Chapter Text
Today was the day!
Ven sprung out of bed and threw on his clothes and armor, skipping combing his hair just so he wouldn’t miss a second of it. He even ran down the hallway, since nobody was there to tell him not to. They were all already in the great hall, preparing for the main event of the morning.
Today was the day his two best friends in the whole wide world were going to take their Mark of Mastery exam. And once they passed, they were going to become full-fledged Keyblade masters!
He stood at the front of the hall next to their Master while he gave his speech. Ven bounced on his feet, unable to contain his excitement. Terra and Aqua stood proudly before them, looking very serious with their Keyblades at their side. They were both such obvious Master material, this exam was going to be a breeze for them.
Ven and his Master weren’t the only spectators (cheerleaders!), either. To the Master’s left was someone new, though he’d said the two of them went way back. They were students together, or something. In any case, his Master had told them it was a great honor to have Master Xehanort here to watch and evaluate their performance. Ven made sure to show him a ton of respect. After all, he’d be taking this exam too one day. He wanted to make a good first impression.
As an extra special surprise, Master Xehanort had brought his own pupil to observe the exam, too. Leaning forward, Ven had been able to take a quick look at him before the exam started. He had straight dark hair that stuck out every which way and golden-tan skin. And golden-gold eyes, too. His clothes were in the same fashion as Terra’s and Aqua’s and the Master’s: sashes and turtlenecks and fingerless gloves and breezy pants, all in a palette of blacks and reds and silvers. He even had his own armor, right on his arm like Ven’s!
He looked like he was probably Ven’s age, too. He’d given Ven a friendly smile and a little wave when he’d caught him looking his way. Ven wondered if they could be friends. He’d probably be at the celebratory banquet this evening, maybe he could ask to be seated next to him. He wondered if this new kid was also training to be a Keyblade master, like him.
Ven had only been training for a couple years at this point, but Terra and Aqua had been at it since they were little kids. They knew everything there was to know about swinging a Keyblade and casting spells, and they knocked Ven on his butt every time he asked them to spar. You couldn’t find a better pair of would-be Keyblade masters if you searched every star in the sky! Of that Ven was certain.
Which was why it came as such a horrible shock when their Master announced the results. Terra had failed. Strong, honest, dependable Terra. Terra, the toughest and kindest guy Ven knew.
Somehow, some way, Terra had failed. He wasn’t able to control his darkness, Master Eraqus had said. Ven thought that was a load of hooey, but it wasn’t his place to say things like that. You never argue with a Keyblade master. Never ever.
After the exam, their Master had dismissed them so he could talk with Aqua (Master Aqua now) about important master-y things. Terra had left for the courtyard with Master Xehanort. Hopefully he had some encouraging words he could give him. Ven couldn’t imagine how awful this must all feel for Terra.
As for Ven, he’d been instructed to return to his room and wait until somebody came to get him for Aqua’s celebration dinner. Ven spent a lot of time in his room, at least when he wasn’t being supervised. It was the best place to stay out of trouble and to make sure anybody could find him in a pinch. Plus, all of his books and cool souvenirs were there! He got to decorate it however he liked, so it was the coolest room in the whole castle.
But right now he didn’t feel so happy to be waiting in his room. Terra was just outside, probably having the worst day of his whole life, and Ven just wished he could run out and give him a hug. It’d be okay, he’d say. Terra could retake his exam super soon, he bet. Or maybe Ven could train up and they could take the exam together! Terra sometimes had trouble seeing the bright side of sticky situations, but Ven was always there to point it out to him. Except for right now, while he was stuck in his room.
So Ven picked out a book he’d read a million times before and laid down on his bed to pass the time. It was a fictional book about a princess who was locked away in a tower, but gets rescued by a valiant knight. He liked all sorts of books, but fairytales were his favorite kind of story. He felt happiest when he got to imagine other worlds full of magic and romance and destiny. It wasn’t safe for him to leave his own world, at least not yet, so his books were how he got to experience other ones.
But cycling through the same fifteen or so books over and over could get a little boring. And when Ven was bored, he got sleepy. He made it halfway through the first chapter before his eyes started to lose focus and he found himself rereading the same passage again and again. Maybe he could just lay his head down for a couple minutes, just until Terra or somebody came to grab him…
Knock knock knock.
Ven’s head jerked up from where it lay on top of the open book. He blinked the drowsiness out of his eyes and smacked his lips. He used his thumb to ineffectively wipe a spot of drool off the page.
“Coming!” Ven shut the book without marking the page (any more than it already was) and got up to answer the door. When he opened it, he saw the boy from earlier standing on the other side. Xehanort’s pupil.
“Oh, hi!” Ven smiled, his mood instantly lifted. It really wasn’t every day he got to make a new friend.
The boy nodded. “Hi.” He stared at Ven with an open, curious expression. “I don’t think we were introduced before.”
Ven shook his head, still smiling at him. “Nope.”
The boy looked to the side. “Um...” He looked back at Ven. “My name is Vanitas.” He held a hand out. “My… friends call me Vani.”
Ven took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Vani.” There, now they were friends! That was easy! “Call me Ven.”
Vani’s lips curled up in a small smile.
“Okay. Ven.”
***
Ventus’s bedroom was very interesting. At least it was to Vanitas, who had never seen a bedroom before. There were so many different kinds of items and so many surfaces covered with clothes and books, but at the same time the room seemed awfully small. The bed certainly felt small; there was barely any space between the two boys as they sat together on the edge.
“So what do you guys do here?” Vanitas asked, peering through the window facing the courtyard out of the corner of his eye. He could see Terra’s and Master Xehanort’s backs as they talked. Almost time… but not quite.
