#this ven is just Destroyed ….. falling apart ….

[lanternlightss]

hello my beautiful mutual. bardven going through it doodle for u

AAWAAHAH

HELLO MY WONDERFUL BEAUTIFUL MUTUAL. PPOINTS !!!!! AT THEM !!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS

oh the absolutely defeated pose and slumped shoulders and the bubbling of the knife imbedded into the BACK …. back stabbed …. and how bard is trying to comfort, the hand reaching to cradle the jaw …. it’s okay, just hold on a moment longer,,,, the matching with the knife and hands 👁️

arson oh my god. arson im holding this up high and pointing excitedly at you and cheering

[yoroshiu]

Moments of Love in KH That Make Me Lose it Just a Little (Only Just a Little I'm so NORMAL About This I Promise) (In no particular order)

Player willing to act possessed by Darkness so they can sacrifice themselves because they KNEW Ephemer wouldn't attack them otherwise. To trap the rest of the Darknesses, they trapped themselves altogether until the end. THEY KNEW WHAT THIS WOULD MEAN FOR THEM.

RIKU DREAMEATER RIKU DREAMEATER RIKU DREAMEATER What do you mean that, EVEN WITHOUT KNOWING, this guy SENSED that Sora was in danger, DIVED into his dreams, and became HIS DREAMEATER, a being that PROTECTS SOMEONE from NIGHTMARES. And I must reiterate that Riku did NOT know until told.

So you're telling me that even though Xion was SUPPOSED to be completely wiped from people's memories, Axel/Lea's grief ran so deep that he still could vaguely recall her and shed tears at just the blurry sight of her. Roxas kinda makes sense since both he and Xion were inside Sora at this point (still hits me like a truck anyway), but something about this happening to Axel/Lea in KH3 makes me tear up a bit!!!

TERRA, through the SHEER WILLPOWER of wanting to protect his friends and make things right (+ Doom Slayer type rage), was able to leave a will that possessed his empty armor and beat THE CRAP out of Terra-Nort to the point of AMNESIA. Not only that, he was willing to destroy his own body if it meant if he could protect Aqua and Ven. Bro endured YEARS of being torn apart and spread to different people and places, but still was able to help others in those times of need (When Aqua fights Terra-nort (though you can defeat him without encountering the Terra thing), when Aqua was in the RoD, when the Guardians of Light were in Trouble, etc.))

And that's not even mentioning what Aqua and Ven did for the sake of the others in their trio. Aqua saving Terra and letting herself fall into the RoD, or Ven willing to completely shatter his heart for Terra and Aqua if it meant taking down Vanitas.

Riku Replica, even though he learned that his own existence and memories were farces, still cared for Naminé so genuinely that he fought to give her a body so she can go on living.

When everything went to crap and Sora and the others pretty much died, Kairi had managed to HOLD onto Sora so he could still remain in the world

Sora is so concerningly self-sacrifical that this guy can easily STAB himself AND break universal taboos that lead to him being wiped by the universe to save his loved ones (he should really stop doing that >.>)

Also Sora telling Roxas that he deserved to be his own person has me going FERAL, I am BITING and SCREAMING. The fact that through EVERYTHING, the reality of the existence of Nobodies hits him, and he takes away that Roxas is his OWN person (and this was right before Roxas dumped all his memories on him) and tells him as such word for word. I AM IN SHAMBLES.

And there's so many examples I could go on about! I've definitely missed a lot of big ones. I promise I'm normal about this series, I promise!!!!

[mouldingch33se]

So, uhm.

Hi there.

I just want to say, in my last post about this, yes I did skip over the abuse part.

(The post under here)

Let me fix that:

So, Murdoc abuses 2D because he's mad that 2D has made him catch feelings. He doesn't want to have these feelings, but they're there, and won't go until 2D goes.

And Murdoc thinks that if he abuses 2D enough, he'll snap himself out of it. Before Plastic Beach, there were no feelings, and abusing 2D was just a habit. Something he was used to and could get away with.

But now on Plastic Beach it's different, and Murdoc can't even walk away from the situation because he's trapped. Stuck on Plastic Beach. So he turns to abusing 2D to get all his frustration and pent up feelings out.

Except it only makes it worse, and he doesn't know what to do about it, so his actions also get worse as a result. He destroys himself equally as much as he destroys 2D.

For months and months it gets worse and then- Melancholy Hill!

2D dissappears, and Murdoc realizes how heartbroken he actually is. But he has made it this way for himself. He blames himself for 2D's supposed death.

And so he gets even worse, and turns to abusing himself instead of 2D. Cuts himself. Bites himself. Drinks himself into oblivion every night.

Noodle and Russel are obviously concerned, but they can't do anything about it. They just have to let it run its course and hope it dissappears.

But it doesn't, and then 2D returns.

Murdoc is relieved, yes, but he doesn't want to let it show. He falls back into his old ways, ignoring his feelings and taking all his anger for himself out on 2D.

2D thinks it's his fault and gets worse as well, but still he's secretly happy to be with Murdoc again, even if he's being abused.

Russel and Noodle tell them to cut the shit out, but Murdoc never does.

Then shabam shaboom, phase 4. Humanz.

Murdoc realizes how much of a bastard he is and tries to become 2D's friend. 2D accepts after a bit of persuading.

They actually make really good friends, and Noodle and Russel actually have hopes that it's getting better.

But no, Murdoc gets himself into jail, and 2D goes through a reverse midlife crisis. He realizes how happy he can be without Murdoc, and his crush on the man starts to dissappear.

Meanwhile Murdoc is sad and misses 2D, but doesn't tell anyone. He just gets angry at other inmates sometimes.

He tries to be on his best behaviour so he's let out early, and it works, somewhat.

He thought up a whole lie about being framed for drug smuggling and escaping prison into the sewers so he seems more badass, he doesn't really know why he does that. He just does.

2D almost believes it and wants to laugh at Murdoc. After all this time apart, 2D doesn't like Murdoc anymore.

But then Noodle retrieves Murdoc from wherever he ended up, and they reunite. Murdoc sees Ace as a cheap copy of himself, he isn't happy.

Ace doesn't do anything wrong, but just being there is wrong in Murdoc's eyes. He's glad when Ace leaves the band.

And so it's just him and 2D again, but 2D changed. 2D isn't the same gullible idiot he was when he fell for Murdoc.

Murdoc tries being friendly, but then he just sorta gives up. They're still somewhat friends, but 2D is more snarky, and Murdoc can't stand him anymore.

Then a few years go by and we're in 2023!

After the whole Cracker Island fiasco, they're in Italy. It's nice there. The whole band is being nice for once.

Murdoc had been distracted by Moonflower for a while, and still is, but his eye is on 2D again. 2D just looks so free in this place, he looks like he doesn't have any worries. Murdoc is drawn to him again.

He doesn't try to make any moves, but he's being friendly. Almost too friendly.

2D doesn't catch on to it, but he's being friendlier too. They've grown now, and they can be friends.

And so they're friends again, and after a while 2D finds that his crush on Murdoc is coming back. He blurts it all out one night after a lot of alcohol, and Murdoc uses this as an opportunity to kiss him.

One thing leads to another, and they have sex in Murdoc's room.

Noodle and Russ know, of course. But they're not happy.

2D and Murdoc just get closer and closer after that. But they don't make it official yet... maybe they never will.

They're friends with benefits at this point.

Whew... I basically wrote a whole fic here. That was NOT what I intended to do, but ehh, at least that clears up how I view this.

And you can see how I think their relationship would grow if there was one. Uhm, have a good day/night. -Ven

[sylvaridreams]

Ok fine here's a real lorepost

The thing about Darlio's fear of the mordrem pack falling apart if he doesn't sabotage Auruim is like. He's right in the end. It does break apart and they do drift away from each other.

There's a long series of events leading up to this that starts with Auruim meeting Deidre and ends with my mordrem scattered and alone.

(Minor fleeting mentions of SotO spoilers)

(Meisi, Deidre, and Deorai are @ cheddargoblin's) (Mui is @ starlightsuncrow's)

Darlio has long hated Deidre for not being a part of their pack; one part territorial, one part afraid of change, another part trying to assert dominance over the situation.

He and Auruim were clashing heavily st the beginning of EoD with Darlio's mordrem legends pushing him to tear Auruim down from his leadership position and take his place as head dog. Auruim leaves with incredibly hurt feelings and some injuries, they don't talk again until after he returns, more than a year later.

When Auruim is in Cantha with Alba, Darlio corners Deidre and tries to bully her into her place, gets his arm broken for the effort. He develops a silent respect for Deidre, though no warm feelings exist there-just hey, you overpowered me and put me in MY place, I'll back off.

Auruim came back from Cantha, he and Darlio instantly were able to be best buddies again, to Deidre's absolute shock. She made clear to both of them that Darlio wasn't to come near her still.

Deorai showed up at their Pact camp sometime later, passing through the area for a week or so. Darlio acted incredibly hostile towards another mordrem, one who not only exists outside of their pack but who has completely and effortlessly left the jungle behind. Auruim, who looks to Darlio for how to behave socially and who trusts his judgement, also reacted with hostility. Venasis was able to chat with Deorai and somewhat explain and smooth things over, and strong-arm Auru into playing nice with him. Even Deidre (afraid of another mordrem) was able to eventually make nice.

Deorai leaves after about a week, Darlio is left with bad feelings. His revenant legends are making things especially unbearable. As they often do, they're singling out Deidre as the problem. Hareth wants her dead, Diarmid wants her to suffer, Adryn has clever ideas for how to put things into motion. Darlio ends up stealing Deidre's unfinished thesis with the intention of destroying her work. Arguing with his head ghosts, he talks himself out of doing it, but gets caught by Deidre herself with the work. Venasis goes to get Auruim to handle the situation.

Darlio is arguing that he wasn't going to do anything, that he changed his mind; Auruim is yelling at him and trying to start a physical fight over it; Deidre snaps at all three of them and goes off, criticizes them as people, as a pack. Darlio, upset, yells that she's not a real mordrem and thats why she doesn't get it; Deidre yells back that none of them are real mordrem either, and if they were they wouldn't be here, then storms out.

Auru, Ven and Darlio head back to their tent. Darlio goes to bed and cries while Auruim and Venasis quietly discuss what to do. Auruim says maybe it's time to stop doing "this kind of stuff." Time passes, and Deidre avoids them all.

Auruim, who had previously gone to Deidre for medical advice and help with Darlio's migraines and apparent psychosis (result of his revenant legends yelling over one another all the time) goes to Meisi and asks for his help next. Meisi begins meeting with Darlio and training him to control and block out his legends.

Meisi then ends up in SotO when he feels something (Alba) ripped through the mists and goes to investigate and becomes imprisoned in the Tower, leaving Darlio without a mentor or any idea how to get control over himself.

Deidre asks Auruim if they can meet later and talk. Auruim agrees; later he gets into a big blowout fight with Darlio over it. When Auru reveals he's going to smooth things out with Deidre later, Darlio says they don't need that reject in their pack, Auruim yells back at him that there is no pack, there's never going to be a pack again, and we're not going to do this shit anymore! It escalates into hurtful territory; Darlio says something cruel and Auruim says "you hurt everything you touch. Even me."

Auru: You know you make it really hard to care about you sometimes.

Darlio: I don't need you.

Auru: Yeah, I know you don't.

Auruim storms out and goes to kill kryptis in a rift that opens near the encampment. This is notably the last time he's seen, as he gets his arm torn off and spends the next six months wasting away in the Tower under Bourbon, Meisi and Alba's watch.

And of course when he doesn't go meet Deidre, she assumes he's pulled his classic Auruim move of running away from his problems. She ends up leaving camp soon herself with Mui (not necessarily of her own wishes, but the Pact forces her out for kryptis posession reasons.)

Venasis leaves soon after, when Aeris invites her to go travel, see the world, and figure out what she wants to do with her life. Part of Ven's history is that she was Nightmare Court, got turned mordrem, and then later recovered with Auru and Lio when they were captured. She's been a pacifist since because she felt that she'd done "enough harm" in her life already; at this point she's realized that inaction isn't peaceful, and that standing by and playing along with Auru and Darlio's "pack" has hurt people too.

So in the end. Darlio was right, his legends were correct. If the status quo failed to be upheld, everything would fall apart, and it did. And in the end they did all leave him, and he was completely alone.

Deorai ends up coming through again and picks him up out of his pit of despair but. Regardless, the pack is split apart. Auruim is somewhere unknown, dying. (He sends Ven and Lio a letter and a rune to come visit but Ven is already gone by then and Darlio is completely illiterate and only barely recognizes that it's Auruim's penmanship. So Darlio had a way to go and see him again and never knew.)

Anyway that's roughly where we are now. :)

[yzafre]

say you'll catch me when I fall | Finale

AO3

<< First | < Previous

Terra found it, the Keyblade graveyard – tucked behind a valley in the dry, barren land where he’d so often spoken with Xehanort.  As far as the eye could see gleaming, abandoned Keys sunk into the arid earth, a metal forest filling all but a single, x-shaped corridor through the field.

There he stood waiting, listening to the whistle of the wind until footsteps approached him from behind.  He turned, meeting Aqua’s somber eyes.  She hesitated, heartbreak and fear painting itself in the shadows of her face, and his stomach turned.

“I was told,” she said slowly, the words dragged out of her, “The Master was struck down.”

“Yes.  That’s right.  I was stupid and helped Xehanort do it,” he said.  She gasped and her heart seized inside his chest.  Pain shivered through him; he looked away, “The Master – he tried to hurt Ven.  I fought because I wanted to protect him, but… I was tricked.  Xehanort set the whole thing up.  All so he could awaken the Darkness inside me.”

He swallowed down a growing lump in his throat.  Grief bubbled beneath his skin, the eye of the storm of emotions, too many for him to make out.  It just burned, vibrating beneath his skin.

“You were right, Aqua, I did fall to the Darkness,” he admitted, “No.  I chose to let it in.  The Master was right to have me watched.  I went astray – but no more.”

“What else is Darkness but hate and rage?” Aqua asked, and he could feel her reaching out down the bond, felt the way she flinched back inches from touching the knot of chaos inside him, “Xehanort is feeding the dark fires within you – making you fight.  You’ll go astray again.  Tell me – how does that honor our Master’s memory, Terra?”

He looked away, heart aching.  Movement in the distance caught his eye.

When Ventus arrived at the Keyblade graveyard, Terra and Aqua were already there.

He could swear he heard a bell ringing in the distance.

They watched him approach in silence with heavy, forlorn gazes.  Each scrape of his shoes against the cracked earth rang infinitely loud.  After what seemed like hours, he finally fell to a stop in front of them. 

He tried to speak, choked on the words - cleared his throat and tried again.

“Xehanort wants me and Vanitas to fight and makes some kind of… x-blade.  But the Master said,” his voice broke, and he stuttered, watching as Terra flinched away as well, “He said we can’t let that happen, and he tried to destroy me for it.”

“X-blade?” Aqua repeated hollowly, voice wrapping awkwardly around the strange syllable.

“I still don’t know exactly what it is, but – it scares me to death.  Even just the thought of it.”

Terra rested a hand on his shoulder, “Relax, Ven.  We’re here and we’re going to take care of you.”

“I may have to fight Vanitas after all.  If I do, guys… I want you to – “

“The three of us can never be torn apart, alright?” Terra spoke over him, voice pitching up, “I’ll always find a way.”

They stepped closer, both of them, each wrapping a wing around him.  The feathers brushed against his arms, warm on his skin, as Aqua cradled his face, stroking a thumb softly, softly across his cheek.  Terra’s hand slid across his shoulder and wrapped firmly around his neck, gently nudging him closer.  Their feathers and faces were all he could see.

Ventus flared his wings in a wide sweep, forcing them away.

“I’m asking you: if you love me, just… put an end to me.”

His Flightmates gasped and looked fit to protest – but that was when Xehanort approached, Vanitas in his wake.  All three of them summoned their armor, ready to face this final fight.

You mustn’t fight, you must fly, a voice whispered on the wind as the dark Master monologued, but he couldn’t.  Not this time.

It all moved very quickly, after that.  His initial lunge was averted by Terra, who shoved him back as he sprinted into the fray.  The ground began to crack, to rise, Xehanort riding a pillar into the sky.  Terra stumbled, recovered, jumped, before Ventus lost sight of him behind the growing cloud of dust and metal.  The abandoned keys lifted from the ground, swirling around him and Aqua in a stream, cutting them off from their Flightmate.

Ventus snarled, spreading his wings and diving into the chaos.  He fluttered and dodged through the storm, rising as high as he could to try and get the lay of the land.  There was Aqua, her helmet having gone missing at some point to reveal her blue hair, a bright beacon against the growing shadows.  She raised her hand in a flash of light, and – there, an answer bloom of magic across the field, a barrier surrounding a moving figure.  The shield gave out beneath a barrage of flashing Keys, and Terra tumbled to the earth at Xehanort’s feet.

Snarling, Ventus dove, wings angling back, in, letting him fall faster and faster, Key flashing, until he slammed into –

The ground.

Where?

A foot planted in the middle of his back, sending him crashing to the dirt, pressing him down, trapped there; a hand twisted in his feathers, dripping with stinging, cloying Darkness as it squeezed, pulled, wrenched a wing backbackback.  The pain streamed down through the phantom limb, through his veins, straight to his heart like liquid fire.

This was nothing like the damage he’d taken before.  If the Unversed snagged his wings, the pain would sting like any other wound – and too much damage would see the wings faded from reality, with or without his input.  But a quick cure, or simply tucking them away would make the pain fade to a dull ache, and then quickly nothing at all.  This – this was different.

