Homecoming
As soon as she was through the gate Elrena felt the weight on her increase, as Aqua slipped into unconsciousness. She lowered the other woman to the ground just as Ventus came through the portal.
The demon tide reached the portal just as it was closing. The head of it was cut off, spilling bewildered heartless on the floor. Ventus was the first to charge them, destroying the first two before they even had the chance to recover. Elrena and Lauriam joined the effort immediately after, leaving the two other unconscious wielders on the floor for the time being. The Heartless were only a few, and out of the realm of darkness they were a lot weaker, so it did not take long before they had been cleared away.
When the last of the Heartless were gone, Elrena sat down on the stairs, exhaling. The place they had arrived was unfamiliar to her, but she realized this must be the Land of Departure. Ventus had brought them to his home. Perhaps it was not surprising this was the first place he would think of in a hurry. Currently they were in a wide open space, probably the castle's main hall, a trio of thrones right where they were at. Right off the bat she had to admit this place looked much nicer than Castle Oblivion.
"Whew. That was too close. Way too close. And in more ways than one." She said, lowering her hood.
She reached out with her hand, pulling up one of Aqua's eyelids. The yellow was gone from her eyes now. The green was disappearing as well, blue already lining her iris.
"That's good. Things seem to be going back to normal for her. Or sort of normal, at any rate…" She muttered to herself.
"What on earth were you people thinking, anyway, dragging a heart that wounded into the Realm of Darkness? That's like taking a fever patient on a marathon." She asked pointedly of Ventus. He had dismissed his armor, and was now hovering in place uncertainly, unsure which of his two friends he should focus his attention on. At her question he flinched.
"Aqua… she insisted on going there. She said she would just go there herself if we didn't bring her along." He replied.
She could not help but scoff at that. "Seriously? And neither you or the big guy had the guts to tell her no? To keep her from going there? Or were you just ignorant of what was going on with her? Do you have any notion what might have happened if we had not come along right at that moment?"
"Leave him be Elrena. They got out ok. And I don't this was Ven's decision." Lauriam said, his hood now also lowered. "You just went along with it, right Ven?" He asked, to which Ventus nodded.
"They're alive, and likely to stay that way for now. But I wouldn't call this ok." She replied dryly, nodding at Terra and Aqua. "Especially not considering the situation with Blue here. You have to admit it was a foolish idea for her to go there. And if she was the one that made them do it then she was the biggest fool of the lot."
"Hey!" Ven interjected, sounding irritated. "I'm glad you helped us, but don't talk of my friends like that."
Elrena paused, then nodded. "Fair enough, Ven. I'm sorry. Didn't meant to start things off on a bad foot. I guess I just wasn't expecting to include a rescue mission in today's shenanigans."
"Hold on… how come you know my name?" Ventus asked, now realizing their use of it. They had even used the shortened version.
"Of course I know it. This may be our first conversation, but I've seen you before. More than once. But the one that really knows you is Lauriam." She said.
"Yeah… your name, it…" Ventus said, before stopping, his hand rising to his forehead. "It's difficult to think about. Unpleasant. But I have this weird feeling… that we know each other."
"We do."Lauriam said. "But I think you don't remember it, do you?"
"No, sorry. That's… really hazy." Ventus said, shaking his head.
"I told you it might be that way." Elrena commented to Lauriam.
"Then we have quite a story to tell you. About ourselves and you." Lauriam said.
"But I think first we should take your friends somewhere more comfortable. I'd feel bad about leaving them on the floor like this." He added.
"Yeah. It looks like far too rough a surface to take a nap. So do you mind showing us the way to their rooms?" Elrena said.
"Yeah, sure. Right this way." Ventus said, and began leading the way through the castle.
"I have to ask… with those coats… are you with the Organization?" Ventus asked as they were walking, his two friends once more being carried by these strangers (Were they really?).
"…We were once. Or rather our Nobodies were." Lauriam admitted.
"In the Keyblade War?" Ventus asked.
"Yes. Sora defeated us both. And then we were recompleted." Lauriam said.
