*I feel I need to warn you that this chapter is pretty violent, but it ends semi-happily I swear!*
Chapter 33 A Surprising Savior
Keric marches Ven through the hallways of the castle with a hand gripping the back of his neck. They come to the double doors Ven knows from past experience lead to Keric's small suite, and Keric throws open the doors before shoving Ven inside. Ven turns to face Keric with gulp as the king slams the doors shut, cutting the two of them off from everyone else.
Ven tries to keep his fear off his face, but his eyes must have portrayed his feelings because Keric says, "Don't look so worried Veni. It's just me." Saying this Keric strokes Ven's face and he suppresses the urge to shudder at his cold touch. "It's been too long since I've been able to touch you Veni," Keric whispers trailing his fingers down Ven's chest and causing him to stiffen. "You have lot to make up to me."
With that, Keric shoves Ven against the nearest wall, and presses himself against him. Ven can't move with Keric's mouth pressed hungrily against his own, his hands all over Ven's body, and one knee pressed hard against Ven's crotch. Keric forces Ven's mouth open and begins to make out with him, but Ven refuses to kiss back. "Oh c'mon Ven," Keric says softly. "You know you want to kiss me."
Keric returns to kissing Ven forcefully. The anger and fear in Ven grows as Keric's hands get more daring, and Ven bites down hard on Keric's bottom lip, drawing blood and causing Keric to shout in pain. Ven shoves Keric off him hard and tries to run for the door. Just as he reaches for the doorknob, Keric slams into him from behind, and pins him face first against the still closed doors.
"You know better than that Veni," Keric growls in his ear, but Ven doesn't listen and shoves Keric off him again. Again he reaches for the doorknob, but again Keric stops him grabbing him by the collar of his jacket, and throwing him backwards onto the ground. On his back, Ven tries to get up, but Keric sits on his stomaching pinning him down. In a quick movement, Keric grabs Ven's shoulders and lifts him slightly before slamming him down with enough force to make Ven see stars. For a moment, Ven hovers on the edge of consciousness, fighting to stay awake. He succeeds and as everything comes back into focus he realizes his jacket has been ripped off and Keric is in the process of doing the same with his shirt.
"No!" Ven shouts in protest trying to stop Keric, but in the ensuing struggle, Keric succeeds in removing Ven's shirt. Throwing it across the room, Keric grabs Ven's flailing arms and pins them over his head with one hand. Both of them are breathing hard and find themselves in a staring contest. Ven glares at Keric and Keric stares back at him, his eyes gleaming with mirth.
"You're so sexy when you try to look tough," Keric says dragging his fingers down Ven's bare torso. His sharp nails draw blood, and Ven flinches slightly. He continues to draw meaningless designs on Ven's chest occasionally scratching him as he speaks. "I've got it all figured out Veni," Keric says. "I found a way for us to be together forever. I met a man with a plan to take all the worlds over with darkness. He said I could share in his power along with you. It would be you and me, side by side. Doesn't that sound incredible?" Keric leans down so he is mere inches from Ven's face.
Ven decides to try a new approach. "Yeah," Ven breathes out with a small smile, and Keric's eyes widen in happiness. "That-that's what I've always wanted." Keric smiles hugely, and kisses Ven passionately. Ven kisses back, but keeps his eyes wide open and burning with hatred. Keric gets lost in the kiss and releases Ven's hands. Ven seizes the moment and suddenly uses all his strength to throw Keric off him.
Ven scrambles to his feet, but before he can take a step an arm wraps around his neck, cutting of his air. "I'll make you love me," Keric growls in his ear as Ven gasps. "I don't care what I have to do, you will love me or I'll have to kill you."
With that, Keric loosens his grip so Ven can breathe again, but drags Ven across the front room of his suite and into his bedroom. Ven struggles with renewed desperation, but Keric is still able to throw him down on the bed. Keric tries to get on top of Ven again, but Ven isn't about to let that happen. "I'll never love you!" Ven shouts as he punches Keric in the stomach.
As Keric doubles over, Ven jumps off the bed, and turns to face Keric as he straightens up. With murder in his eyes, Keric lunges at him. Ven jumps back swing his fists wildly, and feeling one connect solidly with Keric's face. Ven doesn't have long to feel the thrill of his victory though as Keric responds immediately by punching Ven in the nose.
The force of the blow knocks Ven back and he falls on his back on the bed once more. He instinctively grabs at his aching nose feeling the blood flowing freely out of it. Before Ven knows what's happening, Keric is straddling him once more and his hands are around Ven's throat. Ven tries to suck in air, but finds he can't. Gaping like a fish out of water, Ven reaching up and pushes on Keric's face trying to get him off, but he only succeeds in wiping some of the blood on his hands off onto Keric.
