Chapter 13 – Investigation

"Aqua, I think it's safe to say this world's a dud." The entire area, as far as the eye could see, was completely covered in snow and ice. Not even the Heartless bothered with the place. The only sign of life they'd found was a small black droid that had beeped incessantly at them till Ven had punted it into the horizon, initiating some sort of self-destruct sequence.

He gathered his fur coat more closely around him as a gust of wind knocked his hood back yet again. His lips were turning blue, and there were icicles in his hair. Aqua frowned and cast a ring of fire around them to warm him up. The snow temporarily melted, revealing a layer of… more snow underneath.

Seeing Ven like this brought back bad memories of when Xehanort had frozen him. If she had her way, he would never be cold again. But they couldn't leave this place without making sure Terra wasn't here.

"I could've sworn… Here, Ven, let me see your Wayfinder again." He obliged, his fingers icy cold as he handed it over, before tucking his hands back into his pockets. Gloves that would actually protect against this level of cold made gripping a Keyblade difficult, so he'd forgone them.

Aqua brought their Wayfinders together and cast more magic on them. When she'd said they would always bring them together again, she hadn't just been engaging in wishful thinking. Much like Kairi's necklace, under the right conditions, each Wayfinder could lead its owner to the other Wayfinders. They were using that to track Terra, and their two Wayfinders combined were more powerful and accurate than hers on her own would have been.

Of course, there was a glaring flaw in this plan. They were assuming Terra still had his Wayfinder, and that was a big leap to make. In the years since they'd all been together, he'd been possessed by Xehanort, sent to another world, turned into a Heartless and Nobody, and then put back together again. It was anyone's guess whether he still had his Wayfinder or not. In her heart of hearts, Aqua believed he did, but she didn't have any definite proof.

"Why do I get the feeling Xehanort's leading us on a wild goose chase?" Ven muttered, kicking the snow beneath their feet.

"He could be. If we find Terra now, he gets nothing from it, since it's just the two of us." The clash he wanted required seven of their people, after all. And every time Terra had seen her, he'd gained more and more control of himself.

No, it was not in Xehanort's best interest for them to find Terra. Not at all. Aqua suspended the Wayfinders in the air with an anti-gravity spell, and they both slowly rotated upwards towards the sky, little pulses of light shooting out of them and pointing to the heavens. Ven was right. Wherever Terra was now, it wasn't on this world.

They transformed into their armor and took off. Time to search the next world.

Ven laughed when his head popped above water.

"Terra's really choosing some winners, isn't he?" Thankfully the sea they'd landed in was warm and shallow, a welcome respite from the frozen wasteland they'd just visited. They could see all the way to the bottom, and all sorts of tropical marine life lurked beneath the waves.

They swam to the shore. Ven dried them off with some strategically placed Aero spells before they settled on the sand to rest. Then he took out his Wayfinder, and—

"VEN! AH-KOO-WAH!"

—he went tumbling as a very dear friend tackled him and licked his face. He laughed and turned his cheek to avoid getting a mouthful of alien tongue.

"Stitch!" Aqua cried. She'd never expected to see him here, of all places. The last time they'd seen him had been in Deep Space, after all. He jumped to her next, and she caught him and gave him a hug.

"Long time no see." He proceeded to climb up and down her legs till he found what he was looking for.

"Ah-koo-wah," he said, flashing them a toothy grin as he dangled her Wayfinder from his fingers, along with a wad of fabric that looked like it had been ripped from her sash.

"Yup, that's right." Ven smiled and pet his head. He snatched Ven's Wayfinder from where it had fallen on the sand and examined it.

"Ven." He glanced from one charm to the other, then frowned and looked up at them. "Ter…ra?"

Ven's face fell, and Aqua's throat tightened.

"We… don't know where he is," she said.

Stitch's ears drooped. "Terra… gone?"

"Yeah, he's gone." Ven hung his head and sighed.

"But Terra… Fren. Ohana. Family."

"And family means no one gets left behind." A young girl with dark hair marched up to Stitch and grabbed his hand. She wore a grass skirt and matching crown. "Stitch, where have you been? It's almost time for the performance!" She turned to Ven and Aqua. "Sorry about that. I'm Lilo." She jabbed a finger at Stitch. "And this is Stitch. He's a weird looking dog, I know." She flashed them a smile and turned to leave.

