Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/2144037.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Kingdom_Hearts
  Relationship:
      Vanitas/Ventus
  Character:
      Vanitas, Ventus, Terra_(Kingdom_Hearts), Aqua_(Kingdom_Hearts), Master
      Xehanort, Eraqus, Mickey_Mouse, Snow_White, Zack_(Kingdom_Hearts)
  Additional Tags:
      Spoilers_-_Kingdom_Hearts_Birth_By_Sleep, mostly_canon, Canon_Era, Non-
      Consensual, Semi-Self-cest, Angst, Drama, Pain, Hate_Sex, Hate, Anger,
      Darkness, Self-Loathing, Secret_Relationship, Bondage, Blow_Jobs, First
      Time_Blow_Jobs, First_Time_Bottoming, First_Time, Rimming, Anal
      Fingering, Rape, Outdoor_Sex, Action, Romance, Mild_S&M, Redemption
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-08-16 Completed: 2014-10-26 Chapters: 15/15 Words: 17360
****** How to Fill the Void ******
by Larkawolfgirl
Summary
     He was surrounded by nothing but darkness, isolated from all sources
     of light. Hate became his shield. He may come across as a hard shell
     but deep down he just wanted someone to hold. "Can you see the dark?
     Can you fix the broken? Can you feel... can you feel my heart?"
     Contains yaoi, non-con, S&M and other rough sexual occurrences.
Notes
     I mainly used the Kingdom Hearts wikia for Vanitas’ personality. I
     would love to read the novels, but since I can’t, that is my only
     resource. As described in the novels, Vanitas acts hateful because of
     his own self-loathing and pain.
     I have also not reedited this chapter for this posted. I did edit it
     not that long ago, though, so hopefully there are not many errors.
***** Birth *****
The boy opened his eyes, taking the world in for the first time. His mind was
hazy. He had the inclination that this was not the start of his life, yet he
could not seem to remember anything before this moment. He lied upon a desolate
wasteland of cracked gravel staring up at the burning sun. The boy wondered how
he knew so much about the working of the world (such as that the sun circles
the earth), but knew so little about his own self. He felt an emptiness inside,
as if he were not completely there. He checked his body. It was a black mesh of
naked limbs, which startled him, but nothing seemed to be missing or damaged.
Why did he feel as if he were missing something? He wondered.
His eyes felt drawn to the body he discovered near him. This boy looked
beautiful with spiky blond hair and smooth pearly skin. This boy radiated light
where he radiated darkness. He looked back at the black mesh that was himself
with revulsion. This boy of light sported a white and grey jacket with a red
collar that was unzipped but fastened together in the middle of his chest with
a pin and a pair of whitish grey pants. This boy seemed perfect in every way
except for the fact that he appeared to be sleeping. Movement on the other side
of him caught his attention. A dark skinned man touched the sleeping form. He
shivered when he first met the man’s eyes, but he did not feel fear exactly; it
was more a sense of uneasiness that filled him.
“Took you long enough. I was worried I might have broken you both.” The
newcomer seemed to be more muttering to himself than actually addressing the
confused boy.
“Well, well. What shall we call you, then?” The man thought for a moment before
a glint reached his eyes. “Ah, yes. How about Vanitas? Similar to Ventus, but
true to your nature. One empty yet full of vanity.”
“Vanitas,” the boy repeated feeling the word upon his tongue. “Who are you? Do
you know me? How did I get here? Who is he?” He hated the pleading tone in his
voice.
“I am Xehanort, but you shall simply call me Master.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You are born from the one known as Ventus.” Xehanort pointed to the sleeping
boy. “Try hard, and I’m sure you can remember. You are the darkness from inside
that heart.”
Vanitas closed his eyes and focused his mind. He saw himself surrounded by
black beings not too unlike himself. He could see a duller version of Ventus’
white perfection which was his own body.
“Please don’t do this, Master. I’m not strong enough.” Spoke a voice; his
voice, but different from his current one.
“No. It is because you are trying to hold it in. Let the dark impulses waken in
the pit of your heart. Release them, here and now! Sharpen your fear into rage.
You must! If you do not let the storm within you run its course, it will wipe
you from the face of the world, make no mistake! Do it. Embrace the darkness.
Produce for your Master the X-blade!” came the unmistakable voice of Master
Xehanort.
“Ehh!” he yelled as the dark masses engulfed him.
Vanitas reopened his eyes with certainty now. He was a part of Ventus. He was
the dark side of him, the imperfections, the shadows…the emptiness. It hit him
with full force. He was a hollow shell. That is why he felt empty; he was
nothing but pure darkness. Why not let the darkness take him then, let him
disappear into that which bore him? What could he possibly live for in the
shadow--as the shadow-- of this perfect light-being? Purposelessness and the
desire to disappear overtook him causing his body to shake. The feeling swelled
within him as it manifested into solid shape. What slithered from him was a
bluish-black little creature with long grey claws and red eyes. It stood on two
legs and resembled the creatures he now remembered as heartless.
“Interesting,” Xehanort remarked at the new appearance. “Do you know how you
created this being?”
“All I did was feel envious of what I now lack.”
“Try it again. Make another,” Xehanort demanded. Vanitas could not believe what
was being asked of him. The creature was ugly, vile. Had he really given birth
to it? He truly was a disgusting thing. His previous emotions reemerged. A
second, identical creature appeared.
“Very interesting. Shall we call them unversed?”
“Yes, Master.”
The creatures repulsed him, but he knew he could not show weakness to this man.
Xehanort’s words repeated in his head. One empty yet full of vanity. How right
that name was. All he could do was try and feel vain even if it was only an
act. That seemed to be the only thing that he could currently do. Still the
creatures seemed so impure to him. On impulse he rushed forward, flicking his
wrist, causing the keyblade that he remembered using when he was still a part
of Ventus to appear, and slashed out at the now-named unversed. They dissipated
as if they had never existed to begin with, but at that same moment an immense
pain overtook Vanitas.
Once the pain subsided what he found were even more unversed. ‘No it can’t be,’
he thought. He could not destroy these creatures. He wondered vaguely if it was
their deaths itself that hurt him or only the fact that it was his hand dealing
the blow. Hate suddenly welled inside him. Hate for himself and for that
perfect being. How dare he be so perfect and carefree while he was left in such
a pitiful state? He lunged at the sleeping boy with the intent to kill when
Master Xehanort blocked his way.
“No you don’t, boy.”
“Ha.” Vanitas spat out at that remark. In what way was he a boy? He was nothing
but a mesh of black limps. “And why is that? You were the one who gave me life,
is that not correct?”
“Yes, yes it is. I take it you don’t recall why it is that I separated you?”
“You had wanted me, us, to forge the X-blade, right? But wasn’t that why you
gave me life, because I can accept the darkness. Because I am darkness.” The
last remark hurt.
“Yes and no. I did need you, but I need him as well. You two must become one
once again in order to form the X-blade. You too must battle, therefore you
must wait for him to recover.”
Vanitas stared at the boy of light with spite. “I don’t think I can hold myself
back. We need to be separated.”
“Very well. I will send him away. We can train him to make him stronger. Then
once he is ready you can battle him to your heart’s content creating the X-
blade. You too will reunite. You will be whole again and we shall gain the
power we need to save all the inhabitants of the world.”
“Yes, that sounds like a perfect plan, Master.” He felt a spark of hope. He
only had to hold on for a while. His future was not completely bleak. He would
be whole again. He would also help to save the world.
***** Change *****
Xehanort had removed Ventus leaving him with someone named Eraqus, though
Vanitas could care less about where the boy had been sent. All he cared about
was that that light would no longer taunt him. What did worry him was that
Ventus was still lifeless like a doll when he departed. How could one in such a
state fight him?
While contemplating this he was suddenly overtaken by the purest light he had
ever known. It washed over him, and in that brief moment he feel whole and
pure. Every fiber of his darkness was cleansed. However, it ended as quickly as
it had begun. The light was snatched away leaving him alone once more with the
darkness that was his soul. In that dark void he faintly heard a voice calling
“Let’s open the door” followed by an excruciating pain crawling upon his skin
as if it was reshaping itself. Whereas the light had only temporarily affected
him, he could tell that this pain had permanently transformed him.
He felt more rage now than ever before. He had memories of being complete, but
now he knew what it was like to be bathed in the light. Even if they were re-
united he would never experience that pure light that Ventus was graced with.
Ventus. Then he knew with every fiber of his being that Ventus had awoken. He
had been fixed by the light. The light healed the wounds of that one, while the
darkness only sought to consume him.
Glancing into the full-length mirror within the bedroom Xehanort had lent to
him, he found that his features had in fact changed. His previously
indistinguishable features were now as defined as that of Ventus and Xehanort.
He could now pass as a normal human being. He still had a noticeable darkness
to his skin but it was pale enough to pass as human. Eyes that used to be red
were now a piercing gold sheen. He had a mop of raven hair upon his head which
spiked in every direction defying the laws of gravity. He slowly began to touch
his naked flesh. He had yet to touch human skin in this new incarnation, but it
felt as he remembered it. It was smooth and pliable, yet tough enough for
protection. He opened his mouth in awe and noticed he had bright white teeth.
‘How did I become so normal looking? I feel as I did before but my appearance
screams otherwise.’ He wondered, but he wouldn’t complain. He could easily
blend into society now without making a ruckus. He ran his hands along his now
well-defined musculature. The rises and dips in his flesh felt so odd to him.
‘This is my body?’ He realized that the body alone would not be enough. He
could not parade out in society butt naked. He needed to form clothing somehow.
The thought of trying to manipulate his darkness occurred to him. He had
created those unversed, so why could he not create something as simple as
clothing? He tried to pull the strands of darkness outward and then back toward
him to form the clothing but each time he did so the strands would break and
slither back within him. Irritation built within him. Why the hell did he have
to go through this while Ventus had everything so easy? He had remained in
their body, been graced by the light, and now had even been taken into the care
of that Eraqus guy. Meanwhile, here he was battling against his own pain and
darkness, having to use such effort just to look somewhat normal. His anger
sparked once again. How he hated Ventus. He knew that it was not Ventus’ fault,
but nevertheless he hated him. He had stolen all the light from his world.
He hated him and wanted so badly to release this anger through inflicting pain
upon his lost half. He didn’t want to admit it, but at the same time he just
wished that they could be reunited. Having light nearby that cannot touch you
is still better than no light, right? He wanted to be complete, to stop feeling
so helpless and hurt. He focused on this hurt and pain.
The tendrils of darkness seemed to sizzle with power. He tried yet again to
form the strands into a semblance of clothing. The strands surrounded his skin
joining as if an invisible hand were sowing them together. They felt snug
against him as if they were true cloth. As he moved his muscles, the tendrils
moved with him perfectly making this covering more efficient than real
clothing. He looked into the mirror again to find that the darkness had even
colored itself into true patterns. The body of the fabric was black, but there
were strands of red outlining his muscle lines. They almost resembled veins.
