Results and discoveries

The next day Naminé stirred slowly. She felt strange, uncomfortable. Like she had been sick. And her fingertips hurt. At first she didn't remember where she was or what she had been doing. But little by little it began to come back to her. How she had been shifting through Ven's memories, carefully connecting new to old in order to create a stable new whole. How she had come very close to finishing her work, going through Ventus's final memories before his jump through time, only to then hit something deeply unpleasant. It had happened just as she had been working on the moment Ventus had taken the darkness into himself for the second time in an attempt to protect his friends…

The encounter had torn control of the situation away from her, and experience so frightening she could not yet recall exactly what she had found.

She looked on her hand, now realizing her fingers were hurting because the skin on the tips had been worn quite thin. How much had she been drawing during her attempt to cause this to herself? Then she looked at her other hand, realizing she was still holding some of the papers she had drawn on. She saw the crudely drawn dark blotches, and in that instant remembered what exactly she had stumbled upon. On recalling that she immediately left her room.


"Any change?" Lauriam asked as Aqua returned to the kitchen.

"No. He's still sleeping, same as before. And I didn't see Chirithy anywhere. I assume that means they're still inside his mind." Aqua replied, as she sat down next to Terra.

Lauriam looked down, staring into the cup of coffee in his hands. "It's almost midday already. Is it supposed to take this long for him to wake?" He pondered.

"The effects of the potion should have worn off by now, if that's what you're asking. I don't know why he hasn't woken up yet." Aqua said.

"…If… if something has gone wrong with him… if he's not all right after all… then I assume full responsibility of what happened." He said after a moment's silence.

"Now, now. Let's not start putting a noose around your neck just yet. We don't know the exact situation right now. There is no reason to think he's not just sleeping." Elrena said.

"We should try to stay positive. Chirithy claimed Ventus is alright, and there is no reason to doubt their word. So unless we learn otherwise there is no good reason to mire ourselves in worst-case scenarios. Or to start casting around blame." Terra said in agreement.

"Fair enough. But what are we supposed to do? Just wait around until something changes?" Aqua asked.

"When Naminé wakes up I'm sure she can tell us more at that point. If there is something that we can do, it will become apparent then. Until then waiting may indeed be the only thing for us to do." Terra said.

Aqua nodded. Terra was right of course. "Well, in the meantime I believe you two made a certain promise to us." She told Elrena and Lauriam.

"I remember. We will be departing to go see Master Yen Sid soon. But if you don't mind we'd like to wait until Ven wakes up again. Or at least until Naminé does so first and is able to explain the situation." Lauriam said.

"Doesn't sound too unreasonable." She replied. "But just so you know I'll be contacting him today. I'll be informing him of you being here and the main points of what we've been up to lately. I'll make sure he'll know to expect you and that you have something to tell him."

"Of course. And we will handle telling the rest of it when we meet with him." Lauriam said.

That was the very moment Naminé stormed into the kitchen, everyone's attention turning to her. She looked quite shaken by something.

"Oh, Naminé. We were just talking about you. We…" Aqua began to say.

"He's not alone in there." Naminé interrupted, slamming the papers in her hand onto the table.

Naminé's unexpected statement left everyone in stunned silence.

"What?" Aqua finally managed to ask.

"There is another heart inside his. I ran across it while I was piecing together his memories." Naminé explained.

"A second heart? Whose?" Terra asked.

Naminé took a seat. "I cannot say who that heart belongs to. I can only say what it was like. It was… entirely dark. Not even a glimmer of light. Like the heart of a Princess of Heart, only the exact opposite. The images on those papers... they are that heart's memories. Or what my abilities were able to perceive of them at least." She said.

"A Heart of pure darkness? Wait… you're not trying to tell us this is the darkness Ven took into himself are you?" Terra gasped.

"It would certainly explain quite a bit if it were." Naminé said. "This darkness… its part of Ven's heart now. But I can feel it doesn't belong to him. It doesn't originate from him. Not in any way. It's something foreign to him that has grafted itself to his heart like a parasite."

"But didn't you say that this thing had been dealt with? That Ventus was able to destroy it somehow." Terra asked.

"We did! We thought for sure it had been!" Elrena said. Then she looked at Naminé. "But… perhaps we were wrong."

"I know what I found within him. There is a powerful darkness hiding in his heart. Something that should not be there." Naminé said.

"So… you're saying… that it might still be there…? That it's… still…?" Lauriam said, his face having turned leaden.

