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People often ask why Kingdom Hearts uses terms like "hurt" instead of "pain" or "unreality" instead of "alternate dimension." Or why they use the terms "light" and "darkness" so much. The in-universe explanation for this is that the Kingdom Hearts World works very differently than our universe and has its own set of labels and rules for many things. The real world meta explanation for this though is that Tetsuya Nomura seems to like Kingdom Hearts to sort of establish its own labels and rules for things. And there's a reason why. For example, they're now calling the other side of the World that Yozora comes from "unreality" and "fiction" rather than just saying its another dimension or something. Getting used to these terms and the way they're used can be odd and jarring at times, however that's kind of the point as these unique terms sort of make you think and wonder more about these concepts. Something more mainstream such as Marvel uses more common terms such as other "dimensions" and the "multiverse" to bring characters and worlds together that usually wouldn't make much sense to bring together to make it make more sense and easy to understand for the audience so they can just focus on the characters and worlds that are being brought together instead of focusing on how weird and incomprehensible the concepts of other realities and universes really are. Kingdom Hearts likes to use words such as "unreality" and "fictional worlds" to put more focus on what these concepts actually mean and how weird and incomprehensible these concepts truly are. Instead of shying away from how philosophically weird and trippy some concepts are in order to make things easier for the audience to understand, Kingdom Hearts fully leans into it. So, if they were to just use the term "pain" instead of "hurt," you would think you understand what they're talking about completely and not take a closer look at the concept being talked about, while using the term "hurt" makes you take a closer look and examine what the concept of pain/hurt truly means and makes you wonder if you even do understand what it really means. There are concepts in life that we take for granted and think we know what they truly mean just because we've heard the words and the definitions of the words our entire lives, so we don't really take the moment to really think about it philosophically. If they used the word "pain" it would've just become another sentence that passes by and gets replaced by the next sentence without you taking a deeper look into what's being said. I remember as a young kid playing Kingdom Hearts and some of these odd terms would really make me think more about the underlying philosophy and existentialism of it all rather than just focusing on the more generic aspects that overlie it all. People often make fun of Kingdom Hearts for these odd terms and how often some terms like light or darkness are used, but I really do think there's a point to it. The way these terms are used might seem silly in a conventional way, but Kingdom Hearts has never been about thinking conventionally and has always been about establishing and following its own rules. The stuff with Yozora and Quadratum has made me the most interested in the series' future than I have been in a while. The mystique and intrigue of it is on par with after I saw KH1's secret ending for the first time. It's got the same vibes of what got me so hooked on the series so much as a young kid in the first place. It even brings back the same KH1 opening quote, bringing it back to the roots of what made the series so interesting and stand out. The theme of existential confusion that underlies the whole series. "I've been having these weird thoughts lately, like is any of this for real, or not?" "None of this... makes sense to me." Nomura has even said that the KH1 opening quote is what got KH approved in the first place. Q9: What can you say about the secret boss & episode? Nomura: "The secrets contain my thoughts about the future of the series, but with the information out at present I don't think you'll be able to guess any of it. Some parts of the battle ended up very different from what I requested. But it surprised me in a good way, so take it as it is." Q10: Why did lines from KH1 appear in the final trailer? Nomura: "Those were lines I'd long wanted to put together if I ever got the chance. You may not understand, but the inclusion of those lines is what got the world of Kingdom Hearts approved. There is no mystery to solve this time, they stand at the doorway." While many aspects of the story weren't planned by Nomura in advance, I definitely believe there has always been underlying themes and meanings that Nomura has rooted in the series and stayed consistent with and has had plans for ever since the first game. And now that the main story that has been going on with Xehanort is finally complete, it seems like he will finally bring out those underlying themes and meanings in full force and bring them to the forefront rather than in the background. Things are going to start getting really existential, meta, and trippy going forward. And I think this is what Nomura has planned for, hoped for, and always wanted to do since the first game. And I think those quotes of his prove that. The ongoing story has concluded. The ongoing mysteries have now been concluded. The time has come for the underlying themes of existential confusion, hearts, fake worlds, data worlds, dreams, other versions of yourself, not knowing what is real, etc. that have been built up and built up to finally explode and to get what Kingdom Hearts has always truly been about. "There is no mystery to solve this time, they stand at the doorway."

