Ladies and Gentlemen! This is the next story in my post KH3 series!
This story will follow Terra, Aqua, and Ven in the year between KH3 and KH4.
Hope you enjoy!
Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!
Constellations
Chapter 1: Wayfinders
"My name's Terra. What's your name, sir?"
"I am Master Eraqus."
"Did you know my father?"
"I did, Terra."
Sora vanished.
The light above faded away, leaving those left standing in the Keyblade Graveyard, eyes still fixed on the sky.
Aqua wiped tears from her eyes; she felt so grateful for that last moment with Master Eraqus. Next to her, she could see Terra smiling, but his eyes still shone with emotion.
"So," Between them, Ven spoke softly, "what happens now?"
Aqua put a hand on his head, smiling. "We go home."
"Yeah!"
…
"But what if we don't have one?" They all looked over to the girl with black hair. She appeared with Axel and a boy who looked like Ven; must be the Roxas boy Axel told them about.
Terra looked over at her, noticing that Roxas shared a similar expression. "You don't have a home?"
"We don't." Roxas shook his head.
Riku, taking a deep breath, walked over and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sure we can figure something out. You two are not alone."
"Don't worry. I've got it all figured out." Axel grabbed the two teenagers, pulling them into a hug. "Just leave it to me."
"You do?"
Axel's eyes held a gentle warmth as he looked at them. "Of course! I'm not going to leave my best friends without a place to call home. I've had an idea for a while. We just have to stop by Radiant Garden for me to grab some stuff, and then we can bet the ball rolling."
So, he did know this girl? But he never said anything about her before.
And why did she look so much like Kairi?
She'd ask Axel later.
"Actually," Mickey sighed, "we should all stop by there. We need to let the others know what's happened, and we could all probably use a place to just rest for a little while."
"Agreed."
"To Radiant Garden then."
"How would you like to come become a magical swordswoman?"
"Can I really!?"
"Your parents agreed, but the decision is yours."
"… I'd love to!"
"Wonderful. I'll be your teacher. My name is Master Eraqus."
"I'm Aqua!"
On the gummi ship, Aqua, Terra, and Ven listened as Axel and Riku explained more about Roxas and the girl named Xion.
At first, Aqua saw Axel as this silly and reckless man. Even though Ven knew him as Lea, what she'd read in the phone Jiminy gave her made her a little suspicious of him.
But as they talked, and he admitted his shortcomings as a friend, and how he'd tried so hard to save his friends, only to fail…
She saw someone like herself.
She looked into his eyes, and they shared that same burden. A friend who tried to save others but fell short.
But now…
It was over.
As everyone began to chat, quietly as Roxas and Xion looked exhausted and quickly fell asleep against Axel, Terra moved toward Riku, the two of them sharing a knowing smile.
"It's good to see you again."
"Same to you."
"I heard that you're a true Keyblade Master?"
"I am."
The young man smiled, seeing the young boy he passed the power of the Keyblade to so long ago, now a young man who stood tall and strong. "That's amazing."
"It's all thanks to you." Riku leaned against the wall. "You inspired me to try to leave the islands. And while I made a fair share of mistakes, some really bad ones especially, I found my path and I don't think I would have without you. So, thank you."
"You're welcome."
Ven poked around Aqua, looking at the two young men talking. "What are they talking about?"
"It's none of our business." Aqua smiled.
But she knew.
When she met Riku so long ago, she knew someone passed the power to him.
She figured it was Terra, and now she knew it was.
…
If things had been different, Terra could have trained Riku himself.
But things turned out alright in the end.
"Where am I?"
"It's you…"
"Who are you?"
"I am a Keyblade Master. Who are you, boy?"
"My… my name is V-Ventus."
"Where did you come from?"
"I don't know… I can't remember…"
"Come with me. Let's find a place for you to rest, and maybe you'll remember soon."
"Thank you, Master…"
"Xehanort."
Everyone seemed to know each other here.
As they stepped out of the gummi ship into the hanger in Radiant Garden, Axel, Roxas, and Xion immediately began talking with the two guards.
"Those two used to be in the Organization with them." Goofy noticed their confusion.
"Oh, wow." Ven blinked. "I remember them from when I came here a long time ago."
Mickey chuckled. "Actually, most of the people you'll meet in the next few minutes were in the old Organization."
Terra blinked, an image of the two guards appearing in his head.
Of them in black coats… and another of them lying on the ground, fading away.
Xehanort's memories…
They followed the group up, watching as Axel, Roxas, and Xion interacted with another young man named Ienzo.
Ven gasped, looking over to his friends. "I met him. But he was just a little kid at the time. I saved him from Unversed."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
And when they entered the lab, Ven recognized the man who came to get Ienzo after he saved him: Even.
And there was a very loud, and kinda fun new guy with a blonde mullet.
Everyone kept calling him Demyx.
"I take that your arrival means Xehanort has fallen." Stepping into the room came an older man with blonde hair and a beard, wearing a lab coat and red scarf.
Terra's mind immediately flashed with many memories. "Ansem the Wise…"
"You know him?"
"I don't, but Xehanort did."
"You can tell?"
Terra nodded. "I keep seeing flashes of memories from when Xehanort was possessing my body." When he looked up, he saw Ansem looking right at him with a gentle smile and a glint of recognition in his eyes.
The old man's gaze turned to Xion and Roxas, and his gaze fell.