Ventus kicked his legs out, leaning back on his hands. “We do all kinds of stuff. We train with our Keyblades, we run drills, we practice spells…” He beamed at Vanitas like he was describing a trip to a theme park. “Fun stuff!”
Vanitas put on an innocent smile and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, are you studying to be a master, too?”
Ventus nodded, like Vanitas knew he would. “Yup! It’s always been my dream!”
“I see,” Vanitas said. “So you must do a lot of travel off-world, huh?”
Ventus shook his head. “Oh no, I stay here in the castle. I’m not ready to go out, yet. They say it’s too dangerous.” He smiled still, but it wasn’t as wide. Perfect.
Vanitas brought a finger to his chin and furrowed his brow. He’d been told not to lay it on too thick, but this kid seemed like he’d respond well to a little exaggeration. “Really? Master Xehanort lets me go wherever I want.” He watched Ventus’s eye twitch just the tiniest bit. “Most of the worlds are really peaceful, in my experience. That’s too bad your Master won’t let you go.” He frowned and so did Ventus, briefly.
“W-well,” Ventus stammered. That was a good sign. “I’m sure you’ve been training a lot longer than me. I’m still pretty new at wielding the Keyblade.”
Vanitas fought back a satisfied smile and steeled his expression. Doe eyes, head tilt. “I started my training last year,” he lied.
Ventus’s brow furrowed for a moment before he ironed it back out, his face carefully neutral. “Huh. Is that so?”
Vanitas spied out the window again. Xehanort’s hand was on Terra’s shoulder. Any second now.
“You sound ready to me,” Vanitas shrugged. He placed a hand on Ventus’s shoulder and couldn’t help if his smile was just a little condescending. “But you should probably listen to your Master. He seems to know what he’s talking about.”
Ventus’s face fell in disappointment, along with his shoulders.
“Speaking of…” Vanitas very clearly looked over to the window this time. Xehanort was gone, leaving Terra standing alone in the courtyard. “...I hope Terra’s doing okay after that exam.”
Ventus perked up and followed Vanitas’s line of sight.
“A failure like that would stir up darkness in anyone’s heart. If I were in his shoes,” Vanitas put as much sympathy as he could muster in his words, “I know I’d really need a friend right about now.”
Ventus frowned, resolute. He turned to Vanitas. “I’m sorry, but I should go check on him.”
Vanitas simply nodded and watched as the boy got up and hurried out of the room. In his departing footsteps, he could practically hear the clacking of dominoes. He smirked as he saw Ventus through the window, tripping over himself to get to Terra.
This was going to be a piece of cake.
Leisurely, he left Ventus’s room and headed down the hall to the main entrance. He stood in the doorway and watched the scene in the courtyard, tucked away in the shadows.
Once Terra had summoned his armor and glider and had flown away into the portal above, it was only a matter of seconds before Ventus raised his hand, preparing to do the same.
That wasn’t quite part of the plan. So Vanitas called out.
“Ven!” He stepped out of the doorway onto the stairs. Ventus turned towards the sound, his arm paused in the air. Vanitas jogged the short distance over to him. “What happened? Where’d Terra go?”
Ventus let his hand fall at his side as he looked up at the portal, which was starting to shrink. “He left,” he whined. “And he didn’t give me a chance to say anything before he did.” He looked back at Vanitas, clenching his fists. “I think I should go after him. He might be in trouble!”
Vanitas gasped. “Oh no! But you said you’re not allowed off-world, didn’t you?” Hook…
Ventus chewed on his lip as he considered disobeying orders for what Vanitas assumed was the first time in his life. “Well I’m not, but…”
“You would need someone to supervise you,” Vanitas suggested. “Maybe someone with experience traveling to other worlds?” …line…
A lightbulb all but appeared above Ventus’s head as the dots connected. “Hang on!” He gestured to Vanitas. “You’ve got experience, Vani! What if I went with you?” …and sinker.
Vanitas glanced over his shoulder back at the castle. “Would your Master be okay with that? I wouldn’t want to break any rules…”
Ventus hurriedly shook his head. “No, I’m sure he’ll understand. He’s always telling us to look out for each other. Terra needs me right now!” He looked back up and hummed anxiously. The portal would close any minute now. He gave Vanitas puppy-dog-eyes that were hard to resist, probably perfected over years of being the youngest. “Please go with me, Vani.”
Thankfully, Vanitas didn’t have to resist at all. “If you’re sure.” He pointed to Ventus’s shoulder plate. “You’re gonna need your armor,” he advised before activating his own with a solid smack of his palm.
Xehanort had assured Vanitas that his new armor was perfectly run-of-the-mill, exactly like the ones Ventus and his friends used. But Ventus stared at him like he’d never seen anything like it, all but oohing and ahhing as Vanitas threw his Keyblade to form his glider. When it zoomed back to him, he stepped up and got his balance on the board.
With his face safely covered, Vanitas could let his face relax in an unimpressed frown. Ventus was still just standing there, staring.
“Are you coming?” Vanitas asked brightly while he rolled his eyes; Ventus was none the wiser.
The other boy blinked, took a second to pick up his dropped jaw, then nodded, hitting his own armor.
Ventus climbed onto the glider behind him and Vanitas looked over his shoulder. “You might want to hang on.” He didn’t give Ventus any time to think about it as he immediately directed the glider toward the portal and started zooming up. Ventus nearly lost his footing before throwing his arms around Vanitas and holding on for dear life.
And just like that, less than ten minutes after meeting him, Vanitas had Ventus right where he wanted him. Xehanort said it would’ve taken at least fifteen. The sound of his self-satsified chuckle was covered up by the vwhoosh of the portal as they flew out into the Lanes Between.
Yeah, this was going to be easy.