Hello everyone, This thread is a condensed version of the various posts as I've decided it's better to update you all under one thread as opposed to various. If you all haven't heard before, I'm sharing a fanfiction story of what happens to Kairi after the events of KH3. It's pretty interesting I believe and would love to hear your thoughts about it. The Story will Start in this thread from chapter 1. Chapter 4 has just been released and any updates will be posted in this thread! My twitter: @FruitPaopu Thank you for your patience and understanding~ May your heart be your guiding key~ Chapter 1: Rest I can only remember closing my eyes, barely conscious and faintly hearing my name from a distance. My body felt suspended, I couldn't feel the ground beneath my feet. I couldn't move....only listen. "Kairi!!" "You require motivation." Immediately I felt a sharp pain then soon after the pain stopped and my body filled with light. What happened between then and now I can't quite recall. I could just remember feeling my heart drift into a realm of emptiness. It was a scary yet familiar experience. This wouldn't be the first time my heart has drifted away, leaving my body in such a comatose state. This time is no different. Here I am again, in this beautiful yet desolate place full of hearts from those who have also fallen. The vast and expansive blue waves touch my feet. The clouds above me are still. Time is weird here. My form still retains, but I feel empty inside. Maybe Sora still believes we'll be together again. Is that why I haven't faded away? Just as I saved him, he's doing the same for me. Nearby I could hear quiet weeping. Who could be here crying, is it another person? Following the voice, it led me to one of the hearts floating around. It doesn't even notice me, continuing to cry and moving aimlessly. "Um...hello?" The crying stops. And the hearts movement slows as it floats toward me. I should say something. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt but I heard you crying...." A gentle voice emanated from the heart as it spoke to me. "No, don't be sorry. I apologise, I really shouldn't be here, I just....I don't know how I ended up here anyway. I was separated from my friends and loved ones and the last memory I have is seeing the face of the one I care for the most." She needs someone to talk to right now. We're both in the same boat. "If you need someone to talk to right now, I understand. I'm Kairi, what's your name?" I could hear her sniffling starting to stop as she spoke. "Hello Kairi, my name is Aerith."

For Transformers Week.

.~:Story:~. http://178.33.63.68/putstorage/DownloadFileHash/8C216F183A5A4A5QQWE1524068EWQS/Ivan%20Torrent%20-%20One%20Of%20Us%20(feat.%20Julie%20Elven).mp3 The whole world is united under one flag, Under one man. The flag, is Light of Dawn. The man, Huebert Dymana. He is known for his stern strict mind, strapped with the confidence to match his Charisma. His mind is set, on the world and is gripped well, never to be withered or loosened. There is no other to oppose the rule. Those who do not like him, fear him. Those who fear him knows what he is capable of and will step aside before ever opposing him. Even the five families, They know well of what him and his personal army are Adequate of Causing. “Everyone is in A ray of Peace and freedom.” Tis a lie, The world itself is in hiding. The super powered children of tomorrow are being hunted. When a new baby is born, doctors inject the children with a substance Called “Abysmal”. this represses the DNA compound that forms the metabolic solutions, giving the children abilities, their powers called “Aspect”, these children are known as “Banes”. Derived from the Auxiliary components known to use elements. Their abilities form similar arch types. Distinguishing was important, so the government troops coined terms of levels from Harmless to harmful. Three major categories were sprung from these Anti-cordial Conceptions, Docile, Medial And ravenous. They use these categories to accommodate it with the assertive amounts of aggression needed. So they still have their abilities but they don't last long. Going on Power binges, they get caught fairly quickly. Executed immediately or inslaved, their lives are better spent in hiding. While others try to live normal lives to scared to save someone else, they rather save themselves. For The government wants to keep all of the power in its self And Fear in the populace. With the fear Of a super powered Boycott that could over throw them one day keeps them on edge. “Kill without discretion!” the motto their Militia follows, if they suspect you they will kill you! There are five main families, These families harbor the government By “Doing as asked” in exchange for Unlimited power with in their jurisdiction. With these headmasters in place with power, they Will protect the dictator with their lives. Insuring he survives Till the end. They say “The world is great no famine, No hate. Life is where it should be.” When the streets are