Chapter 50 Follow Me
"Oof!" Ven slams chest first into the ground and wheezes as he pushes himself up to his hands and knees. "Mickey…"
"Right beside ya Ven," Mickey replies in a tired voice. Ven turns to see him slowly getting to his feet and rubbing his shoulder. "That was one hard landing."
"Tell me about it," Ven says getting to his feet as well and brushing dirt off his shirt. "Now where the heck are we?" They are standing on a path of grass in a valley like area. Little streams flow through the small area and multiple paths lead in all different directions.
"Gosh, this looks like Neverland!" Mickey exclaims after a moment.
"Neverland?" Ven cocks his head. He has never been to a world called Neverland, but he recognizes the name. Terra and Aqua had told him about it. They'd made it sound pretty whimsical with flying kids and fairies.
"Yep. Master Yen Sid and I came here over a month ago when we were looking for Xehanort's hideout," Mickey says. He spots the Star Shard lying a few paces away from the two of them and walks over to it. He bends down to scoop it up, but before he can something that sparkles flashes past him and snatches up the Star Shard.
"Hey! That's ours!" Ven shouts running over. He skids to a stop in shock as the sparkle flying thing comes right up to his face. He realizes it is a she and she is sticking her tongue out him. "A-a fairy," Ven stammers seeing the wings on her tiny body fluttering hard to stay in the air with the extra weight of the Star Shard which is the same size as her.
Before Ven or Mickey can protest, she flies away from them and down one of the path that leads into some trees. "No! Master Yen Sid will be furious if I don't bring that back," Mickey calls after her, but she disappears into the trees. "Ven, we can't let her get away."
"Right," Ven says with a nod and follows Mickey as he runs towards the path the fairy had taken. Mickey heads into the trees and Ven is about to head in as well, but suddenly the hair on the back of his neck stands up and his heart suddenly starts beating faster. He whirls around just in time to see a boy clad in black and red walk down a different path.
"Wait!" Ven shouts, but the boy is gone. Ven looks back to the woods where Mickey had gone and then back at the path the boy had taken. He feels bad for just abandoning Mickey, but that boy...there is just something about him that makes Ven chase after him without a look back.
…
"Hey! Hey! Wait up!" Ven shouts as he comes to what looks like an Indian camp complete with teepees and a totem pole. The boy in black had come this way, but Ven has just lost sight of him. Slowing to a walk, Ven makes his way through the camp to the wide open area on the other side. Here there is a sheer drop of the cliff and from his vantage point he can see all of the large island and the large pirate ship floating in the shallows near by.
Ven looks down at the clear blue water and sighs. He lifts his hand to lay it over his heart and says softly, "Was that really you, Vanitas?"
"Oh, it's really me."
Ven whirls around with a gasp to see Vanitas, a black faceless mask covering his head, leaning casually against the totem pole. Vanitas uncrosses his arms and begins to walk towards Ven who is frozen in shock. With each step, Unversed pop into existence around Vanitas' feet and stay close to their master.
"Hmph," Vanitas snorts as he stops a few feet from Ven. "I would've thought tricking you would have been a bigger challenge, but you came chasing after me right away."
"Van-Vanitas," Ven stammers out still in shock. He stares blankly for a moment before finding his words again. "Of course I came chasing after you! I thought Xehanort had taken you prisoner."
"Me? Prisoner?" Vanitas says with a sneer. "I joined him Ven. He's the one with the answers, the power. He's the one who's going to win this war and rule over all the worlds. And you know how he's gonna do that? It's going to be all thanks to me and you." Vanitas takes another step closer to Ven. "The X-blade. It's time for it to be recreated." Vanitas takes another step closer and now his masked face is mere inches from Ven's face. "It's time to be one again, Ven." Vanitas leans in close and Ven stiffens. Whispering in his ear, Vanitas says, "It's time to fight."
"No. I can't," Ven says pulling away.
Vanitas pulls his head back to look at Ven. "Can't because your precious Master Eraqus wouldn't approve? Grow up, idiot. It's time to start making your own decisions."
"I am," Ven says frowning. "I'm doing what I know is right. What you know is right. I'm keeping the X-blade safe from Xehanort. He has evil plans for it, Vanitas. Evil. And you're doing exactly what he wants! It's you who needs to start making your own decisions."
Vanitas doesn't reply and just stares at Ven. With a sigh, Ven starts to walk around him. "I'm not fighting you Vanitas."
A gloved hand closes around Ven's wrist and he is jerked back around to face Vanitas. Vanitas' fist slams into Ven's cheek and with a cry he is sent sprawling on the ground.
"You think it's that easy?" Vanitas says in a enraged voice as he stands over Ven. "You think this is like that cushy academy of your's where it's all shits and giggles? This is real life. You can't just say no. Stop acting like you're so fucking high and mighty. I need to make the X-blade and I need you to do it so guess what? You're going to fight me."