His chest is hurting; Ven recognizes this feeling in terror. He had felt like this underwater in Atlantica just before he had fallen unconscious. Seeing Keric's face split into a smile at Ven's suffering unleashes a fury in Ven he hadn't known he was capable of. His anger is literally burning through his veins and he tries to fight off Keric with renewed intensity. However, it still isn't enough. The edges of his vision start to turn black, and his arms grow weaker, falling back onto the bed.
Let me out!
Vanitas' voice is urgent.
He's going to kill us idiot! You need me!
Ven feels a new pressure in his head, it's like a headache, but it's trying to overwhelm him, trying to take him over. Ven resists.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Vanitas snarls.
He's going to kill us. He'll kill those stupid friends of yours. Let me out! Give into your anger! I can save us!
Ven struggles against both Keric and Vanitas for another moment, but he realizes one of them is going to have to win. Barely conscious, Ven gives up and surrenders control to Vanitas.
Ven's half closed eyes suddenly shoot open, and Keric starts, surprised to see glowing yellow orbs instead of Ven's normal blue. Ven's arm reaches out and in it appears a keyblade. Keric jumps of Ven suddenly staring in shock at the weapon. He watches as Ven sits up breathing hard with the large black and red keyblade clutched tightly in his hand and his yellow eyes glaring into Keric's.
With an oath, Keric turns and opens a drawer in his night stand. Inside, his fingers scramble until they close around the hilt of a long dagger. He spins around, but as he does he finds Ven right behind him swinging the huge keyblade down at his head. Keric's whole face erupts in pain as he falls to the ground clutching at the long cut that had been left down the side of his face. Ven easily kicks the dagger out of his hand, and Keric looks up at him. For once it is Keric with the fearful expression and Ven with the smirk.
Ven raises the keyblade to Keric's throat watching with satisfaction as his tormentor gulps and tries to pull away. Suddenly, his eyes flash back to their normal blue, just for a second, and when they revert to yellow, Ven removes the keyblade from Keric's neck. Keric looks at him with relief, but not for long as Ven swings his keyblade hard and hits Keric over the head with the blunt side knocking him to the ground unconscious.
With a final smirk at his handy work, Ven runs out of the bedroom and out of the suite shutting the double doors behind him. He stops and turns back with his keyblade raised. A beam of dark energy shoots out of the tip and hits the door. The click of a lock sliding into place is soft, and satisfied Ven turns to run down the corridor.
He only takes a couple steps however when he stumbles to a stop and holds on to the wall for support. He gasps in pain and screws up his eyes tight as an intense headache hits him. He clutches his head briefly as the blinding pain subsides as quickly as it had come and he opens his eyes once more.
His blue eyes look up and down the corridor in confusion and then down at the black and red keyblade still in his hand. He raises it to study it more carefully for a moment. With a final glance up and down the corridor, he sprints off in the direction of the dungeon cells where he prays he will find Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua before it is too late.
…
In the underground maze of cells, Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua are crowded into a single small box of a room. It is cut straight out of bed rock with a barred door that had been slammed shut behind them after the guards had tossed them in. It had taken them a little while, but they had managed to remove each other's bindings. As soon as Terra's hands had been freed, he had taken to pacing the tiny cell with an enraged expression.
"We need to get out of here!" Terra shouts slamming his hands against the gated door of the cell the three of them are in. "That bastard has Ven!"
"Language Terra," Master Eraqus says quietly. "We must keep our heads and think this through."
"Ven doesn't have time for us to think! He needs us now!" Terra says shaking the bars of the door hoping to tear it open with brute strength.
Aqua walks over to Terra and lays a hand softly on his shoulder. After a moment his shoulders droop and he takes a step back from the barred door. "I...I don't like being helpless," Terra whispers. "Ven needs us and can we do anything? No, because we are stuck in this goddamn cell."
Aqua reaches up and strokes his cheek, surprising Terra. Master Eraqus is watching them, but Aqua has either forgotten about him or doesn't care anymore. "Let me try," Aqua says. "I have regained some magic. Maybe..." She trails off but she sets her face in a hard scowl. Terra backs away to the far side of the tiny cell where he stands with Master Eraqus while Aqua prepares herself.
"Magnega," Aqua calls and a vortex appears outside the cell drawing the metal door towards it's core. At first it appears to be working. The door creaks and pulls at the hinges keeping it in place, but then without warning a bolt of lightning jumps out of the door and hits Aqua in the chest. Shocked Aqua loses hold of her magic and drops to the ground holding her hand over her heart.
"Aqua!" Terra and Master Eraqus both shout in concern and hurry to her side. Grimacing she sits up with Terra's help.
"What-" She tries to say.
"The door must be enchanted against destroying it," Master Eraqus says in a bitter voice gently helping Aqua to her feet. "Are you alright?"