"Wait, Lilo was it?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen a big, muscly man with spiky hair and—"

Stitch escaped Lilo's grasp and climbed onto Ven's back instead, combing his fingers through his hair and plucking several strands for himself.

"Ouch!" Ven yelped, his hand flying to the spot and swatting at Stitch.

"Stitch!" Lilo pulled him off of Ven. "Hmmm, the only muscly man I know is my sister's boyfriend. And Mr. Bubbles. But Mr. Bubbles doesn't have any hair."

"Your sister's boyfriend – he doesn't have silver hair and golden eyes, does he?" Ven asked. It was unlikely Terra had gone off to some planet and started dating one of the locals, but just in case...

"Nope!" Lilo replied cheerfully. Aqua felt more relief than she'd care to admit at this piece of news.

"How about brown hair and blue eyes, then?" she asked. Ven shot her a look, but she had to know.

"Nope! He's got brown eyes, like mine." She readjusted her grip on Stitch. "Sorry, we have to go now. The performance is about to start."

"Bye-bye, Ah-koo-wah, Ven!" Stitch called as Lilo hauled him away. They waved back, then turned to each other and sighed.

"At least we know where Stitch lives now," Ven said, trying to look on the bright side as always.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to see him. It's nice to know we can come back and visit."

Neither of them mentioned that they'd come to yet another world without a trace of Terra. Aqua wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. She plucked the Wayfinders off the ground where Stitch had dropped them. This time, she didn't even bother checking where they led. She just silently handed Ven his, and he understood. They were in their armor and off to the next world by the time Lilo and Stitch's performance had begun.

They just missed the suit of armor that appeared on the beach. Terra tore his helmet off and staggered forward, landing on his knees and crumpling to the ground as the rest of his armor disappeared.

Getting his mind back had worked wonders. He was pushing back against Xehanort's control longer and harder than ever before. It had been ten hours since Xehanort had last had him (a new record). He clutched his head and groaned. He didn't have much time left before Xehanort reasserted his authority.

Terra, you must hurry. I can't hold him off much longer.

I know.

"Aqua… Ven… where are you?" He had to find them and warn them. He took his Wayfinder out, willing it to show him where they were. They'd come to this world, he knew that much. He'd been tracking them ever since he'd escaped, and his Wayfinder had led him here. The little bursts of light that had first appeared several days ago flickered upwards, and he dug his fingers into the sand. They'd moved on already.

They were just here. They must have left right before he arrived. Why couldn't they have waited just a few minutes? Why couldn't he have gotten here sooner? He punched the ground in frustration. The blooming pain in his head warned him that Xehanort was about to take over again.

It's not too late. You still have time to find them.

I know. I just have to stay calm. Negative emotions were a good conduit for darkness, and Xehanort loved to use Terra's.

"TERRA!" A blue monster jumped at him, and Terra sent it flying. It crashed onto a nearby palm tree before he realized his mistake.

"Ter…ra?"

"Stitch? Is that really you?"

"Terra!" Stitch lunged at his legs and latched on.

"Hey, good to see you." How long had it been since he'd last seen Stitch? Years, but just how many? A quick glance at the small pool on the last world he'd visited told him he'd gotten older – there were lines under his eyes, his hair was longer, his face was thinner – but he didn't know his exact age. If he had to guess, he'd say he was in his early thirties now, but so many of the passing years had been lost that he had no way of knowing for sure.

He had no idea what Ven looked like now, either. Aqua, on the other hand, had aged a couple of years at most. Time passed differently in the realm of darkness, if it passed at all, and she was still as beautiful as ever. Terra had noticed before (how could he have not), but he'd been so obsessed with achieving his goal that he hadn't realized what could have been till it was too late.

Yes, he was an idiot. But there was one good thing that had come out of all of this. He was determined not to let the same fate befall anyone else.

Stitch found his Wayfinder and waved it in the air. "Fren! Fren!"

"Have you seen them? Have you seen my friends Aqua and Ven?"

"Ah-koo-wah. Ven. Yes." He handed Terra a clump of blond hair and a piece of blue fabric. Terra took one look at Stitch's mementos and assumed the worst.

"Stitch, what happened to them?!"

Stitch made a loud noise and waved his arms around in the air. It could mean anything, really, and Terra didn't have time for a game of gestures.