There was a flowing piece attached to his middle with a red belt. There were
leggings and then padded red boots. The only part of his body not covered was
his head. That human-looking head. He knew better than to believe he was human.
He was darkness.
This plan needed to be sped along. He exited the room in search of Xehanort. He
found him in the hall staring out the window.
“Master, when can we begin training Ventus?”
“Patience, Vanitas. He has yet to even awaken.” Xehanort did not even grace him
with a look. Instead his gaze seemed to distance further.
“No. I know that he has. Look at me, Master” Xehanort turned to face his
disciple taking in his new human form.
“You look human. Interesting. And your clothes. How did this happen?”
“I cannot be certain. I felt Ventus awaken and then light engulfed me. A voice
said to open a door which brought pain upon me. Afterwards, this is how I
looked. I tried to manipulate the darkness and managed to form this covering.”
Xehanort seemed pleased.
“Very good. Ventus is awake, which means the plan can commence. And you can
travel outside more freely.”
“When can I begin strengthening Ventus?”
“Patience. I cannot let Eraqus become suspicious of me. We must leave him in
Eraqus’ hands for the time being. However, I will be there with a moderate
influence. We will leave him be for a while, allow him to learn about the
light. This will strengthen him in another way. Now, how about I teach you how
to better control the darkness?”
Time passed and boredom easily set in on Vanitas. He thought that this plan
would give his life purpose, but he was doing nothing. He could better control
his strands of darkness, but he was merely wasting time until Ventus could
battle against him. He had watched Xehanort on his way to Eraqus’ from the
shadows. In an attempt to hide his identity he had forged a helmet in order to
cover himself completely. It had worked for a while, but on the third day of
watching Xehanort took notice to him.
“Trying to spy on me, are you? That is you, is it not Vanitas?”
“I apologize, Master. I am curious about Ventus and wondered where he was
residing.”
“That is alright, but I forbid you from entering here. Eraqus must not know
that I am continuing my search for the X-blade.”
“Yes, Master,” he answered reluctantly. He wanted nothing more than to glance
again upon the face that used to be his own. He had obeyed, for a time at
least. Two weeks later he could not stand it any longer.
He snuck away that night while Xehanort was sleeping. He opened a portal as
Xehanort had taught him. The darkness rippled before completely engulfing him.
After a split second the darkness yielded to a small opening of light. He waved
his hand over the space causing it to increase in size. He easily slid through
entering a hall within Eraqus’ dwelling. Hopefully all would be asleep at this
time so that he would not disappoint his Master by spoiling his plans. Now he
had to find Ventus, but that would be a simple matter considering their
connection. He closed his eyes and focused on Ventus. He followed the tug he
felt from his left.
***** Taint *****
Vanitas stared at the sleeping blonde in relief. He was safe and in one piece.
He lay sprawled upon the mattress, the bedspread half falling off, his legs
peeking out from the left corner of the sheets, face turned so that drool fell
into the white pillow. If it weren’t for the pain that filled Vanitas he might
have laughed at the sight. He looked so innocent and peaceful. His hair was
ruffled into odd angles and drool hung from his mouth, but he still seemed
angelic. He could still make out the invisible light radiating from him even in
the darkness of the night. Pale moonlight shone in through the tilted blinds
adding to the affect. He wanted to bath in this warmth, this grace. He felt a
spark of something he hadn’t felt before: lust. He gazed upon the pale exposed
skin and wondered what it would be like to run his hands over it. What it would
feel like to taste that salty flesh. He knew that if he touched that perfection
it would taint, losing its luster.
Sorrow filled him as it had so many times thus far in his short incarnation. It
boiled deep inside him turning slowly to rage. He never seemed too far from
these two emotions. He wondered yet again why it was that he had been damned to
this pitiful existence of loneliness and hatred. Why was Ventus the one blessed
with the light, friendship, and peace of mind? He could sense the boy’s
feelings no matter where he tried to hide. He could feel the warmth he felt,
but it did not fill him as it should for it was not his own. He knew that this
boy had those he treasured, those he may even love. It was so unfair. He was
forced into the shadows by his mere existence while this boy was free to do as
he pleased. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to sully that brightness.
He forced his tendrils of darkness back within his body but left the mask set
on his face. He wanted to taste that salty flesh, but he still could not let
his master down. He could not allow the boy to discover his identity; At least
not yet. He could also not have the boy fight against him or to wake the other
residents of the estate. To prevent this, he curved strands of darkness outward
fashioning a restraint resembling a scarf but of pure blackness and, though
still soft, thick and durable. It would not do to leave visible marks that
could be questioned later. Then he fashioned a panel gag covering the boy’s
mouth. Being made of darkness left it smoother than a normal panel gag since it
required no buckles of any kind. Instead it simply rested securely in place by
Vanitas’ own will. Realizing the sudden impediment to his airflow, Ventus
awoke.
His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. He took in Vanitas’ shadowy naked
form and began to squirm. His restrained arms just barely twisted causing him
to strain harder, breathing heavily through his nose. His beady eyes stared on
in horror as Vanitas leaned in near his face.
“Be good and stay quite. You wouldn’t want someone to hear you would you?”
Ventus shook his head as tears welled in his eyes. “Good.” Vanitas almost
purred with anticipation. He could sense Ventus’ desperation. He climbed atop
the boy pressing his muscular form against him. He ran his hands under Ventus’
nightshirt pushing it up to expose his nipples. Taking one in each hand he
tweaked them roughly gaining a reaction from the blonde. The feeling vibrated
diluted through their bond reaching him. He ground his semi-erection against
Ventus’ clothed leg causing the sensation to increase. The mutual sensations
intensified his lust. He may never be whole but in this one act their
sensations could be shared, and for the briefest of time they could be
connected. He pushed the boy’s boxers down and lowered himself so that Ventus
would not see him. Knowing that this would be painful he would slightly prepare
the boy. It was not out of kindness (he still held his earlier rage); He
intended to pollute this brightness not break it. Though it angered him, he
knew he could not bear destroying this light. It was the only light he had.
With his face angled so that Ventus would not see, he lifted the boy’s body
upward, willing his mask to open, and he began to lick his virgin hole. Ventus
squirmed uncomfortably as tiny gasps escaped the gag. Vanitas hummed to himself
as he tasted the sultry skin. His tongue flicked the hole causing it to twitch
in response. He circled around it before plunging inside. The walls slowly
relaxed opening wider.
Pulling away he replaced his mask and positioned himself. Ventus released a
strangled cry as he pushed in slowly. Ventus felt like he was being ripped
apart. Vanitas struggled to restrain himself from moving. He wanted so badly to
just grind himself forward ignoring any damage he caused. Ventus deserved it.
He deserved to feel the pain he lived with every waking moment. Every moment
except now. Now though, still filled with anger and hatred, there was a dull
satisfaction. He had claimed back his other self. He would always be this boy’s
first. He would never be forgotten. Impatient, he grabbed onto Ventus’ legs
pushing them up higher and himself further inside in the process. Ventus cried
behind the gag as he dug his nails into the fleshy thighs. Vanitas began
moving, slowly at first, but gradually sped up increasing his hold on his
thighs with each thrust.
Ventus’ eyes bulged as he was filled over and over by this stranger. He was so
confused by what was happening. Who was this boy? Why was he doing this to him?
Why was his body reacting the way that it was? His own penis was hardening with
each thrust, and he wanted so badly to touch it. He had no memory of pleasuring
himself, but he had so few memories that it meant nothing. The body remembers
what the mind forgets. His flesh ached as if begging for touch. Tears welled in
his eyes, not from his defilement, but from desire. What was wrong with him? He
should be repulsed by this stranger. He should be hurt by being treated as
nothing but an object, but he wasn’t. He was oddly enjoying himself, and he
hated that fact. What would the others think if they knew? Not only was he
being raped and enjoying it, but by a boy. Was he gay? He didn’t know, but
he did know that his insides were craving more and more of that lovely
hardness. He whimpered as loud as he dared pleading for this stranger to speed
up.
Vanitas heard the whimper but took it for one of displeasure. Their pleasures
mingled together through the bond, and he was too lost by now to notice the
lack of pain. “Aw, does poor little Ventus not like it? Well too bad. You
deserve this asshole. I’m gonna fuck you until you won’t even be able to walk
tomorrow.” He grabbed ahold of his erection squeezing it tightly. Ventus’
whined again in pleasure. ‘Finally!’ Vanitas was done playing nice. He pushed
in hard burying himself deeper than before. Ventus’ pupils nearly rolled back
as he hit him just so. His body began to shiver. He wished he could hold this
stranger as he assaulted him. He wanted so much, but all he could manage was to
rock his hips to meet the thrusts. Vanitas noticed the movement and caught on.
“Oh, you like that slut? Well, okay then.” He pounded incessantly into his hole
while pumping his engorged erection. ‘Yes!’ Ventus’ mind screamed. He knew it
was irrational, but he wanted to touch this stranger; He wanted to feel all of
him. The little skin that smacked him with each movement was filled with
welcoming heat. More than anything, though, he wanted to meet this stranger’s
eyes. He wanted to know what he was feeling. What would this stranger look
like? His body was muscular and attractive. He wondered if his face would be
just as captivating. Would his eyes be cold and calculating like his voice? He
shivered trying to imagine it. He closed his eyes focusing on his delusion. A
boy his age stared back at him with greedy shining eyes. They glowed with fiery
passion just as his prostrate was hit yet again spilling him over the edge.
Vanitas slammed into him twice more before he climaxed as well. The warm seed
filled Ventus causing him hum in comfort. Vanitas pulled out with a squelch.
Ventus felt his hands being freed.
“I’m going to remove your gag now. You better stay quite. I’m sure you don’t
want the others to know what you just did.” The gag dissipated, and he breathed
in large gulps of air. He felt the stranger removing himself from the bed and
turned as if to leave.
“Wait!” Ventus called a little too loudly. “Sorry, but um, who are you?”
“You don’t need to know.” Vanitas fashioned his clothes again and waved his
hand creating a tunnel of darkness. Ventus’ eyes had adjusted somewhat to the
darkness of the room and could just make it out.
“Will I see you again?” He realized how pleading the statement sounded after
he’d already said it. ‘Damn, I didn’t want him to know how badly I want this to
happen again. I’m awful.’
“You can count on it.” Vanitas sneered before stepping into the darkness
disappearing.
Ventus lied alone in the aftermath. He was still confused by what had happened,
but he was content. He knew it was crazy, but he couldn’t wait to see this
stranger again.
***** Mask *****
Ventus awoke the next morning stiff. The stranger hadn’t been exaggerating; he
really would have trouble walking today. He struggled out of bed and managed
his way into the bathroom. After relieving himself he carefully climbed into
the shower. Deeming it safer to sit than to stand he allowed the water to fall
down upon him from the floor. He scrubbed at the residue of blood and cum from
his skin. Red gashes remained from where stranger’s nails had touched his
thighs which slightly troubled him. Was he a masochist? Shaking the thought out
of his head he turned the water off and finished preparing for breakfast.
