Because It's You
Agreement
The moment it all ended, he was quick to bolt. As the Warriors of Light turned to him, he vanished in the comfort of darkness, more than ready to preserve his life, even if it meant running. He had lost his life once before, even if it was by choice. Oh, how he regretted it. No, even if living hurt every inch of his being, he'd rather be alive. Death would not be a sweet release for him. He would become prisoner again, even if the cage was different.
When he finally found his solace, it was in a world one would not think a creature of darkness would like to be anywhere near. It was a small, backwater world surrounded by a vast ocean. The heart of this world was so very bright… so blinding, it kept away even the Heartless. The boy allowed himself to keep refuge on this small world. For how long he would stay, he wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that he would never be found here.
He wasn't dumb. He knew he needed to look the part. Like he was someone who had been here all along, even if he tried to hide. The less people that knew he was here, the better. He stole some clothes and set up a base in one of the tree houses on the smaller islet. Kids played there, but for most of the day it was empty. A good place to hide.
It was perfect. His own little paradise.
He liked this world. His Master was born here and left due to how small it was. He found his own way off the islands, never to return. How he could leave such a peaceful place, the boy wasn't sure. It was the only place he could feel some semblance of peace. It hurt just a little less to be here. He could keep the darkness raging within him under control. The sound of the waves soothed him, the clear night sky shone brightly under a blanket of stars; the warm sun bathed him in a wondrous embrace.
Maybe he could keep people off this island somehow and claim it as his own. Maybe he should use his own monsters to scare them off.
But that would draw far too much attention to himself.
He was able to stay on the small island without incident for weeks. The locals left him alone for the most part (some tried to talk to him, to which he promptly walked away from. He wasn't about to start getting friendly with the people of this world.), he hadn't summoned a monster since his first night here (he was overwhelmed with anger and hopelessness at their loss—what was he going to do without Master Xehanort to tell him what to do? What was his purpose anymore? How could he just stop the hurt?!), and not a single Keyblade in sight (besides his own, which he used to acquire food such as fish and coconuts).
It was a sunset when he was finally found. It happened much quicker than he anticipated. The boy sat where he usually did when the sun began to set—on the smaller islet, on a tree with weird star-shaped fruit. He tried it once—it tasted awful. No wonder the locals tended to stick to the coconuts or mushrooms for a snack. He heard footsteps on the wooden bridge behind him. It was hard to mask any sort of presence with the rickety old structure. It was amazing that it still stood, to be honest. He assumed it was just a local and pulled the hood of his shirt up. He didn't like his face, but it was hard to walk around with a helmet. It stood out. He didn't want to stand out. The hood would have to do.
He hoped the local would realize this islet was taken and they should move on—go find their own spot to watch the sunset. He would be ready to chase them away if he had to. But the footsteps only moved closer, now in the hardened stand behind him.
"Vanitas?"
He stiffened. That voice. He knew it. He slowly turned, ready to draw his weapon. He would not go down against his Light if he could help it. But the blonde did not seem ready for a fight. Yes, his Keyblade was drawn, but it hung loosely in his grip as he surveyed his Darkness. Vanitas stood on the curved tree to swiftly drop to the ground, ready to face Ventus. The hood fell back. He scowled.
"Here to finish me off?" he scoffed. Fat chance. He would give Ventus everything he had and more to ensure his survival.
"No," Ventus shook his head, dismissing his Keyblade. He turned to the other end of the bridge, where stood three other Warriors of Light. The one in the middle with his face brought a flare of rage through Vanitas. But Ventus waved to them, shooing them off. The three exchanged uncertain glances before heading back through the door.
"Sure you don't want back up?" Vanitas urged. "You might need it."
"You don't want to fight," Ventus shrugged, like he knew without a single doubt that was what Vanitas wanted. "And neither do I."
"What do you want, then?" Vanitas crossed his arms. There had to be something, or else Ventus would not be here, standing in front of him completely at ease like Vanitas wasn't his biggest threat. Vanitas could completely undo the both of them. So what was it his Other wanted that brought him here to see him?
"I don't know," Ventus sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "To understand, I guess."
The Darkness laughed. It was a loud laugh of absolute disbelief. This was too good! He wanted to understand? Like he could understand anything! Ventus was an idiot. He was childish and ignorant and there was no way he'd be able to understand anything Vanitas told him. But, he might as well humor him. And then end him.
"What exactly do you want to understand?" Vanitas leaned against the tree, smirking. Stars began to twinkle above them as navy blended with orange.
Ventus took a moment to think. He shuffled uncertainly between his feet, shoving his hands into his pocket, his shoulders curled into an indefinite shrug. Vanitas rose his eyebrow impatiently. His peace was disturbed by this?
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why… everything?"
"Very specific, Ventus." Vanitas, rolled his eyes. "Now, if you're done wasting my time, maybe you and your… friends," he spit the word like a curse, "could… I don't know… leave." He pushed himself off the tree, still scowling. "Or, we could end this once and for all."