Ventus tried to fold the wings away into his heart, could feel the wings themselves try to give way beneath the force, to disperse like the magic they were.  The free wing flickered, pulled, disappeared, the weight disappearing from his back, but the Darkness Xehanort wielded wrapped around the other like a vice, keeping it trapped, tethered to physical reality.

The magjc pulled, burned, tore, until with a pop, a snap, the manifested surface gave away, pure magic ichor spilling into the air.

He screamed.

Beyond the pain, he thought he heard someone call his name, an enraged mirror to his tortured screaming, but it was hard to tell through the ringing in his ears.  His vision faded in and out.  Next thing he knew, he was staring down a long drop, feet and a limp wing dangling in the air, a hand around his throat.  He blacked out once more as the hand let go.

When he came to, Aqua was holding him close, and the light of Kingdom Hearts split the sky.

Footsteps drew near.  Ventus shifted, trying to push out of Aqua’s arm, but pain erupted from his damaged wing and nearly sent him blacking out again.  Blinking the stars from his eye, he turned his head to see a very familiar face.

“How ‘bout you leave the broken bird with me, so you can go have your little fight with Terra?  You can’t be too happy about him deep-sixing your Master,” the strange man from Radiant Garden laughed, an eyepatch covering his once-bleeding eye.

“Who are you?” Aqua hissed.

“You think you two have got some grand role to play.  As if.  You’re only here so that when I finish you off, Terra will succumb to the Darkness,” the man said, hefting his weapon, “So, who wants to go first?”

“Shut up!” Ventus snarled, clawing his way off Aqua’s lap.  He pushed to his knees, but barely got more than a few inches off the ground before pain exploded down his spine, sending him crashing back down.  Magic ichor stained the dirt as he gasped for breath, slamming a fist into the dirt in frustration.

“Oooh so this kiddo thinks he’s a full-fledged Keyblade wielder?” the man cooed, “He’s got the angry look down.”

“Go ahead and waste your time,” Aqua said, standing and stepping in front of Ventus, blocking his view, “Keep trying to drive us apart with your mind games.  It’ll never work!  Terra will prove to you he’s stronger!”

Aqua leapt forward, leaving Ventus behind.  He tried to push himself up, to join her, but every movement sent pain searing through him, blurring his vision until all he had were the sounds of fighting to go on.  When it finally faded, he was no closer to reaching his feet.

“I keep forgetting,” the man panted, “Don’t mess with Keyblade wielders.  But you know what?  That just means I made the right choice!”

Ventus heard Aqua’s quick foot-falls, then another pair, heavier, rushing away.

“What?  …Ven!”

Ventus heaved a deep breath, levering himself up on his forearms slowly, carefully.  Moving in inches, he managed to get his head up to face her, only the slightest bit dizzy.  A shadow approached her from overhead.

“Aqua!”

Before she could turn, Vanitas’s Key collided with her skull, sending her crumbling to the ground.  The ringing was back in Ventus’s ears, but this time his sight was perfectly clear.  Vanitas strolled over to her limp body, infuriatingly casual.  He kicked her shoulder, rolling her onto her back.

No.

Ventus began scrambling, searching desperately for power to bolster him.  He reached down, pulling at the star within his chest, ignoring the way it made pain rippled out.  With a pop, his other wing unfurled, counter-balance to the seething mass of injury on his right-shoulder blade. 

Vanitas turned his Key, pointing the tip straight down at Aqua’s chest.

No.

The Darkness rose greedily, embers jumping down the damaged wing from one wound towards the next, reaching for the other half of the pair, begging to seep down to the root.  Vanitas raised his blade, ready to strike.

NO!

Ventus snarled, reaching deep inside him for magic of the purest kind.  Xehanort cleaved the Dark from him to create pure Light, and now he would use it.

He dove straight into the well at the bottom of his soul, pulling and pulling until he reached the bottom, then pulling some more.  A tug, a wrench, a heave, and it was like a stopper came loose, light streaming from the depths in a tidal wave.

It rose, rushing and eager, and he guided it up, up, out, pushing it into his wings, more and more, till he felt like he would burst and then he kept going.  He ushered it towards the Dark eating at his wings, his heart, devouring it in turn, filling the manifestations until there was no room left, until it was too much, until they couldn’t hold any more.

He was luminous, he was infinite, he was, he was –

Light.

His wings ruptured, a single shattering before all pain faded away in a crystal-clear coolness that cascaded over him, the world sharpening into focus.  The wounds were still there, he knew, but it all felt very distant.  His radiance lit the land, pushing back the little creeping shadows, except – across from him, a Darkness resisted his blaze with its own dark fire.

He lit the star in his chest, summoning a Keyblade of light.  The Darkness would fall.

They clashed, again and again, the Darkness cackling wildly.  With every wound, more shadow poured from it, its mortal guise falling away until it stumbled back, the helmet fading away to reveal its face.

“You’ve done it, Ventus!” the Darkness cried, “Now that my body is about to perish… you and I will have to join together!  The x-blade will be forged!”

Shadows leapt from the Darkness as it reached for him, and the Light blazed brighter in opposition.  They pressed together, closer and closer, until they –

fell.

The Light touched down on the Station of Awakening.  The Darkness floated down, a great shadow from above, x-blade in hand.

Snarling, the Light leapt, clashed with the Darkness – no matter what, it would not succumb.  It would not allow this Darkness to persist.  It blazed brighter, brighter, and Darkness laughed, flaring its own aura in return.  Wherever the Light touched the Dark, it burned a way; wherever the Dark touched the Light, it obscured the radiance.  And so, they spiraled, closer and closer.  Their blades locked together, intertwined, pinning them in place.

“Our union is not finished,” the Darkness declared, “The x-blade shouldn’t stay broken like this.  Join me now, and we can complete the x-blade!”

Over the Darkness’ shoulders, twin glimmers, deep in the shadows, caught the Light’s eye.

In the void beyond, two stars blazed bright, their beacons cutting through the Darkness, all the more brilliant for it.  Their flames quivered, stretched, like great wings spreading wide.  As it watched, those bright stars began to waver, to fade; they were, they were –

Terra!  Aqua!

Ventus gasped, choking on the light flooding his heart.  In an instant, all sensation returned to him – the aches of his body, the trembling of his limbs, the raw, burnt-out magic pathways running alongside his veins.  He could feel the raw magic, still blazing from his spine.  He took a breath, then another, on every inhale pulling that power in, on every exhale sending it out, into the void, into them.

It was too much to bear alone, but together…

“I’ve got a better idea,” Ventus said, watching as those stars sparked brighter, fought against the Dark, “How ‘bout I destroy you both?”

Vanitas blinked, then laughed, brandishing the x-blade.

“The x-blade is made of your heart, too, idiot,” he sneered, “If you destroy it, your heart will vanish forever.”

“Whatever it takes.  Anything to save Terra and Aqua.”

Vanitas wavered, just for the briefest second, before setting his jaw with a glare, “Hmph, it’s always about your friends, isn’t it?”

“At least I have some.  I’ve become a part of their heart, just as they’ve become a part of mine.  My friends are my power – and I’m theirs!”

Ventus leapt, and the fight began.

I’m asking you, if you love me… just… put an end to me.

Aqua woke with a gasp.  Her head was throbbing, the bright, piercing light shining down from above only making things worse.  Wincing, she began to sit up, a small hand at her shoulder helping her along.

“Gosh, I’m glad you’re okay.”

Mickey?  What happened?  I was fighting that man, and then…

“Ven!”

She lurched to her feet, stumbling slightly as a wave of dizziness overtook her.  Ignoring it, she scanned the area around here.  There, mere feet away, Ven stood, head lulled down against his chest, a large, unwieldy Key in his hand – one with a tarnished blade extending from the cross section of two silver-and-yellow keys, ones she thought she recognized as Kingdom Keys from her studies.

“Oh, thank goodness, Ven!  You’re safe,” she called, again, rushing to his side.  There was no response.  “Ven?”

He took a sharp breath, then Aqua only got the briefest glimpse of flashing yellow eyes before Ventus was moving, that unwieldy Key swinging in a preternaturally fast in an arc towards her neck.  Only Mickey’s quick intervention saved her.

“That’s not Ven!” he said, standing guard before her.

“Correct.  I am not Ventus,” the imposter replied, “His heart has become a part of mine, now.”

He strode forward, head held high, and magic spread from his back – pure shards of Light and Dark, swirling around his spine in a dizzying display before settling in the air behind him like a twisted mockery of feathers.

“This x-blade will open a door – one that leads to all worlds!  Then, Keyblade-bearing warriors will flock here from each and every one of them, to battle for the light within Kingdom Hearts.  And just like the legend says, the Keyblade War will begin!”

“Shut up!” Aqua snarled, summoning her own Key with a flick of her wrist, “I’m sick of your nonsense!  Give Ven his heart back!”

She’d beaten him twice before – she’d beat him again now.  Except –

He’d never had the x-blade, before.

Every one of her attacks was turned aside with the slightest of blows.  And even that was rare, with so few openings given – with the primordial Key in hand, his attacks were absolutely devastating.   Somewhere in it all, Mickey was knocked out of the fight.  Aqua could barely keep up.  A single swing covered the entire field, a single strike cracked the earth, and when he used magic, well…

Her back slammed into one of the many stone pillars dotting the canyon, stealing whatever breath his Aero spell hadn’t already taken.  Her vision swam, but even still she could see the mocking grin on his face as he stalked towards her.

“What’s wrong?  Giving up already?”

She scrabbled in her pocket, looking for a potion, an ether – anything.  All she found was the sharp edge of her wayfinder.  With a heaving breath that was halfway to a sob, she let her eyes slip closed.

Terra, Ven, lend me strength.

A beat, then a burn – Light, like a river, flowed into her, pure and strong.  She could feel it, anchored to Ven, streaming into her, into Terra, then back around again, an unbroken circle.

Vanitas stumbled, clutching his chest.  The cloud of glimmering dark and light crystals quivered, shattered, before the specks of dust left behind were sucked into Ventus, slowly forming the shape of familiar wings.  First came a pale expanse of white feathers, and Aqua’s heart leapt.  Then, as she watched, shadowed colors dropped down the feathers like ink, staining the white expanse until it settled into an ashy brown mass, dusted with black and white smudges.

Aqua hated how natural it looked.

Channeling the new-found power into her Key, she flew forward again.  This time, when their weapons clashed, she was able to dig in despite the shockwave that echoed out, and their blades locked.

“You’re – you’re just wasting your energy!” Vanitas said, but his voice wavered.  Determined, Aqua leaned in and pushed, and, with a gasp, he gave in.  She followed him back as he stumbled, striking again, and again.

Now, on equal grounds, the fight looked very different.

Vanitas was scrambling back, trying to buy space with desperate blasts of magic, when the tides of battle shifted again.  The x-blade shimmered, sparked, then erupted, causing him to drop it with a yelp.  Instead of falling, the Key rose into the air, the power spilling from it in shark spikes and blasts of magic rained down indiscriminately.

Aqua skipped back, crouching at the edge of the field.  Mickey appeared at her side, calling for her, but his voice was lost to the howling wind.  A flurry of movement came from above, and Terra crashed down to the earth heavily.  His armor landed hard after him, Terra’s Keyblade – not Earthshaker, but something very close – in its hand and moving fully autonomously.  Tiny Keyholes began to spark in the air.  In the middle of it all, beneath the self-destructing Key, Ventus’s body crumpled to the ground.

Terra’s head turned as he scrambled back from the armor pursuing him, and their eyes met.

Terra, what is –

I don’t know, are you –

Ven is –

We need to –

Everything went silent for a single breath.  All heads turned to the Key floating overhead.  Then, a horrible crack split the air, like reality shattering, as the weapon began to splinter.  A horrible whine picked up, growing louder and louder as the fractures spread, slowly at first, then faster.  The magic whipped up a storm, and Aqua had to dig her fingers into the dirt to not be swept away, tucking her wings away before the wind ripped her off the earth.  Across from her, Terra was doing the same, but Ventus, unconscious, began to drift away.

“Ventus,” Aqua yelled, her voice drowned out by the building scream; across from her, she could tell Terra was doing the same.  She tried to claw forward, but every inch of progress took an age.  Desperate, she turned to Terra.  He mirrored her despair back to her before, suddenly, his face fell into steady determination, deep as the mountain.

He coiled up and lunged, flying through the air and crashing into Ven.  They floated there, together, spinning in the air just beneath the self-destructing Key.  As she watched, he pulled Ventus close, mouth moving by his ear before he pressed his face into their third’s hair for one heartbeat, two.  Then, he twisted once more, and Ventus was sent careening into her.  As he slammed into her chest she latched on with a desperate grip, the momentum sending them both flying into the distance, moving away from the eye of the storm.  Looking to the center of it all was now like looking into the sun, Terra’s silhouette standing out in sharp relief.  With stinging eyes, she met his gaze one last time.

The x-blade gave a final wail, and the light blinded her.

Aqua awoke – warm, and safe.  Eyes still closed, she reached down inside her for her bonds.

Terra?  Ven?

No response.  Their hearts bobbed along in the void, present but dim and horribly, terribly quiet.

With a shuddering breath, she blinked her eyes open, “Where… am I?”

“You lost consciousness,” Master Yen Sid answered, and she straightened instinctively even as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, “Fortunately, Mickey found you and Ventus drifting in the Lanes Between and brought you back to me to receive proper care.”

Aqua sat up, turned – and abruptly had to lean against the wall behind her at the wave of dissonance that swept over her.

There was Ventus, next to her – The round cheeks, the bright hair, even his wings.  The shadows had faded from them, returning them to familiar white expanses, except for the tips of his feathers where streaks of brown and sooty gray lingered.

But despite it all, her bonds screamed that her Flightmate wasn’t there.

Swallowing down her confusion, she turned back to the ancient Master.

“And Terra?”

“I am sorry, but there was no sign of him.”

“I see.”

She turned back to Ventus, to his body, “What’s happened to Ventus?”

“The boy’s heart is sleeping.”

“When will he wake?”

Master Yen Sid sighed, “I could not say.  It is almost as though his heart has left.  Should it return, he may very well wake.  Should it not, then he may sleep like this for all eternity.”

She shook her head, swallowing down her instinctive aversion to reach out, brushing his hair from his face, “No.  I’ll keep him safe until he wakes.  Forever, if I have to.”

“I will tell you what your friend needs right now; it is not your protection,” Master Yen Sid said firmly, and Aqua recoiled, snapping her head around to stare up at him.  She wasn’t sure what he saw on her face, but when he continued, his voice softened, “He needs you to believe.  You see, Ventus’s heart hangs in the balance.  It sleeps in the place between Light and Darkness.  From all I can perceive, that means he will be looking for a friend – one who believes in him, to show him the way home.  Just as long as you love him, then Ventus will be able to find you when he wakes.  He can follow that love back to where he belongs – the Realm of Light.”

“Don’t you worry, Aqua,” Mickey said, bouncing over to place a bracing hand on her arm, “I believe in Ven, too.  Gosh, he’s been as good a friend to me as anybody.  And if both you and me believe in him with all our hearts, then he’ll have two lights to follow instead of one.”

“Three lights,” she corrected, “Terra.”

Mickey averted his gaze, “But… Terra’s gone.  Maybe for good.”

“No,” Aqua answered, pressing her hand to her chest, “He’s still out there; I’ll find him.”

The first order of business was getting Ventus somewhere safe.

When she lifted him, a rain of feathers dropped at her feet, scattering across the floor.  She froze, shifting him closer to her chest more carefully.  At the tips of his wings was empty space, gaps in the flight feathers.  She shivered, slowly, slowly, slowly shifting him onto her back, but even still, the pile grew at her feet.

With every step down the tower, his feathers fell away – not like the mourning feathers she’d seen falling from Master Eraqus, but truly falling away.  First the primaries and the secondaries, then the coverts, till even the scapulars fell, leaving behind only the skeletal structure of spectral wings. 

By the time she’d reached the exit, even that had faded, dissolving into specs of light.

Aqua stood for a moment, staring out at the inky sky above, studded with a thousand stars.  There had to be somewhere out there they could go – somewhere to shelter him, where he could rest.

“A safe place…”

Ventus twitched against her back, a soft glow briefly surrounding him as Wayward Wind flickered into existence just long enough to send out a piercing light, opening a portal before them.  With a sigh, the light faded away, and he went still once more.

“Alright,” Aqua said, forcing a smile, “If that’s where you want to go.”

Hiking him up higher on her back, she walked forward, through the portal.  The magic was blinding, the night she stepped into almost impossible to see in contrast.  As the path closed behind her, she blinked the stars from her eyes, waiting for her vision to adjust.  When it finally did, she gasped, the breath punching from her chest.

The Land of Departure was destroyed.  The very mountains surrounding their home were ripped from the roots, scattered through the sky as crumbling debris.  The only land left intact was the Castle itself, and the small courtyard in front of it.

There, in the center of it all, was the Master’s Defender.

It took some juggling of Ventus’s weight to reach down to it.  As she took it up, it settled as a heavy weight in her hand for a moment before sparkling, vanishing, as dust on the wind, that weight shifting to instead settle inside the star in her chest.  She could feel its allegiance clicking into place, its legacy falling fully into her hands.

With a heavy breath, she stood tall, ignoring the stinging in her eyes.  There was no time for that – she had work to do.

In the dark, every corner she passed seemed to carry ghosts.  The world had seemed so bright when she left.  She’d earned her Mastery, was given her first true responsibilities as Master, and Terra –

Oh, Terra.