"But you don't need to worry. We're on our own now. There isn't an Organization to belong to anymore." Elrena said. "Is there?" She then asked.
"N-no. Not that I know of?" Ventus said.
"Good. We don't need that complication." She said.
"Just out of curiosity, what were you doing in the Realm of Darkness anyway? We thought you'd be here in the castle." She queried.
"We were hoping to find Sora. Or at least some hints to where he might be." Ventus explained.
"Wait, Sora? Has he managed to get himself stuck in the Realm of Darkness or something? How did he manage that?" She asked.
"We don't actually know where he has disappeared. That was only one place we thought it might be worth looking. Everyone is trying to find him in different places." He said. "I wonder if the others have managed to find anything so far…?
"How did he disappear? What happened?" Lauriam asked.
"Do you know Kairi?" Ventus asked in response.
There was a brief pause as Lauriam thought back to the days of Castle Oblivion. "Indirectly. A girl that was very important to Sora. And wasn't she there during the war?"
"She was. And well, during the figthing Kairi was taken by Xemnas, then struck down by Xehanort." Ventus said.
"I don't remember anything like that. Must've happened after we were defeated. Not really surprised. We got knocked out fairly early on." Elrena commented.
"After Xehanort was defeated Sora believed he still had a chance to get her back and went to find her. I don't know exactly what he did, but he managed to return with her. But, he did something wrong with the power of waking, and disappeared in turn. We've been looking for him ever since." Ventus continued.
Lauriam and Elrena shot glances at each other, knowing they had had the exact same idea at that moment. Maybe there were things they had in common with the Guardians. And it could be this would represent an opportunity to strike a bargain. A favor for a favor. Their chances of getting the help they sought might have just gone up.
"So what about you? What were you doing there? It was pretty convenient the way you just showed up." Ventus asked.
"We were coming here. We wanted to see you. You can imagine our surprise when we found you lot along the way instead." Elrena said.
"Me? Specifically?" Ventus asked.
"Yes, though we did also hope you could vouch for us with the other Guardians. We wanted your help for something important. You aren't the only ones who have lost someone important. But that part is easier to explain along with the rest." Lauriam said.
"Hmm." Ventus hummed.
They walked on, and Ventus had a moment to think. It was so strange, having these two *sort of* strangers here helping his friends. And both of them former members of the Organization no less. He now wished he had paid more attention to the entries Jiminy had left on their phones. He would have liked to know what role these two had played while with that group. Still, he supposed he should've considered them enemies. But he simply could not think of Lauriam that way. Like it had been with Chirithy, all it had taken was seeing his face to know he could be trusted. He could not remember when they had met, or how they knew each other, but he knew Lauriam was a friend. His partner by contrast did not bring such emotion. But Lauriam looked to trust her. Maybe on those grounds she could be considered a friend as well?
Furthermore, they had saved not only him, but Terra and Aqua as well. It was hard trying to think them as enemies after that.
And then again, maybe it was alright having them here? There were many in their collection of friends that had once worked for the Organization. Lea, Roxas, Xion and Isa had all been members, but now certainly counted among their friends. And the number was even bigger if you counted the people in the castle at Radiant Garden. Was having two more present really such a bad thing?
And on some level he was glad these two were here to help with Terra and Aqua. He might not have known what to do in this kind of situation. There had been cases of course where either Terra or Aqua had been sick, or had suffered an injury during practice or some such. But Ventus could not recall a single incident where both Terra and Aqua had been incapacitated and he left in charge of both of them. At the very least there had always been Master Eraqus to take charge of things.
They brought Aqua and Terra in their respective rooms. Ventus spent some time with each of them, and with the help of Lauriam and Elrena he made sure everything they might need while sleeping or upon waking was readily on hand. Before leaving Aqua's room Elrena once again inspected Aqua's eyed, then nodded, humming with approval.
"Do you think they will be alright?" Ventus asked as they left, closing the door behind them.