"Stitch! There you are!" A very disgruntled young girl appeared from the brush nearby and grabbed Stitch. "What did I tell you about running off in the middle of a performance?"

She took one look at Terra and froze. "Your hair and eyes are weird." She squinted, then her eyes went wide. "Hey, you're that muscly man they were talking about!"

"Who?"

The girl shrugged. "They didn't tell me their names. But the woman had blue hair and the guy had spiky blond hair." She let go of Stitch and inched closer to Terra. "Your hair's spiky too, just like they said. What's your name, mister?"

"Xeha—I mean, Terra. My name's Terra."

She giggled. "You have a funny name."

"Oh yeah? What's yours?"

"Lilo." She stuck out her hand, and he shook it. It was so small compared to his that he felt like even more of a giant than he usually did. When was the last time he'd been around a kid? He couldn't even remember.

"Lilo. Can you tell me anything they—" Terra clutched his head and swore.

We're out of time.

Yeah, I noticed.

Lilo's eyes went wide. "My sister Nani says you shouldn't say words like that."

"Lilo, get away from me. Now." Something in Terra's voice made her listen. She grabbed Stitch and backed away. Terra fought it, but he couldn't hold Xehanort off anymore. The darkness encroached and consumed his heart again.

"Terra, are you okay?" Lilo called when it was over, watching from a safe distance.

"That name has no meaning for me." Terra-Xehanort picked the Wayfinder up and stood.

"Your voice sounds weird now," Lilo said. She took a step closer, but Stitch pulled her back and shook his head.

"No Terra," he said. "No fren."

Lilo looked from Terra-Xehanort to Stitch in confusion. "I don't get it, Stitch. How did he become a different person?"

Stitch pointed to his chest. "Hah—art. Heart."

"His heart's different?"

Stitch nodded, and Lilo's face fell.

"Oh, okay. Hey mister!" she called. "Whoever you are, let Terra come out and talk to me!"

Terra-Xehanort fixed her with his cold gaze. "Foolish child, this heart belongs to the darkness. Terra cannot hear you." He put his armor back on and summoned a Corridor.

Lilo frowned. "You're creepy. It isn't right to take other people's hearts, you know."

He summoned Terra's glider and hopped aboard. "If I cared about something as petty as right and wrong, I would not have gotten to where I am today." The hum of the engine started up, and Lilo balled her fists.

"Well, whatever it is you're trying to do, it won't work! Give Terra back his heart!"

Stitch screeched and launched himself in the air. Terra-Xehanort ignored him and took off before he had the chance to tear his glider apart. He sighed in relief when the portal safely closed behind him. That had been close, too close. He couldn't risk any of the Guardians of Light discovering his plans. It would ruin everything.

He was glad to be getting rid of Terra soon. He was becoming too unpredictable to effectively control.

It wouldn't be long now. Soon, all his carefully laid plans would be complete.

He could hardly wait.

Ven and Aqua wandered from world to world, still no closer to their goal than when they'd started.

"I think we should go back to Twilight Town," Aqua said, after they'd been chased off a world for being witches and/or aliens. Aqua supposed they fit the description, so she couldn't really blame the world's inhabitants for how they'd reacted, but still. Ven's use of magic when he lost his footing was a simple survival instinct, but to those people, he might as well have summoned Chernabog himself.

"One more world, Aqua. Just one more," he pleaded.

"You said that three worlds ago."

"I mean it this time."

Aqua sighed. "Okay, fine. One more world, and then we're going back." She took out their Wayfinders. "Where to now?"

A few hours later, and they emerged inside a thick forest. Aqua surveyed the area and noticed the ground sloped steadily upwards. They must be on the lower part of a mountain, but the trees were too thick to tell for sure unless she climbed. When she returned to Ven, he grabbed her hand.

"What is it?"

"Aqua, can't you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"The darkness." Ven put his other hand over his mouth. "It's oozing off of everything, like the heart of the world's been corrupted." He swallowed. "You can still sense the darkness, right?"

"Yes." She could feel it now, swirling around everything in a thick haze. "But I guess I spent so much time in the realm of darkness that I've lost some of my sensitivity." She tilted her head, listening for any noise. "There aren't any animals. No people, either. It's so calm it's disturbing."

"This is the place," Ven said. "It has to be." He began the long trek uphill, and she followed close behind him. When they reached a good climbing tree, she hoisted him up to scout out the area.