Aqua placed Ventus in the central throne of the Castle, heading behind the chair as soon as he was settled.  When Master Eraqus told her of this secret, she never could have imagined she’d need it this soon.  But, sure enough, with the Master’s Defender and a burst of magic, the World began to shift and change around her, until all that was left were walls of gleaming white, glowing seal lines pulsing their way out from the only remaining throne.

She paused once more by Ventus’s side, glancing over at him.  She couldn’t bear to look at him.  His body was there, breathing, but – that wasn’t Ven, it just wasn’t.

He wasn’t in there.

With a shaky breath, she turned to leave, pressing a hand to her chest as she reached out for that distant, quietquietquiet star at the end of her bond.

Terra and I will be back to wake you up before you know it, Ven.  Wait just a little bit longer.

If she wanted to retrieve Terra, first she needed to find Terra.

Aqua sat just before the exit, legs crossed and hands folded, and let herself fall into the bond.  The familiar void surrounded her, her heart glowing below her.  Her bonds stretched out into the distance, Ventus’s faint and dim, Terra’s trembling and agitated, thrumming as she followed it along until she could feel him as she had many times over their journey.

For a long moment she hovered there on the outskirts, unsure, but – no, she could do this.  She must do this.

Aqua pressed deep, deeper than she ever had before, not stopping when she brushed against his heart but pushing, diving in, sliding closer and closer till they were collapsing, overlapping, a foreign storm surrounding her as she cast her body aside and she was running panting bleeding have to keep moving, don’t stop, not safe, buildings flying past and it was behind you, coming for you, just needed a moment to stop a moment to breath a moment to think why why whywhywhywhy

She gasped, barely managing to bring her head back above water, to distinguish her mind from the storm.

Terra, tell me where to find you.

A skip of the heart, fear recognition relief, Aqua, belovedbelovedbeloved, no not telling not safe stay away, flash of metal, being chased, armor defense inverted perverted, void staring him down from what once sheltered him

Where? She insisted.

Begrudging tired relieved, the dam giving in, city rising above, founts of light blooming into the sky, meetings and breakings and failure, the scrape of metal on stone, darkness as he needed to movemovemove

With a wrench, Aqua pulled herself from the link, slamming back into her own body.  She had her answer.

Radiant Garden.

It was night, when she landed.

She could almost believe the shadows were natural, but though there were no clouds the stars were all blotted from the sky.  Only the specks of light that naturally emerged from the ground and the flickering lampposts allowed her to see at all.

The streets were quiet, a stark difference from her previous visit, only the whistling of the wind blowing around corners.  Aqua strained her ears, searching for any clue, any sign of light – faintly, she could hear the bubbling of fountains in the distance, and then –

There.

The quietest of shuffling, muffled footsteps, signs of life.  Summoning her Key, she stalked through the night, carefully creeping closer to the noise, pausing every now and again to re-orient herself.  Finally, she reached an alleyway and could hear frantic breathing just beyond.  She turned the corner, cautiously creeping towards the noise.

“Terra?”

There was a yelp, a bolt of magic.  She summoned a barrier, the abrupt flash of light blinding her as a shadowed figure reeled away.

“Woah,” she called, reaching out comforting hand, “Hey, it’s okay!”

“Aqua?”

She blinked the stars from her eyes, staring down at an equally startled Terra on the ground.  He was panting, limbs trembling in the subtle way they did when muscles were strained beyond their limits.  Bruises were littered across his limbs, accented by several large lacerations cutting through them in key locations – areas that would normally be defended, she noted, if his armor was in place.

It wasn’t.

“Terra,” she repeated quietly, kneeling down, reaching for him, “What happened?”

Terra reached out in turn, grasping her hand, and she summoned magic, sending a continual line of Cures through their connection as he spoke, “After the x-blade exploded, I woke up here.  Only – I wasn’t alone.  My armor, it came alive.  Now, it seems to have a mind of its own.  It’s been hunting me, relentlessly.  It keeps saying…”

He trailed off, a troubled line growing on his forehead, before he shook his head, and Aqua squeezed his hand, drawing his attention back to her, “How did you get separated from your armor?”

“At the Graveyard, when I was fighting Xehanort – he separated his heart from his body.  He wanted to take over my body, use it as a vessel for his heart.  I summoned my armor, but I don’t remember what happened after that.  It was just… Darkness.  But then, there was this Light.”

“Ven,” Aqua agreed, remembering that burst of Light flowing through her, connecting her to him, to them.

Terra smiled, “Yeah.  That Light, I was able to push against the Darkness, to win against it.  I came back to myself, but when I did – the armor was there.  It hasn’t stopped hunting me since, and… I can’t make my Keyblade answer me.  And when I try to call it.. It just finds me faster.”

“Finds you?”

A heavy, metal footstep echoed down the alley, followed by the slow scrape of metal on stone.  Terra gave a full-body flinch, and she froze, slowly turning to peer over her shoulder.  At the mouth of the alley, the armor stood as a silent sentinel, light glinting off Terra’s Key and cape blowing in the wind.

Its head tilted, and for a breathless second she knew it was looking at her, through her, seeing every inch of her heart and everything she was and –

That gaze drifted away, dismissive, and the void instead focused on Terra.

Xehanort.

The voice drifted in like a whisper, and that was all the warning they got before it was speeding forward, faster than it should be able.  Terra was prepared, rolling out of the way as sharp teeth slammed down where was he was sitting.  The second swing caught him in the chest, sending him flying into the alley wall, but the third – the third Aqua caught on her own Key, finally catching up.

“Stay away from my Flightmate,” She hissed, heaving back against the blow.

That pressing void focused on her again, striking against her guard over and over, determined to get through.  When it realized its efforts were futile, it disengaged, leaping back several feet.  Aqua slipped into a defensive stance, watching warily.

It shifted the Key to its shoulder, blade pointed towards them, where it morphed, transforming into a cannon.  Trapped in the narrow alley, they were sitting ducks.  Aqua’s heart skipped a beat before she turned, barreling into Terra who had stopped to gape.  They both went crashing to the ground, a beam of energy sailing inches over their heads.

“Since when can your Key do that?” she hissed.

“I can’t do that,” Terra sputtered, “How did it do that?”

Aqua glanced behind them – a dead end.  “We can’t fight like this – there’s not enough room.”

Terra went quiet before there was the rustle of feathers, and Aqua snapped her eyes over to him, instantly suspicious.

“He’s after me,” Terra said, batting his wings behind him, “I can draw him away – somewhere more open.”

She didn’t like it.  She really didn’t like it, but they didn’t have many other options.

“Okay,” she agreed, letting her own wings spread from her spine.  It was a tight fit, with both of them pressed side by side, but she could maneuver just enough to brush her primaries against his, “Be quick.  I’ll be right behind you.”

Terra nodded, stepping back and leaping into the sky with a great beat of his wings, squeezing them in then snapping them back out the instant he cleared the roof to carry him up and away.  As they predicted, the Armor instantly focused its attention on him, turning to chase after Terra’s retreating figure.

Aqua followed quickly, swift and light as she tailed the game of cat and mouse.  Terra was obviously heading for the top of the city – the same opening where they had fought the Unversed as a Flight, but half-way there something like a great rope stretched from the ground, wrapping around Terra and dragging him down.

Heart in her throat, Aqua dover for the ground.  When she arrived, Terra was dancing around the garden square as the Armor stalked after him, sending the Key lashing out after him like a whip.  She dove down, joining the fray.

Here in the open, the Amor’s mindless focus on Terra was its downfall.  Terra could bait it, guide it, drawing it into position for Aqua to take advantage of every opening.  She struck at it, again and again, until finally, finally, with a blow from behind she sent it toppling, slamming into the ground where it struggled against her weight, trying desperately to get back up.  A final twist, and her Keyblade pierced through the helmet, through the void inside, pinning it to the ground.  It twitched, metal screeching and scraping against itself as it spasmed, stretching its hand out towards Terra.

Xeha….nort…

 Finally, it went still.

Aqua stumbled back from the blade, watching the pile of armor warily.  When it remained dead, she slumped in relief, turning back to Terra.

“It’s done.  You’re safe.”

Terra stared down at the armor, swaying slightly before his knees gave out from under him.  Aqua rushed forward, holding his shoulders as he collapsed to the ground, a hand going up to cradle his face.

“Terra!  Are you okay?”

He shuddered beneath her hands, leaning into her hands before flinching away, finally going still with one great sigh.

“Yes.  Thank you.”

“Okay,” Aqua breathed.  She squeezed his shoulders once more then, hesitantly got up to head back towards the armor, “We need to figure out what to do with this; we can’t just leave it here.  And we need to get back to Ven.”

“Ven?  …yes, where is Ventus?”

“Safe.  He’s,” she paused as she knelt down to examine the armor closer, “Well, he’s exactly where he wants to be.  Or at least, his body is.”

“His body?  I see, so his heart is lost again.”

Carefully, she ran fingers over the seams of the armor.  There was still magic inside, lying dormant.  Her Key was acting as a seal, but the moment she removed it the armor would spring to life again.  How did they deal with this?  If only the Master was still…

Aqua.

“No matter; the forging of the x-blade was a failure, anyways.”

How was she supposed to do this?  She was the only Master left.  It was her responsibility to keep them all safe, to keep the world safe, but…  She’d only just earned her Mastery, she’d as good as failed the first mission she was given – how was she supposed to protect everyone without his guidance?

Aqua.

“For now, there is just one loose end that needs to be addressed.”

She heaved a breath, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes, pressing down the storm in her chest.  She was Master Aqua.  She could not falter.  She couldn’t let this win, she would give it no quarter… 

AQUA!

Aqua gasped, spinning to the side just in time to miss the teeth of a dark key slamming through the space she just stood.  As she fell into a defensive stance, Terra straightened, brandishing that twisted Key, the blue-green eye at its hilt flashing even in the low light.  White began streaking through his hair.  Amber bled into the blues of his eyes.

“Terra?  No – you’re,” she stuttered, heart sinking, pieces clicking into place, “It can’t be.  Terra defeated you, using Ven’s light!”

“And where is that Light now?” Terra’s voice rumbled, but it wasn’t his voice, not at all, purring in a cadency that was both familiar and horrible.  She grimaced, looking away, and Xehanort chuckled, “Terra was indeed able to suppress me, for a time; but where he thought I was defeated, I simply hid in the Darkness that Light cast.  Then, all I had to do was wait for that Light to dim.  I did warn young Terra – such bright lights can’t help but cast shadows on hearts such as ours.”

“Terra is nothing like you!”

“I wonder,” Xehanort mused.  His gaze wandered from her, down across the stone, over to the crumpled armor at his feet.  He reached out, stroking over the hilt of her Keyblade; she shivered as revulsion prickled over her skin.

“The armor – it wasn’t hunting Terra,” Aqua realized, “It was hunting you.”

“Ah, yes.  Terra was convinced he had eliminated me, but the detached Will he had left behind was not so easily fooled.  I really must thank you for dealing with it; it would have become quite an inconvenience.”

“Maybe I should free it, then,” she said, holding out her hand, prepared to summon her Key, to remove the seal on the armor.

“Perhaps you should.  But then, while it will certainly do its best to remove me from existence, it doesn’t seem to care whether Terra is destroyed in the process.  Are you willing to take that risk?”

She hesitated.  It, it wouldn’t – it was still a part of Terra.  She had to trust that, and even then, she could stop it, should the armor get out of hand. 

But if she was wrong, if she failed again –

Her hand fell.

“I don’t need it for the likes of you.  I am Master Aqua.  Now return my friend’s heart or pay the price!”

Aqua may have overestimated herself.

Her back hit the ground, knocking the breath from her lungs, and she desperately tried to see past the stars blooming in her eyes.

“And now,” Xehanort declared, raising his Key high above her, “Your light, too, shall expire.”

No.  No, not like this.  There had to be something, some way – she reached further in herself, looking for any drop of power left.  A distant star answered, like fingers slipping between hers.  Energy flooded into her heart, curling around the star in her chest, falling eagerly into her hands, and she immediately summoned it, pushing it out into the world.  

A Keyblade flickered to life in her hand, absorbing the blow.  She gasped, taking it in – Wayward Wind’s shape, the one Ventus always carried, with her own Rainfell’s motifs and teeth.  Rallying, she curled a fist around the hilt and shoved back, knocking him off-balance.  In his shock, he stumbled back – an opening she took advantage of.

“You…” Xehanort snarled, Darkness building around him.  It grew, solidified, until it formed a specter hovering behind him, dark eyes staring blankly ahead. “I will guide you to the depths of the Darkness!”

Thank you, Ven.

With Torrential Gale in hand, the fight was finally on equal grounds – and Aqua was winning.  Despite his Darkness, despite the way the world warped around them, despite the way his specter attacked from behind, she was winning.

“I’ll tell you one more time – give back Terra’s hear – AH!”

Freezing hands closed around her wings like a vice, tugging then squeezing till something cracked.  Gritting her teeth, she swung through her tears, twisting even as it made her spine acheacheache.  Her blow landed solidly, the specter flickering away.  At her back, her wings dissipated, folding back into her heart under the pain.

She stumbled, and Xehanort grinned, lunging forward – only to stumble, hand snapping to his head.  Light began to form around him, glimmering off his skin in stark contrast to the dark aura surrounding him.

He hissed. “Stop. Fighting. Back!”

With a yelp, his limbs were wrenched out, holding him in place.

“Terra,” Aqua gasped, “Terra, I know you’re in there!”

Terra grunted, twitched his hand.  Slowly, slowly, he brought the Key around until the tip pointed towards his chest.

“You won’t… use me for this,” he said, voice breaking, “Get out of my heart!”

“Terra!”

The sharp teeth bit into his chest, light gleaming out.  The specter appeared again, roaring at his back as dark spikes ripped form its back, almost taking the shape of wings.  Together their eyes shone, dimmed, and went empty.  The shadow creature began to melt, falling into a pool of black at their feet.

Terra began to fall as well.

Heart in her throat, Aqua dove after him, barely remembering to summon her armor in time as she hit the black.

No!  The Darkness can’t have you!

Torrential Gale warmed in her hand, twisting, transforming, into something like Ventus’s board, magic propelling it further, faster.  They inched closer, closer, until finally her hand latched onto Terra’s wrist.  She pulled him in close, losing her grip on the Key – but it only drifted a short while before sputtering out of existence.  In her chest, her grip on that distant star faded like a sigh.

The cold enshrouded them.  It seeped through her armor, her clothes, biting at her skin like it wanted to reach her very bones.  She pressed Terra to her chest, knowing it would be only a cold comfort.  The Dark surrounding them was supernaturally quiet; even as she panted, trying to regain her breath, the sound only made it inches from her lips before it was swept away.

Above, the light they fell through began to dim.

I have to do something, or we’ll both be lost.

Determined, she ejected from her armor.  The cold immediately clung to her skin, numbness sinking into her fingers, but she wrapped the arms of her armor tight around his chest.  That could carry him, and with her wings, she could –

Oh.

When she tried to summon her wings, they twinged, ached, barely stuttered into existence, rebelling from being pulled from their healing sleep.

There was no way she could fly like this.

With a little shivering sigh, she leaned into Terra, pressing her forehead against his as she cradled his face.  He was so cold.  So still.  She couldn’t….

“I’m with you.  Always,” she whispered, “Remember that.”

Pressing down tears, she pulled back and summoned magic to her hands, letting it wrap around the armor, propelling it up towards that ray of light, taking her Flightmate with it.  Around her, the Darkness grasped at her with greedy hands.

Ven, I’m sorry… I might not make it back as soon as I thought.  But I promise I’ll be there, one day, to wake you up.

Wait for me, both of you.  This isn’t the end for us.

I won’t let it be.

[voikiraz]

— ꒰ ∗ ִ ⍺lways ᧉven ᥒow ⠀ ꒱ [ k.dh ]

Lovers . donghyun x fem!reader ⠀𝑤. angst, breaking up w donghyun should be the biggest warning, hurt no comfort lolsies step ? #843 M.recordings [ lol, merry Christmas pookies ( for those who celebrate )]

syn. maybe it was just a story that was meant to end one way or another.

𓈒 𐔌 𝓜.list ͡꒱ ۫ ʬʬ 𝐂licks ˚ tag ✶

His heart squeezed tightly as he stared at the only light source in his dark room, his phone displaying a few words he didn't want to make sense of, he took a few seconds of heavy breathing until his fingers slid across the screen.

He can't run from this forever.

“Can you please call me when you have the time? We can't keep pushing this talk back donghyun”

A few taps on his phone and the ringing tone was making it’s way into his ears, making those few seconds take a much longer toll on him.

“Hey,” he heard your voice call out and his breath hitched.

He can't lie and say this was fully unexpected, he knew something was up. 

The way he was starting to forget the warmth of your touch, your gleaming smile that was only reserved for him, your soft voice that lulled him to places and feelings he could only ever dream of. 

It wasn't the same anymore and he knew that, your touch still lingers against his skin, but empty of any warmth that once used to soften his heart, your smile is pettyfull, reminiscing what could've been, your voice is firm and full of what ifs that were failing to leave your lips.

“Hi” his voice cracked, and you barely even heard him.

“Listen, i know you were expecting this and i know its so wrong of me, this isnt easy for me to say, i need you to know that you mean so much to me hannie and ill always care about you and ill love you no matter what, but you can feel it too leehan-” you sucked in a breath, trying not to let your emotions get the best of you. “We're moving in different directions and growing apart, and its not your fault, i'm not trying to play the blame game here you know that, but i think we both deserve to be with someone moving along with us, and growing with us and its eating me alive that i can't be that person for you anymore.”