When he entered the dining hall Aqua and Terra were quieter than usual. He
worried that maybe his activities had been discovered, but then he remembered
that today was the day Master Eraqus was going to test Terra and Aqua to see if
they were ready for the Mark of Mastery exam.
“Cheer up, Terra. I know you can make it.”
“Thanks, Ven. I’ll try my best.” Aqua smiled and they all began eating. The day
went as usual, and both Terra and Aqua managed to win the Master’s approval.
Ventus was happy to be with his friends, but he couldn’t stop thinking about
the stranger.
It wasn’t until the night before the Mark of Mastery exam that the stranger
visited again. He had just lain down and was about to turn the light out. He
saw a rippling of energy at the foot of the bed before a black clothed leg
emerged.
“Hello there, Ventus,” He hissed. “Did you miss me?” Ventus stared in
astonishment. After a few days he had wondered if he had imagined this
stranger. The gashes were still faintly visible, but he could have easily done
it to himself while sleeping? He allowed a half smile to form on his face.
“Can I see your face?” he asked. Vanitas was taken aback. Why was he so calm?
He should be scared of him. He should be torn up about what had been done to
him now that the buzz had worn off. Instead he stared at him with hopeful eyes.
“Alright, I guess you can. Tomorrow it won’t matter anyway.”
“What happens tomorrow? Does it have something to do with the Mark of Mastery
exam?”
“You’ll find out. Anyway, I didn’t come here to talk, and I think you know
that.”
‘That was fast.’ Ventus thought. ‘K then, right to it I guess.’ “Can I not be
tied up and gagged this time?”
“Someone’s demanding today isn’t he? Fine. But as long as you’re so eager, why
don’t we change things up a bit?” Ventus gulped down his nervousness.
“Alright,” he said timidly. Vanitas ordered him off of the bed and then sat
himself down in his place. He willed the dark clothing away leaving himself
bare. Ventus had been able to make out his skin in the darkness before, but not
in as great detail as he could now. He longed to touch those lean muscles. His
eyes traveled over the six-pack downward. His penis rested limply against his
stomach.
“If you use your mouth I’ll let you see my face.” He would be lying if he said
he wasn’t nervous about giving this boy a blowjob, but he was oddly aroused by
the idea. Very slowly he leaned in to touch it. “Wait. Remove you clothes
first.” Obediently Ven peeled off his white t-shirt and blue boxers. He could
feel the boy’s gaze taking him in. Resuming his previous actions he settled
himself upon his knees and reached out his hand. He took the shaft in his right
hand stroking it tentatively. It felt oddly similar to his own. As he stroked
the length he could feel it gradually hardening.
“You know it’s not delicate right? Shit, haven’t you done this to yourself?”
Ven blushed. He had no memories of his previous life and had not been inclined
to do so since his awakening. He tightened his grasp stroking the entire shaft
a few more times. He then rubbed upon the head brushing against the slit. Very
slowly he brought his face down to the organ. His tongue darted out to swipe
along the shaft. It felt strange but not bad. He placed little kisses along it.
Flattening his tongue he licked the underside of the head before swiping along
the slit. He rolled downward hitting the frenulum. He flicked his tongue
against it while bring his hand to cup at Vanitas’ balls.
As he tasted the flesh he was amazed at the taste. It wasn’t salty or sweaty as
he had expected. It had a unique taste he couldn’t put his finger on. ‘Do all
penises taste like this?’ He wondered. He could feel Vanitas’ flesh quiver from
his menstruations. With new enthusiasm, he brought the tip into his mouth. His
lips encircled it slowly taking it deeper. It was a bit too large for comfort,
completely filling his mouth. He pulled his head back releasing most of it
before bobbing back down but not as far this time. Ven removed his lips
entirely causing Vanitas to sound in protest. It was cut off quickly, however,
when Ven took his right ball into his mouth surely. Massaging the other ball in
his hand he tugged gently on the flesh with his lips. His tongue rolled around
it. Vanitas’ entire frame twitched. Shortly Ven returned to the head taking it
in again. He began to run out of saliva and handed the shaft with his hand for
a few minutes. He then decided to try his best at going head on. It was a sorry
excuse of deep throating up Vanitas finished anyway.
“Well that sure was interesting.” Vanitas spoke as he regained his breath.
“Now show me your face.” Ven said with false confidence. Shrugging Vanitas
willed the mask to dissipate. Ven took the sight of him in awe. “Beautiful.” He
hadn’t meant to say it aloud and blushed afterward. “Um, I mean...never mind.”
He lowered his head in embarrassment.
“So you like what you see? Enough to continue? Not that it matters to me, I
shall be taking you regardless.” Ven wasn’t sure how to feel about that last
part, so he simply nodded before climbing onto the bed next to Vanitas.
“This is actually pretty convenient. Now I can use my mouth freely.” Vanitas
reached out ghosting over Ven at first. Ven shivered from the brushing
sensations. Vanitas hardened his touches grabbing ahold roughly of his sides.
Leaning down he sunk his teeth into the junction between his neck and shoulder.
He could feel the skin breaking and blood filling his mouth. He licked his lips
pleased. He sucked on one nipple while twisting the other almost unbearably
hard.
He raked his fingernails over his bare stomach then positioned himself at his
tight hole before thrusting in roughly. Vanitas was pleased by the painful
moans coming from him. Yes. This was what he wanted. He wanted to carve his
pain into this body, this soul. He had been surprised by how easily it had been
to taint this pure soul. He could sense the pollution slowly spreading
throughout Ventus. ‘He is becoming more like me. Soon he will be entirely
mine.’ A fleeting affection overcame him. This other half of himself was vital
to his very existence.
As he was pounded into Ventus felt a flood of emotions seep into him. ‘Where is
this coming from?’ He could feel so many negative emotions, anger, sadness,
hate. But he could also feel a burning desire, and dare he think preciousness?
He wanted to believe that this stranger thought of him as precious. He made eye
contact and was trapped within those orbs. ‘He hates me but also treasures me?’
From nowhere tears began to flow down his face. He couldn’t understand what was
going on, but it felt bittersweet. Without thought he reached up wrapping his
arms securely around his shoulders. He pulled him down into a kiss.
Vanitas was beyond shock. He had not planned on kissing his other self. He was
also surprised to have seen the tears, not of pain but what seemed to be
compassion. The kiss was pleasant, soft and warm. It stood out blatantly from
his ruthless thrusting. He didn’t allow it for long, instead taking charge of
the kiss by assaulting Ven’s tongue. He even bit down on the slippery organ for
effect. Ven moaned longingly into the kiss. The two rocked as they broke apart
for air. Ven’s arm remained locked around him almost lovingly. It filled
Vanitas with a mixture of resentment and comfort. Easing into a steady rhythm
he pounded relentlessly. Finally they both spilled, and he crashed down
unceremoniously atop Ven. Ven stared down at the sleeping form in satisfaction.
“I want to help you,” he said in earnest before falling asleep himself while
stroking the boy’s hair.
***** Departure *****
Ventus was not surprised to find his bed empty in the morning. Sighing he got
ready for the day and hurried down for breakfast. Aqua was just as nervous as
Terra had been the last time.
“Relax you guys. I’m sure you will both make it. Really, I have faith in you.”
He gave them both a steady smile. Aqua returned the gesture, but Terra still
seemed nervous. After breakfast they all reported to the grand hall.
Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort were seated on a raised platform. Ven stayed
over to the side while Terra and Aqua approached the platform. Ven looked over
to see Xehanort staring at him. ”Huh?” He looked down feeling insecure. Did the
master think that he was not worthy to witness the exam? When Eraqus advanced
he straightened his posture. Eraqus gave a speech about how the exam worked and
asked Terra and Aqua if they were ready. After they both agreed, Eraqus created
orbs of light for them to battle. However, moments later darkness surrounded
each orb causing them to act more violently. One neared Ven. He slashed it
quickly with his keyblade. The two candidates had stopped fighting to glance in
his direction.
“Don’t worry about me. You two focus on the exam.”
“But, Ven, you are in danger here. Go wait in your room,” Aqua called in a
motherly tone.
“No way. I’ve been looking forward to this, seeing you two become masters. I’m
not gonna miss it now,” he replied determined.
“He can take care of himself. He’s been out there training just as hard as us,”
Terra reassured.
“Yeah,” Ven agree feeling a bit of pride.
“Stay sharp, Ven,” Aqua warned. The trio circled the hall slashing orbs as they
went. Finally with the room cleared, Eraqus demanded that Terra and Aqua battle
each other. Ven was amazed to watch their fluid movements. They both seemed so
graceful and so much more skilled than him. His earlier pride had flown out the
window. When the two were finished, Eraqus announced that only Aqua had gained
the title of master.
“Hey,” Aqua tried to console Terra.
“Terra, I’m sorry,” Ven said sadly.
“The darkness, where did it come from?” Terra seemed lost in his own world. Ven
couldn’t help but think of the stranger at this. The stranger wielded darkness.
He came and went through portals of darkness and he treated him roughly in a
way no creature of the light could (or at least he hoped). But he knew there
was more to this stranger. He had seen something within those eyes, felt
something in his embrace, that could not be denied. “Is darkness really as bad
as Master Eraqus thinks it is?”
“Sorry. I need some time alone.” Terra walked away. Ven wished he could tell
Terra that darkness was not all bad, but he just couldn’t. They would both flip
if they found out
about his secret visitor. He was forced to watch as he friend walked away in
shame.
Vanitas leaned against the wall holding his helmet.
“What do you make of Ventus?” Xehanort asked.
“He’s ain’t gonna cut it. Someone’s gotta break that loser in.” Vanitas had
been a bit surprised by Ventus fighting at all, but he was still lousy in his
book.
“Not here you won’t. I have to keep up appearances.” As if thanks to the
reminder of secrecy, Vanitas replaced his helmet. “I know that. He just needs a
little incentive to leave home.”
Ventus lied upon his bed swinging around his wooden keyblade. The bells chimed
breaking him away from his actions. He jumped up rushing to the door.
“Better hurry, Ventus,” Vanitas advised leaning against a desk.
“Huh? What are you doing here during the day?” Ven was taken aback. Not once
had the stranger appeared while the sun was up. Besides that he had also
entered through the doorway.
Vanitas ignored the question. “Or you’re never see Terra again.”
“What? Get real. I can see Terra anytime I want.” Ven answered defiantly. No
one was allowed to bad move his friends.
“Like now? He’s leaving you behind. And by the time you catch up he’ll be a
different person.”
“Look whoever you are. You don’t know the first thing about Terra. Me and him
will always be a team. You trying to pick a fight or what?” Ventus took a
battle stance. Maybe the stranger wasn’t as good a person as he had hoped.