The three watched him apologize to the two children. From the sounds of it, he must have hurt them pretty bad.
Ven really wanted to ask what had happened, but now wasn't the time at all. "It feels a little weird," he said as the three of them stood in the back, letting Ansem and the others interact with Roxas, Xion, and Axel, "they all know each other from the Organization, and we have no idea who most of these people really are."
"It does feel a little strange." Aqua nodded.
"Though from the sounds of it, they're all ready to move on from those days and start over." Terra sighed. He knew that Xehanort caused so much suffering to everyone here, using his body. But no one looked at him like he was to blame.
Ok, he did get one weird look from Demyx, but that faded a moment later.
"Um…" Ienzo cut through everyone's thoughts and conversations. "I hate to ruin the mood but… where are Sora and Kairi?"
Oh…
Demyx waved a hand. "Oh, I bet they're off somewhere making out or something."
Oh?
Aqua raised an eyebrow. She could tell they were close, but they were apparently THAT close.
"Demyx!"
"What? It's not like it's a secret that they have a thing for each other."
Ven smiled sadly. He hoped with all his heart that they would come back soon. He really wanted to talk to Sora more.
And Aqua hoped for Kairi. That spell she'd placed on the girl helped her once already, maybe it would help again, but she'd been killed. Would the magic even help with that?
She could only hope.
"They'll… they'll be back soon." Riku swallowed hard, looking at Ansem.
Terra could see the understanding in the old man's eyes as he spoke. "Well then, we will congratulate them on the victory when they return."
Axel cleared his throat, very clearly trying to steer the conversation away from that topic. "So, Twilight Town?"
As Ansem continued talking to Axel, Roxas, and Xion, Ienzo walked over to the three in the back. "Hello." His eyes met Ven's and they widened. "Wait… have we met?"
"You were this big," Ven held his hand to about his shoulder level, "but yeah, we have."
"I thought as much!" He smiled. "My name is Ienzo. And your names are?"
"I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven."
"I'm Aqua."
"Terra."
Ienzo looked at Terra, his gaze filling with obvious recognition. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, and to properly meet you." He held out a hand to Terra.
Terra shook it, looking down at his shoes. "I'm sorry… Xehanort possessed me an-"
"Don't be. I'd say you're in good company here. All of us who work here have made mistakes, and we won't hold them against you, especially when you weren't in control of your own body. I made my mistakes with the full understanding that what I was doing was not right." He pointed to Riku. "I mean, I tried to kill him at one time; same with Aeleus. Even tried to kill Sora, as did Dilan and Demyx. Trust me, we get it."
"We do." The man called Dilan approached, looking at Terra. His gaze shifted to Aqua. "Miss," he pointed to the armor on her shoulder, "did you have a full suit of armor and a Keyblade the same color as that armor?"
She gasped. "I did… why do you ask?"
"It's here in the lab, down in one of the vaults."
"It is!?"
Dilan nodded. "When we found, Xehanort," his gaze shifted to Terra for a moment, "the armor was with him."
Aqua's eyes looked to Terra.
That was when she saved him from falling into the Realm of Darkness!
He'd arrived here, still thinking he was Xehanort.
"I'll go get it for you." Dilan nodded and left the room.
As they waited, Axel, Roxas, and Xion bid their farewells and took off through a dark corridor.
Now, Ansem turned his attention to the three.
"Now, I would love to meet the real you." He held a hand out to Terra. "I am Ansem the Wise."
"Terra."
"It's a pleasure, Terra." He looked at Ven with a smile. "And your name?"
"Ventus, but you can call me Ven!"
Ienzo looked over at Even. "Even, do you remember, years ago when those blue monsters were running around town?"
"Yes I d- Oh! You were the boy who rescued Ienzo!"
"I was!"
Even approached. "But how do you look the same age?"
Ven laughed. "I've been asleep for the whole time. My body was in a place that Riku called 'Castle Oblivion', and my heart was-"
"Inside Sora!" Ienzo gasped. "That was the other heart we detected! And that must be why Roxas and Ven look alike." He tapped his chin. "And I was in Castle Oblivion a few times… you must have been in the Chamber of Waking that Xemnas had us searching for."
"I do believe you're right." Ansem smiled. He turned to Aqua. "And you are?"
"Aqua." She smiled, shaking his hand.
Dilan came back, carrying the armor and Keyblade. "Here it is."
"Oh, that belongs to you?" Ansem looked between her and the armor.
"It does." Walking over, Aqua touched the armor, causing it to flash before she touched the armor on her shoulder. The armor vanished, becoming a ball of light that shot into the plating on her shoulder. "I used to it save Terra from falling into the Realm of Darkness. Thank you for holding onto it for me." Her hand wrapped around the handle of her old Keyblade. It felt warm and familiar to the touch.
Ven looked between her and Terra. "So… can we go home finally? It's been what? Twelve, thirteen years?"
"Let's go home."
Bidding their own farewells, the three activated their armor, surprising everyone.
Did no one else have armor?
Weird.
Terra opened a corridor of light with his Keyblade and they stepped through.
VAs:
Young Terra: Zeno Robinson- Taichi Yagami, Thrash Malto, Goh, Nino Lahiffe, Vanitas)
Young Aqua: Kimberly Woods- Lapis, Tiese Shtolienen, Sakura, Hinaki Ubuyashiki, Jasmine)