Chapter Thirty-Six:

Missing Hearts

“Kiera…”

Kiera opened her eyes. She found herself standing on a stained glass. One half was swirling red and the other was green.

“Ven?” She called.

“Kiera…thank you…for trying” the voice whispered.

“Ventus, where are you?” Kiera cried.

“I had to fight Vanitas. We forged the X-blade.”

“Ventus! It’s alright! The keyblade is destroyed! Vanitas is gone! You’re free now!”

“Kiera, listen. I had to sacrifice myself to destroy the X-blade. I think…I need to go to sleep for a while. I’m afraid…we won’t be able to go to Disneyland again like I promised…”

“You mean…No! That can’t be! We defeated Vanitas! The X-blade was destroyed!”

Hot tears formed in her eyes and then a light came towards her. It was Ventus’s heart. It took form as Ventus and walked towards Kiera. Ventus wiped the tears from Kiera’s eyes and lifted her chin.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more with you…” he said.

“Don’t apologize,” Kiera hissed, pushing his hand away from her face to take it, “and don’t beat yourself up over me. I’ll be there when you awaken, and then, we can truly be together.”

Ventus smiled. “You were always so determined. Nothing can get in your way can it?” he said.

“Not if they are blocking my path from getting to you” Kiera joked.

Then, Kiera’s body started to flicker in and out.

“Oh no! Ven, I’m…I’m waking up”

Her vision blurred from her tears. She raised her head.

“I’ll come back for you!” She screamed, “I’ll find you! I promise!”

*̸͙̭̩̠͐̾_̴̰̖̙͎̆̿͆̆ͅ*̸̯̒̂̂̌́_̵̡̲͔̈̄*̶͉̋͋̇_̷̣̯͙͚͖̾*̴̻̩̑_̵͖̘̫̈́͐̑*̶̗͛_̷̢͙͖̦̫͌*̶͉̱̭͕͉̐͊͌̒̈́_̴̥̱̩̭͐ͅ*̸̡͉̍_̵̢͙͈̟̊̅͊̆*̷̨͙̮̺͐͛_̴̣̥̲̆͘*̷͈͗̓̊͂̓_̴̗̋͝*̷̠̱̩̳͜͝_̷̧̲͒̐͛̚*̵̙̂_̸͕̰̚͜*̶̹̽͂͌͒͜_̴̱̗̥͉̪͋̀̓̃*̴̩̞̠̻̿̂͘͜_̴̩̠̫̿͑*̷̨̨͙̩͙̃̂̆̈_̴̟̞̐́̚*̸̛͕̈̅̏̾_̵̭͚̂̎*̷̨̫̙͋͝_̶̟̈́*̴͙͉̼͂̆̃_̵̱̈̌̋̌̐*̵̗̹̏́̇̏͠ͅ_̷̭͚̈͋̍͝͝*̶̩̹͋_̷̨̖͓̞͚̈́̈́͛*̴̧̪̒̓́̊͠_̷̧͕͓̎̌͂*̵͓̊̋͘_̶̩̃*̷͖͇̖̖̯̈

“Ventus…”

There was a ringing in Kiera’s ears. She pulled her eyes opened. Her vision was still blurry. She could see Sora, Riku-Ansem, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi conversing with each other. Riku-Ansem saw Kiera slowly coming to. He brushed past Sora and Kairi and ran to her.

“Kiera, are you alright?” he asked.

Kiera sat up. 

“Yeah…I think so…My head still hurts, and…I feel a little sick.”

Riku-Ansem hung his head in shame.

“You shouldn’t have gotten mixed up in all this,” he said in a low voice, “You should’ve been left alone with Kairi on the islands…”

.

“Kiera!” Cried Kairi and Sora.

They fell down to their knees and embraced her, nearly knocking her over.

“Woah!” Kiera exclaimed.

“We were so worried about you!” Sora cried, “We thought you’d never wake up!”

Kiera looked at them with a smile. Then her head pounded again as two faces flashed before her: one was Ventus, or, someone that looked like him, and a girl with short black hair and blue eyes. Kiera rubbed her temples. 

“Go easy on her you two,” Riku-Ansem warned, “we’re not out of the woods yet. Kiera still needs time to have her memory restored.” 

.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kiera saw two figures up on the balcony: one she recognized as King Mickey, the other, someone she hadn’t seen before. 

“We need to keep moving” Riku-Ansem finally replied.

Sora reached out a hand to Kiera, and Kiera took it. Sora pulled her up. He stared at her for a moment, with a sense of longing in his eyes. Kiera was a bit puzzled.

“Sora, you alright?” she asked.

Sora blinked, then shook his head.

“Oh, yeah, I’m okay.”

*̸͙̭̩̠͐̾_̴̰̖̙͎̆̿͆̆ͅ*̸̯̒̂̂̌́_̵̡̲͔̈̄*̶͉̋͋̇_̷̣̯͙͚͖̾*̴̻̩̑_̵͖̘̫̈́͐̑*̶̗͛_̷̢͙͖̦̫͌*̶͉̱̭͕͉̐͊͌̒̈́_̴̥̱̩̭͐ͅ*̸̡͉̍_̵̢͙͈̟̊̅͊̆*̷̨͙̮̺͐͛_̴̣̥̲̆͘*̷͈͗̓̊͂̓_̴̗̋͝*̷̠̱̩̳͜͝_̷̧̲͒̐͛̚*̵̙̂_̸͕̰̚͜*̶̹̽͂͌͒͜_̴̱̗̥͉̪͋̀̓̃*̴̩̞̠̻̿̂͘͜_̴̩̠̫̿͑*̷̨̨͙̩͙̃̂̆̈_̴̟̞̐́̚*̸̛͕̈̅̏̾_̵̭͚̂̎*̷̨̫̙͋͝_̶̟̈́*̴͙͉̼͂̆̃_̵̱̈̌̋̌̐*̵̗̹̏́̇̏͠ͅ_̷̭͚̈͋̍͝͝*̶̩̹͋_̷̨̖͓̞͚̈́̈́͛*̴̧̪̒̓́̊͠_̷̧͕͓̎̌͂*̵͓̊̋͘_̶̩̃*̷͖͇̖̖̯̈

“D~~, he could feel Sora” said Riku.