Vanitas walked across the room so that he was facing away from Ventus. “Ah,
grow up. Is that what you call friendship? You’ll never know the truth unless
you go out and look for it yourself.” Turning back toward him he said, “Come
on. What possibly could you know when you are stuck here, looking at nothing
but what’s in your tiny world?”
“I’ve had enough of this! Who the hell are you? What right do you, a stranger,
have to tell me how to live? Why are you doing all of this anyway? Why me? Are
you just some horny bastard who picked me at random?”
“It’s not important who I am or why.”
“Like hell it isn’t! I demand you tell me your name! I deserve at least that
much!”
“Fine, but don’t blame me when you miss Terra leaving.” He sneered. “The name’s
Vanitas. I chose you because my biggest wish in the world is to see you suffer.
There’s nothing else to it.”
“Sure there’s not,” Ven huffed. He could tell there was more beneath those
glowing eyes. He didn’t know how he knew, he just did.
“Believe what you want. It won’t change anything.” With that he knocked the boy
back against the wall quickly pushing his body against his. He took his mouth
roughly. Heated muffles escaped their lips. Ven’s mind blurred. He nearly
forgot about Terra, reaching up into Vanitas’ dark hair. Feeling the silken
strands between his fingers he closed his eyes. A bell chimed in the distance
bringing him back to reality. ‘Terra!’ He pushed Vanitas off of him. Without
looking back he rushed from the room. ‘Stupid. Stupid,’ he scolded himself as
he ran through the winding halls. He exited the building just in time to see
Terra equipping his armor.
“Terra!” he yelled almost falling face first onto the pavement.
“Hmm?” Terra mumbled turning around.
“I…I.”
“It’s okay,” Terra said mussing Ven’s hair. He smiled kindly at him before
walking away and summoning his airship.
“Whoa,” Ven said looking at it. He sighed as Terra zoomed away. Summoning his
own armor and airship he flew up ready for his first adventure.
“Wait Ven!” yelled Aqua as she came running out of the estate, but it was too
late.
***** Thoughts *****
Vanitas tossed upon the bed for the umpteenth time. ‘Damn it!’ He was so bored.
There was nothing to do here. Xehanort was no real company. He only cared about
his own plans and was often gone visiting Eraqus. When he did talk with him it
was mostly to spew confusingly on about darkness and light. Vanitas had no need
to hear more about the darkness and light. That topic already consumed him to
the point of nausea. He needed something to take his mind off of these
maddening things. The unversed that crawled upon the property did not help in
the least. Every time his eyes took in their vile forms he was filled with such
self-revulsion that he longed to puncture his own being, squeeze his own life
out of existence, so that at least then his misery and self-hatred could end.
For a short while he had been filled with a sense of optimism that he would
become one with his lost light upon the completion of Xehanort’s plan, however
after witnessing Ventus’ sorry excuse for a fight, he had lost almost all of
it. The chance of their powers clashing was slim at best. But perhaps if he
trained the boy himself… His mind wandered at this as he thought about training
the boy in other ways. Their heated exchanges had granted him a small respite.
They had given him a breather from his never-ending self-loathing. He had been
able to direct these emotions on another, on his other half; The half which
abandoned him but then seemed so willing to bring him back in. That upset him
the most, the fact that this part that left him alone in darkness welcomed him
with open arms, held him softly in an embrace. How dare it treat him as
something valuable, something with purpose? If he was really worth such
kindness why was he abandoned in the first place?
“Damn it!” he yelled, power surging around him causing unversed to appear.
Breathing heavily he tried to compose himself. He could remember the feel of
that skin beneath him, the feeling of soft light surrounding him, the pleasure
from causing pain. But he knew that in reality he had been soothed more than he
was shaking the boy beneath him. As pitiful as it was he wanted nothing at this
moment more than to be in that embrace once again. He wanted to bury his face
deep into the crook of his neck and allow those arms to encircle him in light
touches. Making up his mind, he decided that he needed to escape this place
before he really did bring about his own demise.
He had to find Terra. He knew it was silly to go on a quest looking for his
friend who had promised to return shortly. He trusted Terra. He would
definitely return. However, he couldn’t shack the feeling that if he didn’t
find him he would be lost forever. He needed to tell him that his darkness was
not evil. It was a part of who he is and he shouldn’t resist it to the point of
desperation. It did not matter if Eraqus believed this or not, Ven knew it was
true. He didn’t know how he would explain his revelation to Terra without
explaining about Vanitas, but he just had to try. If it came down to protecting
his own pride or his friendship, he would choice his friendship. The Master,
Terra, and Aqua were as close to a family as he had and it was the most
important thing to him. His mind fleeted to Vanitas. What was he to him? He had
thought that maybe, somehow, their relationship was moving somewhere, to
something. Now he was unsure of what to even feel. He boy had only been
treating him as a toy, had he not? Still, he could not come to despise him for
these actions. Even if the actions had been selfish they had still connected
them in a way new to Ven. He wanted to believe that there was more buried
beneath that rough exterior.
Ven entered the Dwarf Woodlands and noticed a group of tiny men marching with
pickaxes. Intrigued he followed the little men into a mining shaft. “I’m
looking for my friend Terra? Have you seen him?”
“Sounds like a tall tale to me? You’re just a thief here to steal our
diamonds!” A grumpy looking dwarf grumbled.
“I’m not a thief. I just want to find my friend. But if you want me to leave,
I’ll leave. Could you tell me where I can find some other people?”
“There’s a castle beyond the forest” said another dwarf with a short white
beard.
“Thanks.” Taking his leave he continued through the forest until he heard a
shrill cry. Following the sound he came across a dainty looking woman crying on
the ground.
“Would you know of a place where I could sleep for the night? I have nowhere to
go.”
“I saw a house right up ahead. I’ll take you there. I’m Ventus, Ven for short.”
“Thank you, Ven. My name’s Snow White.” She smiled softly. The two walked to
the house. Ven left her to tend to the house while he checked the surrounding
area for any food. When he returned Snow White was telling the group of dwarfs
about what had happened to her earlier that day.
“While I was picking flowers in the wood there was a stranger there and he had
a sword, but it was like a key and then these monsters came and-”
“A sword like a key? Terra!”
“You mean this stranger saw ya and sent his evil hoard of demons after ya?” The
same dwarf who had offered directions previously spoke.
“Terra would never do that!” Ven fled from the room in search of his friend.
While wandering he came across an old woman dressed in black carrying a basket
of apples.
“Haven’t I seen a sword like that before?” she mused.
“Terra has one. You know Terra?”
“Oh, yes. That ruffian pointed it at me asking about some Xehanort. My poor
heart nearly stopped.”
“That doesn’t sound like him at all. Do you know where he is?”
“I certainly do not.” The old woman turned and left. ‘Terra what did you do?’
***** Betrayal *****
Chapter Notes
     This chapter contains Rape
His adventures continued in the same fashion. He would go to a world only to
discover that Terra had helped the darkness. His supposed capture of Aroura’s
heart was the final straw to set his doubts flowing. ‘Why Terra? Have you
already lost yourself?’
There in front of Maleficent in the Enchanted Dominion, Aqua found him. She
reassured him that Terra would never do such things, but he knew in his heart
that he had. He wanted to have the blind trust that Aqua did, but if Terra had
done these things, someone needed to set him straight. Terra wasn’t bad, he was
just lost. He needed guidance back to the light, or at least a middle ground.
She tried to bring Ventus back home, but Terra needed him.
“Sorry, Aqua, but I can’t go with you. It’s just, I have to find him before
it’s too late.” ‘Terra where are you?’
Ventus entered the Lanes Between. Where should he go? There were so many worlds
to search and he had this overwhelming sense of haste. He closed his eyes,
turned himself blindly, and then opened his eyes. They first landed on a
bluish-green planet. ‘Might as well check there.’ Travel between worlds was
usually quiet, but a whooshing sound accompanied this particular trip. Vanitas
zoomed passed him.
“Him again?” Despite his urgency, Ventus could not help following the man. He
told himself that it was entirely so that he could ask what the stranger knew
about Terra. It had nothing to do with him wanting to see him.
He was led to a desolate, rocky expanse. He had no memories of the place, but
he was struck by a feeling of déjà vu. He tended not to worry about his
forgotten past, but could this place be connected?
“Where’s he hiding?” He glanced around before sensing eyes behind him. “Huh?
Alright, what did you mean about Terra being a different person?”
Vanitas paced towards him. “Exactly what I said, idiot. The Terra you know will
be gone forever.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard” Ven waved his arm with emotion. ‘I
can still help Terra!’
“Stupid or true?” Vanitas extended his arm summoning his keyblade.
“A keyblade?” ‘How is this possible? I thought only Eraqus’ students could
wield keyblades.’ Regardless, he understood what this meant. “Geh.” He prepared
himself for the ensuing fight.
“Good, let’s see what you’re made of.”
Ventus stood in a guarded position. He didn’t want to be the one to strike
first. He had no reason to feel attached to this boy, but he did. Vanitas aimed
a fireball towards him. Ven somersaulted out of the way before shooting his own
firaga blasts. Vanitas cartwheeled away. Ventus moved in striking with his
keyblade. Vanitas teleported behind him, striking down on him. Darkness
radiated out from the blade.
Ventus winced in pain and rushed further away. He spun around searching for his
opponents position. When he spotted him he charged, swinging his keyblade in
fast succession. But the air simply rippled and cleared. ‘But he was just
here.’
He felt a blow from behind strike him in the back. He fell to the ground with a
thud.
“Pathetic. You’re not even worth my time.”
“Uh! Damn it! Don’t look down on me!” Ventus pushed himself up swinging. He
hit, but Vanitas barely flinched.
“Is that all you got?” Ven focused on his keyblade. “Fever Rave.” Five beams of
light shot from his keyblade towards Vanitas. The boy was knocked back.
“That’s more like it, but I’m growing tired of this.” Blasts of dark lightning
cascaded on Ventus causing him to crash into the ground.
“Ah! Geh.” He tried to push himself back up but lacked the stamina.
Vanitas sauntered forward. “That really all you got? Man you are worthless.” He
straddled his back, pinning him to the ground. He willed his mask away and
leaned into Ven’s ear. “I wonder, can you make this trip worth my while?”
“Wait, what?” Ven’s head began to swim. They were just fighting weren’t they?
And now he wanted to do…that?
Vanitas’ hand traveled down the opening at the neck of his shirt finding his
nipple. He pinched it tightly and nipped lightly at his ear.
“Let’s get this shirt off.” Vanitas cut through the fabric with darkness.
“What! You cut my shirt?” Without answering Vanitas cut through his pants as
well.
“How am I gonna leave here without my clothes?”
“Not my problem. Besides you won’t be leaving.” With that Vanitas bit down hard
into his ear. Ventus cried out in pain.
