Archive of Our Own ^beta

After the war, everyone returned home. Sora was happy to finally go back to the Islands with his friends. They were all having a great time playing on the beach, making sand figures or just splashing water on each other. They worked so hard for his peace, the least they could do was enjoy it.

It was almost nighttime when Roxas and the gang went back to Twilight Town. Ventus, Terra and Aqua wanted to go back home as well but instead they said they were going to stay in the Mysterious Tower for guidance because Vanitas was still missing.

They had faced Vanitas and Terra-Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard but, as they were fighting, Ventus was attacked by both enemies at the same time in an attempt to get rid of him and balance the battlefield. Aqua and Sora had been right behind Ven and ready to help him but the blond, feeling cornered, quickly began casting Salvation with his remaining magic to gain some distance between himself and his enemies.

Terra-Xehanort noticed the amalgamation of magic rising and immediately retreated by teleporting away, an action that caught Aqua’s attention and quickly followed him, but Vanitas was in a blind spot behind his Master so he couldn’t even see that the blond was casting magic.

Pillars of pure Light rose from the ground surrounding Ventus in no time. Vanitas wasn’t able to run anywhere, he was already in range. Light came in all directions, one pillar hitting him square in the face and shattering his helmet in a million pieces. The hit blinded him for a second so he couldn’t avoid the next attacks coming from the ground directly under him, instantly piercing the left side of his stomach and right leg.

He screamed, an agonizing sound that froze all combatants on the field.

Vanitas writhed in pain as the wound on his stomach oozed out dark blood ceaselessly. The attack severely injured his right leg as well so he fell to his knees, his arm covering the wound to try and stop the bleeding. He tried to patch up his injuries with darkness but it wasn't working.

“Vanitas!” Ventus ran to him as soon as the shock wore off. He didn’t mean to hurt him so severely. Despite everything, he still wanted to bring him home.

“Stay back!” Vanitas swung his Keyblade. Blades of dark magic closing in on Ventus at high speed but they were so weak Ventus blew them away with no effort. Vanitas couldn’t stand straight any longer and he collapsed on the floor. He was in so much pain Void Gear disappeared from his hand, the need to just hold his injuries overwhelmed him.

On the other side, Aqua shook herself off from the shock and continued her attacks in an effort to incapacitate Terra-Xehanort. Sora was right behind her when she moved to provide support.

The injury Vanitas had in his stomach was really, really deep. Ventus had no magic left to cast Cure and didn’t have any potions on him. He scanned the battleground for Aqua but she and Sora had their hands full keeping Terra-Xehanort at bay and away from him. Aqua’s magic was her strength, she should conserve it. Instead he called out for Sora.

“Sora! I need healing!” Ventus didn’t notice how Vanitas froze in place at those words.

"Go! I got him!" Aqua shouted as she charged up a Shotlock to attack and stall for time. Sora nodded and found an opening to run towards them.

"Ven! What–" happened. That is what he wanted to ask but the words died on his tongue. Sora stared in disbelief at his own doppelgänger, not quite understanding what he was looking at. “You… That face…”

“Sora, snap out of it! I will explain later! Your magic!” Ventus had turned around to get Sora’s attention so Vanitas, taking advantage of the moment, used his remaining strength to open a Corridor of Darkness right under him and let his body fall inside.

“Wait, don’t!” Ventus didn’t notice that he was trying to escape, he tried to grab him but it was too late. He disappeared completely, the Corridor closing behind him. “Vanitas!”

They didn’t have time to look for him after that.

Ventus talked to Sora after the war was over. He told him that they would go home for a couple of days to rest and grieve before going to Yen Sid and begin looking for Vanitas. He wasn’t anywhere in the Keyblade Graveyard before they left, so they guessed he must be hiding somewhere.

“I don’t think he’s– he disappeared.” Ventus corrected himself before he kept going. “Xehanort is gone but if Vanitas still has a part of him, then we have to do something. And I need to talk to him. He has been to the Destiny Islands before so be careful.”

"Got it.” Sora nodded. After a second, he asked his friend the question that has been on his mind for a while. “Ven, do you know why he looks like me?"

