Another Side, Another Friend

Chapter 1
A Scattered Dream

(Uploaded on February 22, 2019)

Summary: A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory… A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream…

I want to line the pieces up—yours and mine.

Notes: This fic is set during the opening Dive to the Heart of Kingdom Hearts III, in a universe where Sora's Heart Squad™ are all awake and something akin to active. And also, Vanitas. Because why not.

There will be both headcanons and massive spoilers for both Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts Union X[cross], so it is recommended you be up-to-date on your Kingdom Hearts lore before reading this.

The Final World

Water rippled through a dreamlike ocean, clouds flying past in the halfway clear and bright sky. The sweet and serene sound of the wind blowing through the air was all that there was to hear. Here, in this realm, hearts and souls alike wandered about the eternal sea, still clinging on to something or another, trying to find their way when all that they've known has drawn to a close.

One heart – a nameless star, in particular – floated through the ocean, aimlessly moving about as she awaited a… 'friend' to one day come for her. It's quiet today, she mused, phantom eyes looking left and right. Normally, there are plenty of other stars here, willing to share their stories… but I guess they've all gone to sleep. That's okay, I guess.

…I could've used the company.

A sense of loneliness once more drifted through her. How long had it been since she first entered this world? How long had she stayed aimlessly, upkeeping a hope that seemed to grow dimmer and dimmer with each passing day?

She knew that the one she pined for had gone through a… turbulent series of events, based on the fragile connection she still had with that someone. It hurt—oh, it hurt—to feel that connection grow more and more distant, his heart replaced with another's, his past more than likely lost to the sands of time, never to return—but he was all she had. So she had to hold on to that. She had to.

What more could she do?

She wasn't a person anymore. She could barely be considered alive. All she was, and ever will be now, was a nameless, disembodied heart – because there was no one left in the universe who still remembered her existence.

(She had been a ghost even back then.)

And nobody here is from my home, either, she bitterly recalled. They're all from long after my time. I'm the only one who's suffered a fate as cruel as—

(A blade from the shadows; a sinister glint in their eyes; hugging on to their friend as they died—)

…as that.

…why?

Why do I have to be the one here, instead of anyone else?

Why do I have to be the one to suffer? Was it because I was in the way? Was it because I was a leader, ripe for the taking? Was it because—they just wanted to? Couldn't they have chosen anyone else?

She knew it was a cruel thought—another worthless, meandering branch to add atop an already large, festering pile—but she was just so tired. Tired of being here, tired of being forgotten, tired of… tired of everything; the mess that had become her very existence.

I want… I want somebody to see me. To really see me. To talk to me; to be happy with me… to offer their hand to me. The other stars floating around didn't really count; they were just as nameless as her, as aimless and directionless – and a little too focused on themselves, too. (A lot like her, ironically.) They couldn't really understand her plight, her purpose.

No, no—there was only one thing which she desired for, after all this time: a friend. A real friend, someone with purpose, to make their way here and give her a little more hope in her heart. A sky to penetrate her darkened light. …is that too much to ask for?

Is this world… really so cruel as to deny me that, too?

Just one glimmer to hang on to?

A silence flowed through the area she was in, not a single sound—from the sky, from the ocean, from anywhere—distracting her from the turmoil that made up her thoughts. Alone, she sat and she sat, as she had done for years beforehand. Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. …of course. I can't ever get a reprieve, can I—

BOOM!

If the star had eyes, she would've blinked. …what—what was that?

BOOM!

Somehow, despite the fact she was airborne, she could feel the shockwaves emanating from the ocean floor. "It's coming from somewhere," she muttered, "but where?"

BOOM!

She followed the quakes as they continued to go off, 'feeling' the ripples through the water to her destination. Somebody's here, she realized. Somebody's actually here, and they have a tangible, physical effect on this place. They're real.

…I have to get to them.

I have to get to them now, before they disappear.

I can't lose this chance to have actual companionship!

For the first time in forever, there was something she was looking forward to. Something that could only have a positive impact on her life. She couldn't hesitate now—she had to move quickly, before all was lost!

"Back off!" With as much strength as he could reasonably put into things, Sora swung his Keyblade into the face of the Darkside. It wasn't too affected by this, being a huge Heartless with a fair amount of endurance, but it was doing something, at least. "Man, is it just me," he asked himself out loud, "or are these things getting bigger and bigger every time I see one?"