Ventus took a defensive stance, still not quite summoning his blade. But he was ready if he needed to. "I'll be leaving soon. They won't." Ventus snorted. "This is their home, Vanitas."
So… that's how they found them. He had the luck to find comfort in their home. Now… he really did have nowhere to go. He couldn't stay here, not with those three being as close as they were. Everything was gone. His shoulders slumped involuntarily. All he wanted was somewhere to stay. Somewhere with a little bit of… something to make him stop feeling all this pain. With them here… it would just make it worse.
"What were you doing here?" Vanitas tried to recover. He hoped with the shadows cast by the nearly sunken sun had hid his brief moment of loss.
"Sora… Sora wanted to show me around." Ventus frowned. "I asked him to. I wanted to see his world." Vanitas could see him reach for his pocket subconsciously. That must have been where he kept that stupid trinket. He wondered if there was a connection or if it was because he wanted to see where it all started. If this was Sora's world, this was where Ventus and Sora connected.
Vanitas should have seen the signs. They were bright and flashing and yet, he still missed them. Or rather… he ignored them. The brutal feeling of finally being home. The intense familiarity of knowing where everything was and what purpose it served, like he had been there a thousand and one times and used the object even more. Being in Sora's heart meant being in Sora's home.
The decade of his prison sentence was nothing but a blur. He could remember bits and pieces, but otherwise… no time had really passed for him. One moment, he was reaching for a shattered χ-blade and the next, he was finally coming back into being. The muddled memories from the prison that housed him were fragmented and full of rage. He remembered being trapped. He remembered others. He remembered telling Sora that his heart was a prison, even if he wasn't the prisoner. He remembered a desperate vie for escape.
He remembered this boy in front of him. And he remembered… a sort of companionship. The others that Vanitas barely recalled were barely a thought then and were barely a thought now. Only Ventus stood out to him. Only Ventus… only Ventus what? He couldn't remember. He couldn't remember why he didn't just strike Ventus down the moment he laid eyes on him. He couldn't remember why Ventus, right now, stood before him with open arms, trying to understand… whatever it was he was trying to understand.
"You… you don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Ventus asked, stepping closer.
Vanitas turned away from him. He would never admit to the boy his lost he felt. He would never admit that he needed a purpose or a place to go or a thing to do to keep himself busy. To keep distracted from the constant agony. That this place that he was no longer welcome to was the closest place he could have ever had the chance to call home.
Vanitas hadn't noticed how close Ventus had gotten. A hand was outstretched, a gentle smile crossing those kind features… The stars were the only illumination upon the two of them; yet, Vanitas could see Ventus so clearly. Vanitas glanced to the beach below where Sora and his friends sat, waiting for Ventus and keeping a close eye on Vanitas. He could feel their eyes on the two of them, making sure Vanitas didn't try anything.
Vanitas turned back to Ventus's hand. The blonde waited patiently. Vanitas wasn't sure what he wanted. "What?"
"Come with me," Ventus urged. "You don't have anywhere to go, right? Come home with me."
Vanitas barked a laugh. His eyes burned. It was hilarious. How could this little ray of light be so kind to this creature of darkness and chaos? How could he even think to offer such a kind gesture to the boy who tore his life apart? Why did Vanitas's eyes burn? It hurt. The pain was coming at him in full force.
"Don't patronize me." Vanitas growled.
Ventus lowered his hand, his smile falling. How little he knew… how could he hope to understand Vanitas? "I'm not… I'm being serious."
"Why?"
Ventus lifted his hand again, this time a more serious expression crossing his brow, making him look much more like that other Ventus—the one who rarely smiled who carried a lot of anger within him. Their cellmate.
"No one deserves to be alone."
If anyone else had offered, he would have spat at them. He might have ended them where they stood. He might have just… walked away. But this was Ventus. This was a boy he would forever share a connection with. A boy who could never lie to him because he could feel what Ventus felt. Ventus was serious. He wanted to take Vanitas home with him. He wanted so desperately to understand Vanitas's motives and pain. He wanted to learn more about the boy made up of his darkness.
Ventus felt a strong connection as well brought on only after they had been merged.
He knocked Ventus's hand out of the way as he stepped closer. He couldn't look at him as he nodded in agreement. He resigned to whatever Ventus offered to him. Ventus was the first person to show him any kindness. This kindness hurt so terribly, he didn't know what to do. If there was such a thing as a good hurt, this was it.
Because this was Ventus, he went with him.
A/N: I've been searching for a good Vanitas/Ven story for a long time, but a lot of them are not quiiiiite what I'm into (non-con, abuse, ect). So, I guess I decided to write one myself! This one won't be terribly long. Just a couple of chapters exploring a relationship with them and their weird kind of love. I hope you like it so far!