"I don't, not really.” The blond admitted. “Maybe when you accepted me into your Heart, it must also have influenced him in some way. I was surprised when I first saw you, you look so much alike." He took a pause before continuing, his expression now serious. "Sora, if he's still around, we have to find him. Please, I’m counting on you.”

Sora promised to be on guard.

Despite their victory, there were still some loose ends to attend to. Yen Sid had tasked every Keyblade Wielder to get rid of the remaining Heartless and Nobodies around the different Worlds so, after resting for a couple of days, they began their missions.

Sora had been assigned to The Kingdom of Corona. Once he landed, he found Rapunzel and Eugene in the plaza and, after catching up, explained he was there to clear the area of any remaining monsters. Their numbers had decreased significantly since the war ended. Nevertheless, Rapunzel told him she’d heard rumors from the townspeople about dark animals coming at night and scaring the children so he decided to begin scouting the area immediately if the Heartless were this close to the Kingdom already. Rapunzel insisted that he stayed for lunch when he was done and Sora was happy to accept so he agreed to be back by midday.

He began destroying Heartless on the way to the Tower. They truly were a lot weaker than before so getting around was pretty easy, though things got a lot more complicated when he reached the marsh. It was dark even in the middle of the day and really creepy, too. He was worried he would get ambushed if he wasn’t careful and the fact that it was easy to get lost here didn’t help at all.

The crack of a branch alerted him of something behind him so he quickly turned around, Keyblade already in hand. He saw how a purple rabbit-looking creature looked at him and immediately ran away.

That wasn’t a Heartless.

“Those are…” Sora ran after it deeper into the marsh and between the trees. He followed the Unversed to a hidden cave on the rocks, it was big enough to fit without squatting too much so he went ahead and ventured inside. He used his hands to keep him steady as he walked forward. The walls were surprisingly dry despite the humidity in this part of the forest. The cave was also pretty deep; you couldn't see anything ahead so Sora raised his keyblade and called upon his magic to bring a little light inside.

Big mistake.

As soon as the cave was lit up, a dozen of Unversed jumped at him immediately.

"Woah!" Sora lost his balance and fell on his back but recovered quickly by casting Reflect to protect himself. Floods tried to break in with their claws but that only made the spell activate and return the damage, killing them instantly. A loud scream came from the deepest part of the cave and Sora stood up and got on guard again, Keyblade still illuminating the place.

"Who's there?!" Dumb question, he already knew who it was. Lying on the dirt at the corner of the cave was a very familiar boy. Sora couldn't hide the shock on his face as his almost carbon copy glared at him in complete disgust. "Va–"

Before the name could even leave his lips, he was attacked. An unflinching thrust of Void Gear directed to his chest with the full intention of piercing his heart. Sora blocked in time, the light coming from Kingdom Key flickering for a second. Their Keyblades clashed, a metallic sound echoing throughout the cave and reverberating inside his bones. Sora countered the attack and pushed Vanitas back with his full strength. His opponent fell back immediately and Sora realized something was wrong. Vanitas was capable of heavier blows than the one he received just now; this attack had been a lot weaker compared to their battle almost a week ago.

Vanitas’s back crashed against the wall and he fell to his knees, his face twisted in pain. He stabbed Void Gear to the floor and used it as his only support to keep himself straight.

"Vanitas! Are you ok?!" Sora shouted in worry as he got closer but a sharp glare from the other boy froze him in place.

"Do I look ok, you stupid–!" His insult was cut midway as he groaned and writhed in pain, hugging his left side with his left hand as his right gripped on Void Gear with so much strength it looked like he was going to break the handle in half. Vanitas’s breathing became heavy in an effort to steady it. His eyes never left the threat in front of him, exhausted yellow burning in absolute hatred. Still, he managed to find the energy to let out a dry laugh. “Are you here to take me to the Master, or is she outside ready to finish me off?”