"How should I know!?" Roxas shouted from the surface of the ocean, Oathkeeper and Oblivion swinging into the swarm of Shadows the Darkside had summoned. "None of us have seen them since you woke up in Twilight Town! I expected a Twilight Thorn, if anything!"

Xion, not too far away from Roxas, was dealing with her own set of Shadows with her Kingdom Key. "What the heck is a Twilight Thorn?" she asked, bluntly bashing a Shadow's antennae into its head. "I've never heard of anything like that! It's not a fancy flavor of ice cream, is it? Is this guy sea-salt?"

"Is ice cream the only thing you two ever think about?" Vanitas snarked, warping all about the Darkside and slashing Void Gear into every crevice he could see. Which was a lot, actually. "What are you gonna do, drown in it? You gonna lick this thing and try to taste it!? Lemme tell you—all you'll taste is darkness!"

"Jeez, Vanitas, you don't need to be so harsh!" Ventus's carefree voice rang through the air, Wayward Wind spinning out and striking the Darkside's arm through a Strike Raid. "It's not like there's a lot to do in Sora's heart—no offense, Sora—" ("None taken!")—"and—c'mon, they're just children!"

"We're all just children," Vanitas retorted, performing a downward stab down the Darkside's back. "Sora's sixteen, and technically so am I; you haven't aged since you slept; and Roxas and Xion are barely two whole years old. What's the damn difference here?"

"Language!" was the dual-voiced cry from Roxas and Xion.

"Oh, don't give me that now! I know you've heard me curse several times! Don't act like you're still trying to keep your innocence or anything!"

"Guys," Sora interrupted their conversation, having now landed back on the ground, "I think this guy's rearing up for something! Get ready!"

As the group of five Keyblade wielders returned to standing by each other, the Darkside slouched forward and slammed his hand into the floor, plumes of darkness exiting from the virtual hole he had punched. Sora held his Keyblade tighter, as did his companions, watching as the Darkside pulled an electrified, pulsating orb from the ground, standing back up and holding it out with an outstretched arm.

"What the…" Roxas breathed. "Since—Since when could they do that?"

"Since they became water, I guess!?" Sora yelled, gritting his teeth. If my instincts aren't wrong—and they usually aren't—then that's bad business!

The pulsating orb exploded, sending streaks of violet light into the sky—and soon, numerous amounts of miniature ultraviolet balls began to rain down in close clumps. The five performed a Dodge Roll away from a rather big ball coming their way, blocks and warps (okay, the last one only applied to Vanitas) helping immensely in avoiding damage whatsoever – though it wasn't a perfect strategy, as Sora found himself hit by a couple during his romp. I wish Xehanort hadn't drained me of all my power, he internally groaned. I could've taken this guy out ages ago if it wasn't for that! He seemed to have a reoccurring problem of being reset back to his starting level, alarmingly enough – he really needed to find a way to subvert that, somehow…

"I'm suddenly glad… we only had to fight one Darkside… when we were still in the Organization," Xion was panting. "I think I would've run away much earlier… if this was all we had to face!"

"Speak for yourself!" Roxas replied, battering away at some incoming orbs. "I had to face a stronger version of this guy; this one's nothing compared to him!"

"Wait, there are more types of Darksides?" Sora asked, briefly stopping his rolling to look at him incredulously. "Seriously?"

"You sure you weren't seeing things wrong?" Ventus suggested. "Maybe you were half-asleep, or something?"

Roxas glared at his elder doppelganger, though there was no real heat in it. "Oh, that's funny, coming from you, of all people! Aren't you the one who's been in a coma for over a decade?"

"You're definitely not special there, either," Vanitas drawled, leaning against the Darkside's legs (the foe didn't seem to notice him). "In the whole 'not in a coma' department, I mean. I think I'm the only one here who hasn't gone into extended sleep at least once… which is honestly kind of disturbing. You all need to stop being such narcoleptics, seriously!"

Xion looked pondering for a moment as she blocked orbs with her Keyblade. "He's got a point…" she pointed out. "We do tend to fall asleep a lot… Like, a lot a lot…"

"Yeah, well, I blame that on Sora," the Nobody shrugged it off.

