Sorry for the delay on this guys! Here's the net part!

~Learning the Art~

"This place is ridiculous," Vanitas hissed as he faced yet another magical floating staircase.

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at it for a good five minutes just for the principle of the thing, before heaving a sigh and heading for the stairs.

He'd been in Twilight Town for three months now.

His body felt…well still not right exactly, but he finally felt comfortable in his own skin. Which counted as something he supposed. Part of it might have been his constant training. He stayed in the old mansion more often than not, going through the motions with his keyblade, re-familiarizing himself with something he never should have forgotten in the first place. It was hard at first, but practice made perfect and all that.

So that was what he did. He practiced. With his keyblade, with the magic he'd picked up. He'd practiced slipping through shadows and walking in the light. He'd kept at it until it became as easy as breathing. He felt better for it.

There was, however, a limit to how much one could train while locked up in an old abandoned mansion before boredom set in.

He'd started wondering around town until he'd come across a train that no one else seemed to be able to see.

It led him here, to this strange tower with floating staircases and magic singing in the walls.

Vanitas was curious.

And also kinda fed up.

This place seemed never ending, with staircase after staircase and weird doors that led to nothing. This tower as definitely bigger on the inside.

"This had better be the last one," he grumbled as he reached the top and shoved the door open.

Instead of glowing orbs of light or animated brooms or more floating stairs, he found a rather plain, normal looking hallway. The walls were lined with windows and the cool, soft light from the stars shown through.

"Huh," he said, "This is unexpected."

He wandered down the hall, weary. It was quiet here, not as quiet as the Dark, but still enough to put him on edge. This place was different than any other he had been before and he wasn't really sure what to expect. There was a door at the end of the hall and he could hear muffled voices on the other side. With an absent shrug, he pushed the door open and peeked inside.

It was a study.

There were two figures inside, one seated behind the desk and one standing before it. The one behind the desk was an old man with stern eyes and a long beard. He looked up at Vanitas's entrance and his lips pulled into a frown.

The smaller figure with large black ears before the desk noticed the man's distraction and turned to face him as well.

"Soooooo," he drawled, "Is this a private party or can anyone join?"

Ventus was content.

Possibly even happy. He was still figuring things out. On the plus side, he wasn't so sluggish anymore. His body moved when he wanted it to and words came easier now. Master Eraqus gave him exercises to do and Aqua and Terra were more than happy to help him with them.

He still didn't remember that much about Before. But he was getting better about that, mostly because he remembered everything that came After. Aqua even gave him a journal to writing things down in just in case.

He was even able to sit in on lessons with them.

Keyblades were still a challenge for him. He still flinched when they appeared or got to close. But watching Terra go through kata or Aqua cast magic helped. They weren't hurting. They were safe. They made the keyblade dance.

Ventus thought it was beautiful.

He still wasn't ready to call for his own blade. He could feel it there, in the back of his mind. Waiting. He would check sometimes, to see if it was still there. But he would never reach for it. It seemed fine with that, content to just be.

It was like wind. A constant, gentle breeze.

Wayward Wind.

He remembered that. It was a name. His keyblade's name. There was a warm hum of agreement in his mind at that. A reminder that his keyblade was there.

When you are ready, it whispered.

It was calming to know that it was there but not be under any pressure to use it.

He liked the regular lessons too.

Math and literature and history. He liked learning things, knowing things. And Master Eraqus wasn't bothered by his questions – he encouraged them actually. He was patient and kind and always ready to help. It was…different. But a good kind of different.

There was one thing though, that unsettled him.

He didn't like the way Master Eraqus talked about the Dark.

Don't goes down the Dark path. Don't let your anger cloud your judgement. The Dark was painful and dangerous and unstable.

"But," Ventus said slowly, brow furrowed in confusion, "The Light is exactly the same."

Terra and Aqua stared at him in surprise. Master Eraqus raised a brow in question.