Sora looked at Vanitas’s injured side, a pool of what he thought was dried up blood all over the cave’s floor. The dark suit around the wounds on his stomach and leg was completely ripped, showing his open flesh. Those were the same places he had been struck during their fight in the Keyblade Graveyard, but that couldn't be possible because that would mean Vanitas had been hiding in a place like this with open wounds for days.

That was probably the case, wasn’t it?

"Vanitas, that could get infected if it isn't already" He answered, ignoring Vanitas’s previous question. He raised his Keyblade slowly to show he wasn't a threat. "Let me heal–"

"No!" Vanitas shouted desperately, shoving himself deeper into the cave walls as he raised Void Gear again. The scowl on his face disappeared and was replaced with a look of dread, though it quickly went back to anger. "If you're gonna kill me, don't be a coward and just pierce me with your Keyblade instead!"

"Wha- No, I want to help you! What are you talking about?" Sora flinched away at those words. Did Vanitas think he was there to kill him? He didn’t even know he was here in the first place! The wounded boy was still wary but, when he realized Sora truly didn't know what he was talking about, he just clicked his tongue before continuing.

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Vanitas mocked him as he finally could sit down with his back against the wall, one hand pressing harder into his wound as he lowered his Keyblade. "Use that brain of yours, what do you think would happen if you use Light magic on a creature of pure darkness? If you use it on me?"

“What? It’s just a healing spell. It would heal you, right…?” Sora looked at him confused, not understanding what he meant.

“Incredible, you’re just as naive as him.” Vanitas rolled his eyes and scoffed. “I don’t need nor want your help so if you’re not going to finish me off then get out."

Sora wasn’t going to leave but he at least understood that Vanitas didn’t want to be healed by magic. Maybe a potion? But a wound like that would need an elixir at best and he didn’t have one on him right now. He thought of asking the Moogles to craft one for him but he was sure Vanitas didn't have the time until he got enough materials for that.

What should he do…?

“Sora! Sora, are you there?!”

Both boys flinched at the same time. Sora recognized that voice as Eugene. That's right, he promised to come back for lunch but he totally forgot about it when he was chasing that Unversed. Vanitas raised Void Gear and tried to stand up again only for his legs to give in and fall to the floor, the sudden impact worsening the wound on his leg and making him suck air through his teeth as he held a groan from coming out. Sora looked back at Vanitas and to the cave’s entrance a couple of times before deciding what to do. Vanitas needed help but he wasn't gonna let him help him like this. He needed to build some trust between them.

“I’ll bring you something for your wounds! Wait here, ok? Don’t go anywhere!” Sora quickly ran back to the entrance and checked where the voice was coming from before going out, he didn’t want to give away Vanitas’s hiding place just in case. When he saw that Eugene was far enough, he ran to meet him.

“Sora! Are you ok? We got worried when you didn’t come back on time.”

“Sorry, it completely slipped my mind. It got pretty chaotic around here.” He apologized while rubbing the back of his head, hoping that the excuse was enough. “I was gonna take a break anyways. I hope there are still some leftovers!” He smiled as he began walking to get Eugene far away from the cave’s entrance. It looked like the man didn’t notice anything weird because he just followed and asked how his mission went as they returned to Corona.

After a quick lunch and saying goodbye to his friends, Sora flew the Gummi Ship closer to the marsh. If everything went well, maybe he could convince Vanitas to come with him to Yen Sid’s tower so they could check on his wounds. He rummaged everywhere to find that first aid kit he knew was somewhere and he finally found it under the co-pilot’s seat. He checked the insides to confirm he had everything he needed and made his way back to the dark forest.

Thinking about it, Vanitas would definitely be gone by the time he got back, wouldn't he? He didn’t seem like the type to accept help and they had been enemies not too long ago.

Sora had a lot of questions for him. How had he survived with that injury without healing? Had he been here since the beginning? Maybe the reason he hadn’t left this World yet was because he couldn’t move?

On his way to the cave, a single Shadow appeared in front of him. Definitely not a threat. Sora was about to get rid of it when the words of his doppelgänger echoed inside his head.

What do you think would happen if you use Light magic on a creature of pure darkness?

