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[It's a video. Terra's somewhere outside of HospiTown by the forest in the background; it's late but not so late where he can't be easily seen. He looks like he hasn't been sleeping well, but otherwise alert.]

Hey there. I don't know most of you and most of you don't know me, so ... I'm Terra. I've been told in some detail we're here to save this place, and I intend to get to it.

['Now', apparently.]

Minervamon said she'd be leaving more detailed information later on, but for now I know we need to find Titamon and find the ARCloner as some first steps. It's a lot better than nothing to work with at all, but this world's a lot larger--

[A lot larger than most worlds he's been to. He can't say that, and continues after a moment of thought.]

--Than I expected. There's a lot of ground to cover. So I'm hoping to find some people willing to do some traveling. ...A lot of traveling actually. And willing to share what they find when they're traveling with everyone else. If anyone out there's got experience with uh, scouting, reconnaissance, that sort of thing, and willing to help, I'd like to hear from you.

[It's pretty clear Terra's not used to doing this sort of thing, it's all pretty awkwardly stated, with a bit of fidgeting here and there too, but he manages to stay pretty calm. This was a thing he was sure would help. Now if he could find enough people willing to help..]

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[The two on the ground are definitely alert, as Ryu and his passengers are watched nearly as soon as they're even in view, nevermind heard. Dorumon's senses are sharper, but it doesn't take Terra long either.]

... I really hope when I digivolve I can fly.

[It's a touch wistful, as Dorumon fans his tiny wings as wide as they'll get. There's no lift at all.]

If not, we'll find some other way to let you fly, don't worry.

[Everyone has dreams. He straightens up as they land however, studying Sora and his partners with thoughtful interest. He had the last time too, but this time is more to think about.]

Hey. That was definitely faster than it took us to get out here.

He's even bigger when he goes Ultimate.

[ Sora looks up at Ginryumon and grins. the dragon has enough sense to smirk and let it show. he then brings his claws up to give Dorumon a ruffle. ]

For all we know, you could have bigger wings in your next stage. Why, Kotemon went from having none at all to having huge ones as her Champion form.

Flying shaves so much time off of everything. Really, it does.

You can go that far, huh?

[Good to know. They haven't even tried for a digivolution yet; when it happened it happened. But Ultimate was definitely a step up from what Dorumon was even thinking of. It's hard not to edge away from those huge claws, but it seems the now much smaller digimon is certain he won't be hurt. Not on purpose.]

I hope so! I like the ground just fine, but I'd like to be able to fly somehow! ...And also maybe see what's at the bottom of the sea. ... But I don't think I'll be able to do both, and Terra wouldn't be able to come to the bottom of the sea ... ..I'll stick with flying!

[Dorumon is going to take this opportunity to give Ryu a thorough looking over. He's fairly certain he'll never be a ginryumon himself, but how many chances is he going to get to really see one without having to probably fight??]

Yeah. I miss having my glider. You really don't realize how useful a keyblade is til you can't use it anymore. ...So hey, you want us to stay here to find us again easier, or back in town?

[It's going to be a little odd having Sora's partner around instead, but ... well, it's no different than swapping friends for a bit.]

Don't say that, Dorumon. There is always the possibility that you might achieve both, even if your partner can't join you.

[ the digital world has seen weirder. for now though, Ryu leans down a little, to make it easier for his new passenger to get on. Sora is just likely to take the tail route as per usual. the sliding is only for a bit of fun. ]

I dunno. Sure it's useful and I'm glad to have it over not, but I'm sure you'll manage. [ Sora sticks out a tongue. ] Go wherever you want. Vixie can show you how you can tell us where you are.

[ Vixie nods, confirming this. like putting a dot on a map! ]

If he can't come, instead of just not wanting to, then I don't want to. It's not the same if you can't share it.

[It seems just that simple to Dorumon, but then again there's a whole lot of digimon that attached to their Chosen. ..Well at least one of the two had a good idea of how this is supposed to work.

He doesn't take the easiest route available; he has claws! He knows how to use them! And very carefully, treating Ryu as if he were a particularly delicate mountain to conquer.]

Hey! I have been managing. But I wouldn't be stuck on the ground if it wasn't encumbered. We'd already be flying around, and I'd be able to carry Dorumon, instead of eventually the other way around.

[..At least Terra's put some thought into bringing his partner with him! Small victories, small victories.