littered with poor homeless children, trying to steal their next meal. Only to be beaten by the greed Festered Adults when caught, and left to die on the streets where they originally rotted. Women selling their bodies, paralleling their children with this fate, to make it to the next day. Human traffickers, selling men, women and even children. Hoping them on drugs to gain their dependence, And Leading them through heavy labors Many don't survive a week. Especially and unfortunately not the children. Men are slobs, fat and greedy lustful beings. Either trading money for “Favors” of any kind. Life in the Darburb (Slums) Is a life riddled with Diseases and famine, Abuse and even Cannibalism. Living there is no place for People. But on the other hand there is the Northtopia. Where everything looks to be right out of a fantasy. The rich live In harmony, festively accumulating More and more wealth. Laugh day in/ day out, believing to be higher than those in the darburbs. Even making sport out of leading a band of Wealthy men down to the Darburbs at night to proceed in an act called “Stress slaying”. Where they'd kill children who have no homes and can't find shelter. Kidnapping women to train in being the perfect wife that they have them cook, clean, and breed. Capturing men to have them fight in arenas like dogs. Fighting for their lives, they are promised freedom, But none have gotten it. Just killed and curling the Darburbs Population, when they felt it to be necessary with any and all other nightwalkers. You need to save them in the process, save yourself. For if you do nothing they will find you under whatever rock you crawled under. So set the world to a better order, Spend your lives on others and Bring the government down, But it wont be easy. .:Rules:. All Kh13 Standard Rules Apply No godmodding all forms of lit are accepted you must at least have 7 sentences per post. You don't have to pick an aspect that we have. you can create your own following the guidelines between docile, medial, and ravenous. If you want to know one or more of the abilities we put down, pm us. You have limited npc control limiting to non-main npcs that are not apart of the five families. If you want permission to control a main npc you have to pm us. Your choices will affect the story, this rp is to bee seen as an rp{G} if you are going to put nsfw content, then please put a warning and put the nsfw content in spoilers. This will be Semi gore with suggestive themes, violence, drug, and display of sensitive topics, you've been warned. We will also put warning and spoilers. Try and please put “cat dog” if you read the rules. Oh yeah fade to black “always.” Try and be active, we will try and keep you up dated if you miss enough post to set you back, but that will be hard. So try and post twice a week. Gothraven DOVEGRACE and Scion twiscythe are MODERATING. Aspects Weaknesses” Big or small they all have certain Consequences, that could be fatal or not. Using an ability in the docile lowers this risk Significantly, but lowers the damage you could do to a lot of enemies. on the other hand having ravenous increases damage but heightens the risk making you a tank, but can die from over use much easier, Whilst Medial lies somewhere in between. Making Endurance you weakness. Docile:Very little Repercussion, Docile banes can't Dish out very much damage. Docile banes usually favor tactic versus all out brute. Rarely pings a SDI (Supernatural Diagnostic Interface a machine used to track banes all through out the city.) For their Pk levels are to low. Docile can't die from over use but can suffer from heavy Fatigue. Putting themselves in a world of danger when it comes to fleeing or Head on fights. Fire: they can feel the heat they put out, are not immune to fire. Small resistance to heat. They can still get burnt even though it is harder then that of a normal human. (Uses their Heart) Earth: Using their powers they feel a tremor that grows in size the longer their abilities stay in use. Causing their bones to shake as well as their brain causing lose of consciousness. (Uses their bone) Air: Has a fair struggle trying to breathe, while using their abilities They can run out of breathe and lead to passing out. (Uses their Lungs) Water: Dehydration is common, But mainly Over salivation and sweating happens. The water leaves their trying hard to be used as ammunition to further the fight. (Uses their Blood) Lightning: Not being able to handle the watts you dish out would Burn you out and either paralyze you, or Knock you out. Slow response is common to speech and even stimuli. (Uses their Nervous system) DNA: Skin is more sensitive to light, And can cause mild burning. The body reacts something like a vampire, and can stand in the sun for short times. Shade breaks and long sleeve clothing will help take that away. (Uses Genetic Code) Psyche: Nose bleeds and Sight blur, their motor function become lazy and respond slow. Forcing them into a sleep like state. (Uses Will power) Medial: Have a balanced, not