"I… I need some air." He said, then ran off.

"Lauriam…" Elrena breathed and chased after him. Terra and Aqua were left in the kitchen with Naminé, looking at each other with disquieted expressions.


Elrena found Lauriam in the grass fields outside the castle, his back turned to her. He was visibly shaking, his hands balled into fists. Having heard her approach he began to speak, his voice charged with anger:

"The past… just refuses to let us go, doesn't it? I truly wanted to believe Ven had defeated this creature. I wanted to believe it was gone forever. Only to realize it continues to live on in him. So much we had to leave behind. So much we lost. Our world. Our friends. Our fellow wielders. Our homes. My sister… And now we discover that the thing that took all of it away from us HAS COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE!? THAT IT HAS DARED TO FOLLOW US HERE! AND NOW EVERYTIME I LOOK UPON VEN I HAVE TO DO IT KNOWING THAT MONSTER IS LOCKED SOMEWHERE DEEP INSIDE HIM!?"

For a moment Elrena did not reply as Lauriam continued to fume silently.

"…Yeah. It stinks." She then said quietly. "I for one wanted this to be a new beginning. I was hoping that we could start again and forget about the past that we can never change anyway. But the moment it looks like we might get to start building that new beginning the past tracks us down like bloodhound. It would ruin everything again, just out of spite it seems."

There was a second pause as she mustered her courage. Then she circled around, standing before him. She took his hands into hers. Lauriam blinked, surprised by her gesture. But her touch seemed to calm him somewhat the fire in his eyes starting to fade.

"It's not right or fair that this has happened. I don't care what anyone says. This kind of punishment we don't deserve. But… that is also exactly the situation we are in. Can't change it now. We just have to make do with what we have. We don't have a choice. Not unless we are thinking of just giving up. And I don't feel like doing that at all. It would feel like letting the past get the better of us. So no quitting. Are we on the same page on that much?"

"…Yeah. We are." Lauriam said, a lot more subdued than earlier. "It's just frustrating to know this darkness yet remains, after all this time."

"We can't just leave it in Ventus. We have to find some way to free him from it. And then we need to find some way to destroy it for good this time." He concluded.

Elrena nodded. "Yep. No question about that."

"…We'll sort this out. Somehow. For now we should head back. No doubt Naminé has much to tell us." She said after they had stood there for a while, his hands in hers.

Lauriam took a deep breath. "…Yes. Let's. We can hear what she has to say, and then we can start forming plans with the others. About this and our other worries."

"For the record, you're not mad a Ventus about this, are you?" She asked as they turned back.

"No. Of course not." Lauriam said, shaking his head. "Why would I? I know for certain this is not something he would have intended. It's just not his way. He would have destroyed this thing already if he could. And if he lacked the means he would have turned to others for help, told those he can trust of the situation. So I'm sure he simply did not know this darkness was still there, same as the first time. And once he does know I'm sure he will want to get rid of it just as much as the rest of us. We just need to help him find that solution."

"We can add that to the list of things we need to get done." Elrena said. "But oh boy, that list is starting to really long." She then said with a grimace.

Lauriam gave a dry chuckle. "Admittedly. But fortunately we are no longer on our own. We can share some of our burden with the Guardians."

"Assuming a certain old wizard cooperates." Elrena said.

"Yes. Assuming that." Lauriam said.

"Thanks, by the way. For talking to me. It helps." He then said.

Elrena nodded. "Sure. Anytime."


"This dark heart… what does this mean for Ventus? Will he be alright?" Aqua asked back in the kitchen in the meantime.

"The second heart is dormant at the moment. Much like other hearts that Sora once held within himself. Much like I was within Kairi. It sleeps. For as long as that is the case there is no immediate danger to him. But there is no telling what might wake it up, or what might happen should that come to pass. When I stumbled upon it, I almost ended up waking it up then and there. It was our good fortune that I was interrupted before that could happen. I could not have prevented it on my own." Naminé explained.

"Isn't there something we could do about this? Can't we get this darkness out of him somehow?" Terra asked.

"I don't think that will be a possibility, Terra..." Aqua said quietly, bowing her head.

Naminé shook her head as well. "Ven's heart and this other one are too entangled together. To remove the darkness by force would damage Ven's heart, perhaps irrevocably. It could end up destroying him."

"If you could make this dark heart leave voluntarily the effects might be less violent. But for that to happen… the heart would have to be awake. And given the story Lauriam and Elrena shared with us, it would be hard to say what this entity might decide to do. It might try and seize control of Ventus. Or it might escape him, become formless again." She continued.