"We're on a mountain, all right. I think we're better off using our gliders and flying up the rest of the way than trying to walk." He hopped down and donned his armor, and she did the same. They broke above the tree line and continued their ascent. When they'd reached the summit of the mountain, they dismounted and continued on foot. The view was amazing, but there wasn't much going on.

"There's nothing up here," Ven said at last. "Just a bunch of rocks and the mountain itself."

"No, wait. Look." Aqua pointed to the peak. "It's cone-shaped. Ven, I think we're on a volcano."

Ven stared at the ground. He plucked a rock off it and turned it around in his hands. It was dark red and porous, the exact sort of rock flowing lava made when it solidified.

"Yeah, I think you're right." He gave her a grim look. "Let's hope it isn't active."

They climbed as high as they dared, till they could finally see inside the crater. It was pitch black, and they had no idea how deep it was. Ven tossed the rock inside, waiting for the sound of it hitting the bottom to reach their ears.

It never did. Instead, a burst of flame shot out of the crater and towered above them, spreading fiery wings and fixing them with its red-hot gaze. It reared its head back and roared, breathing flames out of its mouth that licked at their heels as they ran for their lives.

"A firebird?!" Aqua shouted.

"I thought – they were supposed – to be good!" Ven rolled out of the way of the latest onslaught of fire. His clothes got singed, but he was otherwise unscathed.

"They are. An elixir – made from their feathers – is said to—" Aqua put up a barrier around the two of them just in time.

"Bring people back from the dead, right?"

"Well, according to the legends. At the very least, they have great healing powers. Maybe they can't actually bring someone back from the dead, but they could probably save someone from the brink of death."

"Then why is this one attacking us?!"

As if on cue, the firebird shot a ball of white-hot flame at them, and even with the barrier protecting them Aqua could still feel it. Sweat dripped down her face, and she rubbed her forehead.

"Ven, we have to get out of here. If we want to take this thing on, we're going to need more help."

"But Terra—"

"Terra's probably here, inside the volcano. I bet that's where Xehanort's lair is. But we can't go in there right now."

Ven looked at the firebird again. "It's the guard dog, isn't it?" Then he noticed something, and his face fell. "Aqua, look. It's… it's a Heartless."

Sure enough, a black heart with a red outline was engraved on its chest, visible only when the flames flickered long enough for them to make it out.

"Aqua?" Ven asked.

She was trembling. How dare Xehanort take a rare and beautiful creature that was known the worlds over for its healing and restorative powers, and turn it into this. It was a mockery of everything pure and good, just like how Xehanort had twisted Terra's heart and—

"Xehanort!" Screw the retreat plan, this creature deserved better. She had to save it. She had to put it out of its misery. She summoned her Keyblade and charged.

"Aqua, no!" Ven cried. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Let go of me!" She wrenched her arm free and doubled down on the firebird, hitting it with a chain of Blizzaga spells that culminated in a Blizzaza that froze it solid. But then Ven was there, blocking her progress.

"Get out of my way!"

Ven's eyes held an intensity she'd rarely seen before. "Aqua, stop! This won't help Terra!"

She was about to shove him aside when he threw his arms around her. She staggered backwards, forced to catch his weight lest they both go tumbling down the mountain.

He grabbed her hand and took off. "We'll deal with it later, like you said. But right now, we need to—"

The firebird burst through the ice. It spun around, catching them both in the flaming tips of its wings and sending them flying. Aqua only had time to cast a barrier around Ven before its wingtips caught her again. The searing flames tore into her back, and she screamed. As she lost consciousness, she was vaguely aware of someone shouting her name. There was a soft green glow, and then it all went black.

"Unnggh, where am I?" She blinked her eyes open and tried to sit up, only to fall back down into someone's arms. Her back throbbed, but not nearly as badly as she had expected it to. They were back in the forest, far away from the firebird. Hopefully.

"Easy, Aqua. I healed your back as best as I could, but it could really use your touch." Ven was hovering over her, a concerned expression on his face. But he also looked downright exhausted, and ash and soot was smudged all over his skin.

Had he carried her all the way here? He must have, from the looks of it. When had he gotten strong enough for that?

She wiped a piece of ash away from his face. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You protected me and took the worst of it yourself." He placed a hand on her back and healed it again, just to be safe.