He was really curious because he had never tried to heal a Heartless before. He knew some Heartless healed themselves so what’s the worst that could happen, right? He raised his Keyblade and cast a small Cure spell in the direction of the Shadow.

In Sora’s experience, Shadows barely made a sound when they moved. He could hear them come in and out of the floor when they hid in the darkness but they would usually be pretty quiet. This Shadow was no different.

The grotesque way it twisted and contorted before it completely disappeared without a trace was also soundless.

Sora stared at the empty space where the Heartless had been. Not even the lingering smoke of darkness remained. It had been consumed completely and in seconds.

If you use it on me?

He swallowed.

He needed to check on Vanitas as soon as possible.

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Vanitas surely picked a really good hiding spot because it took Sora a while to find the entrance to the cave again. He saw some Unversed on his way in but they didn’t attack him, he wasn’t sure they even noticed him. They all fled inside to reunite with their master. When he arrived at the deepest part of the cave, Vanitas was surprisingly still there. He was laying on the floor and Sora saw how the Unversed disappeared into his body, like he was absorbing them.

“You didn’t leave.” Sora exclaimed in a mix of shock and happiness before he could think about it. Vanitas, on the other hand, didn’t look amused.

“And you came back, so I guess we’re both having a bad day.” He grimaced. He looked pale and too out of energy to start another fight. "Why are you here?”

“Why am I–? You’re hurt.”

“I asked why.”

“I want to help you.” He responded without hesitation, like it was obvious.

Vanitas stared at him, an expression of disgust framed on his face. He seemed to be deep in thought before he sighed through his nose and talked again.

"You’re gonna do whatever you want no matter what I say, so finish up quickly and leave.”

Sora took that as permission as he knelt on the ground in front of the other boy and began taking everything he needed from the first aid kit. He took his time reading the instructions on the antiseptic liquid bottle and the ointment while staring at the wounds on Vanitas’s stomach and leg because he really had forgotten how to do first aid. Vanitas lost his already thin patience a minute in because he yelled at him for doing nothing.

"What."

"I, uh… I just realized I don't really know what I'm doing?" Sora said with a wobbly smile, embarrassed. Vanitas gave him a nasty frown.

"Of course… ” He whispered in complete annoyance, Sora probably wouldn’t have heard him if they weren’t in such a small space.

“I’ll clean your wounds first, ok?"

Vanitas didn’t answer. He laid there with his gaze fixed on the wall doing his best in ignoring the unwanted company. Sora enhanced the spell on his Keyblade so he could see better. He washed his hands and took a piece of clean gauze as he poured some antibiotic liquid in it.

Sora looked at the wounds and winced. It was now brighter inside the cave so he could see how truly bad Vanitas’s injury was. His skin was covered in dried up blood and looked severely burned and tender. It seemed to have somewhat healed because it wasn’t bleeding anymore but the grime and dirt stuck to it like glue. It was a miracle it hadn’t gotten infected yet.

“It is a bit healed…” Sora said out loud without meaning to. He looked at Vanitas but he either didn’t hear him or ignored him on purpose. "Can you take off your suit?"

Vanitas gave him the nastiest look he possible could.

"Ok, sorry, sorry! Forget about it." He apologized quickly. So he was listening after all.

With a lot of care, he began cleaning up the wounds on his stomach and leg, mindful not to touch the reddened skin too much. He could see how Vanitas flinched at the first touch of the wet gauze but quickly regained his composure. The place was so quiet with neither of them talking that he could hear the other boy inhaling and exhaling slowly, probably to hide the pain that he was in. Sora wanted to ask where it hurt the most, but he would definitely get yelled at if he said that.

After cleaning, he patched the wounds the best he could with gauze and kept them in place with some hypoallergenic tape. He looked at his work, proud that he at least hadn't made it worse. He couldn’t remember the last time he had to use first aid, his magic had been a really useful replacement after all.

He thought back to the Heartless from before, the one he tested Cure on. Was it because it was a Heartless or was Vanitas right and all creatures that came from the darkness would have reacted that way? What would have happened if he hadn’t asked and just healed Vanitas with his magic instead? If he’d done that, then–

“Hey.”