He leaned against the table, feeling like if he kept pacing around the room his knees wouldn't hold up, your words echoing one by one through his mind and piercing through the air like sharp knives.

“I hope you know I'm doing this because you and I both know that it's what's right for us, maybe we won't understand that now but it's true.” You sounded composed but the soft sobs that were falling from your lips didn't fall on deaf ears, and leehan shut his eyes as tight as he could, thinking maybe it'll be over quicker that way. Maybe

Deep down he knew that it wasn't really anyone's fault, it was just life, but he never heard you sound this hopeless before, broken, and he just wanted to hold you, caress your hair and tell you that it's okay, he's there for you and nothing will ever make him leave your side. 

“I love you, i dont think I'll stop loving you any time soon, but for now, we can't be together donghyun.” You inhaled deeply, silence stretching for a few seconds before you hung up, you knew he wouldn't say anything, you could practically feel everything he wanted to say radiating to you from the end of the line.

You gripped your phone tightly as you just stared at the wall, too exhausted to move, blaming life for destroying what you could call a perfect life, you cried, and cried and you couldn't do anything but look down and let your mind wander.

Until you drifted off to a place where everything felt less heavy.

11:48 pm.

You got a message from ‘my hyunnie’ 

“you have no idea how much i love you and how much i care about you, i would do anything for you y/n, i've been trying to find the right words for hours, but i don't think any words can capture my feelings for you.

I dont want to let you go, i cant, i dont even know how to do that, i keep telling myself that it'll be okay but i cant help feeling like I'm losing a part of myself with you, maybe its selfish but you're my everything y/n and i’ll never let go of what we had even if it kills me, i keep wishing we would've found a way to make it work but i don't think this is our story anymore.

But i want you to know that even though things are changing, my love for you will never change, you were my whole world for so long, and i'll always remember that, i understand that we're moving apart and even though that's so hard to accept, i want you to be happy even if it means you won't be by my side, just know that i'll always carry you with me wherever i go, always.

Take care of yourself my love, i'll never stop loving you”

Kim donghyun

© voikiraz 2O24

[felikatze]

okay if @roxasboxas wants my ven thoughts you can All have my ven thoughts

most of it is summarized in the Anguis Ven Agenda, which is a character analysis of pre-ux ven basically, and That One Post Everyone Has Feelings Over sums up the general gist on how I see the ux vanitas twist, though the language is deliberatly theatrical to invoke emotion

To summarize: I think interpretations that use ux to cast vanitas as Entirely Separate from Ven are horseshit

So like, ux, yeah. It reveals that there's some Capital D Darkness in Ven, which formed Vanitas when xehanort pulled it out again in bbs. i don't disagree with this.

However, what is very important to me. Is that Darkness stole Ven's own to make itself sentient. It's still Ven's darkness, too.

As I say in my Anguis Ven Agenda, and dramatically imply in the other post, the Darkness still acted on what it thought was Ven's will. That's why I call it "intrusive thoughts." I believe some part of Ven was jealous, did want to kill Strelitzia, even if he never intended to act on it. The thought was still there.

And for bbs, too. If you go for "vanitas is only Darkness" you end up retconning and invalidating his entire character in bbs. He is ven's darkness, came from the same source, which makes it all the more tragic that the two grew apart. Bbs Ven has changed as a person, and so the two puzzle pieces don't fit anymore. The edges got sanded off and they won't click.

Vanitas is in essence trying to return to ux Ven, who no longer exists. Who will never exist again.

That's all that from a mainly lore standpoint. I think considering Vanitas to characterize Ven is also important.

In bbs, Vanitas is trying to be a person who no longer exists, but Ven is rejecting part of himself because he finds it unsightly.

Ven rejecting Vanitas means Ven rejects not just his own darkness. He rejects his anger, his loneliness, his jealousy. He is denying all the feelings Vanitas is made of, and it's destroying him. Literally.

Ven hates that these feelings could possibly have been his so much that he is willing to shatter his own heart and openly contemplate suicide. yknow.

of course there's also aspect of ven not wanting to be a weapon, and accepting vanitas wouldn't have worked anyway because of sora sanding the edges off, but that's tragedy, isn't it? There was no ideal path for those two.

I think that self-rejection, that already appears in ux, a bit. Again, darkness is the thoughts Ven doesn't want to admit he has. Or he had, before gaining friends. He's behind all that now, ysee? He got friends. He's no longer alone. So he doesn't need these unsightly feelings anymore and they should just leave.

I think after bbs and kh3 and whatnot Ven doesn't have xehanort's pressure on him anymore and can be a kid for a bit and as above he just. doesn't feel what vanitas is anymore. and without the pressure he likely won't again. but i'd say he still needs to do some introspection. he's All Light now, but that doesn't mean negativity is gone.

if hearts can grow back whole does darkness grow back too? did ven get darkness from sora, because that's what his heart lacked?

tldr ven needs therapy

as for the future of vanitas, his tie to sora is fascinating. as i mentioned his tragedy is that the person he's trying to be will never exist again, but he can still help, i think. first of all he'd need to accept himself as a whole person by himself, but i think he can help sora.

i put vanitas on my kh4 bingo card for good reason. i believe he'll be back for several reasons that other people have probably outlined better than me, but sora falls into the same trap ventus does where he denies his own darkness and it is killing him. has killed him.

it started with "kingdom hearts... is light!" and then it never stopped which is how we get anti and rage form. he only ever grieves for others and never for himself, so doing a ... darkness trade of sorts with ven would land him with vanitas. if vanitas comes to represent sora's darkness (i'm the shadow that you cast etc etc) and sora has to conceptualize that as a person he cares for then he would by extension learn darkness isn't all that bad and care for himself

i think that would be epic. vanitas was my kh fav before i even knew who sora was so i miss him. kh4 give him to me

YEAH he got capital D Darkness in him but he's wayyy more than that and i hate it when people reduce him that way. Yeah all his actions in bbs were a fool's errand and that's tragic but it would be so bad and pointless if vanitas wasn't what he believed himself to be at all. It's good if he can be more than Ven's darkness, maybe Darkness will even help him get a sense of identity, that there's a part of him that isn't just Ven, but if you make him less than that, I hate that. I'm looking at you ux clickbait theorists.

this is probably. messy. especially toward the end. since i wrote this on my phone and can't needly order everything in libre office. but this is basically most of my ven and vanitas takes.

[border-spam]

Leech Lord - Whispers in the dark

The Leech takes everything and gives nothing.

It hates the twins in a way we can’t fathom, humans aren’t what it is. It doesn’t think or speak, it only feels, and the loathing that it pulses with towards these pathetic, broken insects that imprisoned and ripped it from the great song is incomprehensible.

No escape, no end, no way to be whole - just its warped voice split between two ignorant, useless parasites. It wants to hurt them, it wants them to suffer, so it gnaws at any flash of joy they experience. Tears apart what gives them comfort. 

...Eats them alive.

Tyreen’s great drive to find Pandora was fuelled by it, whispering promises of belonging, of family, of love into the ear of a teen who hadn’t felt any of those since Leda crumbled to ash by her feet. 

It insisted Typhon was wrong, the Bandit’s weren’t mad, they were lost. 

Everyone knows Pandorans are crazy. Everyone knows the "natives" that scour across the desert in warpaint and masks are a family of lost souls looking for belonging. The Leech whispers to Tyreen DeLeon that she could be their redemption, their mother, and she sets her plans to leave her prison planet in motion. They are her people, the abandoned and lonely it says. She can be their God.

It turned it’s teeth to the parts of Tyreen that were able to experience happiness the moment her feet touched Pandora’s dust and the Eridium it had been seeking to feed on didn’t respond. She was a dud. She was a broken, useless joke of a Siren host, and it raged.

Troy never stood a chance.

Without its presence he’d be naturally quiet, his low self esteem is part of his nature, though it would be manageable. The Leech hurts him through his flaws - the cracks in his ego. His own doubts creep into his worries, but once he reaches the end of that train of thought? It continues. He survives every day with something whispering horrific shit into his ear even as he struggles to find ways of dealing with his own negative feelings, his paranoia and insecurities. It twists the knife a little deeper with every hissed mockery, and it’s done it his whole life.

So it's.. sad. It's just sad. Troy covets so much that his companions have. Love, friendship, care, but he can’t accept what he wants so desperately. The Siren power takes that from him.

If someone like JK who he admires so much, who he has on a mental pedestal and wishes he could be more like, offhandedly mentioned something about him they admired? It’s robbed from him. He’d have the moment of disbelief, the embarrassed shyness, the excitement then embarrassment over the excitement, the stuttering and confusion and that kind of flushed cheek slightly teary eyed response from someone who’s terrible at accepting positive comments about themselves... but then it's the filth from The Leech just after.

The moment he had a flash of happiness and maybe the first blossom of something that could be considered pride, it would be there:

"̶ They're w̵r̴o̵n̵g̴,̴ ̸ or they are l̷y̶i̶n̶g̸.̵"̸  

̴"̸T̸h̸e̸y̵ ̴a̶r̶e  making fun of̵ ̵y̸o̴u̴. Y̵o̷u̵'̷r̵e not so stup̸i̶d̸ ̵t̸h̴a̷t you'd believe th̸i̶s̷,̶ ̶ you're smarter than that. Yo̴u̷'̴r̸e̸ ̷c̸l̵e̵ver.  ̴O̵f̴ ̷c̸o̴u̶r̷s̸e that's a lie, w̷h̷y̷ ̷w̴o̵u̷l̵d anyone actually look up to you? Brok̷e̵n̵ ̵b̴o̸d̷y̶,̴ ̶r̶otting soul, w̶e̵a̵k̴ ̸b̸o̴nes and failing lungs? They ei̶t̶h̸e̷r̴ ̶d̴o̷ n't know what they are saying or they are spitting in your fac̴e̸.̴ ̴Which is it?̵ ̸W̸h̴i̴c̷h do ̴y̵o̴u̴ ̵t̶h̵i̸n̴k̸ ̶i̶t̷ ̵i̵s̵?̸"̸

̷"̷O̸h̷,̴ ̴t̵h̴ey are your friend? Are they, Tr̸o̴y̵?̵ ̶W̴e̵ll, then they don't know. Tell the̶m̸ ̷exactly h̴o̸w̵ ̷ wrong they are so they won't ever make that mistake again. Te̷l̶l̶ ̶t̴h̶e̶m̸ ̸w̸h̶y̵ ̷n̷o̵ one s̸h̸o̵u̵l̸d̸ ̵want you. ̷I̵t̷'̸s̷ ̷o̸k̵ ̴t̸o̸ ̷b̶e̶ ̵a̴n̵g̸r̴y, they should have known better. It's their fault."

̷"̵I̴t̶'̶s̸ ̷t̷h̶e̵i̶r̷ ̸f̷a̵u̶l̶t̶.̷"̷

That’s what he's dealing with, always. With everything his entire life, and it's not even in real words he can argue back with it's just feeling. Ty echos the exact same shit to him audibly and he tries to stand against it, always has, but it’s so much harder internally. He still fights it though, he always tries. He's exhausted by how much he has to work to keep it under control without even understanding what he's constantly fighting, and it's so very hard.

Seifa can't explain it even when she’s seen it so for so long - the struggle. Can't put it into a sentence she can express to the others, but she gets it.. an inkling of it, seen it behind his eyes so many times. She’s seen.. eyes. Or maybe she’s just going mad, that’s a pretty likely option too.

Understanding the war raging inside Troy is why she asks what she does in an encrypted E-Com message the night she leaves. Begs Ven not to hate him even after everything.

She knows that if he wasn't constantly fighting as hard as he is, there would just be nothing of him left. Every single interaction would be a nightmare - constant aggression, jealousy, envy, hatred lashing out at everything.

For people looking from the outside he seems like a pathetic excuse for a man child, throwing tantrums and destroying rooms, but in reality these episodes of giving in are so rare compared to how often he fights it back.

He's surprisingly good at hiding it which is why he can come across "normal" sometimes and also means he's desperately empathetic, but he's just not experienced with people enough to place that empathy the right way very often, or respond to it in a way that helps and doesn't actually make things worse.

That’s one of the reason his companions do actually like him still, why he’s magnetic in such a bizarre way. There is a clear awareness this man genuinely adores the few people who are kind enough to tolerate him and is trying, but there's a balance to consider. It doesn't matter if he's painfully aware he's driving people away if he doesn't correct the behavior doing it.

On top of everything really, there's Tyreen.

Ty's defacto way of dealing with feeling any competition for Troy's attention is to just remove the competitor. It’s always been that way from the day she first felt the pang of unease when he started talking to Seifa after a month of them recovering on her ship.

Troy.. . Troy talks to her, not other people, Troy is her brother, Troy is PART of her, why is it fair that he not be there when she needs him? When she’s lonely, when she needs his stupid smile and his terrible jokes and that pathetic stutter...

But she can't make the people he slowly befriends leave, they are all in positions of power where she isn't able to make them vanish without it being noticed, so she defaults to her second method.

Turn him on them.

For all his bullshittery, Troy tolerates about 6 years of having Tyreen lying to him in private about how the others see him, how much they care. Subtle, knife sharp, and building in viciousness over time till by late COV when he begins to fall apart, it's abusive mental warfare - and he never turns on them.

He breaks, he fucks up, he thinks Seifa is gone forever, he hurts JK, he works Ven to dust, but he never once turns on them in the way Tyreen has been seeding for years. He doesn't let her win even though he refuses to even admit he's aware what she's doing and how many times it’s happened in the past one way or another.

So shit piling up in those 2 years without Sei, the strain from Ty, the weird shift from media to murder to chasing a fucking VAULT, the no sleep, the fear for his friends even when he's also losing the fight against the thing that makes him spit venom at them?

He just can't do it forever.

The Leech takes everything and gives nothing.

Asks are open!

[f-o-r-g-e-t-m-e-n-0-t]

Angst/Android au

When Axel loses his friend Ven to a rising conflict between nations, he copes by creating an Android in the very likeness of the lost man.

But Roxas quickly proves to be soemthing far more special than a mere coping replacement. He’s smart, and funny, and a quick and eager learner. He’s so different from Ven, somehow having developed into his own “person.” Having grown his own “heart.”

When Roxas discovers the truth, that he was made in Ven’s image, his heart breaks. He always knew he was synthetic, but to be a replacement? It hurts.

Guilt stricken and unsure how to fix it, Axel thinks it best if Roxas lives with someone else. Be his own person, away from Axel and what defined him before. Axel makes a deal to give Roxas to another person who promises to care for him and give Roxas a new life. Roxas begs Axel not to send him away, and Axel regrets it immediately. He tried to take it back, but is refused, having already signed the paperwork.

And like that, Roxas is gone.

Axel is wrecked switch guilt and lonely once again, all made worse when he finds out the man he turned Roxas over to wasn’t who he claimed to be. He was working for a large corporation interested only in making weapons. Ones that were used in the very conflict that took Ven. In fact, humanesque weapons have already begun showing up, clearly using some of Axel’s designs, tho none are nearly as human like as Roxas was.

Axel demands Roxas be returned to him — he’ll even pay — but is told Roxas has already been scrapped. Picked apart to create the current weapons in the first place. He’s gone.

Heartbroken, Axel returns home... only to find Ven there.

Ven was injured in the conflict, and thought dead, but was in hiding and working in secret for the past few years with a resistance group. He’s come to see Axel, to potentially recruit him to their mission.

Axel doesn’t know how to feel. Relief and joy that his friend is back, mixed with the guilty wish that it had been Roxas instead.

Axel agrees to join Ven and his team, figuring he has little else to do with his sad life now. It’s while he’s working there that two new Android weapons arrive on the scene. Sleeker than the rather clunky ones that preceded them, these two quickly become infamous for how much more intelligent they seem, and how powerful and deadly they are.

Their faces — if they even have one — are hidden, though it’s obvious they have slight differences in “personality.” One seems far more violent than the other, who tends to hang back and execute his missions cleanly and quickly rather than revel in the destruction.

That changes when they arrive in the city Axel and Ven occupy. The more laid back one catches sight of them during its destructive mission, and something flips. It goes ballistic. Ven is just barely able to hold his own against the beast of a machine, and perhaps only survived because their fight is interrupted.

From there in out, it seems the one Android has a vendetta against the two men specifically. Neither knows why.

It all comes to a head when Ven has to go off to defend an energy/power station under attack by the two androids. He gets into another fight with the newly hostile one, who fights visciously but recklessly, damaging the inner workings of the plant they’re currently in to an alarming degree.

Ven is like “good god you’re gonna get us both killed like this!” and the Android jsut replies “Good!” It shocks Ven, not only because it’s the only thing the Android has even said so far, but of what it means. In his frantic fight to save his own life and fight off the Android, he ends up cracking its face/head piece, which is apparently a helmet. To his horror, as it chips and falls away, he sees his own face glaring back at him.

They’re interrupted by the other Android, previously believed to be the lore violent of the two. He calls the one that looks like Ven “Roxas” and cajoles him into retreating. For now.

Ven returns home, battered and bruised and shaken. He seeks Axel out immediately. “Does the name Roxas mean anything to you?” The shocked look on Axel’s face tells him yes. “Why does he have my face?”

Meanwhile, back in their facility, Roxas is sullen and bitter, unresponsive to Vanitas’ banter.

Vanitas is his only “friend” these days. The lab’s only (mostly) successful attempt at replicating Roxas, Vanitas’ heart is corrupted. He’s violent and hell bent on destruction. Clingy, with grand plans to one day destroy even the lab he was created in and their “masters”, so it can just him and Roxas.