strong not weak. They suffer mainly when it come to endurance. One hit ko is their best strategy, Battling it out for to long can lead to fainting, Coma, Even death in the wrong conditions. Medials Have the ability To manipulate on a larger scale, but upholding that quota could lead to fatality. Pro's they can harm both Bane and non With Less of a struggle. Fire:Resistant to flames, can't stand rising temperatures, Heart races as adrenaline pumps through blood. Earth: Can feel pound for pound of how much they pick up in weight on their bones and can lead to fracturing and in worse case breaking bones. Air: the air you use leaves you dizzy, winded, and Sluggish. Also disorientated. Water: Skin starts to burn and become irritated, Blindness follows soon after. Vomiting also occurs. Lightning: Muscle pain, and Cramps, Also hindered reaction time. DNA: Uses vitamins, Forcing the body to hibernate, and become malnourished. Psyche: Headaches and Lose of awareness. Also Hallucinations can happen similar to schizo. Ravenous:The most dangerous of the categories. Constantly have to keep their powers in check. Can destroy on a large scale, But of All Can ping the SDI subsequently easier. Their powers are hard not to mask. Could end up killing themselves and others if they don't watch what they do. Ravenous A stronger than the other two but They can only do as much as you body can handle. Fire: Can have a heart attack, heart can skip a beat. Fall into panic attack and Anxiety attack. Heart can become over worked. Earth: Making you bones much weaker meaning defense suffers when using abilities Air: Suffer Focus, Can make you fall into the same symptoms as autism. Water: Severe Dehydration destroying muscle and Tissue in the body. Lightning: Memory lose, And Pain Flares cause them to fall into a state of Epilepsy. DNA: Parts of their bodies with DECOMPOSE rapidly, Making their arm s or legs fall off due to tissue deterioration. Psyche: Over Us Causes you to slip into a coma. Docile aspect: Fire: Smoke, Ash, Ember, Temperature, Inertflame (Burn calories to get a boost), Flare, Dry(Allows you to have super friction creating sparks with a snap), Earth: Crush (Super strength), Crack (Finding the faults in something), Grow (Using seeds or plants can be bent to grow how you want), Tremor (Cause tremors to break something), Rock (Super defense) Erode(Making contact with the ground can erode to make sand to manipulate), Smith. Air: Gust (Generate Small forces of wind), Zephyr (Small breezes that can be used to manipulate you weight), Xanthus (Control aerodynamics to make in flight objects move awry), Suction, Cloud (Change your molecular density weight wise), Bubbles (The can pack a punch like a fist), Still air (Become undetectable and even under heard) Water: Mist, Svelte (Moving your body like water), Wet (Being able to slide like on ice), Dilute(Make Objects soft if only for a moment), Refraction(Causing the image of them to refracted and become like a mirage Controlling perceptions), Ripple (Moving already existent sources of water to bend to your will), Tide (Being able to move and displace kinetic Forces), Lightning: Static, spark, Ac/Dc, Nerve, Radio waves, Condition, Regen. DNA: N/A Psyche: N/A Medial aspects: Fire:Ignite, Inert Flame, Swathe, Micro Waves, Thermo Gears, Flame juggle, DragonKite, Earth:Quake, Equilibrium, Pendulum, Focal, Terminal Velocity, Metal-morphosis, Isomorphic. Air: Vacuum, Compression, Dense air, Sound wave, Air pocket, Sirocco, Sonar, turbulence, Water: Wave, Cryo, Rain, Whirlpool, ionized, Kappa, Nimbus, Lightning: Taze, Paralyze, Shock, Bolt, Zip, Mechomania, Neurotic Control, DNA: Heightened Senses, Evo Structure, Muscle memory, Highspeed Regen, Elemental resistance, Camouflage, Asura. Psyche: Telebility , Memoir ingrave, Mental break, telepathy, Astral Project, Barrier, Gain. Ravenous aspects: Fire:Scorch,Combustion,Inferno, Inert Flame, Boil, Ashen, Explosion, Apollo,Star Quasar, Earth: Seismic, Primary, Volcanic Obsidian, Core, Chasm, Stalactites/Stalagmites, Abrasive. Air: Atmos, Hermes, Maelforce, Silver wind, Sonic boom, Banshee, Vortex, Water: Hydro, Glacier, Hydro implosion, Solidus, Evaporate, Osmosis, Blue blood, Lightning: Railgun, Dark matter, Negative energy, EMP, Nuclear Energy, Storm, Lighting ball. DNA: Partial transformation, Materialize, Malformation, Physical Alchemy, DNA Devour, Necro, Copious. Psyche: Psycho breaker, Illusion, Fate walk, Trace, Reservoir Kinetic, Oracle, Calamity swell, Quantum Seer. .:Character Skel:. (Appearance here) Name: Gender: Age: Personality: Bio: Quirk: Bane Aspect: Objet D'art: ( An item or weapon used to making you abilities stronger.) Optional. Rp: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/89506-soulphate-sinders-rpg/

