction. I run far faster than you."
Stubbornly, Terra growled quietly. "No way. I'm not allowing you to possibly get mauled by a tiger. And then Aqua would mangle me. And Eraqus would burn the pieces and feed the rest to Cerberus. Then Aqua would find my soul in the Underworld and kill me again."
"I run faster," Ven repeated adamantly, not willing to back down. They squabbled for almost an hour, but the youngest disciple refused to be cowed, even when his idol grabbed the front of his shirt and hissed a direct order into his face.
"Fine!" Terra huffed, clearly reluctant. "Create a distraction. I'll snatch the heart. We're wasting time."
"You won't be stealing my heart, I should think."
Ven and Terra paled at the same time, hearing the purring voice behind them, deep like rolling thunder. They turned to see Shere Khan watching them, coming almost up to Terra's shoulder. If he was on his hind legs, he would be taller than any of the humans present.
"Imagine," continued the tiger lazily. "I awake from my nap, just a minute ago mind, and find two human snacks just for me." He coiled his striped tail over his shoulder, displaying the amulet hanging on the end. A silver heart with a Keyblade emblem inscribed on its surface. "I was informed by a charming lion—must have traveled far—that this was an ancient African good luck charm. And indeed it is. A meal, right to my door. Unarmed."
Terra growled, "That's what you think!" The Keyblade flashed to his grip with a wind chime peal and he brought it down in a glittering arc. Shere Khan was obviously stunned, but he recovered swiftly. Five inch long claws deflected the attack, creating sparks that glowed in the air like tiny fireflies for a few moments.
"He's strong!" Ven gasped, twisting his weapon until it rested comfortably in his grip, poised in his usual battle stance.
"I am," the tiger answered almost apologetically. He sprang with a furious roar, and Ventus raised his weapon to block. Three coconuts fell from the sky—the novice glimpsed Bagheera in the trees—and landed on Shere Khan's head. He collapsed, disoriented for a few seconds. That was all they needed.
Terra removed the silver trinket, chain and all, from the tiger's tail and put on a burst of speed, trampling undergrowth and anything else that got in the way. "C'mon, back to where we arrived, Ven!"
Ventus twisted around and followed, his heart pounding, adrenaline lending even more speed to his already impressive running pace. Shere Khan snarled in fury and barreled after them, monstrous claws tearing into the soil and plants with every paw step.
Oh, snap.
Dodging, ducking, running, jumping, sliding. Everything blurred into a chaos of pure fear, following Terra's bounding form, listening to Bagheera's hurried directions…Ven hoped the panther wouldn't be in trouble for helping them, but maybe Shere Khan couldn't hear. The black cat was speaking very quietly, the words hard to catch, and they were creating quite a racket in the jungle.
They skidded into the clearing they had first arrived in, whipping around, twirling their Keyblades expertly. Shere Khan slowed down as he saw his prey seemingly cornered; their back to a rushing river. His breaths were hard and fast.
"Now, give me the luck charm and I'll kill you mercifully." The tiger demanded coldly.
He has to be scared of something.
"You have ten seconds," Shere Khan taunted, yellow eyes gleaming. "One…"
Wait, what did Bagheera say?
"Four…"
Ventus thought hard, struggling to fight his fear. Fear was a lesson he had mastered already. It was a training procedure he knew he would never forget.
"Six…"
The words hit him, crystal clear. "Shere Khan is nothing but trouble, fears nothing but man's gun and man's fire…"
"Eight…"
Well, we don't have a gun, except for our Riders. And we can't use those in normal combat, it's against the rules.
But they did have magic. He remembered Aqua's gentle tutorage—he had had trouble with the concept in the beginning. "I know magic may seem a bit complicated Ven, but it's really not. The good thing about magical fire is that it can be controlled and won't rage out of control…You can master this. I know you can."
"Ten. What's your choice?" Shere Khan finished, taking a step towards them.
Terra looked like he was going to take a swing at the tiger, or unleash some arcane flames. But Terra had a little issue with control, and they needed precise control, or they could kill Shere Khan and upset the world order. Or worse.
I wish Aqua was here. Ven flexed his hands, dismissed his Keyblade, and lifted his right palm so that it faced the tiger.
"Oh, what now?" Shere Khan drawled, pausing out of interest.