Roxas is the only thing that really matters to him. The rest of the world can burn.

He hates Axel and Ven for their connection to Roxas, and Vanitas wouldn’t mind watching them be destroyed. But seeing Roxas’ new self destructive side brought out by them, Vanitas starts to think it wouldn’t be that simple. Maybe it’s time to go rogue and become a player in this increasingly complicated game of chess.

[moved-to-void-kissed]

= my selfship AUs =

Although I don’t talk about them too much, I do have a number of different AUs for each of my selfships! This post gives a little overview of each of them in turn, sorted by the selfship that they concern, as well as some of the “overarching AUs” which are the ones where all of my romantic selfship are canon at once. ..Not all of them have very much to them, but hopefully that’s okay.

The actual list is under the readmore because otherwise this post would be about five miles long, but hopefully all this works well! If anyone has any questions or wants to ask me anything about any of these AUs, you’re always more than welcome to do that! ^-^

==========

overarching AUs:

mythical AU - a generic fantasy universe where all of my F/Os and their corresponding self-inserts exist as different mythical creatures, and all of my romantic selfships exist in tandem (apart from my one with Anti-Aqua - she only exists if Aqua doesn’t). The specific information regarding what sort of creature everyone is is written in the section for ecah individual selfship.

==========

void-kissed (Luna/Adriana) AUs:

void spirit AU - Luna is lost to the Void at the end of Episode 18, instead of escaping with Adriana. She is able to carry on existing in the world as a spirit, but only Anna is left able to properly perceive her, with Adriana needing to wear one of Reborn’s four seals in order to be able to see her.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Luna is a ghost tied to the Emerald Brooch while Adriana is a witch who is able to communicate with and summon her. She goes on a journey to try and save Luna from being destroyed when Elias and the rest of Team Meteor try to acquire all four of the seals.

==========

survivors of the dark (Aqua/Aria) AUs:

vampire AU - Aria is a powerful vampire (one of those classic “rich and alone and lives in a mansion and has dark powers”-types), whereas Aqua is a vampire hunter sent to destroy her. However, a rival vampire faction (i.e. Xehanort and his allies) attacks Aria’s mansion while she is hosting a ball, and Aqua ends up having to fight alongside her to both stay alive and rescue her fellow vampire hunters Terra and Ven, who had been turned and captured respectively by the rival vampires.

PAFL AU - the selfship is set in the world of Parties Are For Losers, a series created by the Vocaloid producer Ferry. Aqua and Terra live as siblings with Eraqus, who adopted them both; Terra wants to become a stalker of the Zone and Aqua is trying to stop him because it’s such a dangerous career path. Aria is a mutant who escapes the Zone facility when KT and Dima do, bringing fellow mutant Ventus with her, and the two of them end up running into the Wayfinders.

dual wayfinder AU - instead of going into the realm of darkness, Aria is transported into the future alongside Ventus, losing her memories of her true nature in the process. They both become Master Xehanort’s apprentices, and he tries to use Ven’s light and Aria’s darkness to forge the X-Blade, but it doesn’t work so he sends them off to Eraqus. Vanitas and Ves are then split from Ventus and Aria at Terra and Aqua’s Mark of Mastery exams, prompting a world-spanning chase to find answers.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Aqua is an angel whereas Aria is a vampire. I don’t have any story for it yet, though.

========== 

to our own Elysium (Pyra/Sapphire) AUs:

driver Sapphire AU - Sapphire takes Rex’s place as Pyra’s Driver - she is a wanderer from Gormott who was hired by Torna to open the door on the already-raised Ancient Ship (which in this AU needs a light-element Blade to open instead of a Leftherian, and Sapphire was already Avalon’s Driver which is why they needed someone like her). Rex appears as Vandham’s biological son from canon who didn’t die, but he doesn’t join the party.

DQIX AU - essentially the story of Dragon Quest IX but told using the XC2 characters. Mythra is a Celestrian and acts as the Guardian of the volcanic town of Upover, but falls down to the Protectorate in the form of a mortal armamentalist called Pyra when the Observatory is attacked. Pyra enlists the help of Sapphire and her father Vandham (who are residents of Upover) to travel across the world and regain her divine abilities. The Indoline Praetorium replace the Gittish Empire, except Torna are the Triumgorate who betray them, and Malos replaces Corvus.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Pyra is a dragon stuck in a mostly human form (unlike her siblings Mythra and Malos, who are also dragons except they can choose to take human form if they wish to), while Sapphire is a werecat who ends up stumbling across Pyra in the forest and tries to help her get her powers back.

==========

love, trust and diamond dust (Perun/Sapphire) AUs:

driver Sapphire AU - Perun resonates with Sapphire to become one of her Blades during the story, taking Pyra’s place as Sapphire’s main damage dealer during most of Chapter 7. She is also good friends with Avalon, who is alive in this AU.

DQIX AU - Perun is a paladin from Gleeba who ends up joining Sapphire, Vandham and Pyra on their quest across the Protectorate because she wants to help protect justice and figures that aiding a Celestrian is the best way to do that. Her weapon is a spear, and in battle she tends to intercept attacks meant for the others a lot.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Perun is a yet-to-be-determined creature who had initially set out to slay the Aegis dragons, whereas Sapphire is a werecat who tries to dissuade her from doing so because their presence is important for the world’s balance.

==========

dark hearts corrupted (Anti-Aqua/Aria) AUs:

fallen light AU - all normal content of my selfship with Anti-Aqua technically takes place within the context of this AU. It’s an alternate version of events in KH where Aqua ends up falling to darkness shortly after BBS as a result of her light fading and her anguish at being abandoned by the light. Anti-Aqua and Aria become rulers of the realm of darkness, wishing to get revenge on the light for abandoning them both (Aqua also wants revenge on Xehanort, whereas Aria seeks to reach the Final World).

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Anti-Aqua is a fallen angel and Aria is the vampire that corrupted her. I don’t have any story for it yet, though.

==========

a dance of endeavours (Camellia/Telanthera) AUs:

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

==========

our own kind of heroes (N/Noire) AUs:

reversed heroes AU - the “reverse AU” for this selfship. N is a kind Unovan Pokémon Ranger with the inborn ability to communicate with Pokémon, whereas Noire is the cold sheltered princess of Team Plasma who hates humanity for mistreating Pokémon. She is chosen by Zekrom for her belief in her misguided ideals for separating people and Pokémon, whereas N is chosen by Reshiram for his ability to understand the truth of how Pokémon are and wish to be.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, N is a forest spirit and guardian of twin dragons Reshiram and Zekrom, who are sealed away within his forest. Noire is a fire elemental who was originally summoned by malevolent humans to help destroy the forest that N protects in order to reach and wake up the dragons, only to promptly decide “no thanks” and go off to do her own thing. which incidentally led to her learning to appreciate nature and helping N.

==========

a farmer and a thief (Skye/Emily) AUs:

Elsewhere University AU - Emily is a biology student studying at Elsewhere University (created by charminglyantiquated on Tumblr) who uses Mimi as a safe name, and Skye is a mischevious changeling known on campus as the Phantom Prince who ends up becoming infatuated with her quite by accident.

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

==========

under a bloodcursed sun (Serana/Cansen) AUs:

Dawnguard AU - the “reverse AU” for this selfship. Serana is the daughter of Harkon, leader of the Dawnguard, a renowned group of vampire hunters. He seeks to use the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy to create a relentless eternal day and destroy all vampires, not realising how disruptive this would be to the natural order of the world. Camille is a scholar from the First Era who was sealed away with an Elder Scroll containing part of this prophecy, which stopped her aging, while Isran and the rest of the normal Dawnguard make up the Volkihar vampire clan. After Serana accidentally frees Camille from where she was sealed away, the two of them go on a quest to complete the prophecy, so that Harkon or Isran’s vampires don’t get to it first.

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

==========

[talktalktalk]

Penny Polendina: Robot Rep

Robots as representation has seen a lot of use throughout media, to varying degrees of success. Sometimes it is fairly explicit in the narrative, others it is more subtle. Often it is borderline impossible to determine whether intentional or not, such is the popularity of this trope. 

RWBY has made attempts at representing marginalized groups over its run, similarly to varying degrees of success. One character, the focus of this post, is Penny Polendina, a robot girl who, while not explicitly confirmed by the writers of the show, is seen by some fandom members as a source of representation, most commonly as neurodivergent or transgender (usually nonbinary), but also as aro-spec or a-spec. 

This post will be a collection of my thoughts, as a member of multiple of the above mentioned demographics, against Penny as a source of representation, as well as a few reasons behind these thoughts. 

Contents

Who is Penny Polendina? (a summary of her story from Volumes 1-7)

Robots as Representation (in general)

Case-specific Additions (for Penny in particular)

Closing Thoughts

Who is Penny Polendina?

Penny is introduced fairly late in Volume 1 when Team RWBY quite literally runs into her. The group exchange greetings and names, though not before Yang asks her if she’s “sure she didn’t hit her head.” As they leave, Ruby offhandedly calls her “friend,” leading Penny to ask her curiously if she truly is a friend. Ruby agrees (to her teammates’ dismay) and Penny grows very excited at the confirmation.

Subsequent meetings with Penny, many of them by pure coincidence, reveal more about her character. She states that she doesn’t have a lot of friends, that she has never been to another kingdom before, and that her father, worried for her safety, did not want her to venture out too much during her time in Vale. Perhaps most notably, she tells Ruby in confidence that she is “not a real girl,” but rather a synthetic person built by her father (later revealed to be named Pietro Polendina). Ruby insists that she has both a heart and a soul, to which Penny becomes overjoyed and hugs her tightly.

In Volume 3, Penny is competing against Pyrrha in the Vytal Tournament when tragedy strikes. Emerald uses her semblance to trick Pyrrha into destroying Penny, slicing her into pieces with her own weapon, killing her and revealing her secret to the whole world. The villains use Penny’s death to incite panic and fear, and the Fall of Beacon ensues.

Penny is not seen for a long time following her death, but in Volume 7 she has been brought back, her robotic core recovered and a new body built. Her chassis and weapons are upgraded, and, remarkably, she shows little initial change in personality from her brutal death in Amity Arena. Penny remains largely the same earnest, slightly-naive girl who she was before the events of the Fall, still just as curious and excitable as ever.

Penny continues to play a part of multiple major events in Volume 7, namely the Council Election and Winter Maiden plotlines. 

The former sees her framed for murder by Tyrian and Watts, and subsequent scenes reveal new things about the nature of her construction. When Ruby asks why Pietro is concerned for Penny’s safety, stating that “[e]ven if the worst does happen, [he] can always reactivate her,” Pietro reveals that her aura is actually given from his own reserves, and as such, with every reconstruction she grows more difficult to rebuild. 

The latter plotline features her in relation to Winter, who is slated to take on the Maiden powers after the current holder, Fria. Winter states in previous scenes that she dislikes how she allows her emotions to get the better of her, at first stating that Penny wouldn’t understand but then attempting to apologize and clarify her poor wording. Later, during a battle with Cinder, the Winter Maiden surrounds herself in a whirlwind of freezing air, fast enough to rip Winter’s gloves from her hands and cold enough to leave ice burns on her fingers. Penny, seeing this, decides to dive in, relying on her leg-mounted rockets and synthetic skin to soldier through the dangerous conditions. This, combined with Winter’s efforts to hold back Cinder, allow Penny to secure the Maiden powers, taking them up herself.

Robots as Representation

Robots are a powerful tool for tropes because they are in most cases created as imitations of life, most commonly humanity. Combined with sentience or even simply heightened degrees of knowledge/adaptability compared to real world robots, this allows for many philosophical questions to build off for subplots (what is a person, what is emotion, etc.) However, the same factor that makes a robot such a good exploration into what defines humanity simultaneously makes them such a poor allegory for marginalized groups. 

Real world bigotry is between humans, from one group of humans to another based on superficial differences. All parties involved are the same species with the same key makeup. Bigots often insist that groups are different in some fundamental way that makes them the enemy or the outsider, a strategy to rationalize their bigotry when in reality, no such fundamental differences exist. All people are all human, all people deserve the respect and dignity of a human being.

With a robot, however, the definition of “human” can get blurry. Robots are, at their core, imitations. Depending on the media, this could mean, for instance, operating on different logical principles, or that possessing physical traits, internal or external, that mark them as definedly not human. This blurring of the lines is good thing for “what is humanity” plotline, but an incredibly bad one for representation. This is in especially poor taste when the groups that said robot is often supposed to be representing (a-spec, aro-spec, neurodivergent, and/or nonbinary) are frequently referred to as “robotic” as an insult. It is used to dehumanize us, to insinuate we are lacking in something that would otherwise make us more. 

There is also the issue of context. This trope being as widespread as it is, some traits in a robot are markedly “human” while others are markedly not. Generally, these traits include the ability to articulate emotion, the ability to take things figuratively, feelings of attraction (platonic, romantic, sexual), and others. These, coincidentally, all line up with the very same groups robots are most often coded to represent. Some neurodivergent people have difficulty articulating their emotions or understanding subtext. Some aro-spec or a-spec people do not feel romantic or sexual attraction, respectively. Robots like the Terminator, who shows little emotion and frequently takes things too literally, are generally seen as less “human” than a robot who clearly articulates their emotion (i.e. Transformers, the Iron Giant, Wall-E, etc.)

Allegories, for all their versatility, always go both ways. Comparing a real-world minority to a definedly inhuman character may grant said group some much-needed spotlight in media, but it can just as easily lead to the audience drawing conclusions that said minority can be likened to robots, or at the very least that the author/showrunners believe said minority can be likened to robots.

Case-Specific Additions

Penny Polendina’s plotlines lend themselves to some specific facets of the allegory for marginalized groups. Firstly, her arc is primarily about what makes a “real girl.” This is a point in her direction, as it puts the idea that she is a person front and center. 

Unfortunately, this is likely the only point in her favor. Starting from her very first outing, Yang refers to her as “weird,” Weiss voices skepticism about her ability, and Ruby is urged by all of her teammates to deny that Penny is a friend. The issue here is, first and foremost, that none of these reactions are framed as bad by the story. If anything, they are barely acknowledged at all. This lends itself to the notion that it is okay to treat people who are different than you in such a way, which is not a good message for representation.

In Volume 3, perhaps the most egregious instance, she is quite literally ripped apart on live television, her secret revealed to the world against her will. This not only results in her death, but in the deaths of many others due to the Fall of Beacon. Beyond the brutality of this scene and the message it sends through the lens of representation (being unwillingly “outed,” violently murdered, and used as a tool for further violence and death), it also created the Volume 7 conundrum of her being brought back to life.

Morbid as it sounds, mortality is one of the things that ties all humans together. Death is permanent and tragic, but one could argue it is integral to the human experience. Penny, however, defies this with her resurrection, not by magic nor miracle, but by virtue of her robotic core being retrieved and a body being rebuilt around it. The story tries to rectify this by saying that Pietro can’t restore her forever, but this does not actually put a hard limit on the number of times she can be brought back. It simply puts a limit on the number of times Pietro alone can bring her back; anyone with a reserve could theoretically donate the needed aura to rebuild Penny should she be destroyed again (provided her core is retrievable).

Finally, the end of Volume 7 sees her claim the Maiden powers. While it seems the narrative attempts to frame this as a confirmation that she is a real girl, the context surrounding that same scene shows otherwise. The howling vortex of freezing wind was shown to be too strong and too dangerous for a flesh-and-blood human to reach through, tearing apart Winter’s gloves and freezer-burning her fingers when she attempted. Penny’s ability to penetrate this whirlwind was not thanks to her supposed humanity, but thanks to the upgrades to her chassis that included both strengthened synthetic skin and rocket boosters on her legs. Both were only added during her reconstruction, which was only possible due to her robotic nature. Penny’s storyline in Volume 7 renders the foundations of her humanity-based plotline shaky at best, contradictory at worst. Unfortunately, this leaves her with more negatives than positives.

Closing Thoughts

In summary, robotic characters are generally a good way to explore what it means to be a person, but due to the dual-edged nature of allegory, they often make poor allegories for marginalized groups. Ways to rectify this would be making an explicitly human character also a member of the demographic(s) the robotic character is a part of, though that requires at the very least some form of confirmation from the writers, which as of now, has not been given.

Of course, these are just my opinions on the matter, but if you have not scrolled past or clicked away already I hope that you take my points into consideration when making your own opinions and/or headcanons. Please also note that my thoughts on Penny as poor representation do not reflect my thoughts on her as a character, nor are they intended as an attack on those who like her. Finally, please remember that Penny is not (as of yet) canonically confirmed to be a member of any of these groups.

As much as I would like to see myself and my demographics represented in the show, I simply believe that Penny Polendina is not the best way to go about it. 