Sora flinched and quickly looked back at the boy on the floor. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to pop out of his chest. He realized he had been lost in thought and he had stopped moving for too long.

“If you’re done then get out, I don’t need an audience.” Vanitas’s face was impassive but his eyes were on him with a mix of wariness and annoyance.

“What? No, I– I was thinking about what you said before, about using healing magic on a creature of the darkness. I did that on a Heartless and...” Sora broke eye contact for a second but when he looked at Vanitas again, the darkling had a strange grin on his face.

“So? What was the result of your little experiment?” He asked, taunting him, knowing the answer fully well.

“Experi– No, it wasn’t–” Sora tried to move away but Vanitas’s stare froze him in place, unable to escape. The dark boy sat up slowly as he began crawling closer to Sora.

“Did you take a good look at how the spell consumed that Heartless? How the purest form of Light magic ate that lowly creature into complete nonexistence?” Vanitas was even closer now, a crooked smile on his face as he kept talking.

“Were you wondering what would’ve happened if you had used that spell on me? Oh, let me tell you, my dear brother. I would’ve probably twisted and wailed in agony as the Light ate my darkness away from the inside. Who knows how long I would be screaming. Minutes? Hours? Days? I only know that, after I couldn’t take it anymore, I would be begging for you to kill me and end my suffering. You would've tried to help but it would've been useless, you could’ve done nothing but watch.” Vanitas managed to put a hand right over Sora’s heart, its beating frenetic now. Cold sweat ran on the back of Soras’s neck. It had become hard to breathe. The images Vanitas put in his mind began feeling too real.

“Ah, but you’re a Guardian of Light. You probably couldn’t bear to watch me suffer so you would have mercy on me.” The hand on top of Sora's heart was still there, fingers digging deeper into his skin. “You would take responsibility for what you’ve done, right? Would you raise your Keyblade and pierce my Heart as you finally released me from my misery?” Sora shook his head. He would never do that. He didn’t want to hear it anymore. He didn’t want to kill him. He wanted to get away but he couldn’t move, he'd been hypnotized by those yellow eyes. The emotion inside of him grew and grew and its shape was getting clearer.

“Are you worried? Fret not, brother.” Vanitas was now talking right next to his ear, his breath was as cold as the guard of his helmet touching his skin. “No one but you would need to know you killed me.”

An Unversed suddenly appeared from the shadows. A rather small Flood compared to the ones he’d seen before. Vanitas immediately moved away from Sora as he took Void Gear into his hand and, without hesitation, killed the creature with a single jab. He winced in pain for a second but quickly collected himself as he stepped back and sat against the wall again.

“Should’ve guessed it wouldn’t be enough.” Vanitas said, disappointed. The shock from his words released Sora from whatever trance he'd been in.

"What did you do?" Sora asked, standing up to gain some semblance of control again. The entire feeling of dread disappeared as soon as that Flood had spawned. He put a hand on his heart, the ghost of Vanitas’s own hand still on his chest.

"Have you forgotten already? I’d explained it to you before." Vanitas laughed, but it felt weaker than before. “Negative emotions are my strength, so I need as much negativity as I can to… regenerate my–” He couldn’t finish his sentence, he began hacking and coughing as a tar-like liquid began coming out of his mouth.

“Vanitas?!” Sora quickly ran to his side and managed to grab him before the other boy fell to the floor. His body was burning up even through his suit and when Sora put a hand on his forehead, he confirmed he had a fever. Vanitas couldn't breathe properly and he was wheezing for oxygen. How did he get a fever so high so fast? Sora took off his jacket and improvised a pillow as he put him down gently on the floor, face up.

“Wait here, I’ll get–” His words were cut short when Vanitas’s hand grabbed his arm with more strength than Sora imagined the other boy would have given the situation.

“Your Heart.” Vanitas’s eyes were unfocused; it didn’t seem like it was Sora he was looking at. “I… need–” He coughed that tar-like liquid again. It dripped viscously from his mouth like molasses, making it hard to keep talking. He fell unconscious on Sora's arms, his skin drenched in sweat and his wheezing raspy.