The idea of being able to track them is interesting, though. He's going to have to figure that out.]

Huh. Okay.

[ Ryu chuckles, swinging his tail around to push Dorumon up. Sora grins and joins not much later, taking his rightful spot on the digimon's back. the comment about carrying Dorumon has Sora smiling softly. ]

Just teasing you, Terra. You're already doing a lot better than some people.

[But not as good as others. He knew it. Which might be why he doesn't say much to that, just a brief bow of the head. There's always room for improvement. Always more rope to hang oneself with.]

Well, we'll see you in a bit then. Be careful.

[Dorumon's careful to find some small niche in Ryu's armor to work claws into and hold on; he didn't think he'd fall off, but it's better to be sure!]

We'll be back soon! And I'll tell you if we see a meat bush!

[ and Sora gives a little wave as Ryu leaps into the air. ]

You be careful too! Both of you!

[ he might want Terra to be okay... but Vixie is an important person to him too. Sora and Ryu both don't want anything to happen to her, not that they think anything will.

all the while, the third partner smiles and raises a paw to bid them farewell. ]

There is no such thing as a meat bush. He knows that, right?

[Dorumon's never been flying before! So it's certain even if Terra's not there this is going to be really neat. Not as neat as it could be but still fun! He lets go just enough to mirror Sora's wave as best he can manage.

Terra just watches, bemused.]

He insists they're real. Fruit bushes, berry bushes, meat bushes. I've seen stranger. Maybe they are out there somewhere. I just don't tell him that, it gives him something to insist on.

[In other words, Terra was obstinate just to be obstinate.]

Vixie, right? Did he pick that out for you, or did you pick it yourself?

Like fruit in the shape of stars?

[ she can't help but smile at that. perhaps these bushes do exist somewhere. just not here... not that she's seen. ]

We picked it out together. When I was brought to him, I wanted a name. Sora threw out a whole list of them and I picked the one I liked best.

Compared to meat growing on a bush, a star shaped fruit isn't that weird is it? What made that fruit odd was what people say it can do. Who knows if it's really true though.

[He'd seen them, not so long ago. There hadn't been the time to put the legend to the test, and he almost regretted it. When would he be able to return there? Ever?]

I guess that's a good way to do it. Dorumon doesn't seem interested. Might as well sit down, they could be gone a while. It's quiet here, as far as I can tell.

[Terra's not standing on ceremony, it seems, content to settle between clumps of torn earth and reach for one of the hard metal spheres Dorumon had earlier produced and spat out. It's bounced thoughtfully in one hand. Like a small cannonball, really.]

We're not there, are we.

[He sounds thoughtful.]

I don't think it's necessarily the fruit, but the heart that makes destinies intertwine...

[ but that's just her thoughts and her observations from watching Sora as she has. Vixie joins Terra in sitting down, acknowledging that they are going to talk. she takes a deep breath. time to see how this plays out. ]

Yes and no. For the last ten years or so, no one really knows for sure where you three are. Aqua and yourself are somewhere Sora and his friends have yet to reach, not that they are not trying...

[ she purses her lips for a moment. then takes the plunge. ]

Ventus, on the other hand, is a lot closer than you think.

Maybe. Some bonds aren't so easily broken even without a fruit or a charm.

[A charm. He still had his. Kept it with him, on his person, at all times. Even after Dorumon figured out how to store Ends of the Earth inside the devices they were given, he kept that with him. It was a childish comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

Unbreakable bonds.

The metal sphere is set down as Vixie speaks. He knew the digimon said they 'watched' their Chosen for years. She should know everything Sora had seen and done then. So why weren't they there, helping? Aqua was at least a Keyblade Master. If entire worlds were falling to Darkness, they'd have to respond.

Ten years. Wasn't there only a ten year gap between them? What could possibly have--

Xehanort.

They don't stop him. They musn't. There were no other threats grave enough to stop all three of them in their tracks.

There's little sign of Terra's thoughts save how his brows pull together slowly, a frown forming.]

I can make some guesses. It might not be worth trying to--

[He cuts himself off, and shakes the thought off. No point in voicing that.]

What do you mean, 'closer than I think'?

Don't try to guess, Terra. The enemy has always been ten steps ahead, implementing time travel and everything to ensure that everything falls into place as he sees fit.