“Oh, that’s nice. I quite enjoy hearing your agony.” He fashioned a thin needle
out of darkness which he used to cut into his back. He wrote the kanji for hate
and loathing before drawing random designs. Ringlets of blood oozed from each
indent.
“Red’s a nice color on you.” He leaned down and lapped up the trails of blood.
Moving further he circled the outline of his ass cheeks with his nose.
Spreading Ven’s legs he smirked. “Now for the main dish.” He dissolved his suit
and took hold of his cock. He pumped it a few times till it was fully hard.
After positioning it at Ven’s hole he held his shoulders down as he thrust in
cruelly. It had been over a week since they had last done this. Ven’s insides
screamed out. Worse, he didn’t give him any time to adjust before starting a
disjointed rhythm.
Vanitas basked in the pain that sizzled through their bond. His own troubled
heart eased a bit with each impairment. Every cry filled him with a sense of
accomplishment.
‘Feel my pain. Feel it and always remember.’ He pushed as much weight as he
could onto Ven, grinding him into the gravel below.
Ven’s body ached with each thrust. Tears welled in his eyes. He had thought…He
had thought…What had he thought exactly? That this stranger somehow cared for
him? What had made him think that? He had been stupid. Sure he had thought he’d
seen something within those pooling eyes, but that was no proof. This stranger
had only been out to abuse him from the beginning. And now what would become of
him? Was he doomed to be his boy’s sex slave forever? Or did he mean to kill
him?
Vanitas came shuddering, his hand wrapped around Ven’s cock blocking his
release. Vanitas removed himself.
“I’d be going against the Master’s orders, but so what? As far as I’m concerned
you’re job here is done.” He raised his keyblade towards the heavens and shot a
giant blue energy blast. It landed into a sea of flames where Ven had been
lying.
***** Trust *****
In that moment the portion of his life that he remembered flashed before his
eyes. So many mistakes had led him there. He should have screamed that first
night, or told about the incident that morning. He should have fought back the
second time. He should have stopped Terra before he left. He should have
returned home with Aqua, at least then he would have continued living. He
should have never followed this man to this world. Now he would die alone, save
for his attacker, in this world devoid of all life and beauty. Tears slid from
his clouded lids over his naivety.
He wondered how it had gotten to this point. At first it had been curiosity and
a longing for contact. Without memories he knew little about the ways of the
world and had rejoiced in experiencing this new aspect of it. After the second
time the desire had possessed him. He would often find his mind drifting to his
‘stalker.’ What would their next exchange be? How would the sensations differ?
He had been lost to his hormone-ridden body.
Alas, hadn’t he known he was burying himself in a hole he would eventually
drown in? Not once had the stranger treated him kindly. Not once did he utter a
gentle word. Each exchange left him with lingering pain and bruises. But those
eyes. Once he’d seen those haunting eyes and gazed upon that otherworldly face
he had felt bound to him. From the beginning he had felt a connection, but it
grew stronger when there was a face to place with it.
He braced himself for the impact, but it never came. He heard the blast of
energy land but never felt the blow.
“Don’t worry. You’re safe.” A silvery voice rang out. Ven found himself in the
arms of a friendly looking mouse. There was a gigantic scorch mark on the
ground two feet away. The mouse must have saved him.
“Healing.” The mouse lifted his keyblade in order to perform the spell upon
him. He felt his outward flesh mend yet his damaged interior remained
unalleviated.
Vanitas may have tormented his flesh, and left him barred to the world, but
worse by far was what he had done to his innocence. Would he be able to trust
again? Could he even trust Terra? Trust aside, he had no choice but to rely on
this new stranger.
“Tell me where you got that. Keyblades are not things you use just to bully
someone around,” the mouse lectured. “Here I’ll show ya.”
“We both will,” Ventus equipped his armor nodding at the mouse in agreement.
Ventus and the mouse ran in separate directions, shooting fire blasts from both
sides. Ven closed in slashing upwards at his opponent. Vanitas spun himself,
feeling the blow only lightly. He shot a cord of darkness out to bind Ventus,
but Ventus lifted his keyblade in time to block it. Vanitas cut downward while
the mouse jumped toward Vanitas’ back. The boy of darkness teleported behind
the newcomer striking him onto the ground.
“No you don’t,” Ven shouted. He cast curaga on the stranger quickly and charged
at Vanitas. The two barreled away flipping and summersaulting away. The mouse
rose and shot Heal at Vanitas. The mouse motioned for Ven to come join him once
Vanitas fell to the ground.
“Together,” he commanded.
“Right,” Ven said. Their Zero Gravity and Holy attacks blended together into a
blinding projectile of light which landed on the darkness user. He fell to the
ground yet again. Just when the duo thought he was beaten for good, he did a
flip landing squarely on his feet. The newly-formed team tensed ready for more.
“You win.” Vanitas created a dark portal behind himself. “Consider yourself on
probation.” With that he disappeared from sight.
“Probation? For what? He’s the one who came to me in the first place.” Ven
removed his helmet turning toward the mouse. “Thanks for before. I owe ya. The
name’s Ventus. What’s yours?”
“I’m Mickey. That sure was a mean one. The way he treated you was despicable.”
Ven leaned down to meet the eyes of his new friend.
“Thank you so much. I had no idea what I was going to do about that. I see
you’ve got a keyblade.”
“Yep. I’ve been training under the Great Yen Sid.” Mikey willed his blade to
fade. “He found out the worlds are in trouble, and I sorta took off without
tellin’ him.”
“Well, that makes both of us.” Ven touched his chest lightly. “I ran off too.”
“All I have to do is think it and this star shard will take me anywhere I wanna
go.” Mickey held the shard out for Ven to examine. It looked like blue glass
shaped like a star.
“Heh, at least I thought it would. I haven’t quite got the fine points down,
like when or where. It just kinda kicks in whenever it wants to. But I wouldn’t
have met you if it wouldn’t have brought me here.”
Mickey smiled cheerfully causing Ven to laugh. He felt better. Vanitas may be a
jerk but there were still nice people (err beings?). He could feel bad for
himself after he saved Terra.
“You know, it might not be an accident. Maybe it starts working because it’s
reacting to something.” Ironically, the star shard reacted just then in a burst
of blinding green light.
***** Lost *****
Gone were the rocky terrain, the silky-furred creature, and the crystalline sky
with tufts of silver clouds. He found himself within the stars of the Lanes
Between. Standing upon his glider he wondered what had happened. He remembered
an overwhelming green glare and a swooshing sensation. Hadn’t Mickey mentioned
that the star shard transported him unexpectedly?
With nothing else to go on, he took in his new surroundings. A new world
floated near him. A grand castle could be seen upon its surface. Maybe Terra is
here.
Radiant Garden was a peaceful world. It filled him with a calm that he hadn’t
felt since Terra’s departure. He was within a luscious garden square. A duck
with a cane was pacing nearby. Something caught in the corner of his eye,
causing him to spin around. A mouse, looking much like Mickey, was retreating.
“Mickey?” Ven questioned aloud.
He chased after the mouse until he ran into an unversed. The inner calm he had
felt dropped away as if a switch had been flipped. He channeled all of his hurt
emotions into his keyblade as he attacked. “Look out!” he called to the duck.
The unversed swerved away traveling deeper into the town. Ven started to
follow, but the duck called out for him to stop. Ven’s anger and sadness
stirred him to continue after the creature, but his good nature forced him to
stop.
As a reward for saving him the duck gave him three passes for Disney Town.
Looking down at the two extra passes he remembered Terra and Aqua. Before all
this had happened the three of them could have enjoyed a wonderful day together
at an amusement park. Could they ever be that close again? With that thought,
and a quick thank you called, he shot off toward the unversed, ready to release
all his pent up emotions.
Then, as if the heavens had heard his thoughts, there his two friends were, and
just as shocked as he was. Without time for a proper reunion, the three called
their keyblades and struck at their opponent. Together they made short work of
the unversed. It may have been large, but their teamwork was that much
stronger.
As the three stared at each other in triumph, Ven longed to just forget their
immediate troubles. “I got you these tickets.”
“For what?” Terra asked.
“Lifetime passes to Disneytown. He said to take two grown-ups,” Ven said while
making a half-hearted scowl. As much as he would love a trip together, he
didn't like being looked down upon for his age.
“You mean us?” Aqua said turning to Terra and laughing. Ven joined in on the
laughter and felt his earlier calm returning. These were his friends. He was
safe here and at peace. But all too quickly their mood shifted back to the
present.
“Listen Ven, we need to get you home,” Aqua chided.
“Don’t worry, the boy in the mask won’t be bothering us again.” Or, at least he
hoped not.
“You saw the boy in the mask?” Terra grabbed his shoulder roughly. Ven wondered
if now was the time to tell them everything, but the look in Terra’s eyes
scared him.
“Y-yes,” was all he said.
“Vanitas. Ven, you let Aqua take you home.”
“No way, I wanna go with you guys.”
“You can’t. We have a difficult task ahead of us. I don’t want you to get
hurt.” At this Ven shivered remembering the pain that Vanitas had inflicted
upon him. Maybe Terra was right. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for this, but he
didn’t want to be separated again. He just couldn’t bare being alone right now.
“And what is this dangerous task, Terra?” Aqua asked. “It doesn’t sound like
what the master told you to do.”
“It might be a different route, but I’m fighting the darkness.”
“I’m not so sure. I’ve been to the same worlds as you and I’ve seen what you’ve
done. You shouldn’t put yourself so close to the darkness.” Ven’s mind churned.
Hadn’t he also put himself close to the darkness? Wasn’t he still letting
Vanitas’ darkness have power over him? He felt for Terra. He knew in his heart
that no matter what Terra did he was trying to do good in his own way.
“Listen to yourself, Aqua. Terra would never-“
“You mean you’ve been spying on me? Is that what he said to do? The master’s
orders.”
“He was only-“ She turned her head away in what looked like shame.
“Aqua,” Ven hung his own head feeling lost. They were all so very lost and he
didn’t know what to do about it. They wouldn’t let him help.
“I get it.” Terra turned to leave. Ven reached out to stop him, but Terra
yelled for him to stay away. “I’m on my own now. Alright?”
“I’ll give him some time to cool off, but then I’m going after him. You head
home.”
“But, Aqua, I want to go with you.”
“No, Ven. Do as I say, and go home.”
“Why won’t you let me?”
“Cause I don’t want to put you in harm’s way. You understand?” He wanted to
laugh. Danger was everywhere. Though he doubted it would happen any time soon,
Vanitas could come for him at any moment. He would probably be safer with her.
Wasn’t there anything he could do to fix this broken situation?
***** Search *****
Chapter Notes
     When I started this I had no intention of adding any humor, yet when
     I was trying to figure out how Ven would find Vanitas humor came to
     mind. Hopefully you don’t mind a spice of humor.