"I think so. It's a good thing you three were using Keyblade Armor. It looks to have protected you from the worst injuries, even if hers was destroyed in the fighting. As it is they've taken some hits, but nothing that won't be cured by bedrest and a few days of taking it easy. A little healing magic can be applied if need be." Lauriam said.
"Though -and I hate to be a killjoy here- that's only the physical side of things. I'm still kinda concerned about Blue. It's a pretty hefty dose of darkness she was exposed to. And the way it affected her… I don't know. Something is just not right with her heart." Elrena said.
Ventus looked at the ground, frowning. "…Aqua will pull through. Her heart is strong." He finally said.
"Yeah, I can believe that she does. Normally. And on the short term she looks to be on the mend. But Ven, what was happening with her… that's not how a strong heart reacts to darkness. I'm telling you she is unwell. Once she is back on her feet I suggest you and your other friend have a good long talk with her, find out what is really going on with her. Otherwise this problem might return with a vengeance at some other time." She replied.
Ventus went quiet for a time after that. Elrena was right, Aqua had not been quite herself lately. That discussion was something they had hoped to have for a while now, trying to coax Aqua into it. But ultimately it would be her decision wouldn't it? If she once again refused to speak to them of this, what could they do?
He sighed. "I really hope both of them will be alright."
"We will check back on them soon of course. We will do everything we can to make sure they will be fine. Your friends are our friends after all." Lauriam assured. "But first I believe we owe you some answers. There is much that you should be made aware of."
"Indeed. And not all of it is ancient history either." Elrena said. Then she stopped, putting a hand on her stomach. "Ven, hopefully you don't mind if we raid your kitchen while we are at it? It's kind of been a long and hungry day for us. We just got recompleted and haven't had anything to eat since."
"Oh. Sure. If that's something you need. Just help yourselves." Ventus said. "You just got recompleted? He asked.
"Yeah. We left to come here pretty much as soon as we were able to. I figure it's been about a day for us, like I said. Although I can't really be sure of that, now can I? Time flows differently in every world. And it gets even more screwy when you get to the Realm of Darkness." She said.
"Yeah. We ran into that problem ourselves. I wonder just how much time has passed since we left…"
They arrived in the kitchen. Elrena immediately went to see what food there might be available. She noted to her surprise the fridge was fully stocked. She had expected the local trio to have left it mostly empty, since they likely expected to be away for some time. She was about to start collecting things needed for a snack when there was a puff of smoke, and a creature in the shape of a grey cat plushy stood on the table.
"Finally, you're home! I was starting to get worried." The spirit said.
"Chirithy…?" She gasped, dropping the carton of milk she had been holding. At first there was a look of surprised delight on her. Then, realization, followed by mild disappointment. "Oh. You must be Ven's."
"That's right." Chirithy said simply, then turned right back to Ven. "I get it. You wanted me to look after this place in case someone thought to visit while you were away. And I'm not the biggest fan of the Dark Realm either, so I was happy to stay. Plus I know I'm no good in a fight. So fine, there was no real point to bring me. Still, don't you think it a bit rude to just keep me waiting for almost an entire year? I've already waited for you for long times in the past you know."
"Sorry, Chirithy. I didn't realize it had been so long…" Ventus said, genuinely apologetic.
"I got really worried when I sensed your heart almost fading. I thought you might fade…" Chirithy said, softer this time, no longer accusatory. No one could stay angry at Ventus for long. His Chirithy least of all.
"But where are Terra and Aqua? Are they alright? And who are…?" They began to say before their eyes widened in surprise.
"Lauriam!? Is that truly you!?" Chririthy then exclaimed.
Lauriam nodded. "Indeed. And to your question Terra and Aqua are alright for now. They got banged up in the Dark Realm, but they are alive. We've brought them to their rooms to rest."
"This is Elrena. I don't think you have met her before, but she is also from our times." He continued.
"Pleased to meet you." Chirithy said to Elrena, to which she nodded and smiled, waving.
The spirit then crossed the table and shook hands with Lauriam.
"Goodness, is this a surprise. I can't say I was expecting you to show up in this age." Chirithy continued.