Just a short story I wrote. Rated PG-13 for scary junk, and a minor blood mention It was the calliope that brought him up to the attic in the first place: the loud, racy, slightly off center calliope, like the time Sissy took him to the state fair..only this time it came from the attic, a place he was expressely forbidden to enter. He held Winnie close, the old bear dustily trailed a leg behind him, as he went up the steps to the loud noise, the calliope's rusty siren call making him move against his fear, as he pushed open the large door, unlocked despite Sissy locking it carefully before. Giggling echoing in the room as he pushed inside, and coloured lights flashed across the walls and junk gathered within, the mirror the cause, it seemed, the large mirror Daddy said had come from a carnival's funhouse, the mirror he was told never to touch or see. The noise grew, and the calliope beckond him, a rattling of rollar coaster wheels, neighing of horses, and the smell of sweat and sawdust drawing him to the mirrors cold surface, fingers reaching out to touch the smooth glass, behind which the carnival frolicked under lightning filled skies. The clown came too fast for him to back away, and a rough hand smeared with grease paint and blood reached for him, as he back away from the mirror in shock, the calliope screaming at an increased rate, screams coming from behind the glass, the clown oozing blood as it smiled. He ran, he ran and never looked back, as the calliope jangled into a blood chilling halt. Daddy spanked him for breaking the mirror, and Mommy fussed over him for imagined wounds from the blood on the glass shards. It wasn't his. He found out whose it was that night, as his window opened on a gentle breeze scented with grease and horse manure, and the laughter of children and the screaming of adults wafted on the wind, the calliope's mournful cry flickering on the night's darkness...

[This is a story about how Terra and Ventus became friends. This is my contest entry.] --- “Terra, you can’t keep putting this off.” Terra stopped gazing at the floor and looked up to meet the frustrated eyes staring back at him. Awkwardly, Terra turned away to stare at something else while he searched for a response. She was right, of course. Aqua was usually right and Terra took a moment to be thankful that she never rubbed that fact in. She may be about the same age as him but sometimes she seemed a lot older. She was standing across from him with her arms folded while he leaned against the corridor wall, clearly uncomfortable. When he couldn’t think of anything to say, Aqua spoke again. “He’s been getting a lot better. Really! I’ve spoken to him; Master Eraqus has spoken to him. Why won’t you go talk to him?” Terra sighed. He had to say something. It might as well be the truth. “I’m worried I might say the wrong thing again. I messed him up pretty badly the last time I tried to talk to him. What if I…?” “Terra,” Aqua softened. “That wasn’t your fault; you just didn’t know. Don’t blame yourself.” When Terra hung his head, Aqua sighed. “Well, don’t blame yourself anymore. Forget about it and just start over.” Is it that easy? Terra wanted to move on from this more than anything right now, but every time he remembered those cries he would go back to feeling terrible. He needed to atone for this, somehow. “What am I supposed to say to him?” He looked back up at Aqua. “How do I make things up to him?” His face must have had shame written across it, because Aqua took sympathy and stepped towards him. “Just go in there and be his friend. Once you’re there, you’ll know what to do.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “You need to be more confident in yourself, Terra. You can do this.” Terra gave her a shaky smile then hesitated to reply, still enwrapped in doubts and nerves. Aqua turned and started walking away. “If you don’t go talk to him, I’ll stop going easy on you during sparring.” Despite himself, Terra couldn’t help but give out a brief laugh. It wasn’t much but it made him feel better. Once he’d relaxed again he scratched his head, considering Aqua’s words. Terra wanted to be more confident in himself, but that was easier said than done. He wasn’t afraid to fight anything, but talking to people was a very different story. He appreciated being able to chat with Aqua the way they did. As Terra had these thoughts, it occurred to him that the support he had in Aqua was exactly the kind of thing he needed to give. Be his friend. That’s what Aqua was doing for Terra right now. Terra had to take that example in turn and pay it forward. If the least he could do was make him laugh, that was enough. Terra straightened up and made up his mind. He made his way down the corridor until he reached the right room. Originally this had just been one of many spare rooms in the castle, but now the door had a name plate attached to it where it had previously been bare. This was new since Terra had last been here. VENTUS Clearly what Master Eraqus had told them was true; Ventus was going to live with them from now on. Reading the name on the door filled Terra’s stomach with butterflies again. Suddenly his confidence was draining. He nervously reached for the door handle, but stopped himself. I probably shouldn’t just walk in. He slowly raised his hand