After Aqua had left him Ven decided that if they would not let him help them
out, then he would work on fixing the problem that he could. He needed to see
Vanitas again. He knew that it was safer to just leave him be, but he still
wanted to try and find the goodness deep within his eyes. Besides who knows who
else might get hurt if he didn’t do anything. The problem was that Ventus had
no idea how to find Vanitas. It had always been Vanitas coming to him, not the
other way around.
He checked some places blindly since he had no real info to go on. What did he
even know about the guy besides the fact that he wielded darkness and liked
kinky sex? It wasn’t like Ven knew the location of any brothels. He returned to
the worlds he had previously visited and asked if anyone had seen him. Of
course no one had.
Then a thought struck him. The guy was a fighter, so maybe he would be honing
his skills at the Coliseum. Ven signed up and set about battling. The battles
began easy enough, shooting barrels within a certain amount of time, killing
some enlarged flies. Then things picked up with handfuls of unversed and
heartless at once. Finally, he made his way to the semi-finals. Contestants had
to wait behind the scenes while the rest of the contestants were weeded out.
There was only one other contestant already chosen. The boy had black hair and
a friendly face.
“Hey there,” he called waving Ven over. “So you made it too? You must have some
nice moves. I’m Zack by the way.”
“Nice to meet you. You can call me Ven. You haven’t seen a boy about our age
wearing a black and red body suit and a helmet have you?”
“Can’t say I have. I don’t mean to pry but why are you looking for this guy? Is
he a friend of yours?”
“Not even close.”
“Woah, you guys aren’t, well you know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you dating this guy?”
“No!” Ven cried automatically. Where had he gotten that idea?
“Hmm…” Zack scrutinized him. “I can see why you’d be taken, you’re a pretty
nice catch.”
“Wait, what? What are you talking about.” Ven blushed. “I am a guy you know.”
“I know. So.” Zack gave him a blank stare as if he were an idiot.
“Anyway, we aren’t dating.”
“So you are single then?”
“Um…”
“Wanna date me then?”
“What?”
“Do you wanna date me?”
“We just met, so no.”
“Aw, come on. You know I’m strong,” here he stood flaunting his muscles, “since
I made it here and you obviously thought I was worthwhile since you decided to
talk to me.”
“How could I have refused with you calling me over so enthusiastically?” They
both laughed.
“You’re not have bad Ven. Too bad we will probably have to fight in the
finals.”
“Yeah.”
It turned out that only one more finalist was chosen. Zack was called to fight
him and won easily. It was down to just the two of them. Ven was disappointed
that he hadn’t found Vanitas, but his pride wouldn’t let him drop from the
tournament. They entered the ring shaking hands before taking battle stances.
The alarm sounded and they dashed at each other. Sword and keyblade hit
repeatedly in a stronghold. Jumping to the side Ventus shot a firaga knocking
Zack out of his guarded stance. While he was still shaken Ven performed a
cyclone attacked striking him with fast slashes. Zack was harmed, but he still
retaliated. Ven barley dodged a strike to his cheek. Yet again their blades
clashed shaking from the impact. They called each other’s names focusing all
their energy into pushing forward. After what felt like forever, Zack was
pushed back. Noticing, Ven took the advantage pushing his keyblade at an angle
resulting in Zack’s sword falling from his grip.
“Got cha,” he said smiling.
“Well that’s life.” Zack shrugged. “You did good. My previous offer is still on
the table.”
Ven took note of the glim in his eye. He was amazed at how fast they had become
friends. “You wanna know a secret? Me and that guy aren’t dating…yet.”
“That hurts. You would pick him over me?” They both laughed. “Well, Ven, I’ll
see ya.”
“Yeah see ya.”
That had been a nice adventure, but it had not brought him anywhere closer to
his goals. Out of options Ven resorted to heading back to the Keyblade
Graveyard. The place unnerved him since it had almost been his graveyard.
Regardless, he figured that it was as likely a place to find Vanitas as any.
Seeing no sign of him Ventus gave up.
“Where the hell are you Vanitas? Vanitas!” He yelled loudly throwing his arms
up in irritation.
“You called maggot?” came a voice behind him. Ventus signed in relief. Now he
just needed to figure out how to handle the situation.
***** Break *****
Chapter Notes
     “And you can't stop me from falling apart
     'Cause my self-destruction is all your fault”
     -Open Wounds by Skillet
     I finally tried out rich text and found out that it actually keeps my
     formatting. Woot!
“You called maggot?” came a voice behind him. Ventus signed in relief. Now he
just needed to figure out how to handle the situation.
“Yeah I did,” he admitted turning to face him.
Vanitas eyed him with interest. “And why on earth would you do that? You do
remember that I tried to kill you, don’t you? You want me to finish the job?”
“No, of course not. I actually wanted to talk.”
“Huh!” Vanitas’ eyes bugged out in surprise. “You want to talkto me?” He said
talk as if it was another word for stupidity.
“I want to get to know you, Vanitas. You said before that your greatest wish
was to cause me pain. Why is that? Why me?”
“You wanna play buddy-buddy, do ya? Well, I don’t have any reason to tell you
about me. Anything I say would be wasted on you anyway.” Vanitas snickered at
the hurt look on Ven’s face. 
“You have to give me something. There must be a reason behind your actions. I
just want to understand you.”
“You want to understandme? You want to fucking understand me!” Vanitas pounced
at him knocking them both to the ground. “No one can understand what I go
through. The pain you feel is nowhere close.”
“So that’s it then.”
“What you muttering about?”
“You do want to be understood don’t you? You think that pain is the only way
for me to understand. Well then fine. Do what you want to me, if that will make
you happy. Whatever you do I won’t fight back.”
“You really are messed up in the head, you know that? Better not regret this
later, cause I won’t hold anything back. Remove that armor.”
Ven had almost forgotten that the armor was his only clothing. He hadn’t dared
go home for fear of being trapped there. He did as Vanitas ordered, leaving
himself fully nude. Vanitas stared at him taking the time to note every inch of
him. He brought his face down sniffing as he went. When he finally settled at
his cock, Ven was sure that he was going to suck him. Instead he blew on it
teasingly before covering the tip with a cock ring made of darkness. The
pressure was tight and unpleasant, but he remained silent.
He took to scraping down the boy’s body with his nails. Gashes formed in
pinkish red indentations. Nowhere was spared save his head and neck. Pain
sizzled, but surprisingly it wasn’t as bad as Ven would have anticipated.
Something really must be wrong with him, because somehow this exchange was
turning him on as much as the others had.
Tired of scratching, Vanitas moved to his neck biting into thick flesh. Skin
broke and Vanitas lapped it up greedily. It sent a chill down his spine. This
was a taste of the light; the light he had lost. Snickering to himself he
sucked forcing more blood into his mouth before initiating a kiss. Ven’s own
blood seeped into his mouth. Vanitas was disappointed not to see any reaction.
Shrugging it off, he crawled over the boy until he was literally sitting upon
the boy’s face. He sat there for an extended period pushing down with enough
force to cut off his breathing.
Ven tried not to respond, but after a time his body twitched involuntarily
calling for help. He grabbed a hold of Vanitas’ leg, silently pleading for air.
Sighing, he complied, lifting just enough for oxygen to circulate.
After letting him take some deep breathes, he removed his clothing and pushed
his penis into the boy’s mouth. “Suck it hard this time.”
Ven tried to bob his head but found that the hard mass of earth prevented it.
Annoyed, Vanitas set upon moving himself. He pushed in deeply, yet again
restricting his oxygen intake.
Ven’s jaw grew sore, but Vanitas just continued. Ven began to wonder if he was
prolonging his orgasm on purpose.
Finally, he pulled away moving to his ass instead. Without any warning he
shoved his way inside. Ven cried out which pleased Vanitas immensely. He would
watch Ven’s painful facial expressions all day if he could. Tears had formed in
his eyes and he looked pale. Yet he was still not satisfied. He needed more. He
needed to see Ven’s eyes dead and lifeless. He needed to murder that light, no
he needed to steal it. He focused on this with each thrust; willing his
darkness into Ven and pulling the light out of him. If only it were that easy.
Ven’s cock twitched ruthlessly as it tried to release. Vanitas laughed tickling
along it to make it worse. He shot his seed and watched as it began to slide
out of the hole. He took some onto his finger and forced it into Ven’s mouth.
Bored he removed the cock ring. “And now I’ll kill you.” He waited for Ven to
react. To protest, to fight, to do something. But he never did. He just lied
there staring. He summoned his keyblade, raised it for attack, waited some
more. Ven smiled. He smiled.
The keyblade shook before falling from his hand. Vanitas crumpled. He had never
planned to break down in front of anyone, but he couldn’t take it anymore. The
little brat was so unpredictable. Why wouldn’t he fight him? Why wouldn’t he
suffer?
“Vanitas?” he asked hesitantly.
“Leave me alone!” he shouted.
“Can I help?”
“No, just leave!”
“What’s wrong? Come on kill me. Isn’t that what you want?”
“You have no fucking idea what I want!” Vanitas threw his hands up in
irritation letting the tears fall.
“I want to help you.”
“Why? Why are you so kind hearted? Why can’t I shake you up? Why are you able
to affect me this way.” Ven thought it better than to answer a question he
wondered himself.
“Just leave me alone.”
“But-“
“Just leave me alone!” And so he did.   
***** Truth *****
Chapter Notes
     “But I, I know who you really are
     You're the one who cries when you're alone
     But where will you go
     With no one left to save you from yourself
     You can't escape”
     -Where Will You Go by Evanescence
Ventus hadn’t known what to do when he left Vanitas. He had ended up just
wandering the landscape idly.  The quiet and bareness of the place left him
alone with his thoughts. He finally had proof that there was more to Vanitas
than his harsh exterior, but he still didn’t know what it was. What exactly had
it been that set him off? He was not enough of a wishful thinker to believe it
was regret. No, Vanitas had issues. If only he could learn what they were and
help. If he could, then maybe Vanitas would stop doing bad things.
“We meet again, boy,” came a voice behind him.
“Huh?” He turned to see someone approaching. “Master Xehanort.”
Suddenly his head was hit with a blinding pain. He clutched it as his knees
gave way. Images of a life he didn’t know flashed through his vision.
Xehanort smiled in triumph. “Ah,yes. So, you’re starting to realize what you
lost. Oh, but not for good. You had to lose in order to find. Now it can all be
yours again, if you only reach out and take it.” He brought out his hand and
back in as if he were grasping something. In response Ven’s body began to
shake. It felt as if the images were ripping through his skull, realigning his
brain channels.  
“Reclaim the part that left you. Clash with him; pure light against pure
darkness to forge the ultimate key. The all-powerful X-blade.” Ven threw his
head back shouting loudly to the heavens. His brain was surged from information
overload. Completely out of energy, he let himself fall face first into the
dirt. His eyes took on a lost glisten.
With the little strength he had he muttered, “X-blade.”
