He was lonely. So lonely.

Lonely?

Really, though, he wasn’t that lonely. Rather, sitting on the cold floor with his arms wrapped around his knees he had nothing to do but to stare at the someone next to him. Someone who had fallen in a deep slumber. Eleven years of slumber. That was so much. So long…

But lately, something had changed.

Something strange…

His Heart… his half-Heart had resonated to something. It was like… if something had called his name. And since that day, he felt so cramped there.

He was so used to this small place with nothing but a body to look for. Sometimes, he would see a colorful steam swirling around himself with images dancing. He could see adventures that made him feel even lonelier… He had never had the chance to experience this. This was probably a beautiful dream for this dear person next to him but for him… it was just an awful nightmare.

He was so used to being trapped there, not knowing what he had to do. Sometimes, he would move, seek a better position, a better place… But he had no reason to stay away from this body next to him. Sometimes, his fingers would brush a round cheek. But, most of the time, he was just waiting like a lost soul.

He was so used to having nothing to do. The only thing he could really do was walk and retrace, with his feet, the design on the floor. He had done it so often; he could close his eyes and just redo it again. And again.

And just there…

He saw a Light. A powerful Light coming from the outline of this stained glass. He moved his hand to the person, not with a caress to his cheek, but instead, shaking his shoulder.

“Is that you?” he asked.

No reply.

Obviously.

But… The Light was approaching.

Slowly.

What was this? He moved toward it. There was only one Light in his life, and it was just a blessing… He moved toward it, because the only Light he knew this bright was the one belonging to his so tender one…

Though, doing this, he was letting the Light brush his skin. The more he let it surround him, the more the sensation grew.

Not a pleasant one. Not the pleasure of his Light touching him, caressing him like it usually did. No… It was burning him…

And the Light was still sliding toward them, licking his skins inch by inch, bringing excruciating pain. Yet, this wasn’t enough for this hungry beam.

Maybe it was the reason why people would always tell him not to go toward the Light? Why Xehanort told him again and again to run away from the Light… Why he had hated the Light for so long…

Hated but never feared.

“Wake up and stop this!” he commanded to the body lying at his feet.

Nothing. Not a blink, not a moan.

He let out a roar before lifting the person, pressing him against his body. Each step he took forward the shadows to flee from the pain ended in failure; the Light was eating the stained glass…

He turned away, shielding him with his own form, the Light licking his back as he curled inward to shelter him, pain radiating from each touch. A black liquid slid from his lips as he prevented any shriek. Even if this body in his arms seemed never hear him, he couldn’t show a parcel of pain, doubt or fear to him…

It wasn’t his Final Word. His Darkness spread from his body, fighting against the Light. Vainly.

At the second his Darkness tried to win, it vanished, consuming him.

He threw a look over the body that still didn’t move.

“Be ready for it.

It’s the end, Ventus.”

He smirked and let his true self explode.

That was how Vanitas had been thrown out of his dear Light…

He only wished one thing from that moment: find him again. Being with him… in every way…

He had tried to reach him through Sora because he could feel Ventus there but he had been pushed away. He had to find another solution. He had to find him. It was the only thing he craved for. If he had been thrown away by his Light, he wanted to find it back. The worst was that he had to attach himself to an insignificant being to bring Ventus back. No matter how hard he was searching, he couldn’t reach his Light and the pain was excruciating…

He had to follow Aqua through the veils of Darkness. Until she brought him where he craved to be.

As he entered the room where he saw him for the very first time, the sound of his heavy soles echoed. Nothing mattered to him except for the one sitting still upon the seat across the room, his eyes trained on the form that has been waiting for someone to wake him up. Vanitas walked toward him, letting his Darkness flee away from him. Even if Ventus didn’t have a Heart anymore, he still was a pure Light, so they appealed each other and soon…

Soon…

Soon, nothing.

Contrary of what he expected, Ventus’ body didn’t reply to his Darkness.

What could he do now? If their half-part refused to call each other? If an invisible barrier was growing between them…

What could he do?

Wander without any goal?

His life had no other meaning if he couldn’t just feel the Light caress him anymore.

Wander until his Darkness would vanish was an option. Maybe.

Maybe he still could wake him up?