to knock on the door, but held back at the last second. I’ll probably disturb him; I’m not a gentle knocker. Terra cleared his throat to call Ventus’ name and ask permission to enter, but the words were caught in his throat. He’ll probably freak out when he hears my voice. Dejected, Terra turned around to walk away and almost bumped into Aqua, who looked like she’d been watching him the whole time. She was shaking her head, she had her hands on her hips, she was sighing and she even looked like she was trying not to laugh. Terra stammered to make an excuse but Aqua was already walking past him. “Let me help,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. Before Terra could stop her, she had her hand on the handle and was opening the door. She did so gently, with an air of caution that was not lost on Terra. “Ventus? It’s me, Aqua. Can I come in?” There was silence, but Ventus must have nodded because then Aqua was stepping into the room and waving at Terra, beckoning him to come in as well. Fighting every impulse in his body, Terra stiffly followed her in. The room was still quite bare. Nothing but the simple necessities currently decorated it, but Ventus didn’t have much personality to personalise it with yet, nor had he been living here very long. Terra felt a wave of sympathy as he remembered that Ventus had no idea who he was, so how could Ventus know what kind of room to live in? The room is as empty as his memories, Terra reflected sadly. But with a spark of hope, he thought: It won’t be empty for long. Ventus himself was sitting upright on the edge of his bed, no book in hand, no creases on his covers, no sign that he’d been doing anything else when they’d walked in. With his current state of mind, he could easily have been doing that for hours. He was smiling faintly at Aqua, as though he were practising happiness, but when he saw Terra his smile faded. Terra could feel his own heart sinking but there wasn’t a trace of fear or accusation on Ventus’ face, just curiosity and a blank lack of recognition. “Do you remember Terra?” Aqua asked him softly, gesturing to Terra. “…Terra.” Ventus mused, staring at him. Terra made himself stare back and tried to look friendly. I probably look like guilt itself. There was a pause while Ventus sat in thought. It started to grow uncomfortably long and Terra was beginning to wonder if Ventus even remembered what he was trying to remember when his eyebrows furrowed slightly and he finally said: “…I think so.” Terra was heavily regretting every second of this. “You know, he doesn’t have to remember me,” he whispered to Aqua. “Given what happened…” Aqua took his point. “It’s okay, Ventus. You only met Terra once before. He’d like to talk to you so that you two can get to know each other.” Ventus looked at her as she spoke, hopefully registering what she was saying. “Okay?” she added after a pause. “Okay,” Ventus replied. He seemed impossible to read, but then Terra reminded himself there was nothing to read. Not for the first time, Terra wondered what had happened to cause Ventus to lose all his memories like this. He wanted to help, but he was still afraid. “Okay,” Aqua finished. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She must have spotted Terra’s fear because right before she left, she whispered “Be brave,” to him. She closed the door behind her, leaving Terra awkwardly standing around the centre of the room, alone with Ventus. Ventus gazed at Terra vacantly, while Terra glanced about as he fumbled for something to say. Okay, how do I start talking to him? Terra could never find the right words to say, as evidenced by his last talk with Ven. I should say ‘Hello’ or something first. Wait, did I already say hello? Will he find it weird if I say hello twice? At this point, Terra was certain Ventus would find anything he said weird. How much time had passed already? 30 seconds? A minute? 5 minutes? It felt like an age and nobody had said anything. Finally Terra went for a greeting. “Um, hi there.” He threw in a smile and a wave, trying to be welcoming. “Oh, hello.” Ventus responded as though Terra had just walked in. Even so, Terra was sure Ventus must have found him strange. It had been so easy to talk to him the first time, but now Terra felt disarmed. He had to find a way to make them both comfortable. “So…” Terra began, before he was even sure what he wanted to say. Whatever you do, don’t ask him a question. Don’t ask him a question. Do not ask him a question. “…How are you?” Terra mentally buried his face in his hands. “I’m fine.” Ventus replied without missing a beat. Oh good, he is getting better. However, Terra was sure he was about to mess him up again. Be his friend. Try and make him laugh. “Great! That’s really good. That’s…” Terra tried but he couldn’t think of any humour that Ventus was likely to get at this stage. Forget it. Just talk to him. Talk to him without asking any more questions. Terra tried to think of something to talk about, but he was unsure what Ventus would be interested in. No