Sora laughed a little, a familiar grin plastered on his cheeks. Man, you know… it's nice, having all the people in my heart being so friendly. Xehanort's done a whole lot of bad to everyone, sure—but he'll never be able to get rid of our friendship, no matter how hard he and his vessel guys try.

"Hey, you guys are a part of me, in a way!" he stated. (He ignored Vanitas' grumblings; "I don't wanna be"—) "It's not really that surprising! 'Sides, what's wrong with a good nap every now and then?" I may be a 'lazy bum', according to Kairi—but I don't see what the problem is! "And speaking of which…" He pointed his Keyblade at the Darkside's face; the falling orbs had since ceased, but the Heartless was leaning back in preparation for an entirely different attack, and there was no way he was letting that happen. "This guy needs to learn when it's time to stop!"

Light charged up at the tip of his blade, and a beam of it fired out and smacked the Darkside right between the eyes. Gotcha! It reeled back and stopped whatever it was doing, electing instead to stumble about, clearly stunned. Just one last thing to do! "Okay, everybody—we've got an opening! Let's hit him with all we've got!"

"Gotcha, Sora! He's finished!"

A nod. "Let's show 'em our strength!"

"An all-out attack? Fine by me! Bring it!"

"Hmph, you don't have to tell me twice!"

Five Keyblade wielders of varying alignments of light and dark all rushed in, jumping into the air—and, at the same time, delivered a fatal slash to the water-based Darkside (in a manner reminiscent of the way his Trinity Armor was taken down, Vanitas noted). It started falling down to the ground, unable to keep itself standing any longer—and eventually, it faded back into the water whence it came. The quintet remained in their positions for a few moments longer, before finally dismissing their Keyblades and standing back upright.

"Alright!" Sora cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "We did it!"

"Woo!" Ventus stretched up and down, feeling utterly refreshed! "It's great to get back into shape! We should do this again sometime!"

"How about we not?" Roxas deadpanned. "One time's enough for me."

"But you have to admit," Xion interjected, beaming brightly, "it was fun, doing it all together! Ooh, we should have a victory cry for when we do stuff like this? 'Hip hip hooray', maybe? 'All for one, one for all'?"

"How about 'screw this, let's never do this crap again'?" Vanitas snorted.

"Surprisingly enough, I'm in agreement with him."

"Don't be such a killjoy, Roxas!" Xion pouted.

"You heard her!" Sora agreed. The two were scary when they got in sync like that. "You should never take the times you spend with your friends for granted! Our friends are our power, after all!"

The Nobody looked contemplative, his eyes almost seeming to stare at something far away. "…yeah," he smiled. "I guess you're right."

A different voice—feminine-sounding; seemingly shy and reserved in nature—suddenly broke through the five's conversation. "…good day, you five."

…huh? Who's there?

Sora, Roxas, Xion, Ventus, and Vanitas blinked in surprise—simultaneously, as fate would have it. Sora slowly turned his head to look at the others, warily questioning, "That… didn't come from any of you four, did it?"

The recipients of the question all traded glances with each other, before answering with an equally simultaneous shrug. The five looked around the expansive realm, trying to find whoever it was who just talked to them.

"I'm over here, if that's what you need to know."

Finally, they noticed where exactly the newcomer was—though, the 'person' they found there was not who they expected to see. Instead of the body of an actual human being, a disembodied heart of sorts—formed only of white particles vaguely in the shape of a star—floated not too far away from the Heart Squad™ (as they had gotten accustomed to calling themselves). The squad stared at the star incredulously for several long seconds.

"…is there something surprising about my appearance?" she asked, in a tone reminiscent of one cocking their head in confusion.

"O-Oh, sorry!" Sora apologized, hand scratching the back of his head as he grinned sheepishly. "It's just… I've never seen anyone like you around here, before. Normally, when I come here, there's only the sky and the sea—so seeing you around here is just… really unexpected!"

"You can say that again," Xion said. "For a moment, I thought we had another heart guest roaming about that we didn't know about!"

"I'm pretty sure I would've caught her if she was hanging about our heart space," Ventus claimed, both his arms resting behind his head. "I mean, I've been in here the longest out of anyone, after all!"

"Sure you would," Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "You, the most observant, most intelligent—you, who ran after Terra without so much bothering to question my own claims about him… If your statements actually proved true, I'll eat the χ-blade."