"No I'm not," Ven replies calmly propping himself up on his elbows.
"Yes you are," Vanitas says. "You forget Ven. I know you. I know what you're scared of. I was there when all those heartless were piled on you, scratching at you. Do you remember how terrifying that was? I do."
Fear flashes briefly across Ven's face, and he swallows hard. Vanitas waves his hand and even more Unversed appear around him.
"I know they aren't heartless," Vanitas says gesturing around at his creatures. "But I think they will do just fine."
Ven jerks his head back and forth as the Unversed approach him with their sharp claws at the ready. He can feel the lump of fear in his throat. With a gulp, readies himself to fight off their attack, but it never comes. Instead, the Unversed stop a foot from him and stare curiously at him.
"What the hell? Attack!" Vanitas shouts at his creatures, but instead they begin to pull away from Ven who rises to his feet.
"You don't want to fight me Vanitas," Ven says.
"Of course I do!"
"No you don't. Those Unversed are your own emotions," Ven says. "Your true emotions. You don't want to hurt me any more than you would want to hurt yourself."
"Shut up! I want to fight you! I want the X-blade! I want the power!" Vanitas shouts grabbing the front of Ven's shirt in his fist.
"That's what Xehanort wants," Ven says evenly. "It's not what you want. See?"
Ven points at the Unversed which have started to disappear back into whatever part of Vanitas' mind they had come from. Vanitas watches them go and Ven can feel the hand on his shirt shaking. Vanitas lets him go and walks with his back to Ven to one of the teepees.
"If you're so sure that I'm not going to hurt you, Ven," Vanitas says slowly. "Then follow me."
With that, Vanitas opens a dark corridor and steps through. The swirling portal remains and Ven slowly approaches. In his mind, his thoughts clash over what he should do. The rational side of his brain screams at him to run as far away as possible from such a blatant trap, but his heart pushes him to go after Vanitas. In the end his heart wins out and he steps into the portal.
"Ven!"
He hears Mickey's shout and sees his friend jump into the portal as well, but then the darkness overwhelms him and he is alone.
…
Ven bursts out of the darkness and takes a huge gulp of air. He hunches over with his hands on his knees breathing hard. The darkness had been so total, so large, it had felt like it had been slowly crushing him to death. As his breathing returns to normal, he looks around and his heart starts beating faster.
The world of red rock he is now in is the same as the one Xehanort had taken him to when he had kidnapped Ven. His breath quickens again and he gets chills as his mind flashes back to that horrible day. The look of fear on Sora's face, Xehanort's yellow eyed glare, and the pain.
With his fractured memories becoming more and more vivid as he stands on those same red rocks, Ven feels his fear grow. He clumsily activates his armor and summons his keyblade to toss it, but a faint sound makes him stop. He listens carefully and hears his name being called over the wind. "Ven! Where are you?"
It is Mickey's voice. Mickey had come out in the same world as him just in a different spot. Ven lets his keyblade disappear and deactivates his armor. Knowing Mickey is wandering this world alone and Vanitas is lurking somewhere out there ready to lash out, Ven pushes aside his earlier fears and starts running in the direction of Mickey's voice.
Everything in this world looks like the same mountains, valleys and piles of red rock. Mickey's voice is gone and the silence is heavy in the dusty air. Ven runs along getting more and more lost in the empty world. The valley he is running in opens up into a perfectly flat plateau and in the middle lies Mickey, on his stomach with his keyblade a few inches from his hand.
"Mickey!" Ven calls as he runs over. He falls to his knees beside Mickey and gently turns him over. The mouse moans and blinks open his eyes.
"Ven...you have to...get away," Mickey says in a pained voice. "He's...coming back."
…
Master Eraqus lets his keyblade disappear from his hand as the enormous Unversed tree fades away from the fatal stab wound to it's trunk. Taking several deep breaths, Master Eraqus holds himself up with a hand on a nearby tree. "I'm getting too old for this," he says to himself regretfully.
With a sigh, he reaches into his pocket for the orb Master Yen Sid had created and given to Master Eraqus to help him find Ven and Mickey. Holding it in his palm, Master Eraqus says, "Show me Ventus."
The smoke in the orb swirls and clears to an image that makes Master Eraqus's hand clench around the orb. Ven is kneeling over Mickey, holding the mouse up slightly and trying to sooth him. Mickey had obviously just been defeated by a great opponent, but Master Eraqus doesn't have long to wonder at who that opponent was because a boy clothed in black with a mask obscuring his face walks into the image.
"No," Master Eraqus says as he watches Vanitas approach Ven who has his back turned to the threat. Vanitas takes a few more steps towards Ven and Mickey before Ven turns around and catches sight of him.
