It was not the right time, not the right place. If having nightmares had anything to do with places anyway. Sora was training, doing his best to regain his strength for the final fight that stood before them. He definitely didn't need anything that would disturb his sleep.

But there he was, awake at night, panting and sweating like Sora just saw the most scariest monster ever.

But it was not a monster. Sora didn't know what exactly he had been dreaming of since days. Every night as soon as he fell asleep, he found himself in darkness. There was literally nothing but black. He had tried everything in this dark, running didn't bring him anywhere, screaming for someone, anyone, didn't help either.

What was worse, was that as soon as he stood in one place, the darkness turned into some kind of black goo, like a swamp making Sora sink into the blackness deeper and deeper.

So Sora still kept running, but as he ran, dark, shadow like hands crept out of the ground, grabbing Sora's ankles, holding him tight in one place. Sora always panicked, fought long to free himself, kept running - and was caught again. Until Sora couldn't do anything anymore, hands grabbing and holding him in place with a strength that might crush his bones.

It was then when Sora couldn't keep himself from screaming. Everytime he started to scream, he woke up just like now.

He didn't know where these nightmares were coming from, and he didn't want to think about it. Still, he did. Sora wondered if it was because of Xehanort's influence? Because he almost became one of Xehanort's empty puppets? If only Sora knew. He didn't even know how to talk about it to anyone.

Maybe they would think Sora was still somehow in Xehanort's grasp? He didn't want anyone to think something like that, that he may even be weaker than they thought, or worse.

It had gotten late again that day, Sora was so exhausted. With those dreams, he clearly was not getting enough sleep. He fell into his bed with a groan. 'Please let me sleep today, stupid brain of miiiine..!' he mumbled to himself.

He tried his best to make himself comfortable and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for the boy to fall asleep. Half an hour later, Sora was back in the darkness. "Not again…" he breathed out. "I really don't like it here. Please, I want to leave, gimme some light, brain, come on!" Sora still blamed his own mind for this. But no light came, only the shadowy hands returned as Sora walked around in the dark.

But this time, it was different. The hands on his feet didn't feel like a shadow creature. They felt real, too real. And they pulled at his ankles, that Sora was struggling a lot. Still, there was no escape, the hands pulled him under, Sora started to sink into the black gooey ground.

Then it felt like he was drowning, like he couldn't breath. Several times Sora tried to gasp for air but everything that filled his lungs was black gooey darkness. He coughed it up, struggled to keep conscious. Could he even lose consciousness in a dream? Still, it felt so real, Sora didn't want to find out.

With a thud he crashed onto the floor. This time, it was a hard stone floor, cold to the touch, but still just as black. Sora kept coughing out the blackness from his lungs. Then he tried finding some air again. The hands that had pulled him down grasped him again, his arms were held up to his head suddenly.

Sora finally had enough air to breathe normally again, and was able to open his eyes. What, or rather, who had pressed him on the floor looked too much like himself. Only his hair and eyes had a different colour.

"Who are you…?" Sora asked, his voice still sounded raspy from all the coughing. The boy above him grinned, then laughed like Sora had just told the most ridiculous joke ever.

"My, you are so clueless. I am you, Sora. But I am everything what you are not. I'm the darkness that you lack. I'm your shadow, the darkness you cast but can't see behind you." the black haired boy had said, his eyes glowing in a menacing golden tone.

Sora looked at him confused. What? Had he heard correctly? He just didn't know what to make out of this.

With a still confused look on his face, Sora asked again. "What's your name…? You have one?" It still felt so strange, this boy above him looked too much like himself. It was like a dark copy of him. "Vanitas." the boy whispered into Sora's ear. Sora shuddered at the feeling of Vanitas' breath against his ear.

Why did this all feel so real? Was this still just a dream? Or did he fall back into a dreaming world that just felt real to him?

"Why are you holding me like that, Vanitas? What are you trying to do..?" Sora asked, he had gathered his courage to keep calm and try to let this situation make sense somehow. Sora just wanted nothing more than to know what was going on.

Vanitas chuckled. He sat down on top of Sora's abdomen, still holding his hands up over his head, applying more pressure to his wrists. "I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to always remember that I am a part of you. I want to taint your stupidly blinding light." Vanitas barked out, sounding so aggressive, but also so wounded, so hurt.

Sora gazed up into his golden eyes, searching for something, some reasoning he might understand. Unfortunately, he didn't find anything. There was nothing but pure hate and despair in Vanitas' eyes. How could Sora possibly know what that boy had meant?

"Did someone hurt you?" Sora tried to ask confidently, but failed so. It came out like a whisper.

Again, Sora was answered with a laugh. "Hurt? HURT?! Oh, Sora...you're so damn pure, so unknowing. You are just filled up with that stupid, ugly light and nothing else! Hurt doesn't even cover a part of it."