He let Darkness surround him, spreading over the room. They closed over Ventus and he knelt in front of his Light.

“Come with me,” he muttered.

His energy spread, trying to melt with Ventus’, to save him. To reach the only goal of his life. Perhaps… to create a goal to their life intertwined? The ꭓ-Blade never was his true goal. The only thing he wished more than anything in the Worlds was that Ventus would grant him with everything he hadn’t.

The time had told him he hadn’t understood what he really expected from Ventus. Or, perhaps, Xehanort just tricked him about this? Because what he really wished was to embrace Ventus. He wanted to have the feeling he was truly living through the softness of his green eyes.

But… but his Light refused to reply to him.

No.

No!

“NOOOOOOO!!!”

Vanitas didn’t have enough force to bring Ventus back to him. If he used more force, he would just… vanish. He needed just a bit more. Just… Just a tiny bit more.

A Flood jumped from Vanitas’ body and, immediately, scratched his face, sending so many emotions in him, begging him not to do this.

“Just a bit…” he countered, offering his strength to Ventus.

The Flood threw more Darkness to his Creator, badgering him to stop this madness.

“Come with me…” Vanitas pleaded at Ventus.

“Wake up.”

In a burst of foolish weakness, his lips approached Ventus’, pressing a kiss to his soft lips, his Darkness melding with his Light, caressing it, appealing it, his fingers brushing Ventus’ cheek tenderly.

He could remember each thing Ventus saw when they were one, each World he visited after him because he was busy to destroy every chance Terra and Aqua might get for saving them, saving the Wolds. So much of them bathed you with True Love Kiss.

Could it be possible?

Ventus didn’t move.

No matter how much he was calling him, engulfing his Darkness to his emptied body. No Light wished to grab him.

No Light wished to embrace him in return.

No one ever wished to save him. Of course, this True Love’s Kiss couldn’t work for him. He had been so dumb to believe it was even possible…

Perhaps he loved Ventus too much but Ventus didn’t love him back.

Who would love him?

Vanitas got up and swirled on his heels, facing the only fate allowed to him.

His Unversed?

They were parts of himself; they were feelings, just like him; they were seeing him as the Emotion-in-chief, of course, they were loving him but at this level… wasn’t it just him desperately trying to love himself?

The Flood dashed to him and started to scratch his ankle.

“Muscaris!” he groaned.

And he hated himself even more because this name… this was the name Ventus gave to this tiny Flood because he loved him so much.

Why would he use it?

Why cling to such absurd feelings?

Especially when they were all trying to reach someone who didn’t share it? He just had to crush the hope simmering in some ‘maybe it’s because your heart is not full’ or other vain wishes.

He was nothing.

Even for Ventus.

And that was all.

As Muscaris climbed on him to scratch his face, the little talons hurting him, hurting them, Vanitas grabbed him and threw him away.

He closed his eyes, waiting for the slight pain to hit him.

He deserved it.

But nothing.

In contrary, he felt bliss coming from Muscaris.

With stupor, and shivers, he turned toward the Flood. The first thing he saw was a smile.

A smile that could make every Darkness in the World vanish. After all… this smile did tame him…

“Ventus?” he asked, his voice turning a bit husky.

“Vanitas! You were about to leave?”

He didn’t reply to this.

“Without me?” Ventus smiled softly.

Vanitas moved his hand, calling an Unversed. A big horse appeared, purple stream surrounding him, his red eyes were looking all around while his mane seemed like flames. With nimble movements, Vanitas climbed on his emotion.

“Without you?

Of course not,”

he said, holding out his hand to him.

Ventus approached him, taking the offered hand, smiling as Vanitas pressed a kiss upon the knuckles before Ventus was lifted to take his place in front of him. Vanitas’ arm wrapped around his chest, pulling him back as Ventus passed his hand along the nape of his neck, fingers lightly brushing against skin as he kissed him tenderly.

“Thank you for having awakened me.”

Vanitas could feel the Light slight in his half-Darkness heart. It wasn’t unpleasant, at all. He was welcoming it as he always wished for. As he kissed him back, his Unversed raised on his back legs and, with a powerful whine, ran away through the Darkness for offering them… Who knew what this could hold? As long as they were caring for each other, no matter the path before them, this would only be a pleasant surprise.