So... I'm back here with another fanfic, haha!
As for my last one, I'm putting it on hold indefinitely. I'm just stuck with no ideas on what to write, you see. ^^;
Anyhow, this fanfic in particular was written for a contest at deviantART. Hope you enjoy reading this; reviews and/or critique are very much appreciated. ' v '
"Vanitas, this spell can only be used by one who has a direct affinity with darkness – in other words, you. Are you listening?"
Today was another day of Vanitas's seemingly never-ending training. As of late, he was to practice his skills in spellcasting... Or at least, he thought he was. To be frank, most of his "training sessions" were lengthy monologues about the spells themselves. It took nearly forever for Xehanort to actually teach him what to do.
"Yeah, I'm listening," Vanitas replied, with a slight hint of sarcasm.
"As I was saying, you will be learning a complex, body switching spell. It requires a lot of focus and concentration..."
After about an eternity spent on discussing the history of the spell, it was finally time for him to test it out. He settled himself on the dusty ground of the Keyblade Graveyard, and waited for his Master's instruction.
"Just close your eyes, and focus," Xehanort dictated, "think about the person you want to switch with."
And with that, Vanitas closed his eyes, and concentrated. He knew exactly who to think of.
Vanitas's eyes fluttered open to the familiar sight of Ventus's room. I guess the spell worked, he thought. He was in that idiot's body, just for a while. Being Ven's other half, he sensed Ventus was asleep; he knew that if they switched bodies, Ven's conciousness would be dormant in his body. Heh, he chuckled, I guess those lectures have some sort of use after all.
While trying to get up from bed, he heard a knock on the door. "Ven, are you in there? May I come in?"
It was Aqua, one of Ventus's training mates.
Trying to sound as Ven-like as possible, he quickly stood up and responded, "Sure thing!"
As the door creaked open, he was greeted by a cheerful Aqua. "Terra and Master are doing one-on-one training today outside, so I figured we should try training in here as well."
Knowing that Ventus would have probably accepted in a heartbeat, he decided to oblige. "All right, I'm totally up for it!"
Finally arriving at the training grounds, Aqua turned to face Vanitas, and said, "Let's just do some sparring today, alright?" He nodded in reply, relieved that he didn't have to figure out how to hide his darkness-based magic.
Having finished warming up, both Aqua and Vanitas took their stances, and were ready to summon their keyblades. Though eager to summon his, Vanitas had realized something – something gravely important – he had to wield the keyblade backhanded. As Wayward Wind materialized into his hands, he gripped on it tightly and swung it around. Hmph, how hard could it be?, he told to himself.
Seeing that Aqua had her keyblade, Rainfell, he readied himself. Aqua had taken the first move, charging at him, though in a somewhat graceful manner. She swiftly hit his keyblade, making a clashing sound. Not being used to carrying the force while backhanded, he flinched, dropping his keyblade in the process. The impact made him land on the ground and though initially stunned, the clang of the keyblade hitting the floor snapped him out of his shock.
"Ven!" Aqua cried, "Are you alright?"
From her determined expression just moments earlier, her face had all of a sudden switched to a worried and somewhat guilty one. "Maybe training today wasn't such a good idea."
Vanitas fell silent, still trying to comprehend his incompetence. What idiot holds a keyblade like that, anyway?!
"Ven?" She held out her hand to him, and helped him get back on his feet. "I want to make it up to you... so how does some ice cream sound?", Aqua asked.
"No, I'm okay, really."
"Ven, it isn't like you to turn down something like this." Aqua stated, puzzled.
"W-well, if you insist..." he stammered, putting his hands behind his head just like Ventus would. Almost forgot that I'm in his body.
Vanitas entered the kitchen, astonished. He'd never seen anything like this before. The kitchen was littered with jars and boxes, presumably filled with ingredients for cooking. The kitchen itself was very elegant, much like the rest of the castle. Vanitas sighed a little. His life with Xehanort was utterly dull and unplesant – he didn't even have a roof above his head, much less a kitchen.
And while on the topic of his life with his Master, he was never allowed to eat ice cream. Kingdom Hearts knows why he was forbidden to have any. Because of this, he decided to make his Prize Pods, hoping that he could finally try making ice cream with them. Unfortunately, they went loose, and though he was connected with them; he could never pinpoint their exact whereabouts for some reason.