"Hey, that was the old me!" Ven protested.

"Still applies."

The disembodied star spoke up again: "You look like a person. All five of you do. How is it that you can retain your appearance in this realm? How is it that you are even here to begin with? Are you special?"

"In this realm…?" Roxas repeated. "You mean this isn't just a normal Dive to the Heart?"

A brief gasp. "Dive… to the Heart…" she whispered. Silently, she seemed to realize something. "If you could access this world from your own hearts, then you five must truly be special Keyblade wielders." (Vanitas scrunched his nose; was that bitterness he sensed, at the end of that statement?) "There must be something in your hearts – a strong sense of purpose – that gives you the resolve you need to come here. Tell me—who are you?"

"I'm Sora!" Sora introduced himself handily. Pointing to everyone else, he continued—

"And this is Roxas—" The aforementioned Nobody waved his hand lightly.

"—Xion—" She waved her hand widely and enthusiastically, saying "Hello!" as brightly as she could.

"—Ventus—" Roxas's lookalike didn't bother waving; he instead grinned and stated, "Call me Ven!"

"—and Vanitas!" The black-haired Sora clone huffed and crossed his arms, turning his head away with a 'get me away from this crowd' expression.

"And we make up the members of Sora's Heart Squad™!" Xion added at the end. "It's nice to meet ya!"

"What about you?" Roxas turned the conversation to their unknown partner. "What's your name?"

"…it doesn't really matter, anymore. My name, my world, my very existence… everything about who I was—who I am—was taken away from me. Struck down by somebody I couldn't even see. As if I wasn't important in the grand scheme of things." There was a sad and rather bitter undercurrent to her words, which only fed into Sora's growing horror. "…I've been here ever since, stuck in this realm where hearts wait to pass on. I'm… nobody, now."

"…no way…" Sora breathed. Behind him, Xion had gasped, mouth drawn to her mouth, tears threatening to drop from her eyes—and Roxas was very much disturbed by this revelation, his hands clenching up into fists, the concepts about identity visibly getting to both him and the Replica. Even Vanitas found himself unnerved, his edgy demeanor briefly dropping from his face. "Everything? Th-That can't be true. They—They can't have taken your heart, too." Your heart should be, if nothing else, the one thing that belongs to you, and nobody else. If she doesn't have her heart on top of that…

"…they haven't." Sora mentally breathed a sigh of relief. At least she still had that. "But only because it pines for another."

"You mean—somebody's coming for you?" Ven asked, looking almost hopeful. "That's great! …i-isn't it?"

"I… I cannot be certain. He's been changed beyond recognition, his heart replaced with another's." The gears started rotating in Sora's head. Xehanort? "But… were he to regain his old self again, he would be distressed by my absence. So I choose to wait here, where he can find me."

"How will he even know you're here, though?" Vanitas piped up with a question. "As far as I can tell, this… weird-ass backwards world isn't accessible to anybody, much less a single person."

"…he'll find me. I—I know he will. He has to." She lowered his voice. "…it's all I have left."

"If you think he will, then that's good," Sora said, wearing a soft smile. "You have to believe." Belief in his friends got him even through the worst of times. So long as she kept her own friends in her heart…

"It's… It's getting harder to do so," she admitted. "I've been here for so long, waiting for him to return one day—but… it's so lonely here. All I have are my thoughts and turmoil. I'm just… tired." Her tone seemed to shift, an air of exhaustion overtaking her. "Tired of being here, powerless to do anything. I was… excited when I heard that there were others here. Others who weren't like me, drifting aimlessly through this world. It's been… too long since I've had any real companionship."

("How did she know we were here, though?"

"The giant Darkside we were fighting, Ventus?"

"Oh… Th-That makes sense!"

"You say you're not the same as you used to be, and here you are still acting like it. What am I supposed to do with you…?")

"…you wanted a friend, right?" Xion realized quietly. "Someone to hold you up while you're feeling down. Someone to give you hope when you really need it the most."

The nameless star was silent for a moment, before confirming, "…yes. That's what I wanted the most. You five are what I've wanted the most." If she had the power to, she'd most likely either hug herself tightly, or hug the others tightly for as long as she could. "…I don't want to let this go. But… you have something to do, don't you?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah. There's… a guy—a Keyblade Master, back in the real world—who wants to forge some χ-blade or something, and I'm trying to stop him with the help of my friends. It's gonna be a long road to getting there…" He put his hand over his heart and glanced at his four companions. "…but I know I won't be alone. So long as I've got my friends, I know I'll be alright. And…" He turned back to the nameless star, an idea sprouting on his face. "…maybe you can be a friend, too."