"But if I hadn't attacked it—"

"If I hadn't insisted we stay and look for Terra, then we would've gotten out of here before that even became an issue. Let's just call it square, okay?"

"Okay." She sat up and winced, then gingerly touched her back to survey the damage. Ven had done a good emergency patch job, but he was right. What it really needed was her expertise. She spent the next few minutes healing it, and by the time she was done, it was about as good as new. The only sign that anything had happened was the slight pink of the skin and the dull throbbing that accompanied it, which would both go away in time.

She gestured to his legs and arms. "Here, let me see." Sure enough, there were partially healed burn marks, and she set about putting them right. When she was finished, his skin was almost back to normal, too. Nature would take care of the rest.

"I'd say we should rest here, but…" Aqua gestured towards the mountain. "Not the friendliest company."

Ven cracked a grin. "No, not exactly. But hey, at least we know where Terra's probably being kept now, right?"

"Right." Aqua brushed ash off her legs and stood. "Shall we?"

They noted where this world was on Aqua's map and set off, pleased that they'd finally found something to go off of. But more than that, they were both ready for a break. As the world disappeared from their view, Aqua turned back and looked at it one last time.

We'll be back soon, Terra. I promise.

"Aqua! Ven! You're back!"

Kairi ran down the creaky staircase of the Old Mansion and tackled Aqua in a hug. The sudden gesture took Aqua off guard and made her aching back throb, but she steadied them both before they went tumbling into one of the broken tables behind them.

"Yeah. It's good to see you again, Kairi." She let go to give her a grin. "Have you been practicing like I told you to?"

"Of course! I can't wait to show you!"

Kairi turned her attention to Ven, and Aqua finally noticed Sora was here, too. But instead of looking happy to see them, his head drooped.

"You didn't find Terra."

Aqua was taken aback. She knew Sora wanted to help them save him, but he almost seemed as torn up over Terra's continued absence as she and Ven were.

Ven's mouth formed a tight line. "No. But we think we know where he's being kept."

"Oh?" Sora lifted his head.

"Yes," Aqua said. "We found this world with a forest and a volcano and a huge firebird — here, let me show you." She dug around in her bag for her 3D map of the known worlds.

Sora took the map from her and studied it carefully. "So it's near Neverland, huh?"

"Yes."

"Huh, interesting. I don't think I've ever been there before." He lifted his eyes and looked steadily into hers. "Aqua, this is great. If you really think he's being held here, then we can plan a mission to rescue him."

"I know." They were so close. They were so close to saving him.

Sora handed her back the map. "Hang on. I have to find Riku and the King. We should start planning."

Aqua put a hand on his shoulder. "Sora, don't be silly. It's getting late. It can wait till tomorrow." She nodded towards Ven, whose eyelids were drooping even as he tried his best to continue his conversation with Kairi.

Sora gave her a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "R-right."

It wasn't till later, when she was alone in the room Kairi had prepared for her, sprawled out on its great canopy bed, that she finally allowed herself to succumb to her emotions. She clutched her Wayfinder in her hand and sobbed into the pillow.

Would nothing she did ever be enough? They knew where Terra was probably being kept now, it was true. But that was no guarantee this would be any different from the Keyblade Graveyard. She hadn't indulged her worries to Ven or the others, of course, and she would never give up on saving Terra. But even she was beginning to despair.

Finding him was only the first step. If not even throwing herself into the realm of darkness could help, if not even returning his mind to him could free him, if not even Kairi, a Princess of Heart, could break through the darkness imprisoning him, then what would it take?

"Terra, I miss you so much." She pulled the pillow close and hugged it tight. "I just want to see your smile again."

Was that really so hard to ask? It was the one thing she wanted more than anything. Surely the strength of her wish, the strength of the heart behind it was enough.

She would make it come true. She had to.

Aqua's sobs and pleas went unanswered, or so she thought. But someone had heard her on the way to his room.

"Aqua, hang in there," Sora whispered, then rested his head against the faded wallpaper and sighed. "You'll see Terra again soon, I promise."

A/N: I was pretty excited to post this chapter because it's the start of a new story arc. It includes one of the worlds and enemies I'd really love to see in Kingdom Hearts, too, the Firebird from Fantasia 2000. There are references to four different movies total, including Fantasia 2000. Can you guess what the other three are?

As always, thank you for reading!