Fanfic / Second Chance

At the end of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Ventus was injured in battle and his heart was separated from his body, only to be offered shelter by four-year-old Sora. In canon, Ven went back to sleep while waiting for the day when his heart would heal and could be reunited with his body.

Second Chance, by ShinkaAkira, is a Kingdom Hearts Alternate Universe Fic in which Sora is aware of Ven's consciousness and grows up considering him his big brother.

Second Chance provides examples of:

• Abhorrent Admirer: More in terms of personality rather than appearance, Sora's bully Zenos turns out to have a crush on Kairi, which Ven figures out because she's the only one of Sora's friends who can get him to back down. Kairi is disgusted when she finds out.
• All-Loving Hero: Sora, as in canon, which is illustrated when Ven explains to his mothers how he was able to find his way to Sora's heart.
  Ven: He could feel my heart calling out in pain and responded with open acceptance. His heart is filled with kindness and light and he’s gonna do great things someday, I just know it. And it’s because of that I was able to find him. He saved me from a long, lonely recovery and I’ll forever be grateful to him for that.
• Anger Born of Worry: Aiko, Kalana and Ven's reaction after Sora after he almost drowns trying to save Kairi, complete with What Were You Thinking? from Kalana.
• Beware the Nice Ones: After Zenos' bullying leads to Sora almost drowning, Ven takes over Sora's body to calm him down from a panic attack, before turning to Zenos and taking him down a peg.
• Big Brother Instinct: Ven to Sora, even before the two start calling each other their brother.
• Big Brother Mentor: Ven comes to enjoy training all three of the kids in swordplay, picking up on what works for each of them.
• Butt-Monkey: Wakka, the subject of a couple of offscreen slapstick moments that Riku tells Sora about. He's not too happy when he meets Sora and Kairi and finds out what Riku has been telling them.
  Riku: Wakka's yogurt pack exploded all over him at lunch.
  Sora: (laughing) What flavor was it?
  Riku: Strawberry. There was pink goop everywhere, especially on Wakka. He was covered in the stuff. You would think after the glue incident he’d have learned to bring a spare change of clothes to school, but apparently not. He spent the rest of the day complaining about how sticky he felt.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Wakka is the first to spot the signs of Sora's dyslexia, thanks to his friendship with Tidus.
• For Want Of A Nail: Ven's interaction with the kids seems to be having an impact on the eventual plot of the games (such as encouraging Kairi to train with the boys and teaching them about magic and the Keyblade), though it remains to be seen how much.
• Good Parents: Aiko and Kalana, both to Sora and to Ven once they meet him properly.
• Happily Adopted: Ven, after Aiko and Kalana accept him as Sora's brother, helped by the fact that he had no memory of his own parents.
• Hypocritical Humour: When Sora meets Kairi on their first day of kindergarten, he tells her that she doesn't need to be so nervous about school, much to the amusement of Ven, who spent most of the morning indulging Sora's nervousness about the same thing.
• Jerkass:
  • Zenos, one of Sora's classmates who bullies him because he doesn't believe in Ven and because of his crush on Kairi, to the point of pushing Sora into the swimming pool and mocking him for his phobia.
  • Ms. Neigle, Sora's first-grade teacher who treats him as a "Problem child", with No Sympathy for his dyslexia or ADHD diagnosis. She also knows that he's being bullied and does nothing about it, to the point that she's quick to assume the worst of him after the incident at the swimming pool, and dismisses Ven's warning that Sora hit his head and may have a concussion, not even bothering to check for bleeding.
• Kids Are Cruel: Zenos and a few other kids who won't even pretend to believe in Ven and don't hesitate to bully Sora over it.
• Mama Bear: Both Aiko and Kalana are protective of Sora, and extend this to Ven after they learn a bit about his own childhood and his treatment by Master Eraqus.
• Mundane Utility: The first time Ven uses his magic in front of others, he casts Faith during a blackout to help Kalana and Aiko find the flashlights.
• Not-So-Imaginary Friend: When Sora tells people about Ven, they usually don't believe him and assume he's an Imaginary Friend, which Sora himself only realises after Aiko tries to tell him Ven isn't real. However, once Ven learns that he can take control of Sora's body and use at least some magic, he's able to prove his existence by summoning his Keyblade. Once he does, Aiko and Kalana are quick to adopt him. Ven reveals himself to Zenos in Chapter 13 and convinces him through sheer force of personality.
• Parents Know Their Children: After Kalana and Aiko find out the truth about Ven and his ability to take control of Sora's body, it's stated that they can instinctively tell when he's in control with no explanation beyond "mothers intuition".
• Proper Lady: Kairi's father is trying to raise her this way, and she goes along with it for a while despite clearly wanting to join in with Sora and Riku's sword training. When Ven picks up on this, he encourages her to Be Yourself, telling her about Aqua, and pointing out that her father doesn't have to know.
• Sharing a Body: Sora and Ventus, as in canon, though changed so that Ven can talk to Sora and take control if he needs to.
• Stepford Smiler: Ven picks up on Sora's tendency toward this after his reaction to Riku starting school without him, telling him that it's okay to be sad and encouraging him to let his fears out.
• Trauma Button: Sora develops a fear of deep water after almost drowning in his botched attempt to save Kairi. It leads to him having a panic attack after Zenos pushes him into the swimming pool, though Ven is able to calm him down enough to guide him to the ladder. It's implied Kairi has a similar phobia, even though she was unconscious at the time.
• Waking Up Elsewhere: Sora wakes up in hospital in Chapter 6.
• Wham Episode:
  • Chapter 5: Kairi arrives on the island after falling out of the sky into the water, and Sora almost drowns trying to rescue her, but is saved by Ven taking control of his body and using his magic to get them to shore.
  • Chapter 6: Ven proves his existence to Aiko and Kalana by summoning his Keyblade in front of them, leading them to adopt him.
  • Chapter 13: After Sora's bully Zenos pushes him into a swimming pool and mocks him for having a panic attack, Ven takes control of Sora's body to calm him down and confronts Zenos, revealing himself in front of the class.