Sora gulped. He squirmed under Vanitas' hold, wanting his hands to be free at least. "Listen I don't remember you...but if I did anything to you, somehow.. I'm sorry, okay? I'm really sorry." And Sora definitely did feel sorry. It seemed that this boy had been through hell, even if it wasn't Sora's fault, he felt sorry for whatever Vanitas had to go through.

One hand let go of his arms, the other hand now grasped both of them with too much force, Vanitas' nails dug into his skin. Vanitas' free hand came into view, until it slapped down across Sora's face with a loud noise. "Don't feel sorry for me! I don't need your sympathy!"

Tears welled up in Sora's eyes. What did he do to deserve this? So he wasn't even allowed to feel sorry for the boy? Then what was he supposed to feel? Sora was unable to answer, being hit caught him off guard.

"Don't look at me like that, with those innocent blue eyes of yours.. I just want to destroy you even more." Vanitas kept talking, his free hand now cupping Sora's cheek right where he'd hit it.

While Vanitas sat on top of Sora's body, darkness flowed down unto the helpless boy. It crawled up and down Sora's body, like a thirsty animal, searching for prey. The darkness burned into his skin as soon as it touched Sora. And the more of it coming down and crawling further, the more it burned. Sora let out groans of pain.

"Stop, please…!" Sora breathed out, his clothes fading and darkness torching deeper and further into his skin. He just didn't understand what was happening, he didn't even know if it truly was just a dream or real. It felt real, though.

Vanitas' hand moved up to Sora's eyes, catching a teardrop that had rolled out his left eye and down his cheek. He tasted it, licked it off his finger like it was the most precious gift he'd received. "Stop? I'm just starting. I'm going to show you true pain." Vanitas grinned down at him.

The burning darkness already covered up most of Sora's legs, the skin underneath felt like it was peeled off. Sora screamed. It hurt, it burned, it pained him in a way he never felt before.

More tears streamed down Sora's face. He struggled, he couldn't feel his legs anymore, like they didn't belong to him now. Still, the skin burned and hissed and the darkness kept spreading up his body.

Vanitas smiled almost fondly now. "Does it hurt, Sora? How does the darkness make you feel? Sad? Angry?" he asked in a mocking tone. Sora tried to answer properly, but all that he managed to get out was a murmured "it hurts..". His voice sounded strained.

Vanitas drove one of his knees into Sora's abdomen. "That's not the right answer Sora." He earned a pained groan from the boy underneath.

Vanitas kept pressing his knee into Sora's stomach. Sora arched up in response, his whole body tensed, while the darkness crept up his back, burning away cloth and skin there. His grunts and groans turned into screams. His body felt hot and cold at the same time. It felt too real. This wasn't just a dream, it wasn't just a nightmare.

"What does the darkness make you feel, Sora?!" Vanitas asked in a more threatening voice. Sora screamed in pain as the darkness took in his whole back, already slowly reaching for his shoulders. He tried hard to answer, but his voice failed him.

Vanitas savored every tear coming from Sora's innocent eyes. He licked them away from Sora's already damp cheeks. Still, he hated that Sora just wouldn't answer to his question. It made him furious.

While Sora's arms were idly taken in by the darkness, scorching his delicate skin on his hands as well, Vanitas asked again: "What does the darkness make you feel, Sora? Answer me!" And Sora wailed. "It hurts..! it burns..! Please…" Sora pleaded to be released from the ongoing torment.

Even though Vanitas loved to hear Sora's crying and pleading, his question was still not answered sufficiently. After Sora's arms were completely overlayed with darkness as well, rendering them useless, Vanitas took the remaining hand off them. He looked down at the boy once, then scratched all the way from Sora's chest down to his abused stomach.

As Sora cried out in agony again, Vanitas clawed into his remaining skin, while it was painfully and slowly melted away and enveloped in darkness instead.

Just as only Sora's neck and face remained clear of the dark, Vanitas bit down on Sora's tender neck, making it bleed out a mix of red and black liquids. When Sora's voice finally cracked as he screamed up again, his expression changed. Blue eyes looked distant and lost, then, gradually, blue changed into a shade of yellow.

Suddenly his eyes glared golden like Vanitas' did, and when the boy on top of him asked again: "What do you feel now, Sora?" Sora stopped screaming and struggling, but instead started to grit his teeth like a wild animal. "Rage." came the answer, and finally, lastly, the lingering darkness crept it's way into Sora's face, turning the rest of him black and dark and smoldering every left over skin.

Vanitas laughed maniacally as his body started to melt, merging slowly into Sora's darkness, becoming one with the raging blaze of Sora's screeching anger. Their bodies bit by bit turned into a seperate being.

As Vanitas vanished into the dark void, Sora got up, a power stronger and fiercer than anything he knew before surging through him. And Sora raged like the worst storm, the most cruel hurricane that had ever existed.

Note: This was written as a request by my dear partner, who loves Vanitas and apparently was in need for some Sora hurt. I delivered. :)