[mariposalass]

Should you Fight my F/Os? [The Mains]

I saw a lot of people are doing this such as @withlovefromlyell @jaklovemail @plucky-belmondo @astralshipper and @goldenworldsabound. So I am going to be making this as well. (not tagging anyone at the moment, but feel free to do this if you like to)

💗Romantic💗

Philip Hamilton (Hamilton: An American Musical)

My dearly beloved can be very scary even if he isn’t armed with a gun! He will just mince you with words, and possibly rapping from the musical & giving non-French speakers nosebleeds by speaking in French. (5/10; looks like a cinnamon bun but could scare you with words)

☮️Platonic☮️

Isabelle Miravelez (Ikaw Lamang)

Yeah, she never fought anyone physically in her series, but be forewarned, she has a resilience of forged iron. In one series I have done in deviantART, she was once trained in Arnis (a Filipino martial arts) and can disarm anyone with or without sticks. Also, her actress does have some of the most intense emotional outputs in her roles and I won’t be surprised if she catches you off guard with just a single Kubrick stare, swipe your weapons with ease, or bonk you on the temples with sticks. (4.5/10; has looks of Maria Clara, intelligence of a genius, martial art skills of Bruce Lee, and a big scary outburst when provoked)

Kirby (Kirby)

I agree with Plucky: Kirby maybe adorable and is definitely a sweetheart, but he is a Star Warrior in spite of his age. Seriously, he has killed gods (real and fake), eldritch abominations, and monsters bigger than him, survived the beginning of World of Light, can split a planet in half in Super Star & Super Star Ultra, and has beat up a monster over a piece of Strawberry Shortcake. It gets worse if you piss him off, nobody dares to hurt Kirby’s feelings! But he will still try to befriend you no matter what. (-poyo/10; fear the small and powerful, although still friendly)

Marina (Toei’s The Little Mermaid)

Unfortunately, Marina doesn’t fall under the category of ‘can fight for themselves in battle’. If you want to hurt her, you first have to deal with her many adopted siblings who can tear you apart and also deal with Ven as he is dating her. No really, I do mean it. (N/A/10; highly recommended not to be fought with at all lest you want to incur her adopted folks and boyfriend’s wrath) @husband-of-lucoa won’t you agree with what I said here?

🏠Familial🏠

Harry Potter (Harry Potter)

As for my big wizard brother, Lord have mercy on you if you dare to fight him. Because of the crap he has to deal with in canon, his dueling skills grew significantly to the point that he managed to beat Voldemort in the end of Deathly Hallows and could easily disarm more experienced adult wizards before turning 18. Also, he has a temper to match and it can scary if he is peeved off, including hurting the fam bunch and me & Kairi especially. The one thing he hasn’t mastered really is hand to hand combat, so he can get punched in the face during a fist fight. Other than that, he is one of the most powerful British wizards of all time, so feel free wand dueling with him. (Has defeated Voldemort 3 times/10; can beat you in a wand duel with no sweat)

Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)

While the first games and pre-Re:Mind KH3 doesn’t have her kick ass much, you will be damned if Kairi isn’t willing to give up during a battle or fight even when in a disadvantage. In KH3, she has started on Keyblade Mastery and teamed up with Sora to kick Xehanort’s behind in the big battle in Re:Mind. She is also a Princess of Light and her purity & caring soul can kill you if you’re not pure of heart. (5/10; Dark hearted people and non-humans beware)

👧Kiddos👦

Edelgard von Hresvelg (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Ho boy, Edelgard, Edelgard, my dear daughter... She is scary in the battlefield, is the powerhouse among the house leaders in her game, and has the clever mind to match. How else is she able to sneak an entire army into the Holy Mausoleum in the end of the Academy Phase regardless of the house you pick? That Axe wielding skill is pretty darn excellent, Authority is pretty high too, and she does look like she can snap you into half. Definitely wins the Kubrick Stare contest with Issa, Hermione, Harry, Michiru, and the Doctor. What’s more: if you are in the Blue Lions route and entering the end of the War Phase, she uses her twin crests to turn into a scary powerful Demonic Beast! Yikes! And she is the only house leader who can tap into magic spells with very little problem (since the Adrestian Empire specializes in axes and magic alike, though not as wide of a range as compared to Dorothea, Annette, and Lysithea). Unless you don’t want to get destroyed by the person who goes by the moniker of the Flame Emperor, please don’t provoke her. (2/10; Enter at your own risk)

[the-blue-sandglass]

A SophBot’s Thoughts: Kingdom Hearts III - Why Yen Sid is Human Trash

Ah, we’ve been here before. 

But yes, as of kH3, I’ve grown to dislike this asshat. Here’s why! :D

So, how do we stop Xehanort? DO EXACTLY AS HE SAYS!

Now, this one isn’t as bothersome to me - though I do question it. I could be wrong and it might have been stated somewhere why exactly the heroes had to form the Seven Keyblade Wielders of Light to begin with, but none that I could recall - but if there is, feel free to correct me. I’m just going off what I know and remember.

Why did they have to be formed with that specific number? Why in story did they have to go as that group against that group? It’s doing exactly what Xehanort wants them to, and sure enough, how does everyone react when doing as he was wanting them to means he only needs one key left to forge the X-blade?

Who thought that was a good idea!? There were other ways of dealing with Xehanort, at least at the time. Why not go after one at a time? Why not have some people (LEA) use non-Keyblade weapons so that the ‘fated clash’ doesn’t occur? 

Granted, Xehanort being Xehanort, likely would and could have ended up turning the tides so that there was no other choice but to fight him under those circumstances. But when he hasn’t done that yet, why make it easier for him to complete his plans?

Technically this could have went for all of the main heroes, but I’m looking at Yen Sid specifically for this because he’s meant to be the one guiding them. He should know that doing this has a high risk, if not an 100% chance of helping Xehanort’s plans! 

Thanks for the reminder! Not like he went through it...oh WAIT.

Now, I could discuss quite heavily whether or not Sora should have been failed for his Mark of Mastery, and there’s arguments for both sides. So that’ll be a discussion for another day. But my issue doesn’t lie there, even though holding something so important like a Mark of Mastery with a separate conflict while not making sure there wasn’t outer factors kicking in is sketchy to me, but again, I don’t know how it all works so I can’t say for sure he had a way of knowing.

My issue lies with how Yen Sid speaks to Sora about the events of DDD.

Take this one here, as I'm gonna tear it apart.

“Your Mark of Mastery exam was conducted in the hopes you would acquire the power to wake them. However, the darkness nearly took control of you, and your grasp of your new abilities leaves much to be desired. Furthermore, Xehanort nearly made you his vessel, and in the process stripped you of most of the power you had gained by then. I suspect you have already noticed this, correct?”

Sora already knows all of this. I’d get telling somebody like Kairi this, as she wasn’t there for the exam and wouldn’t have known about it until someone told her about it.

Of course he’s noticed this! It would be impossible for him not to. So why the hell would you reinforce it, it’s like rubbing salt in a wound that’s still open.

And I get telling new players about this - but one...why would a new player start with what’s labelled as at least the third game? Especially since the PS4 (which a majority of players are likely to have) has a game that offers the first game, Chain of Memories, what’s basically a cutscene compilation of 385/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts II, Birth by Sleep, what’s basically a cutscene compilation of Re:coded, and the same console also has 2.8, which offers Dream Drop Distance, A Fragmentary Passage and a movie of X Back Cover. It’s not that difficult to figure out what happened last time, especially when KH3′s been hyped enough to be the grand finale of the Dark Seekers arc. 

But, that aside, why does Yen Sid have to remind someone who went through the traumatic experience about what he went through and how it’s impacted him as if he’s an outsider who had little involvement with it? Story-wise, how in god’s name is that remotely helpful!?

Speaking of not being too helpful...

Did Yen Sid get amnesia about who Terra was?

Like, I don’t want to offend anyone who’s a fan of Lea. I really don’t. I like the guy too! He’s funny, he’s cool, he’s got some great lines, I’m fond of his friendship with Kairi in the game, his interactions with Isa in this game are also wonderful. Butttt...I feel he was sort of forced into this role that he wasn’t really made for to begin with. Something tells me between DDD and III they swapped some roles about...namely because of this line that I mentioned before.

Those three missing friends being, as I've said, Ven, Aqua and Terra. And yet...most people just kinda ignore the latter exists in this game, and as someone who’s actually quite fond of him, it’s quite sad. He’s namely spoken of by Aqua and Ventus when they come back, and Sora for a brief moment. If Mickey does, I can’t remember when.

But to an extent, I can sort of understand, Lea being around and having a Keyblade as well as the help he’s offered so far, he’s an easier option to have at the time of the game’s events. I just feel Terra would have fitted better thematically - what a better way to conclude his character arc by having him return to the side of the light to help fight against the man who hurt so many and wronged him so much? Alas, we don’t get to see...well, much of any of that. I know that’s more of a general writing problem, but I thought I'd note it here as very few in this game seem to really care about the guy anymore, Yen Sid included, especially since it’s not the first time he does something like that, and the fact that he didn’t really bother to state outright that Xehanort could be up to something suspicious (all he says is that he may be linked to the Unversed, and in that case, you could say Ven is too, say what you mean!) And as for not caring about him in general, see the scene in Birth by Sleep when Aqua is in the Mysterious Tower after Ven’s heart shatters and Terra disappears.

Amateur Hour

Onto something in a similar vein - why send two Keyblade warriors in when they have all the time in the world to train and become powerful, and when they’re clearly not ready and one of them has next to no serious battle experience? Xehanort’s relying on the heroes to fall into the seven lights category, so why not get everyone as powerful as possible? That way even if the X-blade ends up forged, everyone will be equipped to send Xehanort packing and destroy the X-blade again. Hell, at least give the pair of them some battle experience so that when a true threat pops up, Kairi doesn’t freeze up. It’s not her fault - she’s only fought Shadows before, she’s not been in a situation like that before.

Her first proper battle with a Keyblade...is the final battle. Who thought that was a good idea!?

And what happens? As you’ll have seen - Lea’s Keyblade gets broken, and Kairi gets kidnapped...again, and later killed.

That plan turned out great. And now, my biggest issue with this guy...

The Power of Waking

There’s a reason why I left this to last. Namely because it’s probably the worst thing this guy’s done - all through inaction. 

I think this is something you’ve all noticed - throughout the game, Yen Sid is constantly pounding in that Sora has to get the Power of Waking, over and over again. What is one thing he doesn’t do?

MENTION OVERUSE OF THE DAMN THING COULD KILL HIM.

And there’s not even any physical side effects from what I’ve seen, so the only thing Sora had that told him there was danger in the Power of Waking was Young Xehanort telling him about it. That guy he literally has no reason to trust! Yet he tells you more about the dangers than Yen Sid does.

Combined with literally falling into Xehanort’s plans, sending out someone who was still learning into the final battle (as her first battle as well) and pushing for this power to be found without explaining the responsibilities of it, all of this is why I blame him a lot for what happens to Sora at the end. They still could have had this ending without changing too much. There’s an awesome video by SirSkyward on YouTube called Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Written that shows a way you can do it, which actually addresses quite a few of these problems of mine. But that’s alas not what happened in canon. Not only does this lead to Sora getting caught up in another of Xehanort’s traps, AGAIN, not only does him sending in Kairi too early lead to her not being ready and getting killed to ‘motivate’ Sora (I’ll get to that shitshow when I talk about her, don’t you worry-) thus causing the boy to sacrifice himself just to save her life.

Thanks for that, Yen Sid. 

[rxcusant]

i hastily wrote out a weird vent drabble thing with vanitas the other night and i debated on letting it collect dust or posting it but since im here i think the answer is obvious gfdjhk  enjoy this weird post kh3 thing, or dont, i wont tlel you what to do

also emetophobia tw

_________________________

     It’s disgusting.      Like some hideous creature from a nightmare.      Utterly revolting and rotting.      It’s disgusting.

     Vanitas never considered himself human. He knew he was an abomination. This form was perfect for him. Ghost-like with wisps of darkness constantly wafting off his body like smoke. Two sharp glowing red eyes that looked less like eyes and more like beady orbs. He didn’t have a mouth, not a normal one, but rather the inky mass of darkness split in a gooey mess that gave way to a mouth. Pulsing bright red veins encompassed his body all stemming from the familiar heart pattern on his torso. In place of normal fingers were elongated sharp claws tipped the same shade of red.

     There wasn’t anything human about him. This is what a monster should look like.

     But it’s no good if he doesn’t continue to play the part of a monster. Monsters are fit for scaring little children sleeping in their beds. Awaiting good dreams that will never come. What better target than the boy he’s forced to share a heart with? What better use for those claws than to sink into his dreams and stain them black with nightmares? What better use for a monster who breaks everything they touch?

     It’s not just his dreams either. A real monster will continue to pick and pull apart leaving scars in their wake. Sora’s scars were emotional and mental as Vanitas day in and out terrorizes him. It’s thanks to him that Vanitas is stuck under Xehanort’s thumb again. If Sora hadn’t been so stupid and played right into enemys hands none of this would be happening! As Vanitas reminds him every day. You’re stupid. You’re a fool. You’re going to fade into nothing as every trace of you is erased by Xehanort. There won’t be anything left to save. 

     If Sora never became their vessel Vanitas wouldn’t have to look like such a hideous creature. If Sora never became their vessel Vanitas would’ve continued sleeping in the depths of his heart. He wouldn’t have to wake up and live with the constant negativity. He wouldn’t have to listen to Master Xehanort. He wouldn’t have to exist.

     It’s all his fault.

     It’s disgusting.

_________________________

      He woke with a sharp gasp and hands around his throat. Wide eyes trained on the ceiling that he wasn’t sure he recognized at first. Amid heavy breathing Vanitas waited for his eyes to adjust and for his heart to stop pounding to realize it’s Ven’s room. 

      Swallowing hard he turned his head to the side to see none other than Ven sleeping beside him. the blonde had the same peaceful expression he must’ve had for the past decade- not that Vanitas would know, being trapped within Sora’s heart the whole time- and it vexed Vanitas to know even when in his sleep Ven had it easier. But he didn’t have it in him to continue that train of thought.

     Slowly the memories pieced themselves back together. He jumped into Ven’s bed mainly to piss him off (and snicker whats yours is mine with a cheeky grin) but it backfired when Ven groaned and crawled in to sleep anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time they shared a bed and it wouldn’t be the last. And Vanitas would never admit it aloud but the only place he could sleep properly was next to his other half. Chalk it up to a natural harmony between the halves of their shared heart. He’d rather that than hurting himself to the point of exhaustion or simply not sleeping at all. Vanitas personally preferred the latter but neither Ven or the new replica body wouldn’t let him pull any more all nighters.

     Sitting up in bed Vanitas pulled his knees close and just breathed. In, one two three. He was in Ven’s room with Ven beside him. Out, one two three. He’s not trapped in Sora’s heart who’s trapped in the Organization with Xehanort watching over them. In, one two three. He’s safe.

     ...Safe. What did that even mean for someone like him?

     Out, one two three.

     What right did he have to a comfortable life like this? Vanitas tried to take down Ven and his friends multiple times-- with no guilt or remorse either. On top of that he actively contributed to making Sora’s life a living hell in the Organization. He knew deep down inside nobody wanted him around. They would rather him dead than sleeping safe and sound in their home.

     Maybe Vanitas would rather that too.

     Gritting his teeth Vanitas buried his face into his hands. In, one two. Out, one two. In, one. Out, one. This isn’t working, it’s useless. What was the point in pretending he could ever be like the rest of them? He’s disgusting, a vile creature. A monster had no right to sleep soundly like the children they’re meant to scare.

     Said children should stay asleep. Ven stirred and cracked open his eyes. “...Vanitas?” He said groggily. He blinked slow and only seemed partially aware of Vanitas hyperventilating. 

     He didn’t want to look at Ven, not right now. But if he didn’t do or say something Ven would only start interrogating him. So Vanitas picked his head up and stared down into his palms. For a moment it’s alright. The black hands giving way to long claws was normal. He got used to staring at them from within Sora’s heart.

     It’s remembering he’s not inside Sora’s heart anymore that startled him to the point of falling off the bed. 

      With a thud Vanitas hit the ground and let out a grunt. It wasn’t particularly painful, as if pain could phase him anymore, and he sat back up after the impact. Which was a bad idea as his stomach immediately protested with a gross churning that sent an unpleasant vibe up his throat. Almost suffocating. Ven made some kind of confused yet concerned noise but that was far from Vanitas’s mind. He knew his feeling and he would rather die than let Ven see what was coming.

      A cough pushed past his lips and Vanitas forced himself to keep it down another moment, slapping a hand over his mouth. He got to his feet and ran out the door with Ven calling out behind him. Normally so precise and calculated Vanitas was running without care for whereever he ended up so long as he was out of sight. Or that’s the idea, as he was only allowed enough time to run by the mercy of the darkness bubbling at his core. And the running only further agitated said core. 

     Vanitas succeeded in making it down the hallway and to a set of stairs but that’s when the awful sensation decided it couldn’t wait any more. He barely reached the stairs, much less going down them, before falling to his hands and knees. He let out a strangled choke as black ooze poured from his mouth and onto the flooring. A few stray drops splattered onto his hands and clothing but that’s hardly a thought or concern in his mind. Vanitas gave a few more coughs  to bring up any leftover black gunk until he deemed the moments passed. Now there was a void in his stomach and an unpleasant light headed feeling.

     And a pair of red eyes blinking back at him in the messy darkness. 

     Much like hallucinating the return of his claws, that’s normal at first too.

     The darkness slowly begun to rise and shape into an Unversed. The void in his stomach was replaced by a sick repulsion and Vanitas acted upon instinct. Balling his fists he smashed the shape back down into the ground. Stringy and drippy darkness latched onto his hand but Vanitas paid it no mind. He kept punched and bashing the darkness in until the red eyes were completely obliterated. But he didn’t stop then. Not for the ringing traveling up his arm each time his fist impacted, not for the sob wrenched free of his throat, not for the heavy tears spilling.

      Break, destroy, tarnish, it’s all he can do. He’s disgusting. A filthy creature. No normal person vomited up monsters. An abomination at his very core and that would never ever change--!

      “--itas! Just- stop, stop it!”