This had turned serious really fast. Sora had to bring Vanitas’s fever down but it was impossible while they were in the middle of the forest. They needed to leave, but where?

The Land of Departure definitely was out of the question even when it should have been the responsible place to take him.

He couldn’t bring him home to the Islands. Explaining his existence to his mom would be a nightmare and, even if that went well, he couldn’t forget Vanitas was unpredictable and he didn’t want to put his mom in harm’s way.

Maybe Radiant Garden? The people at the lab should know more about this than him and they had the means to contain Vanitas if things got out of control, but Vanitas would probably hate that. He was trying to build some trust between them after all.

He needed a place neutral enough. Somewhere that would accept someone with nowhere else to go.

Ah.

He knew a place like that.

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Traverse Town hadn’t changed much. There were fewer people since a lot of Worlds had been restored in the past year but some still remained here.

Getting Vanitas into the Gummi Ship and traveling there had taken at least five years off Sora's life. He had been so scared of deteriorating his condition even more by moving him or worse, Vanitas fighting him while he was sick, but there wasn't any other choice.

Sora opened the door to the Small House and gently dropped the other boy on the bed. It didn't look like he got any worse, which was a plus. Still, he needed to work on getting that fever down. He grabbed a towel and used his magic to summon some water, squeezed out the excess and put it on his forehead. He also cleaned the dirt and sweat off his face.

He kept half a day applying and reapplying the towel on his forehead but it felt like a fool's errand, his fever just refused to break. He didn't know if it was an infection, something else or a normal fever since Vanitas didn't seem to have a normal body even when he was on a replica. He hoped the hi-potion he got from the Moogles would at least help with his wounds. It wouldn’t heal him completely, but it would suffice.

Vanitas kept coming in and out of consciousness constantly. There were times where he would be lucid enough to yell at him and push him away, others where he would be too delirious to make sense. During those times Sora indulged him in his ramblings, at least it kept him still.

“Need... to go back…” Vanitas would sometimes say in a whisper.

“Where to?” Sora asked as he reapplied the towel again.

“The rest of me…”

“The rest?"

Vanitas made a monumental effort in extending his hand and grabbing Sora's tank top with the little strength he still had. His eyes were unfocused again, Sora could now notice the bags under his eyes.

"It hurts…"

"You're gonna get better, ok? Just wait a little longer." Sora held his hand, hoping to bring some comfort to the boy.

"Heart…" He whispered softly, like a plea. "join…" Vanitas couldn't finish his sentence, he'd lost consciousness again.

Sora sighed. He hoped this would work. He was afraid Vanitas wouldn’t make it to tomorrow at this pace.

And you probably couldn’t bear to watch me suffer so you would have mercy on me.

Sora shook his head. No. From what he’d heard, Vanitas was nothing but stubborn. He’d survived this far, he would survive one more day.

He yawned, the stress of everything finally catching up to him. He considered sleeping on the bed but Vanitas would probably stab him with his Keyblade if he invaded his personal space even more. Maybe he could rest his eyes for a minute, just a second so they would stop hurting. He snuggled against the chair, rested his head on the wall and closed his eyes.

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Vanitas woke up and immediately regretted it because it was too goddamn bright. He wasn’t lying on a hard floor any longer. In fact, the softness of the mattress under him put him on high alert. He stood up but hissed when he remembered that he had a fucking hole on the right side of his body.

Ventus had done this. He couldn't believe his other half managed to land such a clean hit on him. He should have noticed him casting his spell but he’d let his guard down and this was his punishment.

When the magic pierced him, he felt like part of him had vanished into nothingness. The pain had been unbearable because his darkness had been rejected by the light and it hurt, it hurt, it hurt. He even tried to regenerate his suit but it was useless, it was like that piece of it had been conceptually erased from existence. Things got worse when Ventus tried to heal him. He panicked. This wasn’t like joining their Hearts together. Healing magic directly touched the Heart, and if such pure light were to touch his half-Heart of pure darkness, then…

He refused to let Light itself be the end of him. He was either going back to Ventus or to the abyss. His Master would surely punish him, but whatever he could do to him would be mercy compared to being eaten away by the Light.