The image in the orb fades, but Master Eraqus is already shoving it in his pocket as he activates his armor and throws his keyblade into the air at the same time. Master Eraqus jumps on his glider and shoots off into space. He knows exactly where to go. He had recognized the place instantly. The Keyblade Graveyard. The site of the final battle of the Keyblade War and where he himself had helped Master Yen Sid banish Xehanort to the Dark Realm over ten years ago.
He heads there at top speed trying to quell the growing feeling that he is already too late
…
"Vanitas," Ven says softly as he turns and rises to his feet. "Why are you doing this?" Ven asks gesturing to Mickey.
"Gee, I don't know," Vanitas says the sarcasm heavy in his voice. "Maybe because it's fun?" He starts to laugh slightly. "Maybe I do it just to see that pathetic little glare of yours. Or maybe I'm just evil. Y'know? Hardwired to be a douchebag."
"You're not hardwired to be anything," Ven says stepping away from Mickey and towards Vanitas. "You can make good choices if you want."
Vanitas let out another bark of laughter. "That's coming from the light half. But I'm the dark half idiot. I just don't pick the 'good choices'. I do whatever the hell I want because I fucking can. Good is overrated believe me."
Vanitas summons his keyblade and walks up to Ven putting the tip right over his heart. Ven tries not to gulp and glares unwaveringly at Vanitas' masked face. "I'm not going to give in," Ven says. "You can't goad me into a fight. Don't you see Vanitas? The X-blade is ours to protect and we can't let Xehanort have it. He want to destroy everything!"
"He's only destroying the parts that have become unbalanced," Vanitas shoots back pushing harder on his keyblade and making Ven wince. "He's trying to bring Kingdom Hearts back to the worlds for balance not destruction. Of course there will be some destruction, like that queen in the underwater world, but it's all for the creation of a better universe."
"It was you?" Ven says surprised. "You killed Queen Athena? Why? She was so kind."
"Exactly the point," Vanitas says and Ven is sure behind his mask he is rolling his eyes. "There was too much light in that world so I brought in some darkness. That world will be much more balanced with its king so angry and vengeful."
"Vanitas," Ven says sadly and he sees Vanitas stiffen. "How can you say killing someone is for the best? What has Xehanort done to you?"
"He didn't do anything so save your pity," Vanitas hisses angrily. "He's let me reach my fullest potential. The darkness is mine to control and I'm stronger than you. I deserve to have the X-blade!"
With that Vanitas draws back his keyblade and swings it around in an arc at Ven's head. Ven raises his hands and summons his keyblade. Vanitas' keyblade slams into Ven's and they lock together with a crash. Ven grits his teeth and digs his feet into the ground as Vanitas pushes down inch by inch.
"This is how we form it," Vanitas says gleefully. "Pure light and pure darkness clashing in the same spot Vairos destroyed the X-blade all those years ago."
Ven's eyes widen and he jumps back. Vanitas growls as his keyblade hits the red rock ground. "I am not fighting you!" Ven yells. "I won't form the X-blade just so Xehanort can use it and you to destroy the worlds!"
"Save the heroic bull!" Vanitas shouts and charges at Ven. He slashes at Ven diagonally, but Ven jumps to the side to avoid it. Ven stares evenly at Vanitas who stares back. With a flash of light, Ven's keyblade disappears and he stands unarmed before Vanitas. Vanitas' hand on his keyblade tightens and he yells, "I'll make you fight!"
Vanitas stabs at Ven's feet, but Ven jumps back out of the way. Vanitas swings again at Ven's neck, but he ducks under it. Vanitas points his keyblade at Ven and a ball of darkness burst from it and hits Ven in the gut. He grunts in pain and is sent flying by the impact.
He lands on his back and closes his eyes as the pain peaks. At the sound of boots crunching heavily on the ground, he opens his eyes and stares up at Vanitas who towers above him. Vanitas points his keyblade down to Ven is staring down it's long shaft.
"You won't," Ven says trying to be confident. "You and I are the same. You won't hurt me."
Vanitas hesitates, then slowly draws his keyblade back. He looks from it to Ven and then back at his keyblade. There is a moment when neither of them move then,
"Shut up!"
And Vanitas stabs down at Ven with all his strength.
Ah cliffhangers, why do I love you so much?
50 CHAPTERS!
Holy shit! I can't believe I let this get so long. BUT it is getting close to the end. Exactly 10 more chapters to go! (I think…)
And then I get to start back at chapter 1 for the sequel! YAY!…. fuck …. why do I like writing such long complicated stories? It's soooooo much work! ….. but I love it so I do it anyways.
LightzMusic22: Glad I made you laugh last chapter. This chapter didn't have much to laugh about though.
Will Master Eraqus get there in time to save Ven? Will Terra and Aqua pass their exam? Will Sora, Riku, and Kairi find a way to annoy Master Yen Sid to death?
All these questions will be answered next time so until then favorite, follow, and review!