"Fire!" A burst of orange flames roared out of his hand with the fierce intensity of a dozen furious felines. Shere Khan's confident fanged smile vanished to be replaced with a look of pure terror. With difficulty, Ven kept a mental check on the magic so it wouldn't ignite the jungle. The forest's natural dampness aided his progress. Terra caught on, took two deep breaths, and tossed a blazing blue fireball at the tiger that ignited a patch of his fur.
Shere Khan didn't speak, he just howled in pain and turned tail, charging away into the jungle.
Ven put out the flames and sighed. "Well. That could have gone smoother." He was exhausted from their wild run and the day in general. The sun was going down, he noticed absently for the first time.
Terra looked impressed. "You faced that tiger down."
"Yeah."
"And used fire in his face. Wow. Great work."
Warmed by the praise somewhat, Ventus punched his shoulder armor. The green digital display rotated before a glowing while veil placed him in his armor. He threw his Keyblade in the air and used what little energy he had left to turn it into his Rider. "Let's go home."
Terra pocketed the "good luck charm" and used his Keyblade to create a swirling white portal to the Land of Departure. He then switched his own armor on. "I hope we pass," he noted dryly.
~***~
Aqua opened her eyes when Ven and Terra deactivated their armor and Riders, standing up and running to them.
"There you are, I—"She stopped when she saw how tired Ventus looked. Surprisingly, she rounded on Terra and snapped, "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him? He looks like he's going to fall over any minute!"
Terra was taken aback. "It's not my fault he wanted to try and outrun a tiger!" He retorted.
"Tiger? Outrun a tiger?" Aqua echoed incredulously. She then turned angrier than she already was.
"Watch over me? I can handle myself," the youngest sulked. When he saw they weren't paying attention to him, he turned his attention elsewhere.
Ventus surveyed the middle apprentice instead and thought she looked tired and stressed. Maybe her own magic test had been harsher than he or Terra had thought.
Eraqus arrived unnoticed, until he spoke that is. "Well, well, well. There you are. Did you retrieve the token?"
Terra tore his glare from Aqua to hand the silver charm to his Master.
"Good work. You pass. Did Bagheera keep a good eye on you?"
"I—what? He did." Terra blinked.
Eraqus looked pleased. "Good. I picked that world because it had been a long time since I've used a transformation spell. Shere Khan looked strong but his fear of fire was something you could easily overcome."
"Transformation spell?" Ven echoed. "You mean the lion that gave him the charm in the first place…?"
"That was me. A skilled sorcerer can work that charm at any time. Regardless it is difficult to do, but we'll discuss its components later." Eraqus smiled kindly. "Well done, Ventus. Well done, Terra."
"Thank you," the pair of boys said at the same time.
Their Master instructed them to take a well deserved rest, checking for any wounds before departing. Terra sat down on the low wall with a thump and a sigh.
"Aqua," he commanded in a tone that could have been a joke or not. "When my world stops spinning, get me something to drink." He had rings under his eyes.
"How would she know when your world stops spinning?" Ventus asked curiously.
Aqua winked. "When he stops looking at me cross eyed."
"That's only because you're so beautiful. I can't look straight at you." Terra remarked. Aqua blushed and turned to walk quickly to the Castle. When she had gone, the eldest apprentice laughed. "She's shy, even after all these years."
"Kind of low of you to play off of that," Ven commented. "Especially since you're too lazy to get your own drink."
Terra shrugged, unperturbed as usual, and the novice sat down beside him, sighing wearily.
One day, he vowed to himself silently, studying the stars. I'll be strong enough so that Aqua won't have to ask Terra to watch me. I'll be able to handle anything.
He was both annoyed by her concern and touched at the same time. Common when it came to her.
~***~
Um. Right. Before anyone questions my weird descriptions of magic and its workings, I think there's a lot of things the game can't go into full detail on. I'm sure the world of; for example, Radiant Garden is much larger than we see. The game is limited to certain areas, the same I think, for when it comes to fine details. Like the exact working of magic, which could or could not be a simple command accompanied by some magic energy.
If that was the case, everyone would be as great as Master Yen Sid.
Regardless of my weird theory, want to drop a review? Sorry for the late update guys. I had a nasty stomach flu virus for a week. I'll try to get the next, starring Aqua and Ven, up a little sooner. I've already written a bit of it. Stars Camelot as the world and the Sword in the Stone.
I have not seen Jungle Book in years so forgive any OOC-ness.
Still for Dani-Chan, always! =)