“Not the keyblades you and I carry.” Xehanort extended his hand out with the
palm facing up. A large shining X appeared. “X, a most ancient letter. Some say
Kye, but the meaning is the same. Death, a letter that spells endings.” Then
Xehanort created a hole of darkness within the sky. Swirling purple energy
beckoned for permission to reek havoc. 
“And I have the power to make it?”
“Correct. Eraqus knows it to. He knows exactly what you are. Haven’t you ever
wondered? Why he never granted you permission to leave his side, to grow
stronger? Eraqus was frightened of you. If you were to learn the truth, realize
what you are…He never trusted you. Why else would he keep you within his sight
at all times?” Xehanort gave the signal allowing the purple lightning to strike
beside Ven’s head.
“Yeah,” Ven said. It was as if the lightning had cleared his head, reenergizing
it. It made sense now. Eraqus had been holding him back, just as Aqua was
trying to do now. “He never let me see other worlds. No matter how much I
asked.”
“Go,” Xehanort ordered blasting air at him causing a dust storm. Ven struggled
to stand his ground. “You can ask the man yourself. Learn the truth, and
remember you have a greater purpose.”
“Ah!” Before Ven knew what was happening he was swept off his feet and thrown
into the Lanes Between. There he pondered his short life. He had felt accepted,
yet he had always been held back more than the others. While Terra and Aqua had
been allowed to roam freely, he had been held captured. ‘What am I? What has
the Master been keeping from me all this time?’ He needed to talk to Eraqus. He
had to.
 
When he approached the estate he felt the full weight of his current situation.
Things had been much simpler before he had met Vanitas. He had had an imaginary
perfect life. He had had friends, a caring teacher, and home. After facing
Eraqus would he ever be able to go back? But he knew that he had already
learned too much. Things could never go back to the way they had been. Terra
was lost, Aqua was controlling, Eraqus was a liar, and he had experienced too
many things. He was no longer that innocent, naïve child. From what he could
tell they had all been touched by the darkness. Even though he wanted the
darkness to not be as bad as they all thought, it hadn’t done them any favors.
Sighing, he gave in to what he had to do. As if fate had called him, Eraqus
exited the estate meeting him out on the grounds.
“Ventus? You’re alone?” he asked in surprise. “I thought Aqua would-“ Cutting
himself off, Eraqus took Ven by his shoulders. “Well what matters is that
you’re home. You don’t belong outside this world yet. You need to stay here
where you can learn-“
“In your prison?”
Eraqus’ face showed hurt confusion. “What?” He slowly released Ven’s shoulders.
“That’s your excuse for keeping me here imprisoned isn’t it?” Ven balled his
fists in anger.
“What did you hear?” The master asked straightening himself so that he towered
over the boy.
“That I’m supposed to be some sort of weapon. Some kind of X-blade.” The boy
struck out with his arm releasing his pent up frustration.
“I knew it. Xehanort.” He stroked his scarred face as if remembering a day gone
by. “He could never let it go. I failed. I had the chance to stop him and
couldn’t do it. But I will not fail again.”  He summoned his keyblade ready to
strike.
“Master. What are you-” Ven backed away. He had not thought that this would
turn into a fight. The worst he had feared was being locked away again. This
was far worse. How could he fight his Master? Yes he had lied to him. Yes he
had imprisoned him. But he had still been the closest thing to a father he had.
 “The X-blade has no place in this or any world. Xehanort has made his purpose
clear, and I am left with no choice. Forgive me, but you must exist no more.”
The strike came, and Ven refused to move. Perhaps his death really would be the
best for everyone. The world would be safe from this X-blade, and Vanitas
wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. He shut his eyes waiting for the
blast and heard an all-too familiar voice call his name.
“What?” Eraqus questioned when his keyblade was hit by another.
“Master! Have you gone mad?”
“Terra. I command you step aside.”
“No.”
“You will not heed your Master?”
“I won’t.”
“Why do all my attempts to reach you fail?” Ven could see that the master was
suffering. He didn’t want to hurt them anymore than they wanted to hurt him.
“If you don’t have it in your heart to obey, then you have to share Ventus’
fate.”
A single tear escaped him before he charged. Their blades struck over and over
clinging like nails into Ventus’ heart. He had caused this by coming here. If
he died it would end. 
“Enough, Terra. He’s right.” Ven pleaded.
“Quiet,” Terra ordered.
“Terra.”
Eraqus shot a blast of light knocking them both backwards. Terra regained his
footing, but Ven stayed down. Lifting the boy with his left arm, Terra focused
on his goal. Up till that point he had been merely fending off attacks. Now he
needed to get serious. If Eraqus wanted a fight, he would give him one.
“You may be my Master, but I will not let you hurt my friend.”
Noticing the dark energy surrounding him, Eraqus asked, “has the darkness taken
you, Terra?”
Terra threw Ven backwards toward a dark portal he had just created.
“Wait, Terra,” he cried, but to no avail. Darkness closed around him cutting
off the remainder of the fight.
He was thrown onto a beach. Ocean waves lapped at the shore and seagull calls
could be heard. Disregarding the scenery, Ven tried to run back into the
portal. However, the portal evaporated around him. Fine then. He would just fly
back. He touched his arm ready to take off when he heard Vanitas’ voice.
“Going somewhere?” He stood upon an overhanging bridge. He seemed much more
composed than last time, but his mask hid his face, so Ventus couldn’t be
entirely sure.
“Vanitas, I-“
“Don’t. After what happened last time, I figured you’re strong enough now to
fulfill your purpose. So what are you waiting for? Join with me right here and
now.”
“So that I can become some freaking X-blade? I don’t think so. This X-blade has
already hurt me and my friends. He told me that the only way the X-blade can be
forged is if you and me fight, but guess what? I’m not fighting.”
“Why are you so irritating? You used to be too broken to talk back.”
That pain from earlier resurfaced in his head. Instead of flashes, this time
Ven was given a full picture. He was surrounded by heartless. He had been
scared. Always so week. He pleaded for his master not to make him.
“It’s because you’re trying to hold it in. Let the dark impulses awaken in the
pit of your heart. Release them here and now,” called Xehanort. “Sharpen your
fear into rage. You must. If you do not the storm will wipe you from the face
of the world. Make no mistake. Do it, embrace the darkness. Produce for your
Master the X-blade.”
But he had been too scared. Too scared of the darkness, and too scared of the
heartless to even fight back. As he cried out they swarmed him.
It all made sense now. He had once been Furu. He had been full. After that
fight, Xehanort had given up on him. He wouldn’t give in to the darkness, so
Xehanort had forced it out of him. Vanitas was the darkness of his heart. He
was trapped in the darkness. He could never escape the darkness, just as Ventus
could never escape the light. He must have felt so envious of Ven’s life.
Eventually the pain subsided.
“I get it now. I’m sorry Vanitas, I really am, but we still can’t forge the X-
blade.”
“Fine. Then I’ll give you a reason to fight.”
“What?”
“Come and fight me at the one and only place to spawn the X-blade: the Keyblade
Graveyard. There you’re going to see me choke the life out of Terra and Aqua.
Then we’ll see how well you play the pacifist.” 
***** Danger *****
Ven swore that he would stop this, even if it meant giving his own life. He
watched as Vanitas left before leaving through a light portal. He hurried to
the Keyblade Graveyard as fast as he could. Maybe, just maybe, he could get
there before Aqua and Terra did. Then he could stop all this before they even
got involved.
 
When he arrived at the true heart of the Keyblade Graveyard he realized the
fittingness of its name. There were more abandoned keyblades than he could
count. Had all of these keyblade wielders died here?  He didn’t have time to
worry about this, though. His only focus was stopping Vanitas and saving Terra
and Aqua.
Then out of the hazy dust he saw them. Their mood already seemed solemn. And
here he was ready to tell them that their lives were directly in danger.  
“Ven!” Aqua cried seeing that he was safe.
There was no point beating around the bush. “Xehanort wants me and Vantias to
fight and make some sort of X-blade. But the Master said we can’t let that
happen. And he tried to destroy me for it.”
“X-blade?” Aqua asked confused.
“I still don’t know exactly what it is.” He placed his hand over his heart,
clenching at the emotion inside him. “But it scares me to death. Even just the
thought of it.”
“Relax man. We’re here, and we’re going to take care of you.” Terra touched his
 his shoulder protectively.
“Even still, I may have to fight Vanitas after all. If I do I want you to- I
want you guys to-”
“The three of us will never be torn apart, alright? I’ll always find a way,”
Terra said tightening his grip.
Aqua knelt down so that she could look him straight in the eyes before stroking
his face reassuringly.
Irritated that they wouldn’t take the situation seriously he forcibly removed
their hands. “I’m asking you as a friend. Just put an end to me.” They both
wore expressions full of hurt.  
Aqua brought her arms in toward her chest as if they could protect her from
this painful reality. “But why, Ven? Even if you did make this X-blade, we
could never abandon you like that.”
“You don’t understand. I’m not as worthy of saving as you think.”
“What do you mean?”
“Vanitas he’s…He's part of me.”
“What are you saying?”
“Before you all took me in, we were one and the same. But Xehanort separated
us. If I hadn’t followed him in the first place none of this would have
happened. If I hadn’t allowed Vanitas to leave my body you wouldn’t be in
danger.”
“Even if that’s true, you are not the same person you were then. You are not
responsible for what your past self did.” Terra said, most likely referring to
his own change of heart.
“But I am! I just keep making mistakes, and now they are going to hurt you!”
“Quit taking everything on your shoulders. We are your friends remember?
Friends help you through your burdens. Besides, everything is Vanitas’ fault
not yours. It must have been his darkness that led you to work for Xehanort,
and it is his darkness now that desires the X-blade.” There Aqua was going on
again about how awful the darkness was. Even if Vanitas was of darkness, he
couldn’t just forsake him.
“Don’t! He’s still me. And how would you feel if all you had was darkness? How
would you feel to be all alone?”
“Ven.”
“Please, leave Vanitas to me. I want to save everyone.”
“That’s not always possible.” Terra’s painful expression was enough for Ven to
realize what had happened to Eraqus.
“I still have to try.” Their conversation cut off as their foes approached.
“Behold, these lifeless keys you see before you used to be full of power.
United with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil keyblades of light
and darkness were locked in combat as a great keyblade war raged. Countless
keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search of the one ultimate key.
And it will soon belong to me.” Xehanort pointed at Ventus  before calling out
“X-blade!”
This managed to wake them from their stupor, for they all gasped and equipped
their armor.  Ven tried to advance, but Terra pushed him back, charging himself
instead. Only halfway there, Terra was upended by a giant piece of earth raised
by Xehanort. The earth lifted, causing Terra to rise out of sight.
And then the entire place suddenly turned into a war zone. The sky darkened as
if all light had been drained away. As Xehanort closed in on Terra, they tried
to help, but Vanitas flew past them shooting a blast of darkness at Aqua. Ven
jumped towards Vanitas, but he too was hit and fell down. Vanitas reeling
struck Aqua once again. Ventus crouched beside her.