Aqua nods, but then her eyes fill with tears. "How are we going to get out of here?"
Master Eraqus has no answer. He hangs his head and walks to the door. Peering through the bars he tries to see down the dungeon corridor.
Terra wraps his arm around Aqua's waist and she curls against his chest with her eyes closed. "Oh Terra, what are we going to do?" She mumbles. "Ven is out there with that evil boy. It was such a bad idea to come here. This is all our fault."
"Shh Aqua," Terra says rubbing her back. "Ven is strong. He'll be alright." Terra tries to sound confident, but inside worry is gnawing away at him. "That bastard will get what's coming to him when I get out of here."
Master Eraqus suddenly turns to them and Aqua pulls away from Terra slowly, but lets him keep his arm around her waist. "Someone's coming," Master Eraqus says softly. They creep to the bars to try and see down the badly lit corridor. They can't see anyone, but the sound of hurried footsteps gets louder and louder. Whoever is coming is in a big hurry.
Suddenly the footsteps reach the small glow of the lantern hung on the wall near their cell. "Ven!" The three call in undisguised relief as he rushes to their cell.
"Guys..." he says breathlessly.
Ven tries to catch his breath while the others take in with horror his appearance. Ven's hair is disheveled and what looks like blood is staining his light hair. The right side of his face is covered by a splotchy bruise that seems to be darkening even as they stare. A thick line of blood runs down his face out of his left nostril, and hand shaped bruises are just forming on his throat. His shirt is missing and bleeding scratch marks are all over his torso and shoulders. He is bent over slightly holding his side in pain with one hand. In his other hand is a keyblade none of them have ever seen before.
"Ven..." Aqua says reaching through the bars to stroke the uninjured side of his face. "What did he do to you?"
Ven looks down and pulls away from her touch. "We don't have time for that," he says avoiding looking at them by glancing up and down the corridor. "I've got to get you guys out of here. Do you know where the key is?"
"No," Master Eraqus says. "Where did that keyblade come from?" Gesturing at the bulky red and black keyblade Ven is holding. It's wrapped in a chain and has what appears to be eyes on both the blade and hilt.
Ven just shakes his head. "I don't know. It just appeared."
"Try and unlock the door with it," Master Eraqus says.
"How do I do that?" Ven asks having never used his keyblade to do such a thing.
"Point it at the lock," Master Eraqus instructs. "Now close your eyes." Ventus holds the strange keyblade with both hands and closes his eyes as told. "Good," Master Eraqus says in a patient voice that he has developed over years of being a teacher. "Think about the light you have in your heart. Think about that light flowing out of your keyblade and the door opening."
Ven takes a deep breath and the tip of his keyblade begins to glow. The light grows stronger and stronger, but then,
"Oh no you don't!"
Keric comes running into view and tackles Ven to the ground. Ven loses his concentration and the light on the tip of his keyblade blinks out. Keric pulls Ven to his feet and slams him against the wall across from the cell holding the keyblade wielders with a growl. As his arm hits the wall, Ven loses his grip on his strange keyblade and it falls the ground vanishing a second later.
"Ventus! How dare you!" Keric yells into Ven's face. "You worthless son of a bitch!" Still pressing Ven against the wall with one hand he pulls the other back and punches Ven hard in the stomach.
Terra can hear all the breath leave Ven's body. Ven would have crumpled to the ground, but Keric is still holding him up. As the young king winds up for another punch, Terra shouts at him, "Stop it you bastard!"
Keric, whose face has a long gash which is bleeding profusely, pauses and turns for a moment to sneer at Terra. "Oh shut up. I'm just teaching him a lesson about respect." Keric turns back to Ven and leans close whispering in his ear. "I can't have you running off again Veni. You're going to mine forever." He kisses Ven lightly on his temple.
"No."
"What did you say Ventus!"
"No!" Ven shouts. "I'm not yours! You're not going to hurt me anymore!"
"Don't talk to me like that!" Keric snarls pulling away from Ven to see that he has his eyes shut tight. A light in the corner of his vision catches his attention. Ven's keyblade has reappeared in his hand and is glowing once more. As Keric's eyes widen, a beam of light shoots out of the tip.
"What the-"
That is all Keric could get out before strong hands grab him from behind. He is pulled away from Ven and slammed face first into the stone wall.
"That is the last time you'll touch him," Terra growls in his ear pressing Keric's face against the wall. Terra then grabs Keric by the back of his shirt and pulls him away from the wall. He slams the king back and smiles at the satisfying clunk of head hitting stone. Keric falls to the ground holding his head in pain.