      There came another hand wrapping around his own. It didn’t do much to stop him from punching the ooze at first but after the first four times they managed to wrangle Vanitas out of his hunched position and keep him from pummeling any more craters. Vanitas let out a snarl and instinctively reared his head back to bash whatever was disturbing him in the middle of his breakdown. Can’t they let him wallow in peace?

      His head connected with the person but that wasn’t enough to stop them. In fact they only tightened their hold on him and pulled him closer, mumbling different words that didn’t yet reach Vanitas’s ears. However Vanitas did see a white checkered wristband and that alone brought forth a confusing surge of emotions. Knowing Ven was there made everything simultaneously better and worse. Better because if anyone in the castle had to witness his breakdown he would rather it be Ven over Terra and Aqua. Worse because Ven witnessed him in the middle of a breakdown.

     It was obvious Ven wasn’t going to let go so long as he would fight back so Vanitas gave up trying to struggle and just let himself go limp with a defeated sigh. Ven hesitated, likely waiting if this was a fakeout, but when Vanitas didn’t move Ven released him and shifted to the side. He tried making eye contact with his other half but Vanitas didn’t take his gaze off the smashed pile of dark ooze.

      He wanted to ask what happened. That was the obvious question here. But Vanitas refused to look at him much less try to talk. Ven’s eyes traveled to the dark patch on the floor, Vanitas’s hand, and a small trickle of darkness in the corner of his mouth. Didn’t take long for Ven to piece it all together. He let out a faint oh and his hand settled over his mouth, looking at Vanitas with such sad eyes that any other time he would’ve growled at him for. Don’t look at me with such pity.

     “...I-- Vanitas…” Ven trailed off, grasping for the right words. Did the right words for this even exist? What could someone possibly say? Nothing. Monsters didn’t deserve sweet honeyed words of it’s okay, I still care about you. They would only be lies. Words didn’t exist for such a disgusting creature as him.

      But words never came. Ven’s eyebrows furrowed together as he seemed to realize what the other was thinking. He took a moment to weigh what he was about to do, and the consequences whether or not they be more thrashing or insults, before he embraced Vanitas. He held him tight and buried his face into his shoulder. Vanitas could just make out Ven’s uneven breath on his skin.

     Immediately Vanitas wanted to protest. He already didn’t like being touched and an invasion of personal space right after vomiting an Unversed on top of a nightmare was way too much for him. He wanted to make his displeasure known, say or do something, but the words got confused on his tongue and his limbs were frozen. Get away, it’s for your own good, I’ll only hurt you! I break, I destroy, I don’t want to hurt you!

     Neither word or action came. Nothing but heavy tears. The last thing he ever wanted to do was cry in front of Ven but…

     But it’s okay this once since Ven can’t see. He already saw more than Vanitas ever wanted him too. This moment was for the two halves only, momentarily coming together in reassurance. Saying the right words without needing to vocalize them.

     I’ve got you.

[nadziejastar]

Hey, but LeaIsa is still going strong currently. I mean, their relationship is beyond fucked in the games. But I’m still seeing amazing fics and fanart of these two.

I’m not surprised people still love the ship in spite of the way canon treated it. I mean, their story was heavily inspired by Beauty and the Beast. One of the most popular Disney love stories.

Axel and Saïx: Beauty and the Beast

Maleficent: What are you waiting for? Call to him!

Belle: No! I won’t let you hurt him!

Maleficent: Then I shall make you scream! The fool will come running the moment he hears your cries.

The only way Xehanort was able to get Terra to fall to darkness was by targeting his friends. Terra’s heart survived because it had a purpose: to return to the land of his defeat, and finally set things right with Aqua and Ven.

Xaldin: That which we treasure has power over us, Roxas. His heart is captive to it. And that makes it his weakness.

Roxas: Captive…? I don’t get it.

Xaldin: Nor should you. You have no heart to love with. Let’s not linger here.

Isa was Subject X. He was subjected to mind control techniques involving darkness, in order to turn him into a vessel for Xehanort’s heart. Isa’s main concern was his friend Lea. He couldn’t bear to lose him, and that was his weakness.

Day 119: Hearts and Emotion

Watching that foolish beast flail about only deepens my disdain for humans and their incessant need to be pinned down by feelings. We became Nobodies precisely to avoid the shackles of emotion.

Isa’s strong bond allowed his heart to survive the darkness, but it also allowed his heart to be captured by Xehanort. Saïx is utterly miserable, and longs for the heart he does not have. Xaldin would consider him foolish for letting himself be controlled by love in the first place.

Beast: The rose… My rose…

Belle: But surely, you can find another rose…

Beast: Silence! You don’t know anything!

Belle: I’m sorry.

Beast: Belle… Sora… I want you to leave the castle. Look at me. Look. This is what I am. When you first got here, I tried to change. But I was only fooling myself. I can’t be any different. I’ll always be a beast. So, I should live like a beast. With no one, alone. Goodbye, Belle.

Just like he thought the Beast was a fool. After losing the rose, he lost his purpose and almost gave up hope. Xaldin almost turned him into a Heartless that way.

Xaldin: You act as though you have a conscience… When was the last time any one of us felt anything?

Luxord: Truer words were never spoken. Well, I suppose, the fun will have to wait.

Saïx: Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves.

After Axel left, Saïx also lost his true purpose. He was trapped in a dark castle, with no one to love.

Roxas: Is there anything you couldn’t bear to lose?

Axel: Anything I couldn’t bear to lose? What’s that about?

Roxas: Well, I met someone today who had something like that. This thing was so important to him he couldn’t bear to lose it…and Xaldin said that was his weakness. Why don’t I have anything like that?

Axel: It’s because you don’t have a heart.

Axel thought a person needed a heart to have something they couldn’t bear to lose. A heart is what causes you to care so much, that it becomes a weakness.

Roxas: I guess… But Demyx doesn’t have a heart, and I bet he’d get upset if you took his sitar away.

Axel: Huh… I think you have a point there. So you don’t need a heart to have something that you can’t bear to lose then. If that’s true, then I guess the closest thing that we Nobodies have would be memories of our past. It’s the memories that create the things that we don’t want to lose.

And he did have something he didn’t want to lose. His memories of the past.

Xaldin: Use your eyes. These are claw marks. The beast destroyed this himself. It was victim to either a stray blow whilst he fought the Heartless, or else some other rage he felt compelled to vent.

Roxas: These picture frames have been knocked all over the place.

Xaldin: The beast can’t control his rage. It muddles the heart, poisons the mind…

The rose represents the Beast’s past that he yearns to recover. He was filed with rage after he was turned into a beast.

Day 150: Too Precious to Lose

Axel and I talked for a while about the things we can’t bear to lose. Axel thinks that for Nobodies, it’s our pasts, because that’s all we have to remember the pain of losing something.

Axel’s memories represent his past that he lost, but yearns to recover.

Axel: You sure love to talk. It’s about time you shut up — forever.

Vexen: No… Don’t do it…!

Axel: We’re nobodies, Vexen. We’ve got no one to be — but we still “are.” So look on the bright side. You’re off the hook. Now you can be nothing instead of just being nobody.

Vexen: M-Mercy, Axel! I don’t want to…go yet…

Axel: Goodbye.

Axel was filed with rage after he was turned into a Nobody. His memories are like the Beast’s rose. They’re too precious to lose, and they are his weakness.

Beast: Belle... I couldn't bear to see you...or the other's hurt. A master protects his castle... I don't want to lose you. 

Belle: I'm right here... 

Roxas: So he wasn't fighting to protect the rose. He was protecting the people in the castle. Protecting her. She's what matters most to him. But...Xaldin said it was the rose.

Of course, what the Beast truly cherishes is not the rose—it’s Belle.

Beast: My hideous form is punishment for being selfish and unable to love. Transformed into a monster, loved by no one, I only became more selfish. And then I met you, Belle. You’re the only person who accepted me. Little by little, you warmed my cold, selfish heart. The memories of our days together are my most precious. I won’t cast them aside. So I’m sorry, but I can’t leave you here…even if you hate me for it. Consider it my final selfish act.

Belle: But why…

Maleficent: Well, well. I never dreamed such ugliness could hide so beautiful a heart. This calls for a change of plan. Beast, I shall claim your heart instead of Belle’s!

She is the key to break the spell. But more importantly, he loves her. He didn’t want to forget the memories of the time he spent with her, even when she rejected him. She taught him how to love, which he valued even more than the rose. She’s his true weakness.

Axel: But you know, we’ll still have each other…even if things change and we can’t do this anymore. As long as we remember each other, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?

Axel also had somebody he felt that way about. Someone he used to feel so close to, he was inseparable from, even when they were apart. Someone he never wanted to forget.

Lea: I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people’s memories, I can live forever.

Isa: I know I won’t forget you. Believe me, I try all the time.

Lea: See, I’m immortal!

It’s not really the memories that Axel couldn’t bear to lose. At first he thought they were just baggage and he would be better off without them.

Axel: You know, memories of the stuff we couldn’t bear to lose, back when we couldn’t bear to lose it.

He treasures his memories because they are the only thing left after losing what he truly couldn’t bear to lose.

Day 118: You Changed, Not Me

It’s strange, but I’m content with just missing what’s gone. I’m not the one who changed. You did.

And what Axel lost was Isa.Like the Beast, he didn’t want to forget what it felt like to love.

Roxas: I found out about love on today’s mission–that it’s something powerful.

Axel: That’s true. It is. But I’ll never get to experience it.

Roxas: Nobodies can’t love?

Axel: You need a heart, man.

Roxas: Right…

Axel still has his memories of the past. But he still places what little hope he has on Kingdom Hearts. What he truly yearns for is more than just memories. He wants a heart, so he can experience love. He’s able to be manipulated by Xemnas due to his desire for love. It has made Axel a captive. Xaldin would consider him foolish and weak.  

Saïx: There’s something I’ve meant to ask.

Xemnas: About Axel? The poor fool. How long will he keep chasing the illusion of friendship, when he himself lacks emotion? Trying so hard to retrieve what he has lost, when it may never have existed in the first place. He deserves nothing more than our pity.

And so does Xemnas. He calls Axel a fool for trying so hard to recover what he has lost, which never existed in the first place.

Saïx: That’s absurd. He won nothing and is nothing. He couldn’t stand the emptiness of being without a heart, and that led to his demise. He was foolish and weak.

Saïx also considers Axel foolish and weak. But, his feelings are conflicted on this matter, and he doesn’t seem to know why.

Xaldin: It’s time you dealt with Belle. She’s scheming to take everything you have. This castle, your precious rose. And then—your life. Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong.

Beast: I’ve had enough of strength. There’s only one thing I want—

Xaldin: What? To love, and be loved in return? Who could ever love a beast?

As a Nobody, Axel felt just like the Beast. He was ashamed of his condition, and desperately wanted to be human again. He had little hope of ever returning to the past, but he was tired of relying on anger and bitterness to drive him.

Axel: Love is what happens if there’s something really special between two people.

Roxas: You mean, like, if they’re best friends?

Axel: Well, you can care about your friends, I guess, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

Roxas: So then…love is like a step above friends?

Axel: Yes… Well, no. There aren’t “steps.”

Roxas: I don’t get it.

Axel: What does it matter? We’ll never know the difference.

What he truly longed for was to love, and to be loved by another in return. Just like the Beast.

Sora: What’s so special about one rose, anyway?

Cogsworth: If the master can love and be loved in return, the spell will be broken. We’ll all be human again.

Donald: Yeah. You told us.

Lumiere: But there is a time limit. He must find his true love before the last petal falls from that rose.

Cogsworth: Ah, but that is not all… Over time, caring for that rose has become a cherished part of the master’s daily life.

Mrs. Potts: It’s as though all his hopes and dreams are tied to that single bloom…

The only way to break the spell on the Beast is to truly love another and be loved by them in return. All of his hopes and dreams are tied to the rose. Just like how all of Axel’s hopes and dreams are tied to Kingdom Hearts.

Roxas: If I had a heart, you think I could love somebody?

Axel: Once Kingdom Hearts is complete, you’ll be able to do all kinds of things.

Roxas: That’s good.

It became a part of his daily life, as well. It’s why he always ate sea-salt ice cream and looked at the sunset after work. It’s something he used to do in the past with Isa.

Xaldin: Hmph. Love, from a beast? How utterly ridiculous.

Roxas: Love? What’s that?

Xaldin: It’s an emotion. The one deluding those two as we speak.

Roxas: Oh…

Like the Beast, Isa has been physically transformed. He’s a vessel of Xehanort. I’m sure that Xemnas considered him to be nothing but a beast.

Beast: Xaldin… that’s his name. He came from the darkness… He…used my anger to control me. He took all my sorrow, my sadness, my pain—and turned it all into rage. There was nothing I could do… I could no longer see the truth.

A creature useful for the strength of its sorrow, sadness, pain, and rage.

Xemnas: There hangs the heart of all hearts–Kingdom Hearts–shining down on us at last. See the countless hearts that have gathered? Hearts full of rage…hate…sadness…and bliss. There, in the sky, hangs the promise of a new world. My friends! Remember why we have organized–all the things we hope to achieve. The strength of the human heart is vast. Soon, though…we will have gained power over it! Never again will it…have power over us.

But incapable of love or being loved.

Beast: You! Get out of my castle, now!

Xaldin: With pleasure, but I’d rather travel light…What shall I leave behind? Belle? Or the rose?

Beast: Belle!

When Xaldin kidnapped her, the Beast chose Belle over the rose. Even if he lost his chance of becoming human again, he still cared more about Belle. And Belle chose to sacrifice herself for the Beast when Maleficent kidnapped her.

Xaldin: They think the power of love will save them? That’s the stuff of poetry, not practicality.

Roxas: Love is a power?

Xaldin: None you or I will ever grasp. Nor will they, for long. The love between them will wither and die. Love never lasts.

When Lea was facing Isa in the final battle, he didn’t fight at his full strength. He looked into Isa’s eyes and pleaded with him to stop. He didn’t even try to defend himself. He would have preferred to let himself get killed rather than hurt Isa.

Ansem the Wise: Sora was the only one able to return to his human form without destroying his Nobody. That is a statement to the love in his heart for other people, and the bonds that tie them together. Perhaps…he has the power to bring back the hearts and existences of those connected to him–to recreate people we thought were lost to us forever.

The Power of Waking was all about the power of light—of love. That’s what Ansem’s research was all about.

Ansem the Wise: Surely we remember as children the way our hearts made everything seem so shiny, and perfect. Sora has a heart like that–uncorrupted, willing to see the good before the bad. When he sees the heart in something, it then becomes real. When a connection seems broken, he may have the power to mend it.

To awaken a heart from its sleep, you have to be capable of loving someone the way Sora does. With a pure heart, willing to see the good before the bad. The “Key to Return Hearts” is unconditional love. The Disney worlds in KH3 were meant to reinforce this theme. When Kairi saved Sora with her light, he remembered how Rapunzel saved Eugene and how Elsa saved Anna. And it appears Beauty and the Beast was the movie that most heavily inspired Axel’s story.

Mrs. Potts: The old woman warned our master not to be deceived by appearances… Still, he would not take her in.

Cogsworth: Then the old woman’s ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.

Mrs. Potts: She turned the Prince into a beast, a shape she thought fitting for his cold heart.

Isa loved Lea. It was his weakness, transforming him from a beauty into a beast.

Maleficent: Well, well. I never dreamed such ugliness could hide so beautiful a heart. This calls for a change of plan. Beast, I shall claim your heart instead of Belle’s!

Belle: No! Please!  Unnh…?

Maleficent: Well, so much for the change of plan. Belle’s heart it is. It seems her cold words spoke little of her true feelings. Ha ha ha, she loves you, Beast! I can feel it shining in her heart!

Belle loved the Beast. She never knew that he was a prince under a curse. She saw past his exterior and fell in love with his heart.

Lea: Ah! Forget it. You know what? I’ll bring ‘em back myself.

Ienzo: Huh? How, exactly?

Lea: Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?

Lea was willing to forgive Isa, even after he tried to kill him—even before he found out he was a vessel of Xehanort. He went looking for him as soon as he woke up, and put himself at risk using the D.T.D. He wanted to gain the power of the Keyblade, so he could find Isa. He saw past his exterior and loved Isa’s heart unconditionally. Like Belle, Lea was special. He was able to love a beast.

Maleficent: You’ve done well to make it this far, Beast. As your reward, I’ll tell you why Belle rejected you. My dark magic requires hearts of utmost beauty. Belle was perfect. Deep in her heart, her love for you shone with uncommon radiance. But she guessed my plans. By denying her love for you, she put her heart beyond my reach.

Beast: But she saved me! She protected me!

Sora: She couldn’t hide how she really felt…

Both of them had hearts of utmost beauty. This uncommon radiance should have given Isa’s heart the power to defy Xehanort’s will, protecting Lea when his Keyblade broke.

Riku: No vessel, no help from the Heartless… So tell me, how’d you get here?

Beast: I simply believed. Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!

And this love should have been the key to finally transform Isa from a beast back into a beauty, with the Power of Waking.

Belle: Please forgive me. I had to be cruel to you. But I guess I couldn’t hide my true feelings…

Beast: I’m the one who should apologize. For just a moment, I doubted your love. I never want to remember those feelings of despair.

Belle: Then don’t. Let’s replace the sad memories with happier ones —starting now.

Lea and Isa were meant to prove Xemnas and Xaldin wrong. Lea was supposed to learn that HE was wrong, too. Isa never forgot about him. And he would get to experience love.

Tale as old as timeTune as old as songBittersweet and strangeFinding you can changeLearning you were wrong

Certain as the sunCertain as the sunRising in the eastTale as old as timeSong as old as rhymeBeauty and the beast

Just like Beauty and the Beast.