He used his power to open a Corridor and escape but, in his desperation, he couldn’t focus on where it would take him. He needed to recover and he needed darkness and negative emotions for that. His bad luck had landed him in a World of Light devoid of nearby people.

The first thing he did was use his remaining magic to cast Fire on his hand and try to cauterize the wound on his stomach. The scream he let out frightened away all the animals and birds around him. He bit his tongue so hard blood began running down his mouth in an effort to shut up. He looked at his work and cursed when he saw the terrible job he’d done because his magic was almost depleted and he was too weak to focus. Still bleeding and now with a nasty burn to take care of as well, he walked.

He was on the verge of unconsciousness and in so much pain that his Unversed were spawning in waves but he forced himself to hold most of them inside. The last thing he needed was to call attention to himself and be found in that vulnerable state. He did send some to scout the area but it was all forest for miles.

Since his trip to that world of monsters and children's screams, he could now create Unversed from other people's negative emotions. If he reabsorbed those Unversed, then that negativity would flow to him and give him strength.

But negative emotions couldn't exist without people.

Heartless were roaming around the forest. They mostly ignored him because they confused his existence with one of their own but, if they were to sense his Heart, they would swarm him and he didn't have the energy to deal with them. Fortunately, he’d found a cave deep enough not to be discovered too easily. He collapsed on the floor, summoned a horde of Unversed to keep guard, and finally lost consciousness.

When night fell and he woke up, it was safe to say Xehanort had lost.

He could feel how the piece of himself he put inside his Heart just vanished without a trace. Vanitas wanted to laugh, he’d been brought back just to lose again. What a joke.

Around the same time, His Unversed finally found people so he began working on collecting their negative emotions to repair himself. It was an exhausting and slow process because those people weren’t particularly sad or scared so there wasn’t much for him to work with. He’d managed to stop the bleeding for now but it wasn’t enough. His current body was a Replica but it seemed it wasn't built to hold his Heart for too long. If the Replica shut down completely, then he'd have to go back to his original place in time.

Fuck that.

He’d rather meet his end by having some semblance of control over his own life. As soon as he could move again, he was going to claim the rest of himself or die trying.

That had been the plan until Sora found him, and now he was here. Where exactly 'here' was, he didn’t know.

He looked at his side. Lo and behold Sora was there, sleeping without a worry in the world. Vanitas wanted to just stab him with his Keyblade to teach him not to lower his guard in front of the enemy but a voice on the back of his head stopped him before he could even seriously consider it. He thought it was Xehanort at first, the ghost of his previous orders not to kill any Lights before the final battle still reverberating inside his brain, but it was his own voice, his own Heart that stopped him.

His half-Heart craved to become complete. He was so weak and on the verge of death that it screamed at him to join with the one that defined him to save himself, and he was oh so tempted to do just that, but he knew the kind of prison Sora's Heart was.

He stood up slowly. He needed to know where he was so he walked to the window, hugging the wall to keep himself straight. Every step put pressure on his injured leg and it hurt, though he was getting better at ignoring it. Looking outside he could see buildings around, but what surprised him more was the people walking the streets.

incredible. The idiot had brought him to a World with people.

He wasted no time and sent his Unversed outside to look for negative emotions. He needed to get enough to open a Corridor and leave. He would think about what to do next later. Sora was set on getting on his good side and he was in no mood to listen to him talk about friendship and Light.

He remembered the puny Unversed he had created using Sora’s fear. It had been a complete waste of time because the fear that he extracted from his brother hadn’t come from him being scared for his own safety or the like. It came from worry. Sora’s fear was just him being afraid of hurting Vanitas for some reason.

Ridiculous.

He felt a sharp stab on his stomach that made him flinch in pain and almost fall on the floor. He checked the bandage and saw how it was dyed red with his blood. The wound had opened again.

“Great, fucking great.” Vanitas spat, irritated. He needed to rest and give time to the Unversed to do their work for him, but first he needed to know what this World was and, fortunately, his source of information was right there.