Terra looks back at Ven who is sitting with his back resting against the wall; the strange keyblade is gone. Aqua and Master Eraqus crouch on either side of him talking in soothing voices as they wave their hands over his injuries. The green curing light falls on the cuts and bruises and they at once begin to heal.
"Ugh..."
Keric is trying to push himself to his feet, but he only makes it to his hands and knees before Terra kicks him in the stomach. He falls back to the ground without a sound and rolls over onto his back. Terra stares down at the boy king with hatred coursing through his veins. No one hurts his friends. No one. Terra raises his foot to kick Keric again.
"Wait Terra!"
Ven is on his feet again and he stumbles forward grabbing Terra's arm. Terra stops and turns to him surprised. "Don't," Ven says. "Don't descend to his level."
After a pause, Terra nods and takes a step back. Ven steps forward and crouches next to his tormentor. "Veni...Veni..." Keric says softly and laughs cruelly. "I guess you really do love me."
"Let it go Keric," Ven replies. "At one point, I may have thought I loved you. You did save my life after all. Back then I thought you were my hero, but look at the way you've treated me and my friends. That's not love. Months ago I ran away from you because I was scared. Today...today I'm leaving because I'm stronger." With that, Ven gets up and the others turn walking away from Keric's crumpled form.
"I won't let you leave!"
Ven turns back to see Keric on his feet with a dagger in his hand. Ven can almost see the darkness coming off the king as he throws the dagger end over end at Ven. He freezes watching it come closer and closer, filling his vision. His mind is blank.
"Ventus!"
Master Eraqus' shout is going to be the last thing he ever hears and Ven closes his eyes waiting for the pain to hit him. But it doesn't.
He cracks open his eyes and blinks surprised to see the dagger lying on the ground and a light shield fading away in front of him. Terra and Aqua are suddenly on either side of him holding him tight and asking if he is alright.
Master Eraqus walks in front of them and Ven peers around him to see Keric now holding on to the wall for support with a look of crazed fury in his eyes.
"How dare you attack my son with his back turned you...bastard!" Master Eraqus yells and then points at Keric. "Thundaga!" The bolt of electricity shoots through Keric and with a small cry of pain he collapses unconscious to the ground.
Master Eraqus stands breathing heavily staring down at the evil boy. Suddenly he feels something crash into him from behind and twists around to see it's Ven hugging him tightly. Master Eraqus turns and wraps his arms around the boy. He can feel Ven shaking and hugs him even tighter. Terra and Aqua join in and, with Master Eraqus, they form a circle of protection and love around Ven.
When Ven's tremors cease, Master Eraqus pulls away and so do Aqua and Terra. Ven wraps his arms around himself and sniffles quietly keeping his eyes downcast. Master Eraqus shrugs off his robe and places it around Ven's bare shoulders. The robe drags on the ground as it is too big for Ven, but he wraps it tightly around himself. Ven looks up at Master Eraqus with his eyes filled with tears and Eraqus wipes away one that falls down his cheek.
"Let's go home Ventus."
He puts his arm around the boy's shoulder and leads him away from the unconscious king on the floor without a look back. Terra feels Aqua slip her hand into his and he interlocks his fingers with hers. Together they follow Master Eraqus and Ven down the corridor and out of the dungeon.
Just a word of warning:
You know you're fucked when Eraqus swears. I guess Ven's potty mouth has been wearing off on his refined master!
I don't know about you people but my heart was racing the entire time I wrote that and I knew how it was going to end!
Surprised by Vanitas' appearance? He saved Ven! See like I said semi-happy ending right? … I mean … no one died … that's pretty happy.
I promised a fast update if I got lots of reviews and I got 4 so it only took one day for me to update! I'd say that's fast. (FYI I didn't actually write this in only a day. I've had it written since like this story started and I finally got to post it!)
Xehanorto: Luckily Ven got away before Xehanort could make his entrance. So what will Xehanort do when he finds out Keric let Ven escape? That's for next chapter!
Zephyr26: It would have been hilarious to have Sora and Riku save the day, but I'd already given the job to Vanitas when I saw your review.
Mexi: I think you might have misunderstood, when I said three days I meant three days in the story which means we are still only on day 1. It's not the universe that enjoys making Ven suffer it's me! Mwahahaha! *sobs* I'm so sorry Ven!
MLSoT: Oh Zack... I bet Ven wished Zack would just appear out of nowhere and rescue him from Keric, but instead he got Vanitas. Your idea (and by that I'm guessing you meant your idea of Keric coming to Traverse Town, tormenting Zack and Ven, and then Zack defending Ven) is very similar to a scene I'm planning with Vanitas much later on in the story. So it is similar in the event just with a different evil guy.
Review with your fav part. Which was the best moment? Vanitas taking control? Ven telling Keric 'I'm not yours!'? Master Eraqus protecting Ven? Or something else? I'm curious.