Which is why he was sort of interested with this opportunity to try some. Ventus seemed to have a liking for it, though he wasn't really sure. Then again, Aqua was suspicous of him turning down her offer, so that idiot might have liked it more than he thought.
"So, what kind of ice cream would you like today, Ven?" Aqua asked, cheerfully as usual.
"Anything will do," Vanitas replied. He didn't know anything about ice cream anyway.
"Well, we have more than enough to make some Fabracadabra. Let's make that, okay?"
Right after her statement, Aqua proceeded to get all the ingredients. There were fruits, syrup and milk, among other things. She then laid these out on the countertop, and put all the ingredients in a bowl.
"Ven, could you please stand back a bit?" Aqua asked.
"Sure," Vanitas responded. He took a step back and continued to watch.
All of a sudden, she summoned her keyblade, leaving Vanitas surprised. Just what is she going to do with that?
She carefully pointed Rainfall towards the bowl, gripping tightly on its hilt. Afterwards, she cast a spell. The tip of her keyblade glowed with magic while her voice shouted, "Blizzard!"
The resulting blast made quite an impact – but in the midst of it all was a nearly perfect looking bowl of ice cream. Needless to say, Vanitas was in awe yet again. Using magic in cooking? Now that's something I want to learn.
The moment of truth had finally arrived. "Go ahead, Ven," Aqua said, anxious to see his reaction.
Vanitas grabbed the spoon, and slowly took a spoonful of ice cream. This is it...
It was sweet. Sickeningly sweet, as a matter of fact.
And he liked it.
"It's really good," Vanitas remarked.
Normally, he would be in disgust with something so sugary; in this case though, it was strangely appetizing. Must be something I got from Ventus..., he pondered.
"I'm glad you like it," Aqua responded, smiling. "I hope you're okay now."
"I've told you, I've been okay since earlier!" Vanitas said jokingly.
Now that he thought about it, he'd never been this close to a girl, or any female before, for that matter. Back in the Keyblade Graveyard it was just him and Xehanort, and the occasional Braig, of all people. All of a sudden, he felt awkward sitting next to her. A strange and uneasy silence followed close after.
Trying to break the silence, Aqua chimed, "Y'know, Ven? I can still remember the time you first arrived here."
"Really?" Vanitas asked, curious as to how Ventus arrived in this castle in the first place.
"You were really spaced out; we had no idea what to do..."
Hah. That's not too surprising, considering how much of a pathetic wimp he is.
Aqua continued, "... but then, I tried making you some ice cream to cheer you up. If I recall correctly, it wasn't even that good. It was pretty much a complete mess!" She laughed at the thought.
"What happened next?"
"I guess you're really out of it today, huh?" Aqua giggled. "You honestly don't remember?"
"Don't tease me!" Vanitas argued. He wasn't mad at all though; in fact, there was this strange feeling in his chest. He chalked it up to being eager to find out what happened.
"You told me it was good," Aqua said, smiling once more. "I couldn't forget that glint in your eyes... You're the one who made me study to get better at cooking. And I'm really thankful for that, Ven."
Vanitas fell silent again, but for a different reason this time. Is this why that moron likes ice cream so much?
"Gotta finish that quick, Ven. It's melting," Aqua warned.
"Oh, right."
After he finished his bowl of ice cream, Aqua stood up. "Should we try getting back to training again?" Though he wanted to accept, Vanitas felt a slight throbbing in his head. The spell's wearing off...!
"I-I'm feeling kinda dizzy," Vanitas stammered.
"Oh. It's best that you go back to your room then," Aqua then accompanied him to his room, and before leaving, told him to get some rest. Once he was sure Aqua left, Vanitas laid on Ventus's bed and once again closed his eyes.
Waking up to the sight of a dusty ground and dead keyblades was a welcoming sight. He was back in his body.
"Was the spell successful?" Master Xehanort asked sternly.
"It did, but it was totally useless." Vanitas retorted. "I'd be better off in my own body." Standing up, he opened a portal of darkness.
"Where do you think you're going?" the old Master inquired.
"Just spreading some more Unversed," Vanitas replied coldly, as he stepped into the portal.
Now, where did I last see those Prize Pods...?