"Nor I you. But it is good to see another Chirithy, even you're not my own. It has been a long time." Lauriam said with a smile.
"It has. I barely even recognized you. But how come you've aged this much when he hasn't?" They asked.
"That surprised me too. But I hear Ventus was in some sort of sleep for around ten years? It could be that his body's aging was also arrested during that time." He offered.
"Hold on. Chirithy, you know him?" Ventus asked.
"What do you mean? Of course I do. And you know better than… oh. You still don't remember do you?" They said.
"No… but you clearly do." Ventus said.
"I… yes. Yes I do." Chirithy said, looking rather embarrassed by the admission.
"But… if that's true… then why am I only hearing of this now? If you knew about my past then why did you wait this long before you even mentioned it?" He asked, confused… and a little hurt.
"It's because you didn't remember anything on your own, even after you saw me again. Your past is something that happened very, very long ago. Until now I did not know that anyone from back then was still around. And without them or your memories… it did not seem like the past had a lot of meaning in the life you have now. I did not seem right to unsettle you with things that did not matter where you were now." Chirithy explained.
"So I take it you don't have anything to do with him not remembering?" Lauriam asked.
"No, no, of course not! I'd have no right to make a choice like that for him on my own! Whatever he has forgotten, I had nothing to do with it." The spirit responded, offended by the suggestion.
"I still would have wished to know…" Ventus insisted.
"I'm sorry Ven… I wasn't trying to keep it from you. If you had started remembering I would have told you all of it." They said.
"Well, I can understand making that judgement at the time. I think it was a good call aback then. But now that we're here I'd say that situation has changed entirely. And we aren't the only ones to return. It's time for the full truth." Lauriam said.
"You intend to tell him then. Of what came before?" Chirithy guessed. "I'm… not quite sure that is a good idea actually…"
"What? Why ever not?" Elrena asked.
"He still doesn't remember you, even after seeing you. Or anything from that time. It must meant his memories are buried fairly deep. Trying to bring them all up like this… I just don't know. It might not be safe." The spirit explained.
"Oh come on! All that and you still don't wish me to remember?" Ventus exclaimed.
"It's not that. It's your choice and I'm only here to help you. I just… please be careful if you try this." Chirithy said.
Ventus paused. Chirithy really did sound rather concerned…
But then he nodded with finality. "If you know something of my past, then please, tell me of it."
"Of course." Lauriam said.
Remembering his hunger, he took a moment to make himself a chicken sandwich first.
"So, Ven. What is the earliest thing you do remember?" He then asked, sitting down and taking a bite out of his meal.
Ventus thought back. "It was with Xehanort. He was training me. If you can call it that. He had surrounded me with Heartless, trying to force me to reach for my Darkness, apparently hoping that would create the X-blade. When that didn't work he pulled out the darkness from me himself, creating Vanitas."
"Must have been one of his earliest attempts to make that thing. Heh. That old geezer sure was stubborn, wasn't he?" Elrena commented on the sidelines, between mouthfuls of her own food.
"After that I was brought here, where I met Terra, Aqua and Master Eraqus." He continued.
"That's how far back your memory goes? You don't remember anything else from before that time?" Lauriam asked.
"Yeah. There are images of other things… places, people. But I couldn't really call them memories. It's like they're behind a thick fog. All blurred out. I know they're there, but that's it. Until today I wasn't really sure if they were even real things or not."
"Well, they are. And now we know the ground we need to cover." Lauriam said. "Hmm… for starters you should know that you are not originally from this time. You, Elrena and I are all from an age far in the past known as the Age of Fairytales."
"What? Can that… be?" Ventus asked, though he almost immediately could sense there was truth to what he was saying. At that same moment a slight headache began in the back of his head. "How long ago was this exactly?" He nevertheless asked.
"It's hard to give an exact date. There have been… drastic changes between now and then. But around a thousand years is our best guess." Lauriam said.
"A thousand…?" Ventus gasped. "But if it was that long ago then how did we end up here? We can't have just lived for that long can we?"