When he regained his footing he charged straight for Xehanort, who sensed his
presence. He grabbed him by the helmet, leaving him failing. Terra tried to
help, but Vanitas yet again intervened knocking him from the high pillar where
they stood. Unable to do anything but thrash, he felt a creeping chill overcome
him. Before he knew it he was too frozen to even open his mouth.
Then he was dropped. Tumbled down from the pillar, too numb to even feel the
wind or the impact from landing upon Aqua, who had managed to catch him just in
time. He internally sighed in relief. For all he knew that impact could have
shattered him if it weren’t for her. He saw her worried expression as she
cradled him like a baby, but far worse was the mass of dark purple energy
Xehanort wielded. But he was unable to do anything to warn her. The energy
struck the sky, exploding into a thundercloud. As the sky cleared an opening
formed in the sky shaped like a heart.  
Aqua stared at the sky in shock. She was far too entranced to notice Vanitas
striking at her from behind. The keyblade raked across her back with a grating
sound. Vanitas moved in, ready to strike her straight through the heart. Ven
struggled to move, but the ice was still very much intact. He struggled with
all his might, focusing on the light and his will to thaw.
“No!” he screamed, managing to stand. He groaned from the struggle, but he used
this energy to fuel his motivation. “Vanitas, this ends here!”
***** End *****
Chapter Notes
     “Pull me from the darkness
     Setting me in the Sun”
     -Set Me in the Sun by Bluestone
     Have I finally become a true writer? This was the first time that I
     felt compelled to write as if willed by the characters. This
     definitely went differently than I had planned, and the characters
     seemed to shift a bit. I’m not sure if I like this ending better or
     not. It feels a bit more anti-climactic, but more heartfelt.
     Also, sorry if the Xehanort part seems too quick and easy. The whole
     time planning the fic, I never realized that I was going to have to
     deal with him, so I came up with this quickly.
“Vanitas, this ends here!”
“Fine by me. All you gotta do is fight me. Fight me and forge the X-blade!”
“No! I refuse to do that. I will not hurt you, and I will not create a weapon.”
“Weak as always.”
“You’re wrong. I’m not weak. This is my strength. I believe in my friends, and
I still believe in you.”
“What the hell are you talking about? There is nothing to believe in. I am
nothing but darkness. The darkness you threw away.”
“I never meant to abandon you. I’m sorry you were alone for so long, but it
doesn’t have to be that way anymore.”
“Exactly, merge with me and we will never be apart again.”
“I don’t want that. Furu was a different person. Don’t you see that? I don’t
want to be that person again. I want to be me, and I want you to be you. I want
to be with you, but as we are now.”
“If you won’t fight I will.”
“Do what you like. You won’t accomplish anything if I don’t fight back.”
“We’ll see.” Vanitas screwed his face charging full-speed at Ventus. He took
aim straight for his heart, but Ventus, true to his word, never even flinched.
Vanitas pulled back stunned, but it was too late, impact had already been made.
There was a release of emotions: sadness, anger, loneliness. Everything that
made him up seeped out in the forms of hundreds unversed, but Vanitas barely
took any notice.
His full attention was set on the boy now upon the ground. His path to
salvation had led him to damnation instead. Soon his only light would be
distinguished, finally destroyed by the darkness. This had never been his
intention. All he had ever wanted was for purpose and a sense of fullness.
Feebly Ventus stretched out his hand. Vanitas moved closer,
uncharacteristically cradling him in his lap. What good was vanity when all
purpose within his life was about to disappear? Ventus stroked his face with a
bittersweet smile.
“You were never truly alone, you know that right? You were always in my
thoughts, ever since that first night. I had always felt so drawn to you, as if
you were air I needed to breath. I guess my body unconsciously longed for its
missing part.” Ven let out a humorless laugh. Vantias was too horrified to
reply.
Ven continued, “Do you know that you can become one with someone without
merging? Through body and soul? Could we try?”
Catching on Vanitas numbly leaned down kissing him. Unlike their previous
kisses there was no struggle, no violence, only a sad desperation. Neither
wanted to lose the other, and thus were pouring what was left in their hearts
into it. The dam within Vanitas finally broke and sweet tears flowed. He
brushed Ven’s hair taking in his beautiful face before he lost the chance.
“I know its selfish, but promise me that you will fight against your darkness.
Try to be strong, I know you have it in you.”
Vanitas could do nothing but nod as more tears came. It was true he had been
weak. He had given in to negativity and thus lost his true self. Hadn’t he
always really just wanted to be with him, to bath in his light? Why had he let
vanity get in the way? Why had he listened blindly to the bastard who had torn
him from his completion? The man who formed him from total darkness? Yet here
with Ven, he knew that the light could touch him. He just needed to open up to
it. More tears came, this time, though, they were for his own weakness, his own
ignorance.
Ven’s smile transformed into one of total peace, before miraculously he arose.
Vanitas blinked his eyes several  times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
Then he noticed the abcense of blood.
“But how? I know I struck you.” Blushing in shame, Ventus pulled out his green
wayfinder.
“This just happened to block it.”
“You bastard! How dare you fool me!”
“I couldn’t help it. It was my last chance of stopping you, plus I think you
may have rubbed off on me a little.” Ventus gave a cheeky  grin before
stretching out his hand to help Vanitas up. When he took it, Ven squeezed his
hand reassuringly.
Then he remembered Aqua. He ran over to check on her, while Vanitas stood back
unsure what he should be doing. Luckily, her wounds were not bad. After casting
curaga she seemed as good as new. Vanitas watched with pain as the spell was
cast. His darkness had rendered him useless in saving Ven from his pretend
mortal wound. Ven was right, the light was strength.
His attention was drawn to the many unversed he had released. The thought of
reabsorbing them was not pleasant, but the thought of leaving them was just as
revolting. He needed to grow stronger. Steeling himself, he called them back to
himself, feeling each negative emotion in full, then with effort, let them
pass. His first true smile crossed his face at this accomplishment.
Aqua eyed Vanitas suspiciously, but did not push for details. There were more
important things to worry about. Xehanort and Terra were still battling, and
the heart in the sky continued to grow. She stared to pursue them, but Ven
grabbed her wrist.
“Stop,” he said shaking his head. “This is our chance. He’s distracted. We
should try combining our strength together.” After the others nodded he
summoned his keyblade and waited for them to follow suit. They pointed the
three keyblades towards each other and gathered their respective energies. Each
glowed with their repective colors, signifying a charge. Once each was a
shining, nearly blinding light, they released on the count of three. The
colored blasts joined together into one stunning white surge which shot through
the air straight at Xehanort, who was busy battering at Terra. Terra stopped in
his tracks, bewildered by the incoming light.
Xehanort paused noticing his strange look, but the light had already reached
him. He was propelled 10 feet off the ground before gravity brought him back
down with a bone crunching plop. He lie there motionless, entirely unconscious.
“Terra!” Aqua yelled dashing to him. Once there she threw her arms around him.
“Thanks to light you’re safe.” He blushed in response as he gingerly rubbed her
back in reassurance. Ven and Vanitas brought up the rear more slowly, but when
they got there Ven also joined in on the hug.  
Vanitas was the one to break the silence, reminding them that they couldn’t
just leave Xehanort there. Ven and Terra turned to Aqua since she was the only
Master they had left.
“I could try to form a prison. Before I left, the Master taught me how to
create a safe haven. With a few tweaks, it might hold him.”
“Might. And what are we going to do it he gets out?”
“Fight back. That’s what the light does,” Ven answered.
“You can’t save the day without ending things. Weren’t you the one who said
things needed to end today? If you won’t kill him, I will.”
“Stop!” Terra yelled. “Once you kill someone there is no going back. Believe
me, it will eat you inside.”
“That’s the difference between me and you lot. I’m already darkness. Something
like that is no big deal.” The others looked away as he did the job. As much as
they wished it wasn’t true, they knew that he was right and this was necessary.
Xehanort had caused too much suffering. However, they did insist that they
build a grave. Vanitas adamantly refused to help, but he stood by watching
nonetheless.
When the job was finished they all sighed a breath of relief. This twisted
situation was finally over. Ven walked over to Vanitas taking his hand in his.
Vanitas looked surprised, but didn’t reject the affection. Ven smiled, finding
him oddly cute. He knew that this was not going to be a walk in the park for
Vanitas. He knew he was going to have to explain everything to Terra and Aqua,
most likely even get yelled at. But seeing Vanitas as he was now, he knew that
it had all been worth it.
***** Love (Epilogue) *****
Chapter Notes
     Pull me from my chains
     Help me walk this line
     Hold my hand until tomorrow
     Until we light the sky
     Set Me in the Sun by Blue Stone
Life was back to normal for the most part. The Land of Departures felt empty
without Eraqus, but now Vanitas was there as if a replacement. Ven relished in
the fact that his make-shift family had stayed together. For a time there he
had worried that life would never return to this blissful mundanity. Though,
Terra and Aqua were still weary of him, they had accepted his presence and
their days passed in pleasent gatherings. They treated him kindly, though not
overly friendly. This didn’t seem to matter to Vanitas anyway. Though
friendship would have been ideal, Ven knew that as long as Vanitas had support,
that was good enough.
Telling them of their relationship had been difficult. Not only were they
flabbergasted that he would have that sort of relationship with his own self,
he had done so while he had treated him horribly, and behind their backs.
Still, they couldn’t stay angry at him for long, seeing as everything had
turned out alright. Ven wondered if they thought the relationship was wrong,
but as long as they didn't pester him about it, it didn't really matter. He
needed this. Being with Vanitas like this finally made him feel whole.
Vanitas had been given his own room, but Ven managed to sneak in every night.
While Vanitas pretended to be annoyed, he knew that he secretly enjoyed the
company. When they were together they were complete. Complete, yet separate at
the same time. To Ven that was perfection.
Vanitas’ negative emotions still troubled him, but slowly they were improving.
Unversed no longer spawned from his emotions, and he managed to even smile
sometimes (only when they were alone though). Ven attributed it to his own
influence, though the one time he said so, Vanitas had knocked him across the
room calling him stupid. Oh, well. One victory at a time.
The first time they had sex again, it had been harsh. Vanitas still seemed to
be overwhelmingly lustful, but over time it died down to a manageable buzz.
Agonizingly slow, their lustful tangles evolved into embraceful dances.
Finally, after one most tender exchange, Ven worked up the courage to tell him
he loved him. Vanitas remained silent for a long time afterwards, but
eventually he tightened his hold on him. Ven was content with this and was
about to fall asleep when, Vanitas surprisingly replied. The words were barely
a whisper, so quiet that Ven wondered if he imagined them. “I love you.” To Ven
it didn’t matter if they had been audible or imagined, for he knew that,
regardless, they were true. They were bonded after all, and deep within his
soul, he felt it.
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