"And if Lauriam and Elrena have told it true we would then be left with a malicious entity we would be powerless to harm." Terra finished the train of thought.

"How did this go unnoticed this long? This thing must have been there for some time. But Ven has just been Ven. We've never noticed anything wrong with him." Aqua asked.

"Light can conceal the presence of darkness. The stronger the light, the better it can do so. And Ven's own heart is pure light. As strong as it could be. Ven may carry this darkness with him, but it has not tarnished his heart. In that much they remain separate." Naminé said.

"So what now?" Aqua wondered.

"That is something we need to discuss with Ventus. See what he wants to do about this." Terra said.

"I agree." Lauriam said, now returning to the kitchen, with Elrena at his heels. "He should have a say in what happens to him. But I think something will need to be done. This… this cannot stand."

"And it won't stand. Once we figure out how to do it safely we are ending this. But it may take more than the five of us to come up with the answers." Aqua said.

"Naminé, Aqua tells me the sleeping potion should no longer be having an effect on Ventus. But he is still to wake up. Is this because of the Darkness?" Lauriam asked of her.

"No. I do not think so. At least not this time. In fact this is something I rather expected would happen." She replied.

"Then can you tell us what is going on with him?" Aqua asked.

"I managed to connect his new memories with his old ones. But my work with him is far from finished. He now has two competing sets of memories that he will have to reconcile in his heart. It's not as dangerous a moment as the connecting itself, but it's still a vulnerable state. Left alone this could all still become unraveled at the seams. I will need to keep a close eye on him with Chirithy, and make repairs as necessary. Until things hold together on their own. And now I suppose I'll have to be extra careful in doing so. We wouldn't want this Darkness released by accident." Naminé explained.

"How long will this take?" Elrena asked.

"It will depend on him more than anything. When his heart can accept this new complete him, and no longer seeks to be one or the other, things should stabilize. And then he should be able to wake up." Naminé told her. "But these are untested waters. I can't say for sure how long it will take for him to get that far. It could take days, weeks…"

"Months? Years? Never?" Aqua asked.

"…It's probably better not to dwell on those possibilities. They haven't happened yet." Naminé said.

"But in the meantime I promise you I'll continue my work on him. For as long as it takes." She continued. "Until then he will sleep. It's the same kind of timeless sleep he has slept before, so you don't need to worry about his needs during that time."

"I'll go check on him." She then said, and stoop up to leave.

"Hold on now. You just woke up. You can have breakfast first at least. Chirithy is watching over Ventus at the moment. We'll know if something is about to go wrong." Terra said.

"I want to see for myself just to be sure. Right now he is my responsibility. My job to get it right. I will take no unnecessary risks with him. Especially given what we know now." She replied.

"Naminé…" Lauriam protested.

"I'll be fine. I'll come back up for food later, alright?" She said. Then she left as quickly as she had arrived.

"You know… I'm starting you people are just absolutely terrible at taking care of yourselves." Elrena commented once she was gone.

"Hey!" The other three protested in unison.


"Yes. Of course. As soon as we're able." Aqua said, standing before a crystal located behind the thrones in the main hall. The light from that crystal dimmed and faded away, and Aqua returned to Terra, Lauriam and Elrena, who were waiting in the middle of the room.

"So, how did talking with the Old Man go?" Elrena asked.

"First off, don't call him that. Refer to him as Master Yen Sid or not at all." Aqua said. "As to how our discussion went… I'm not exactly sure. He didn't sound exceptionally mad to me. But that doesn't mean he approves. In my experience he has rather a long temper."

"He did say he wants to see us as soon as possible. All of us." She added.

"All of us? Meaning you and me as well?" Terra asked.

"Yes. And I imagine he would have meant Ven too if he was conscious. Either this means he wants to give all of us an earful in person… or there is something else important that has come up. Either way I don't think we should keep him waiting. We need to get ourselves ready and get going." She said.

"Yeah, true. Except… you can't do that." Elrena said.

"Huh? And who gave you the right to tell me where I can and cannot…?" Aqua asked, irked.

"You don't have the right gear. Your armor got torn to bits the last time, remember?" Elrena cut in.

"Oh…" Aqua said, caught by surprise. How had that slipped her mind?

"And without it you don't have safe means to leave this world. The paths one can take are too close to the darkness to risk them without protection." Elrena continued. *Especially for you, given your condition.* was something she left unsaid, but Aqua could hear it in her voice.

