Ok, before the chapter starts, I will say, part of this was inspired by Dandelion Seeds by Cori Shadowfang. PLEASE do yourselves a favor and check out their fanfic if you're a fan of the Union Cross timeline _ Alright, with that disclaimer out of the way, lets hop into it.
_
Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, Lea, Isa, and Ven all sit around a campfire, laughing and talking and sharing stories of childhood.
"And then he set the whole lab on fire!"
Isa says as Lea blushes and everyone else laughs.
"It wasn't my fault!"
The red head protests.
"Sure doesn't sound that way to me Axel"
Kairi giggles. She then turns to Ven and says
"Alright, your turn! The rest of us have told stories. Now you tell us one!"
She then winces as Riku nudges her and shakes his head minutely. She frowns in confusion before wincing again as she realizes her mistake
"Right, sorry Ven, nevermind..."
She says quickly. Ven shakes his head, still smiling and laughing
"It's ok, really"
he assures. Aqua and Terra exchange glances since they had earlier been talking about Ven's lack of memory from the past and how they may start looking into it soon. Chirithy appears on his lap and he rests his chin on its head, staring at the flames.
"When I was younger..."
He murmurs. They all fall silent, looking at him as he begins talking.
"I lived with my mom and my aunt... Never knew my dad... My aunt was always able to fix anything. I'd sit and watch her all day every day if I could... She'd tell me to buzz off, but never forced me to leave. So I ended up learning how to fix and mend things too..."
He smiles a little and chuckles
"Brain and Lauriam teased me so much when I fixed the roof... Anyways, mom would also always tell me stories about Kingdom Hearts, and keyblade wielders."
His smile fades into a slight frown
"She'd tell me about how the Great Light would sometimes give people pieces of itself and grant them amazing powers... But my grandmother disagreed and said that those people who received the light were no longer human... That they became as arrogant and corrupt as the monsters they swore to fight... The day I received the Keyblade she ordered Mother to send me to Daybreak..."
He murmurs. He falls silent, gazing at the flames with a sad look, his hold on Chirithy tightening a little. The light of the flames dance across his face, leaving shadows that suddenly make him look much older. When it becomes clear he won't continue, Terra reaches over and rests a hand on his shoulder
"Ventus...?"
He calls softly.
Ven jumps a little, blinking as his eyes come back into focus
"huh? Oh, did I space out?"
He asks, putting a hand against his head. Terra frowns and exchanges worried looks with the others. Riku leans forwards and asks
"Ven? Do you have any idea what you were just saying?"
Ven frowns and tries to think, but shakes his head.
"No... I know we were talking about childhood memories... Kairi asked about that. Then I must've spaced"
he says with a sheepish smile. Silence settles over them as they try to process what just happened and what he said. After a few moments, Lea breaks it by slapping Ven and Isa on the back and pulling out a bag of marshmallows.
"Who wants Smores?!"
He asks, breaking the tension. Everyone agrees and they go back to all talking and chatting, but there is now an underlying tension that only Ven and Kairi seem immune to.