"We'll come back to that. I should explain some of the background first." Lauriam said. "During those days there were a lot more keyblade wielders than there are now. I don't think anyone ever had an exact count but several thousand if not more. They were all organized into five Unions, each led by…"
"Ventus suddenly slipped off his chair, managing to grab the edge of the table to steady himself. His other hand was on his head.
"Ven…" Chirithy said, sounding distressed, moving closer to his wielder.
"Ven? Are you alright?" Lauriam asked with concern. Elrena had paused her eating as well, observing the scene with uncertainty.
"I'm… okay. Just a sudden… please keep going." Ventus said. Lauriam could hear the discomfort in his voice. But he had asked him to continue…
"Well, uh… like I was saying there were five Unions, each led by a leader known as a Foreteller. The names of the Foretellers were…"
Ventus screamed in pain and fell to his knees. Both his hands were on his head now, and he was trembling all over. Lauriam and Elrena both rushed to him, kneeling down to his level.
"Ven! Goodness, Ven!? What's wrong?" Lauriam asked.
"Stop! You have to stop, please! You're hurting him!" Chirithy said.
"No… he has to continue… just a bit more… I can… almost…" Ventus said between labored breaths. His migraine was tearing his head apart, but he was right on the cusp of recollection. One set of memories in particular… of himself, Lauriam and three others. He could almost see their faces. Their names were right on the tip of his tongue. But it was no use. With the telling halted the memories began fading again, disappearing into the fog, out of his reach.
"Why did you stop him? Why couldn't you let him finish?" He demanded, when his headache had settled enough for him to think again.
"Ven, please, listen! It's as I feared. There memories have been buried too deep. If you try to force them out it could destroy you." Chirithy said.
"I don't care! I can take it! Lauriam, just try again, please…"
"Don't! You mustn't! I'm begging you!" Chirithy cut in.
Lauriam paused, considering. "I would like for you to remember your past. Our past. But if this really has a chance of harming you then I can't chance it. We'll find some other way to do this."
Ventus sat on the ground for a time, disappointment clear on his face. But as the minutes rolled by his expression softened, becoming just sad.
"Chirithy, I… I'm sorry I got mad at you. You were just looking out for me." He finally said.
"I should go check on Terra and Aqua." He added, standing up and left without another word.
"I know you want him to remember. And I know it could be important. But… thank you. For not letting him get hurt in the process." Chirithy said some time after Ventus had left.
"I would never do that to him. He is my friend." Lauriam said.
"I should go with him. I want to set things right." The spirit said.
"Chirithy, wait. There is one thing." Elrena said.
"Uh… we haven't hear of our own Chirithies since arriving here. I don't suppose, in your time around…?"
The spirit bowed their head. "I'm sorry. I haven't heard anything. I don't know if any Chirithy other than I is still around."
Her shoulders slumped. "Should've figured…"
"But on the other hand, if I made it here they might be around too. I just can't say for sure." Chirithy tried to cheer her up.
"Yeah…" Elrena said, in a voice that made plain her doubts. Though they had travelled to this age in the same manner, the two of them had ended up doing things Ven had not. Who knows what casting their hearts to darkness and becoming Nobodies might have done to their connection with their Chirithies. She felt bad for Ven's Chirithy as well. Facing the possibility they might be the last of their kind? If spirits cared about that sort of thing. She did not know.
"Well, it was nice meeting you at least. Any Chirithy brings back good memories." She said.
Chirithy nodded and departed, running after Ventus, leaving Lauriam and Elrena by themselves.
"Well, this certainly throws a bit of a wrench in our plan, doesn't it?" Elrena said, sighing heavily.
"It does. But I don't think we need to abandon this course just yet. There may still be options we haven't explored. Something to reconnect his memories." Lauriam said.
"Yeah I suppose. We just have to hope we find a way. Going to be a lot more complicated without it." She said.
"Since we can't really talk to him about the past, I suppose telling him about the return of the Foretellers will have to wait as well?" She continued.
"At least until his other friends come to." He agreed.