"…huh? What… What do you mean?"

"I mean—you could come into my heart. We could look for your friend together, tell him you're still around! It's gotta be better than just waiting here, right?"

"Is—Is that even possible? I've never heard of entering someone else's heart before."

"We've got a lot of experience on that front," Roxas began to explain. "All of us here have been a part of Sora's heart for some time now: I'm his Nobody—long story, don't worry—Xion holds his memories, and he's taking care of Ven's heart while it heals. And Vanitas came as a crappy bonus gift." ("Screw you too, blondie.") "Sora's touched a lot of people in so many ways—it's why I'm proud to call him my other. And it's not like we're short on space or anything, so… we're cool."

"It'd be nice to have another girl here!" Xion grinned. "It gets kind of boring, being the only female in a room of lookalike males. We could even have ice cream together, you and me and Roxas and Axel!"

"You should really take the offer," Ventus suggested. "It's pretty comfortable in here! C'mon, it'll be fun! You'll get to see a lot of cool worlds, too—we're gonna be heading to the Olympus Coliseum, after this! You've gotta see Herc; he's got strength for days!"

Vanitas snorted a bit, but finally decided to relay his own two cents. "I think I'd go crazy if I had to wait here for an eternity and a half. Sure, this place is… 'pretty'… but there's nothing to it. Seriously, it's the blankest thing I've ever seen—and that's saying something, because I used to be blank myself. What do you have to lose, honestly? You just gonna sit here 'til he dies—or are you going to try and actually do something for yourself?" The corner of his lips tipped upward a little. "…besides, I have to admit: being with these guys isn't… entirely a worthless experience."

"He admits it!" Xion crowed with a joyful expression.

"Shut up. You—You never heard me say that sentimental shit, got it?"

"So, yeah!" Sora beamed. "We're willing to take you in, if you're willing. I don't mind having another friend in here! If somebody needs me to help them out—then I'll do just that, no strings attached!" He offered a hand out to her, even though she didn't have a hand to take it with. "It's okay if you're scared about this. I think everyone would be, in a situation like this. But… I think sometimes, you just have to face your fears and take a leap of faith. How about it?"

…could this be real? She almost couldn't believe the opportunity being offered to her. Centuries upon centuries of waiting, her hopes and dreams slowly petering out one-by-one, a constant sadness threatening to overwhelm her—and here this boy was, a hand out and saying he'd make it all better, just for her.

For a moment, she was suspicious. What if it was a trick? Surely, something like this, which seemed too good for to be true, would come with caveats larger than a mountain? After her last run-in with a stranger, how could she be certain that this wouldn't be the person that finally diminishes her light for good?

But his eyes, his demeanor, his smile… there was a sense of genuine kindness to it, a selfless honesty that couldn't be masqueraded, even if he tried. And the people next to him… there was a bond of trust, of friendship between them; they didn't regret living in his heart, not one bit, even if the events that presumably brought them there likely weren't the happiest of circumstances.

And, well—she had asked for a glimmer of hope, a friend for her to laugh and smile and be happy with—and no matter how frayed her ideals may have been, the girl who she once was still shone with some semblance of brightness.

…I've been feeling sorry for myself for far too long, haven't I?

They're right. I can't just sit here forever. There's no harm in getting out there and taking action for myself; to find my own way, my own purpose again.

And maybe, just maybe…

…I'll be able to save him.

She made up her mind, then and there.

"…okay. I'll—I'll come along." She hovered over to Sora, touching his hand in recognition—and then, all of a sudden, streams of light started to emanate from their contact, eventually graduating into a bright explosion shing between the two of them and engulfing the whole area, absolutely blinding all six of the residents currently in range.

"Wh-Whoa, what the—!?"

"It's—It's too bright! Too bright!"

"H-Hey, l-lighten up on the… light… there… wait, that's not the right thing to say—"

"The light! It burns! Oh, Kingdom Hearts, it burns! Why does this keep happening!?"

And when it finally died down… something had changed.

Or rather, someone had changed.