"What do you mean, Ventus?" he asked.

Ventus pressed his lips together. "You keep talking about Darkness like it's all bad, but that's wrong. Too much Darkness is bad, yes, but too much Light is bad too. You have to have both."

Terra frowned. "Ven…"

"Ventus makes a good point about balance," Master Eraqus cut in, "Every person has both Light and Dark inside of them."

"Balance," Aqua murmured, looking contemplative, "So it's about finding the right…I can't think of the right word – ratio? Between Light and Dark. Any disharmony could tip you over the edge."

Master Eraqus nodded. "The Dark is tempting and easier to rely on. Once you've draw on it, it's hard to resist drawing on it again. Too much and you risk hurting yourself and others."

"So counter balance with more Light?" Terra asked. He looked more baffled than anything.

Master Eraqus started saying something else, but Ventus wasn't listening anymore. They didn't understand. Why didn't they understand? They talked about the Dark like it was bad and the Light like it was good. But the Light hurt. He knew. He remembered. And the Dark had made it better.

"That's wrong," he said softly.

The others turned to him, confused.

"What's wrong, Ven?" Aqua asked.

Ventus frowned at them, his confusion showing plainly on his face. "You are."

Aqua was frowning now and Ventus did not like seeing her frown. He wanted her to smile, but he had to make sure she understood first.

"You all are," he continued, "You talk like the Dark is bad and the Light is good and that's wrong. They both just…are."

"That may be true, Ven, but it's better to rely on something that's safe," Terra said, "The Dark is dangerous."

Ventus didn't understand why, but that made him angry. They didn't understand. He shot up to his feet, glaring at them. "Light hurts!" he all but shouted at them, "It's not safe!"

Aqua and Terra stared at him with wide eyes.

Master Eraqus looked more concerned than anything. "Ventus, do you remember something about your accident?" he asked gently.

The other two instantly went from shocked to worried.

It wasn't an accident, he wanted to say. He grit his teeth against the words. Master Eraqus was friends with Xehanort. If he couldn't make him understand then why would he believe him?

"No," he said shortly.

And fled the room.

"You have much Darkness in your heart," Yen Sid said with a deep frown.

Vanitas raised his eyebrows. "And?"

Mickey was looking back and forth between them, eyes worried.

Yen Sid was a Master.

But Vanitas wasn't going to call him that. Not ever. He'd had enough of Masters. Never again.

When the old man didn't say anything, he plowed onwards. "Teach me something," he demanded.

Mickey gapped, but Yen Sid just laced his fingers together and looked contemplative.

"And what is it that you are so desperate to learn?" he asked.

Vanitas narrowed his gold eyes, glaring at him as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Who ever said anything about desperate?"

Yen Sid raised a brow, looking entirely unimpressed. "Are you not?"

"Perceptive old bat," he grumbled.

Yen Sid said nothing more, merely looking at him. The silence between them grew and Mickey started fidgeting.

Vanitas snarled at them both. "I want to protect my Light," he ground out at last.

Yen Sid frowned, peering closely at him. "You have no Light."

"I have enough," Vanitas snapped.

And he did. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough. It counted. He wouldn't let anyone say otherwise. Besides, the light in his heart wasn't the same thing as his Light.

He gestured furiously to himself. "This is what happens when you rip apart the Light and the Dark in a Heart. I would very much like for it not to happen again."

Mickey gasped, but Vanitas ignored him. Yen Sid's eyes were suddenly very hard, boring into him. Vanitas glared right back.

Finally, he nodded.

"Very well. I will teach you what I can."

Van is such a little shit. An overprotective little shit, but a little shit none the less. I think he's my favorite right now - mostly because I've made him into a little sass master that just doesn't give a damn.

And poor Ven, still struggling to find his normal. He will continue to feel the frustration of trying to talk to multiple brick walls for a while. And Van will be absolutely no help.

Until next time,

~Elri