[ the way she speaks right now is entirely different. even her usual friendly demeanor is more... subdued. serious to the point of being sobering. there are times that she recalls that even Sora had to be like this. times that things must carry on in this manner. ]

When Sora was still young, there had been a heavy weight on his chest. Riku told him that perhaps someone out there, beyond their world needed his help. To open his heart and listen. A heart responded, but it wasn't their first meeting. This time that heart asked if it could stay there, with Sora's, as it slept.

And he has been with Sora this entire time. He still is, though Sora does not remember him.

[In that case he doesn't have to guess. If Xehanort's been planning all this out, and neither he nor Aqua were fighting ten years later, then in a little while longer, no more than a year, they're out of the conflict.

Just like Master Eraqus. Aqua and Terra weren't necessary to those plans, but Ven..

Vixie is stared at blankly, though there's no real telling if it's even her he's seeing, or if his mind is busy filling in other memories and other people.]

Ven's ... heart? He has Ven's heart? How is that possible?

[Terra's been jerked around, manipulated and baited into the wrong conclusions, the wrong actions so many times, he's not sure if it's the truth or another deception. Why would she lie?]

If that's true, why hasn't he given it back?

Sora is a very special person, Terra. He very easily opens his heart to others and, more often than not, hearts respond in kind. Ventus chose Sora's heart as a place to rest. They have a much stronger connection than you can know... Ventus himself said that Sora had given him a second chance...

[ she reaches over to tap on Terra's hand. to get his attention. to look at her. ]

I don't know what happened that night. What I do know is that Sora would have to find the place where Ventus physically sleeps to return his heart. I know that Sora would. He has returned a lost heart at the risk of losing his own before... But perhaps Ventus isn't ready to go back. Just like Sora is unknowingly there for him, he has protected Sora as well.

[Sending Dorumon off and then having this conversation was probably incredibly unwise. The darkness would utilize any negative emotion it found, and enhance it, deepen it, use it as the very fuel Xehanort would have urged him to use not so long ago.

And his control is dubious at best. Dorumon had talked him out of it once already, but he's not here now. And irrational annoyance and jealousy of all things seethes up before he struggles to repress it. That kid and one of his best friends, one of only two he had left, had a connection stronger than he could know? So they die, and they're just replaced--

He jerks his hand away when Vixie reaches out to touch, expression gone distinctly hostile. Some people resort to biting, scathing retorts, but Terra isn't one to settle things verbally when sufficiently agitated.

This time, at least, he realizes what he's doing before he can follow through with the impulse that rises. He hadn't before, and others had paid. It was irrational, and he knew it. He had nothing to be jealous over, nothing to be angry over.

Perspective.

They're gone. Himself. Aqua. They fail. Ven survives. Maybe not all of him, but some part of him, that brilliant shining heart, still survived. If he was alive then ... then their failure wasn't total. Xehanort couldn't have won, not completely, and most importantly of all

Ventus survives it. Maybe not in his own body. Maybe not awake. But he was alive. Whatever nightmare scenario was coming, he'd get out of it.

Nothing is actually said for a while. While tempers are easy to set off it's much harder to throttle them down, fight back the unwanted darkness and bottle it back up as best he could. Vixie hadn't done anything but tell him. When he speaks finally, his tone is remarkably steady.]

Then ... I'll have to be satisfied with that. He'll be alright, even if we're not there. He's a tough kid, tougher than people think.

[Not Sora.]

If someone's tearing up the worlds, then one heart floating by itself would ... be in a lot of danger. He's probably safer this way. He'd always been a sleepyhead. Only Ven could take a ten year nap.

[ Vixie isn't prepared for the steady tone. she had expected yelling. telling her that she is spouting nothing but lies. heated anger and perhaps needing to take a few steps back. but this... this she doesn't know if it is a good thing or not. ]

I... I have no doubt of that. He would have to be tough surviving something that could send his heart sailing to seek another one out.

[ but that isn't really what she had been wanting to get at. she swallows, needing Terra to hear this. ]

Terra. Whatever happened then might not be able to be undone. But that doesn't mean you failed anything. You still protect them both, in a way. Your choice in picking Riku as a successor is critical. Without him, without your sound decision, Ventus and Sora would be lost. Riku is also a Keyblade Master with a very special ability - the ability to wake up a sleeping heart.