"Well… maybe we could call on the Gummiship. It's designed for that kind of voyages." Aqua suggested.

"You could do that. But I understand there is only the one and it's not around here now. And it took days to even have Naminé brought here with it. And I don't think we want to keep Yen Sid waiting for that long. We'll save a lot more time if those of us who can just go." Elrena said.

"But I… come on! He expects to see me too." Aqua protested.

"I get that. But right now there is no sensible way to get you there. Plus if I remember correctly didn't Chirithy say we should stay close by, so he can make use of our light. So one of us should remain here.

"The why won't you be the one to do it?" Aqua said in challenge.

"Me?" Elrena asked, incredulous. "I'm no one to him. Just some weirdo that likes following one of his friends around. And I've got my coat, so I'm well protected for the journey. You're his friend and you don't have the right kit, so you're the most logical choice." She explained.

"I…" Aqua tried. Then she sighed loudly. "I don't really have an option, do I?" She said, defeated.

Terra looked at Aqua for a moment. "…Would you two mind giving us a moment please?"

Lauriam and Elrena nodded and left the hall.

"Grounded like some misbehaving kid…" She muttered to herself.

"I know being asked to stay behind is frustrating. I'd be just as annoyed by it if it was being asked of me. As for Ven… at this point we both know how much he listens to someone telling him to stay put." Terra told her.

Aqua laughed at that despite herself. "Yes. It's not nice. Even if it makes sense. And I don't at all like how Elrena talks to me of this. Something about it is just… irritating." She said then.

"She can be occasionally annoying, yeah. Found that out myself. But I think she means well." Terra said.

"Maybe so. But she shouldn't presume to tell me what to do. It's not her business." She countered.

There was a pause.

"… Do you remember that time we were still kids, just starting our keyblade training, and I caught a cold?" Terra asked then. "The master suspended me from training so I'd have time to recover. Only I wouldn't have it."

Aqua rolled her eyes, smiling. "Yeah I remember it. You managed to convince me to train with you in secret. Both of us too young to think ahead of what the consequences might be. The lecture the master gave us when he caught us… I don't think I ever saw him quite as angry after that."

"He had every reason to be angry. My bullheadedness made my illness a lot worse. What was supposed to be over in a day or two ended up leaving me bedridden for two weeks. And then you caught it too." He said.

"Yeah. I think he was angry because he was worried about the both of us." She said. "So is that what you're trying to tell me? That I'm sick and need to take the time to let myself heal?"

"I think you need to be patient with yourself now. Take smaller steps forward until you're ready for more. And I think you need to be merciful with yourself now."

"Huh? Merciful?" She asked.

"That has never been your strong point as I see it. You always pushed yourself as hard as you could, never letting yourself settle for anything except excellence." He explained.

"It's paid off for me hasn't it? I wouldn't be here now if I hadn't done that." She said.

"True, it's helped you come a long way. And I can't really say I've been all that different. Right now though that attitude might be getting in the way. I think it will be better to build yourself up bit by bit rather than aiming for the best things straightaway. You'll get more lasting results that way." Terra said.

Aqua was quiet for a time, seeming to think. "Yeah. You could be right. And maybe I should start listening to you. I haven't done a very good job managing this on my own after all." She said then.

"You already did a brave thing by telling Ven and I what the matter was. That was a good first step. We'll work on the rest." Terra reassured her.

Aqua nodded, smiling.

"Well, you should probably get ready to go. You're expected after all. Don't worry, I'll be okay. Still don't feel like staying, but I get it now." She said then.

"You're sure?" Terra asked.

"Yeah, I am. I won't be alone. And I'll keep things well ordered here in the meantime." She said.

"Thanks. Take care of Ven. And look after Naminé too." He said.

"…Wasn't she supposed to come back for food?" She asked.

"Yup. Exactly. But no sign of her. She seems to take her work very seriously. Perhaps too seriously to pay attention to her own needs. So make sure she doesn't work herself to exhaustion." He said.

Aqua sighed. "You know, maybe Elrena was right after all. Maybe we are just terrible in taking care of ourselves."

"I hate it when she's right…" She then muttered.

Terra chuckled.

"Well, I need to get going. See you." He said then.

"See you." Aqua replied.

Terra turned around and walked from the room.

"Don't be gone long… Terra." She said to herself as he disappeared from view, allowing herself another smile.