questions! “What do you want to talk about?” Terra mentally buried his head in the ground. “I don’t know,” came the response. Terra would have appreciated it if this kid just said more than a few words at a time. He began to feel very isolated standing in the one spot. He gingerly trod towards a table to try and find something to distract them. He didn’t expect the sudden remark that came next. “You look nervous, Terra.” “Huh?” Terra spun around looking back, perhaps a little too sharply. Ventus hadn’t moved and was still looking at him but his face showed concern. More than that, Terra had heard concern in his voice. So he isn’t completely empty. “Are you okay?” Ventus asked. “I-I’m fine,” Terra replied. Terra still felt foolish, but this time he also felt renewed. I’ve been forgetting to just talk to him like a real person. Ventus had been an unstable and even alien element until a few moments ago. Terra had been letting his fear get in the way of talking to a friend. He hadn’t been letting his heart do the talking. That was going to change now. “How about I tell you a little bit about myself?” “Okay,” Ventus nodded and actually smiled slightly. His eyes still had a ghostly quality to them, but he had a heart like everyone else and Terra was determined to help him find it. With newfound confidence, Terra opened up to him. They spoke for nearly an hour. Terra told him about where he came from and how he came to the Land of Departure. He talked with him about learning under Master Eraqus and how he was almost as close as a father to Terra. He told Ventus about his friendship with Aqua and how both of them were training to become keyblade Masters. When he told Ventus that becoming keyblade Masters was a shared dream of theirs, Ventus nodded and supposed aloud that since he would be staying with them, he’d have that dream as well. Terra encouraged him to find a dream he really wanted, something he cared about most of all and to give it everything he had, with whatever he had. “Thank you, Terra.” Ventus almost seemed to have brightened over their conversation. “You’re very nice.” For the first time in a while, Terra felt self-aware again, but now he was able to shrug it off easily. He was having a good time with the kid. He was a little spacey, but he listened to everything Terra said with genuine interest. Terra had also never known that he had so much to talk about. He felt like he was learning about both of them. It was very pleasant. “Well, yeah. I want to be your friend.” Ventus looked surprised. “You want to be my friend? Really?” His seriousness nearly made Terra chuckle. “Of course! I want to help you. I want to look out for you and be there for you. I want to be your friend, Ven.” The words came easily to him, but that was probably because they came from the heart. While still wanting to make up for their first meeting, Terra had really grown to care about Ventus and felt protective of him as though he were an older brother. “Do you want to be my friend?” Ventus looked truly happy as he replied. “Yeah, I sure do!” Then he frowned for a moment. “Wait. You called me Ven. But my name’s Ventus.” Terra smiled. “I know. I called you Ven as a sort of nickname. It’s shorter than Ventus and friendlier sounding. Is that okay? If you don’t like it, I won’t call you it.” Ventus considered for a moment. “So a nickname is a shorter name for friends? And you think ‘Ven’ could be my nickname?” Terra could tell Ventus had a lot to learn, but he wouldn’t resent a second spent teaching him. “Yeah,” Terra made a little arm-pump gesture, an excitable quirk he’d acquired over the years. “My friend, Ven.” Ventus paused for a moment, then smiled more broadly than he ever had. Terra laughed cheerfully. “Yeah! Ven. I like it, Terra. I can tell my friends to call me that! Should I tell Aqua to call me that?” “Definitely! Aqua would love to be your friend.” “What about Master Eraqus?” “Uh, well… He’s our Master so it’s a little different. I guess he can call you that if he wants.” Terra stood up and looked out the window. “You know, we’ve got a few hours left of sunlight. You want to go out and train for a bit? Together?” “Okay, let’s do that.” “Do you know the way to the training grounds? I could race you.” Terra had intended to go easy on Ven, but was surprised to discover just how fast Ven could run. He sped down the corridor where he shot past Aqua who had shouted a startled “Ventus?” at the sight of him only to hear an over-the shoulder cry of “Call me Ven!” Despite Ven’s claims, he actually didn’t know his way to training grounds and did two circuits of the castle before making it outside where Terra was waiting. The two of them had laughed over it, although Eraqus later complained that next time he’d like a little more warning before his catatonic guest nearly knocked him over. Aqua soon joined the two in their training, which eventually just became three friends hanging out. The trio spent that night lying under the cloudless night sky, watching for meteors and shooting stars.