[ends-of-the-wayward-storm]

KH OC Week 2019--Day 3: Friends or Lovers?

What Are Friends For?

[So this was fun to write. I was able to explore Erica's relationship with Ven a little more. And I also came to realize another trait of hers that apparently was staring right at me.

This is roughly about the same length as Together Through Wind and Sky, so this is long-ish. I can never write anything short, apparently. But without further ado, off we go! @khoc-week]

                                                    —————

Today’s mission was to hunt down a large Heartless in Wonderland. And collect Lux, obviously. It was simple enough. She’d done it before. She just hoped it wasn’t another thunder-based Heartless. There were way too many close calls last time. And Grumpy had been complaining non-stop every time she’d come by the cottage.

“I still feel that zap that darned thing gave me!” he’d complain. And Erica would apologize every time.

Stepping through the corridor of light, she was met with the slightly humid and dewy Forest Grove.

“I wonder how Alice is doing,” Erica said.

She skimmed over her surroundings before beginning to make her way through the grove. A couple Yellow Operas appeared in her path, but she was quick to deal with them with a well-placed Fire Raid.

She wondered if she’d run into anyone today. Last time she came here she had met the White Rabbit. Or rather she saw him, since he was running about as usual. But at least they had exchanged a brief greeting before he disappeared to who knows where.

Heartless riding flower airplanes blocked her path. Summoning Starlight, Erica rolled out of the way of some incoming seeds before casting Blizzara at a Heartless. She barely had a moment to ready another attack when she had to deflect more shots.

“Thunder!”

The bolts demolished the small group. And like countless times before, Lux was released from the Heartless. For a brief moment, she felt its warmth before it disappeared into the air. Or at least, that’s what she assumed. She was never told where that light went—only to collect it.

Erica briefly scanned her surroundings. “All right. Coast is clear.”

She dismissed Starlight and pressed on. Upon entering a sort of small tunnel made of leaves, she ducked her head. Dew and strangely cedarwood filled her nose, and it reminded her of Snow White’s cottage.

I wonder if the prince ever tried her apple pie. The dwarves have told me it’s really good.

A shout pulled her out of her thoughts. Picking up the pace, Erica broke into a clearing dotted with small puddles. There was also a group of Heartless closing in on something by that big leaf. . . .

A Keyblade knocked a few Heartless back, pulling a gasp from Erica.

She knew that Keyblade.

“Ven!”

Ventus blocked incoming seeds as he risked a glance at Erica summoning Starlight.

“Incoming!”

Heartless were forced back as Erica’s Keyblade struck them. Seconds later, she caught her weapon and took her place next to Ventus.

“Erica? What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I’m tracking a Heartless down.”

“Really? Me too.”

Erica eliminated a Tornado Step with Fira. “Maybe we have the same mission.”

“I guess. But, we should take these guys out first.”

“Right!”

Together, the duo combated the Heartless. Light on his feet, Ventus breezed past several shots and threw his Keyblade at the Heartless. It ricocheted from one enemy to the next, and shortly afterwards some of them were destroyed by a thunder spell from Erica.

Erica jumped back from a Tornado Step’s ground pound before darting forward, and after some good whacks it was done for. Another Tornado Step spun toward her from behind, knocking her to the ground. She turned around to counter when a bolt of lightning struck it down.

“Thanks, Ven!”

He replied with a nod before blocking a Soldier’s claws. It swiped at him again, and Ventus darted behind it and swung his Keyblade down onto it. A heart floated up, and he felt the Lux’s brief warmth before it disappeared.

It wasn’t long before the Heartless were eliminated. The two wielders finished the fight back to back, and Ventus dismissed his Keyblade with a breath.

“Are you okay?” Erica asked.

“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” Ventus said, leading Erica to dismiss her own Keyblade. “What about you?”

“I’m okay.”

Ventus nodded, and his eyes traveled up the giant leaf. “You said we might have the same mission. So, what Heartless are you after?”

“Well I know it’s a big one. But I can’t remember what it’s called.”

“Do you remember what it looks like?”

Erica folded her arms. “Let’s see. The arms kinda look like they’re made of paper, it has two batons, aaaand the legs bend weird.”

“I guess we do have the same mission.”

“Okay. So let’s work together.”

“What? But . . . we’re from different Unions.”

“That shouldn’t matter.”

“It shouldn’t?”

Erica shook her head. “I still think we should work together. It’ll be easier. Besides, you’re my friend. I wouldn’t let you go after it alone, even if we’re from different Unions.”

He contemplated on her words. “I guess I wouldn’t want to let you do it alone, either.” He laced his fingers behind his head. “You’re my friend, too.”

Erica smiled. “Then let’s go get that Heartless!”

With a nod, Ventus followed her up the giant leaf, and they hopped from leaf to flower as they made their way to another leafy tunnel.

“Have you run into Alice?”

“I don’t think I have,” Ventus replied. “But I did see that cat.”

“Oh. He’s kind of . . . weird. But he helps. I think.”

“I did ask him if he’s seen that Heartless we’re after, but he just told me a riddle.”

“What was the riddle?”

“Somethin’ about reaching new heights fit for a ‘skittering little servant.’ ”

“Reaching new heights. . . . Maybe we have to get better?”

“I don’t think that’s it.”

Erica landed on another flower, but she didn’t quite keep her balance very well. She teetered from one side to the next before finding herself falling back, a squeak slipping out. Luckily Ventus was right behind her to keep her steady.

“Thanks. Again,” she said.

After correcting themselves, the two continued forward a little more carefully. They were getting pretty high up now, and she bet they probably looked like ants to anything that was bigger than them. 

Hey wait a second.

“I got it!” Erica blurted, making Ventus flinch. “Sorry.”

“You figured it out?” he asked.

“Well part of it. I think the cat was trying to tell you to keep going up. So we’re on the right track so far.”

“Oh. That makes sense. But, what about the servant part?”

“Not sure. But we’ll figure it out eventually.”

Ventus and Erica soon reached another leafy tunnel that gradually led to denser foliage the deeper they went in. Trees began to tower over them, and before they knew it they had reached a familiar but odd forest. Quite a few paths split off into many directions, and the signs that were meant to point the way were . . . vague, for starters.

“Hmm. Which way?” Erica asked.

Ventus held his chin. “We could go left.”

“There’s two lefts, and one of them’s a dead end.”

“But the other one leads to that tea party.”

“Okay. Let’s check there.”

Just as they took a few steps forward, Heartless appeared all around them. Both wielders summoned their Keyblades as they stood back to back.

“Ready?” Erica asked.

“Ready,” Ventus replied.

Erica darted to the side to avoid a ground slam from a Tornado Step as Ventus swiftly moved forward. Okay. No fire spells here. Too many trees.

“Thunder!” Erica shouted.

Soldiers and Flower Riders were stunned by the spell, and she hurled her Keyblade at them to finish them off.

Meanwhile with Ventus, he was dashing from one Heartless to the next. Every now and then he would glance over to Erica to see how she was doing. And so far she was doing fine.

He blocked incoming seeds before rapidly defeating the Flower Rider. Tornado Steps and Shadows closed in on him, and he casted Aerora to toss them around. Coating his Keyblade with air, he flung it towards the Heartless.

Erica whacked a Soldier into a tree, and she spotted dots of red from the corner of her eye. A couple Red Nocturnes were taking aim at Ventus, whose back was still turned.

“Ven!”

He turned around just as balls of fire came at him. But instead of hitting him. . . .

They collided into a crystal sphere that was now sheltering him.

“Woah! How’d you do that?” he asked.

“I’m uh, still learning that spell, so it kinda just . . . comes out,” Erica tried to explain.

“Wow. . . .” Ventus quickly shook himself from him stupor and rushed behind a Heartless before defeating it with a swift strike.

Casting Blizzara, he demolished the Red Nocturnes as Erica struck down a Tornado Step. A Soldier knocked her down, and she rolled out of the way of several seed shots. Jumping to her feet, she thrust Starlight into the Soldier. She led another Soldier to spin right into its comrades, and she found herself next to Ventus just finishing off a Heartless.

The remaining Heartless grouped together and eyed the duo, who returned their look. Together, Ventus and Erica dove right in. While Ventus’s attacks were quick and successive, Erica’s were occasionally laced with magic. And they both kept within each other’s sights.

“Wow you’re really fast!” Erica said, to which Ventus replied with a small laugh.

Within minutes the group of Heartless had shrunk down to a single Flower Rider. It fired once again at them, driving the duo apart. Both of them cast a different spell, and the Heartless was easily defeated.

“Phew! We did it.”

“I guess we did!” Ventus agreed.

The two dismissed their Keyblades as Erica made use of an Ether.

“Are you okay?” they both asked. They stared at each other for a moment before laughing.

“I’m all right,” Erica answered.

“Me too, but I think we should take a break before—”

Pattering and muttering from a pathway leading to a castle brought their attention to the White Rabbit jogging by.

“Hey it’s that rabbit,” Erica said.

“He seems calm for a change,” Ventus commented.

They watched him continue on his way in the direction of his quaint little house.

Calm for a change. . . . Hmm. . . .

“I think I figured out the rest of the riddle,” Ventus said.

“Really?” Erica asked.

“The skittering servant is supposed to be the White Rabbit.”

“So if we put it together, then that means we have to . . . find the White Rabbit somewhere high up?”

“Well, his house is higher than where we started.” Then it dawned on him. Oh no.

A scream suddenly filled the air.

“C’mon!”

Erica followed Ventus down the path the White Rabbit took. Once they reached the rabbit’s house, they spotted him cowering before their towering target.

“Sh-sh-shoo! Shoo! Oh why do these monsters always try to destroy my house?!” he cried.

“We’ll take care of it!” Erica assured as she and Ventus stood between the rabbit and the Heartless.

“It’s you! A-a-and you!”

“Find someplace safe!” Ventus urged. “We’ll handle this guy!”

“All right all right! Just don’t break my house!” The White Rabbit wasted no time in fleeing the area.

“Ready?”

“Ready!” Erica said.

The Heartless swung its batons down, forcing the duo to split.

“Ven, get the legs! I’ll try to get the weak spot!”

“Got it!” Ventus darted for the legs as Erica narrowly avoided another swing.

The Heartless swung down again, but this time she jumped onto its baton. It tossed its weapon up in an attempt to throw her off, but instead, it gave her the boost she wanted.

“Freeze!” Erica shot ice three times right at its chest before hurling her Keyblade as hard as she could. And every attack was a direct hit.

Catching Starlight, she felt herself begin to drop.

And she realized she had no plan on how to land.

“Not good!”

Ventus looked up at Erica falling and throwing her Keyblade at its hand, forcing it to drop its baton to keep it from swatting her out of the air. “Wind!”

His spell surrounded her just as she was coming close to the ground.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Y-yeah. Guess I wasn’t really thinking,” Erica admitted.

They jumped back from another attack and locked onto its chest. Throwing their Keyblades, they made their mark and brought it down. With it vulnerable, they could easily attack its weak spot.

After several hits, however, the Heartless picked itself back up. Erica and Ventus veered away from it as it locked onto them. It raised its arms as Erica casted Thundara onto it, and Ventus once again came for its legs.

Only to stop once he noticed its batons were now lit.

The duo exchanged looks before evading fireballs, pulling a scream out of the White Rabbit.

“Quick, put the fire out!” Erica exclaimed.

The tip of Ventus’s Keyblade glowed an icy blue as the Heartless raised its arms again. He launched the spell at the last moment, but he was only able to put out one baton. A hand jerked him back in the nick of time, and he felt a wave of heat as the Heartless slammed down.

The ground shook, making the wielders stumble. It swung down again, and with a grunt Erica summoned a barrier. The batons pinged against it, momentarily stunning the Heartless.

Ventus extinguished the other baton the instant the barrier went down. He darted for its legs again as Erica used Blizzard Raid, but the Heartless batted Starlight away. The Keyblade embedded itself right into the tree the White Rabbit was hiding behind, pulling another scream from him.

Erica felt a breeze as she narrowly rolled away from a swing. Spotting her weapon partially coating a tree with ice, she reached her hand out to it. Come on. . . . I need you to come back!

“Erica!”

All she saw was a blur of purple and black, and the next thing she knew, she was sent flying through the air.

Her back slammed into a tree. Black flashed across her vision as she slid down, and she barely registered the ground beneath her.

“Erica!”

Ventus casted a quick Blizzard spell before sprinting for her. She struggled to push herself up, but her arms easily gave out.

The Heartless trained its eyes onto Ventus and readied an attack. Erica willed herself to speak, but any warning she had remained caught in her throat.

Ventus followed her gaze too soon, and he was sent soaring toward the White Rabbit’s garden. 

A noise was all Erica could muster as the Heartless set its gaze onto him and advanced. “No. . . .”

She weakly extended her hand out to her Keyblade, straining to keep fear from gripping her heart.

Please. I need you to come back. I need to protect my friend.

A moment passed.

Then another.

And another.

Come on. . . .

The White Rabbit yelped. A familiar warmth filled her heart, and it traveled to her hand with a shing. When she opened her eyes, Erica saw Starlight once again within her grasp.

Staking it into the ground, she dragged herself to her feet and did her best to stand tall despite her body’s protests.

“Hey!”

The Heartless looked to her.

“Get away from my friend!”

Erica held her Keyblade poised behind her as she eyed the Heartless. She sprinted forward with all her might, and with one fell strike she brought the Heartless to its knees with a flash of light.

Pain rippled across her body, but she shoved it aside and made her way to Ventus.

“Ven!”

A groan slipped out of him as he struggled to push himself up.

“Heal.”

Green light surrounded Ventus as a soothing relief washed over him, and Erica felt her usual spark of magic vanish. His eyes drifted to the downed Heartless and the line in the grass. Then his eyes moved to Erica doing her best to ignore her pain.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah but . . . you’re hurt,” Ventus said.

“You come first.” Erica held her hand out to him, but a wince forced her to pull it back.

Ventus got to his feet and summoned his Keyblade to heal her, spending nearly all of his magic.

“Thank you. Again. Heh.”

Creaking turned their attention to the rising Heartless.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Ventus asked.

Erica used an Ether and gave one to him. “As long as we stick together, I’ll be okay.”

“Then . . . I’ll be okay, too.”

The Heartless juggled its batons and stared the young wielders down. Wind from Ventus knocked the batons out of its hands and soaring into some branches. Erica casted Thundaga, forcing it back a few steps before using Thunder Raid.

“Let’s do this!” Erica cheered.

“Right!” Ventus said.

They charged forward with Keyblades at the ready. Leaping up into the air, they sliced right through the Heartless with a united strike and a streak of light.

It staggered back and strained to stay on its feet, but it eventually collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud. The Heartless faded away, releasing a massive heart as well as an influx of Lux in the process.

Erica sighed in relief as she placed her hands on her knees. “We . . . we did it.”

Ventus plopped down onto the grass with a huff. “Y-yeah. . . .”

“My house!” the White Rabbit exclaimed.

They looked to the creature running out of his hiding spot.

“You saved it! A-and me! Thank you thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” Erica said.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some tea to make.” The rabbit then hurriedly entered his house.

“I think I’m ready to head home.”

“Me too,” Ventus said.

Erica summoned Starlight as he got to his feet. “Hey Ven?”

“Hmm?”

“We’re still meeting at Waterfront Park, right?”

Ventus nodded with a smile. “Yeah.”

                                                     —————

Erica gazed at the pinks, purples, and oranges of the sky. Today’s mission was going to make her sore tomorrow. But at least she hadn’t been alone. And she hoped other wielders had the same fortune Ventus and she did. She hated that wielders going missing was a normal occurrence.

“Sorry if I kept you waiting.”

She looked to her right to see Ventus coming her way. “Don’t worry, you didn’t.”

He joined her by the rail, and the waves below filled the silence for a few moments. “Y’know, I’m glad we did the mission together. It would’ve been pretty bad if we didn’t.”

“I’m glad, too. We had some really close calls.”

“We sure did. I still can’t believe you brought that Heartless down by yourself when you came to help me.”

“I didn’t want it to hurt you.”

He paused. “I wish you’d be more careful, though. I don’t want you getting hurt, either.”

“I’ll be more careful. I promise.”

Ventus nodded. His gaze traveled to the island with the lighthouse. He wondered if he’d ever get to go there again. The beach was nice, and seeing the stars from there with Chirithy that one time was even nicer. He did almost fall asleep there, though.

“Do you ever wonder where the Lux goes after we collect it?” Erica asked.

“Sometimes. But, I don’t think we’ll ever find out.”

Erica frowned. Ephemer had mentioned something about “how it all worked” when they first met, but that was a secret. “I think it goes back to the worlds. They do have their own light, after all.”

“I guess you’re right.”

They filled the silence with idle chatter as the sun began to sink lower into the horizon. Erica mentioned an oasis she’d come across in Agrabah, to which Ventus said he’d never seen. She told him how beautiful it was and how the water seemed to sparkle like sapphires and stars. And if she didn’t know any better she’d say it was also a little cooler there despite being in the midst of a desert.

“Maybe we could go there some time,” she had said.

“It does sound really nice,” Ventus replied. “Yeah. We should go some time.”

Soon the first stars began to blink awake, and Ventus did his best to hold back a yawn.

“Maybe we should head home. It is getting pretty late.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Erica faced him. “Thanks for having my back today.”

“Sure. And uh, thanks to you, too.”

She smiled at him and gave him a quick hug. “See you tomorrow?”

Ventus nodded. “I’ll try my best.”

                                                    —————