“Oh, he told you how he ‘felt,’did he? Ridiculous. A Nobody cannot feel anything.”

“And this is not living proof that they can?” Riku asked cooly, pointing to her, who was still crying, only more softly and quietly. 

The man said nothing. Instead, he commanded:

“Bring them to Naminé quickly, before the other Nobodies find out and come here.”

She sniffed, and lifted her head.

“No, they don’t care about us anymore…”

*̸͙̭̩̠͐̾_̴̰̖̙͎̆̿͆̆ͅ*̸̯̒̂̂̌́_̵̡̲͔̈̄*̶͉̋͋̇_̷̣̯͙͚͖̾*̴̻̩̑_̵͖̘̫̈́͐̑*̶̗͛_̷̢͙͖̦̫͌*̶͉̱̭͕͉̐͊͌̒̈́_̴̥̱̩̭͐ͅ*̸̡͉̍_̵̢͙͈̟̊̅͊̆*̷̨͙̮̺͐͛_̴̣̥̲̆͘*̷͈͗̓̊͂̓_̴̗̋͝*̷̠̱̩̳͜͝_̷̧̲͒̐͛̚*̵̙̂_̸͕̰̚͜*̶̹̽͂͌͒͜_̴̱̗̥͉̪͋̀̓̃*̴̩̞̠̻̿̂͘͜_̴̩̠̫̿͑*̷̨̨͙̩͙̃̂̆̈_̴̟̞̐́̚*̸̛͕̈̅̏̾_̵̭͚̂̎*̷̨̫̙͋͝_̶̟̈́*̴͙͉̼͂̆̃_̵̱̈̌̋̌̐*̵̗̹̏́̇̏͠ͅ_̷̭͚̈͋̍͝͝*̶̩̹͋_̷̨̖͓̞͚̈́̈́͛*̴̧̪̒̓́̊͠_̷̧͕͓̎̌͂*̵͓̊̋͘_̶̩̃*̷͖͇̖̖̯̈

Kiera opened her eyes. Aqua had just regained consciousness next to her.

“Aqua?” Kiera murmured.

“Kiera?”

 The two looked around. Kiera recognized this place. An empty room, creating a faint glow, with only a few bookshelves lining the walls, and at the center was a large desk, with a skull and candle, where a great wizard sat: Master Yen Sid. Ventus and Kiera had visited here once before, when the starshard took them there. 

Mickey stood beside them, smiling sadly.

“Kiera, Aqua, you lost consciousness,” Yen Sid explained, “Fortunately, Mickey found you and Ventus drifting in the Lanes Between. And brought you back to me to receive proper care.” 

Kiera saw Ventus leaned over against the wall with his eyes closed. Immediately Kiera shuffled over to him. She cupped his head with her hands, and leaned into his forehead. He was cold…

    “Ven…” she whispered, anguishly.

“I am sorry, but there was no sign of Terra” Yen Sid added. 

“I see…” said Aqua. 

Aqua scooted over to Kiera. Gently, she shook Ventus, in a feeble attempt to wake him up. 

“The boy’s heart is sleeping” said Yen Sid. 

“When will he wake?”

“I…could not say. It is almost as if his heart has left him. Should it return, he may very well awake. Should it not, and he will sleep for all eternity.” 

“No,” said Kiera, touching her heart, “He’ll wake up…he said he would; And I’m going to be there when he awakens.” 

Yen Sid nodded. 

“Yes, we’ll keep him safe,” Aqua resolved, “Until he wakes.”

She glanced at Kiera.

“Forever, if we have to.”

Kiera nodded. “Right.” 

.

“I will tell you what your friend needs now. It is not your protection.” Yen Sid described sternly, “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.” 

He turned to Kiera, his face softening slightly.

“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.” 

Kiera nodded. 

“Don’t you worry Aqua, Kiera, I believe in Ven, too,” Mickey encouraged, “Gosh, he’s been as good a friend to me as anybody. And if we believe in him with all our hearts, then he will have THREE lights to follow instead of one!” 

Aqua chuckled,

“Four lights…” she corrected, “Terra!”

“But, Terra’s gone. Maybe for good” said Mickey, frowning. 

Aqua shook her head. 

“I think…I know how to find him” she said, glancing at her blue star charm.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Aqua and Kiera stepped out of the Mysterious Tower. Aqua carried Ventus’ lifeless body on her back. 

“Ven needs a safe place to be” said Aqua, “Somewhere where no one can find him, at least until he wakes up.”

Kiera looked sadly at Ventus’s peaceful face. Her heart ached for him. She wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to leave him. Just then, Kiera noticed Ventus’ hand was twitching.

“Aqua! Look!” Kiera gasped. 

Ventus lifted his hand up and summoned his keyblade. He slowly raised it up. A portal appeared above them. Kiera and Aqua smiled. 

“Alright, if that’s where you wanna go” she said, looking at Ventus. 

Aqua and Kiera, carrying Ventus, slowly walked inside the portal.