I didn't want to tell you this to discourage you. Or to burden you needlessly. I thought that you should know this, even if Sora does not. You should know that where they are now wouldn't be possible without you. I wanted to tell you that so you could cling to it and know that while maybe the darkness may feel like it's suffocating, that you helped bring light to worlds that would have, otherwise, have been lost forever.

[There's no reason to tell her she's lying. He doesn't automatically think that people lie to him. It's automatic to believe, something that's gotten him into trouble before. And he can verify for himself when Sora returns.

Until then it was better to think Ven was alive, had somehow escaped Xehanort's machinations. It offered him something to hold onto that wasn't hatred and fury. Or grief.

Showing it to others, anything but what seems to be absolute control couldn't be allowed. He had to be stronger than that. Had to be.]

Is this what he was hiding from me? Or is there something else?

[There's no doubt at all he heard what she'd said. And is thinking about it. One success. Did that outweigh his endless chain of disappointment and wrongdoing? He had chosen correctly, Riku had what it took to reach Mastery even in Yen Sid's judgment ..but did that pay for the lives lost or maimed?]

No. It's not a burden. [Yes it is. Here is the full evidence of terrible folly.] If the future can't be changed, then it's better to go to it knowingly than as fate's fool. Now at least I know ...

[Something will go right. Even in all the ways things go wrong, something goes right. And maybe his successor will be able to undo some of the harm he'd inadvertently caused.

There's much he wants to say. And none of it he will. It would be a struggle even to voice it to his closest friends. It's hard to accept he might have done anything right, faced with this.]

We should have been there. We would have, if I'd paid more attention. And maybe nobody would have had to suffer in his time, for mistakes I made in mine.

[He leans back a little, his smile tired and showing none of the emotions he actually felt. Terra was good at hiding those. And Vixie didn't have the connection to know how poisonously terrible they were. Her words should be a comfort. They would be, eventually, when he was able to listen to them replay in his mind without the ghosts of countless botched decisions haunting him. Eventually, it'd be a much-needed reassurance.]

Dorumon should have picked one of them. It would probably be better for this place.

[It's not Dorumon that was unworthy of their partnership, for all that the little digimon thought it was.]

... It is Xehanort causing problems, isn't it. What is he after? Why is he doing this?

Hiding from...

[ she shakes her head. that isn't what Sora is hiding. ]

Riku had been possessed at one point, Terra. By what they have now come to realize was by a fragment of Xehanort. [ more or less. ] Sora had to fight him and at one point, had even been abandoned by Riku and the people he had just made friends with. He doesn't feel it's necessary to talk about because everything Riku has set out to do is like trying to make up for all of that... But Sora had already forgiven him as it wasn't entirely his doing.

[ because Sora doesn't believe it really matters. so much good had been done... why dwell on the bad? unfortunately, Vixie doesn't believe in keeping that sort of thing from the people that ask about it. it does make things seem more suspect than what they really are. ]

And it isn't for Dorumon to say if you are worthy of him or not. We aren't matched to our Chosen because of whatever happens in your lifetime. We are put together because of our own hearts. You are a good person, Terra... You just need to see it like Dorumon does. Like Sora ultimately does.

[ but Sora is naive and innocent like that. seeing the good in someone before their darkness. ]

But yes. It is Xehanort. What he wants is another Keyblade War. Seven lights to fight thirteen darknesses.

[Terra can listen to what's said, even with his thoughts elsewhere, settled into their endless circle of doubt and self-recrimination. He'll remember all of it; he did his thinking best when alone, without distractions, and now he was definitely not alone. It doesn't prevent the flash of other things as Vixie explains a little better, piercing the uncertainty with outrage and indignation, isn't it important to pass on that Xehanort can possess people?, but for the most part his thoughts are elsewhere.

Even thinking about Xehanort dredged up bitter fury. With no outlet for it, it simply smolders, delicately tainting every other thought and feeling with the razor's edge of undeserved anger.

Instead, he bows his head. It might be acknowledgment, it might be agreement, it might be something completely different. I'm not a good person. Things would be easier if you'd just acknowledge that. It's hard to tell from the outside exactly what draws that gesture of possible-appeasement, maybe-agreement. He was good at hiding.]

Remind me to tell you a story about a river and a scorpion sometime.

