[Kingdom Hearts AU] Someone to Watch Out for You

To Forget, Regret, and Try Again

Ventus hit the ground hard when a training dummy walloped him right in the face. It probably wouldn't have been so bad, had it not been the fourth time it's happened today.

"You almost had 'im!" Goofy shouted from the sidelines. "Run through it one more time, Ven!"

The young knight gave the captain a nod before heading back to the start of the course. He took some time to readjust his gear before giving Goofy the go ahead. Goofy gave a firm nod back, sounding the alarm that told Ven the exercise had started again. Ven took off without a thought. This first part of the course was second nature to him by now. Every course Disney Castle used to train its knights and squires started with the same speed, reaction, and agility tests. Not to brag, but Ventus's whole forte were fast attacks. He still held the score for fastest time through any course yet.

'a decade's death...'

Intrusive thoughts were not part of the tests, though. Ever since finding the Land of Departure in ruins, with a castle of oblivion in its stead, it became harder to think of much else. Especially at times when he was reminded of his life before. If he wasn't here right now, where would he be? What would Goofy and the rest of the guard be doing? He almost failed to vault over a barrier in time as a flash of thought wondered if he'd still be with Terra and Aqua. He ran directly into another barrier when the same line of thought was applied to Wasteland, and its princess. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see some sympathy flinches from both Goofy and the rest of the guard.

'haunted by the hearts of those you have left behind...'

The second part of the course felt like the hardest. There were dummies that attempted to swing at him, and a large carousel with suspended discs roughly the size of Donald or the king. It wasn't much movement, but it could still be unpredictable. The carousel of discs was very similar to the one that used to be in the Land of Departure. When it wasn't being used for practice, Ven had liked to give it a good whack just for the fun of it. It was less fun when one of those discs whacked you right back- as was the case just moments ago. Ven was able to duck before a second disc was able to take him out.

'stars will lose their lights...'

Ven cursed when he let one of the dummies graze his arm. It stung a lot more than he cared to admit. But he had to keep running the course. He wouldn't let himself leave today unless he finished it. Ventus had a duty to Disney Castle as its knight. As a Keyblade wielder, it he had a duty to the worlds at whole. He wouldn't stop until he was strong enough to protect everyone. He wouldn't stop until he could protect the ones that mattered the most. Queen Minnie, Terra, Aqua, and even...

A loud alarm suddenly sounded through the training yard. Ven stopped his motions immediately- almost getting hit by another armed dummy in the process. Confused, Ven looked over at Goofy for an explanation. What he found was the queen also standing there.

"Come along now, Ventus." Queen Minnie called out to him. "It's time for a little break, don't you think?"

Bordering on full flabbergasted now, Ven knew better than to deny a direct request from the queen. He did his best to make it out of the course unscathed- he almost got another knock from a still moving dummy regardless. Maybe it had been time for a break. As he and Minnie walked away from the training yard, a wave of exhaustion smacked Ven harder than the dummies or discs ever did.

"It really is a lovely day, isn't it?" Minnie mused as they walked along. Ven didn't want to question where they were going, but it seemed to be pretty far from the main square. "The trees are starting to regain their color from winter. I like the colder weather, but it's always a relief to feel the warmth return. Don't you think?"