Sora took his arm down from where it had been blocking his eyes from the light—and gasped at the figure now in front of him. "H-Hey!" he exclaimed. "Y-You're…"

The disembodied star wasn't a star anymore; a regular, teenage girl sat in her place. Lengthy orange hair, tied up into two pigtails, fell from her head; emerald green eyes looking at her restored appearance—white dress, black ribbons, long boots—hands, actual hands—with complete and utter shock. (And so were the rest of the Heart Squad™.) "I… I have a body again…?" she struggled to comprehend. "This… This isn't a dream…?"

It was a miracle. Nothing short of a full, impossible miracle. And for the first time in the longest forever she had ever had—a relieved smile and an endless expense of tears dropped from and onto her face. "I'm—I'm…! I'm myself! I'm myself, I'm myself, I'm myself!" Adrenaline pumped through her—real adrenaline; a glorious feeling—and without thinking, without hesitating, she dashed into Sora and hugged him and tightly as she was now able to. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Wh-Whoa, t-take it easy!" he yelped out—but before too long, he was returning the embrace, feeling just as happy over being able to help her. "…it's alright. You're safe now. Don't worry."

Of course, everyone else wasn't gonna let them hug it out alone. "Group hug!" Xion cheered—and soon enough, she, Roxas, and Ventus had joined in the joyous moment.

Vanitas looked awkward, his eyes shifting about. "…well, that's—good for you friendship freaks, I guess. Since you're, uh, busy and all, I'm just gonna—"

Ventus promptly pulled him in. "C'mon, Van! It's a group hug! We're not gonna leave you out!"

He struggled—"D-Don't call me Van," he attempted to insist—but eventually, he just gave up and reluctantly participated. "You're lucky I don't want to kill you people anymore," he grumbled.

The group of six stayed like that for a good long while, letting the girl hug all her fears and pain and sheer delight out in one big burst, because finally, finally, she was real again, she was real and she was here and she had friends again and it was amazing—

…she felt so alive.

She let go, wiping her remaining tears away from her eyes with her hands. "S-Sorry," she said, "it's just—it's been so long…"

"It's okay!" Sora reassured her. "You're allowed to be happy and not feel sorry over it! That's your right as a person, and no one can tell you otherwise! Hey, since you have your body back and all… do you think you could tell us your name? I, uh, can't just keep calling you 'that star girl' in my head, after all!" He grinned sheepishly again, and all of her worries fell away like dust all over again.

She giggled, looking into his sky blue eyes with her own serene emerald ones. "I'm Strelitzia. It's—It's great to be here. I'm glad we met—and I hope we'll be good friends from here on."

"Me too. That's a promise, don't worry!"

They can take your world.

They can take your heart.

Cut you loose from all you know.

But if it's your fate…

…then every step forward will always be a step closer to home.

Huh, funny. A one-shot that isn't tied to one of my ongoing series. Who knew I could still do that?

Kingdom Hearts III was my second most hyped-for game of 2018, and that hype finally paid off when the game released last month. The game, though it has numerous flaws, proved to be an absolute blast, and I absolutely loved being able to experience the end of the Dark Seeker Saga after all these years. So since I'm in the mood for it, here's a fic about Sora's Heart Squad™, because Sora is such an great big ball of sunshine and he and his crew deserve a lot of love. And more interaction. I'm a sucker for fluffy character interactions.

One of the most touching parts of Kingdom Hearts III for me was when Sora conversed with the Nameless Star, close to the end of the game. I loved how it once more showed Sora's endless optimism and compassion, for people he's barely even met. The conversation with Naminé was pretty good too (and it better have been, 'cause it's the only voiced scene she gets; what the heck, Square), but the Nameless Star was truly a highlight.

Evidence has pointed to her being Strelitzia, from Kingdom Hearts Union X[cross]—'they took away everything about me'; 'he would be distressed by my absence'; etc.—so for the sake of this fic, I made the two of them the same person. (And hopefully, this time, our hypothesis will turn out to be true.) She, too, deserved much better than to be killed off barely a month after her introduction… and we all know what a beacon of light Sora is for such lost souls.

And as for why Vanitas is here… why not? He's a part of Ventus, after all. Plus, his interactions with the other Heart Squad™ members would be entertaining enough, so in he goes!

Well, that's all for now – see you guys around!