[But not now. This ... mess of seven lights and thirteen darknesses made no sense. Starting a war for no purpose was stupidity at its finest. The last time a Keyblade War happened, the world shattered into countless fragments. What next? Mere particles of worlds?

It's a lot to think about, and Terra doesn't do his thinking around others.]

Is there anything else?

[Things he should know. Things that might be important. Things that might further damn him, but forewarned is forearmed or ... something, he wasn't sure how the phrase went anymore. Could the future be changed? Could he save anyone at all?]

[ Vixie just watches Terra. she is so unsure about all of this. what effect it will have on the potential relationship between Sora and Terra. the digimon hopes that she has done more good than harm here, but it's so hard to tell... ]

Rive and scorpion?

[ now what does that have to do with anything? 8T who knows... humans are odd things. Terra is odd. Repliku is odd... but honestly so is Sora. there are things that she will never understand about them and all of their idiosyncrasies.

there's a lot more to this story and she knows it. Terra likely knows as well... ]

I think I have given you enough to think on for the moment. When your heart has settled on what I have told you, then you can ask me more. Though... I'm sure Sora could tell you just the same, to a certain degree.

[It'd be hard to tell for people who've known Terra for years. He was always difficult to get a read on, and his tendency to prefer isolation didn't help much. It certainly was going to change something ... once he was sure whether or not Sora really carried his friend's sleeping heart.

And whether or not the future's set in place or can be changed. It was his future and he liked to think he had some control over his own life.. but it was someone else's past, and what's past can't be changed.]

If it's something I won't like, it's better to get it done now. Little bits at a time just means prolonging it needlessly. Like tearing off a bandaid; slow makes it worse. All at once may hurt but it also stops hurting faster. ... And Sora's already proven he's not interested in telling me much of anything.

[His tone darkens, but only briefly. If things DID somehow get worse than that, then knowing now would save him even more anxiety and worry. What ifs were terrible, painful things.]

I think that's the issue. No one knows you well enough for that, Terra. No one but Dorumon.

[ if only because the digimon had been linked to Terra for his whole life. Vixie, however, takes a deep breath. having to explain things... ]

It's not that Sora doesn't want to tell you, it's more like these things are not important to him. What happened, happened and there's no changing it. He tends to dwell on the brighter side of things than the darker ones, always believing that everything will work out for the best in the end. Every now and then he gets caught up in his feelings, acting impulsively instead of thinking things through.

[ she hums, thoughtful for a moment. ]

His heart already aches for you, Terra. Though he doesn't know it, he's felt Ven's sorrow. He's felt everything that the other heart linked with his own, Roxas, has. The good times, the happiness... But then the pains of anger, sorrow, and loss. Sora has also spoken with Aqua while she was here and knows how much she had been hurting on the inside. The last thing he wants for anyone is to continue to feel that pain. So what he wants, more than anything, is just to mend all of these broken connections and set things right.

[The look Terra turns on Vixie is unblinking.]

Do you need to know someone well to realize they might want to know what happens to their friends, or what happens when their choices snowball?

[Or that it might be irritating at best to have that information dangled at him, knowing he wanted to know it. Ridiculous. He's getting tired of what seems to him to be deliberate efforts to manipulate him. Whatever the reason behind it, he's been there and done that too many times. What were they trying to edge him into doing?

Terra didn't like explaining things when it's emotional turmoil. He's supposed to be stronger than that, better than that. Arguing with someone who held the keys to his future, and her partner, who thought it wasn't important was insult to injury but what could he really do about it? What's a little more anxiety and doubt? Maybe through his decisions he managed to pick someone suited for mastery and could save the future.

But that didn't change the past. It's past for Sora and his friends. Unchangeable. It didn't matter. Their lives didn't matter, except someone in the future was sad about it and didn't know why.]

It's important to me! This isn't ancient history, this is our lives, the lives of the only people I have left! It's his past, but it's my future and the future of my friends. My family! Maybe he can ignore it as irrelevant history but it's not history for me. You can't mend something that's broken if you don't know where it broke and try to hide that anything broke at all! How am I supposed to care that his heart aches when everything I know and care about is at risk, everyone I know and love is going to suffer or die because of me, and I'm being told it's NOT IMPORTANT!

[It rises from the facade of calm to the thunder of barely controlled fury and pain, and Terra's on his feet again, but surely he's not foolish enough to attack a digimon, knowing that only digimon can hurt each other..]

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