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Sora woke up abruptly because someone pushed him off the chair where he had fallen asleep. His body hit the floor hard, it actually hurt.

“Hey! What was that for?!” Sora yelled at the culprit, fortunately he didn’t injure himself when he fell.

“What is this place?” Vanitas asked, his voice raspy. He was no longer lying down but sat on the bed. He still looked worse for wear. His skin was sweaty and his breathing erratic, but lucid enough to act more like his normal self.

“Are you ok? How are you feeling?” Sora unconsciously tried to touch his forehead to check his temperature only for Vanitas to quickly slap his hand away.

“Don’t you dare coddle me and talk already."

“Rude.” Sora hugged his slapped hand as he answered. “You got a really bad fever all of the sudden, I needed to get you out of the forest so I could treat you. Ah, this place is Traverse Town. People that have lost their World and don't have anywhere else to go come here."

"... How stupid." It was Vanitas’s only comment before laying down on the bed again, a hand on his stomach and eyes looking at the wall.

It became really silent after that. Sora wanted to talk, but about what? Vanitas seemed like the kind of person that loved to monologue but was a terrible listener. Maybe he should encourage him?

"Xehanort is gone." He started with that since it was the first thing he could think they had in common.

"Obviously, since you're alive." He answered matter-of-factly, not bothering to look at Sora at all. "He would have ripped you all Heart from Body if he'd won."

A long silence.

"Vanitas.” Sora took a deep breath. “Is Xehanort… still within you?"

"Why?” He turned around and gave him a dry smile. “Were you ordered to get rid of me if that was the case? Do you regret helping me now?"

“No, of course not! Why would you think that?!"

Vanitas laughed.

“You Lights did a really great job offing the old man. Not a single trace left. I would have loved to see it.”

Sora didn’t respond to that but internally was relieved. At least that threat was off the table.

"Vanitas, where do you plan to go? We don’t have to fight anymore so you can stay with us. Ven also wanted to talk, I’m sure he can–" He couldn’t finish his sentence. Vanitas immediately stood up and grabbed him by his clothes, putting him inches away from his face.

"I'm going to make this very clear to you so you understand." His voice was calm though his tone was dangerous. "Whatever idea that you have in your head of being friends or the like, forget it now. The only thing I've ever wanted, it has already been taken away from me. The Light can't offer me anything and neither can you."

“You don’t need to side with darkness anymore! The war is over!” Sora grabbed Vanitas’s wrist with both hands and released himself from his grip, though he didn’t let go.

“Side with darkness? You seem to be confused. I am darkness. This is the meaning of my existence.”

“Ven wanted to bring you home! He is worried about you!”

“Don’t make me laugh! The only thing Ventus wants is to make sure I don’t disturb his comfortable life with his new friends. He doesn’t care! He never did!”

Suddenly, Vanitas took his hand to his mouth as he violently coughed. Sora let go of his wrist from the shock. When the coughing subsided, his gloves were tainted black with his own unstable darkness. He stared at it as he frowned.

“I have no time for this.” He said while cleaning up the tar-like liquid from his mouth with the heel of his hand until only a black smudge remained.

Dozens of Unversed suddenly began appearing around the room from different puddles of darkness. Sora took a step back as he summoned his Keyblade but none of the Unversed attacked him. They just began merging with Vanitas as he opened a Corridor of Darkness to leave the World.

“Wait! Don’t!” He tried to stop him but then the Unversed began getting in his way and stopping him from getting closer to Vanitas. Sora looked completely betrayed.

“Don’t give me that look, brother. You knew this was gonna happen. What reason do I have to go with you?”

“What is your plan if you do this?! Why is darkness your only choice?!”

“There is no other choice. It's because I exist as darkness that you're allowed to be light, after all.” He stated as he turned around ready to leave the World.

“Vanitas!” He shouted in a last attempt at reaching him. “I will save you!"

Vanitas stopped at those words. He stared at Sora for a long second before letting out a humorless chuckle, his face contorted into a half grin.

“I have no doubt you'll try."

He finally entered the Corridor and, just as quickly, disappeared between the darkness.