A/n: I apologize for how long it took. However, since only a few people commented, it would obviously be your faults. ._.I need you guys to start reviewing and telling me if you like a chapter or not because I'm really self-conscious about this fic. Not only is it my first Supernatural fic, but it also ties in many elements from many genres. It's the first fic I'm actually really proud of (hell, I'm striving to write a book with this idea).
Also: New powers and demons will be introduced soon. Believe me, when I mention something (I.e. certain powers, weaknesses, etc.), I do it for a reason, and not just to seem cool or to add more words.
Written with the help of: "Monochrome Effect" by Perfume, "Monster" by Lady Gaga, and MeeShee MuhFFin :D!
Song of the Chapter: "The Feel Good Drag" by Anberlin (Notice the "the", it matters when you look up the song. Believe me).
Extra note: Things may seem to get a bit cliché soon (I.e. typical high school life and drama), and taking from how I would react whenever shit like that happens in fics, you need to understand that it's NEEDED. Ven is a teenager that has a terrible secret that NO ONE knows about, and he's practically a loner and bullied. I need to elaborate on how cruelly people can treat him and how normal he's trying to be when his life is everything but. M'kay?
Warning: Foreshadowing, plot twists, plot introductions, language, therapy, drugging, and mass-murder.

Edited: December 18th, 2010

Lygophobia

Chapter 3

Darkness…

Suffocating, frigid darkness surrounded him as he fell freely. He hadn't the slightest idea where he was; he was only aware of the spikes of his hair fluttering dangerously as he looked to where he presumed the surface of whatever hellish pit he was diving into. However, his eyes failed to catch any source of light or actual image whatsoever. Panic rose in his throat as he wrenched his arms away from his sides to hold them before his face. When he couldn't make out even the faintest outline, he whimpered helplessly.

Falling… falling… Still he continued falling into the unknown, unaware what was at the bottom (if gravity applied to where he was falling), or at the top. Freezing air currents rushed over his body, rippling his loose shirt and slightly tugging at his jeans from the sheer force. He ran his hands over his arms where he discovered miniscule bumps had risen on his skin from the harsh temperature. A shudder wracked his body, causing his limbs to twitch and jerk dangerously as it traveled from head to toes.

He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until his chest began to constrict and burn painfully. When he opened his mouth for oxygen, water rushed into the orifice and he immediately attempted to scream as a reflex. It caused panic to double upon itself as the water only rushed to his lungs. He attempted to cough, but the liquid only hurried down his esophagus faster. His fingers clutched at his throat, scratching at his neck in a pathetic attempt to remove the water, but was deemed fruitless. The large bubbles escaping his mouth soon depleted, growing smaller before ceasing altogether. A faint light appeared before him, but his eyes clouded and the corners of his vision burned away as he lost consciousness.

Ventus shot up in his bed, panting heavily as his eyes shot around the entire room. He was violently shaking, and spots swam before his vision. The cold air conditioning swept through his body and the thin layer of sweat covering his entire person dried on contact as his skin grew cold. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, promising no chances of slowing anytime soon. Instinctively his trembling hands ran over his body to check for every limb, and, when he reassured himself he was still whole, he slowed his heavy breathing.

The morning sun was beginning to peek his window and, when he glanced at the alarm clock by his bed, he noticed that he had woken up on time to prepare for school. However, uneasiness arose in the pit of his stomach as he remembered that it was a Wednesday. He was going to be taken out of school early, like every other week, to pay a visit to his therapist.

He lifted himself from his bed, repeating his daily morning ritual without the familiar pain in his step. It was strange waking without it, no matter how much he hated it. Without it, everything felt different. Without various limbs or his neck sore from the night before, he felt odd. Like a completely different person. Like a normal person for once in his teenaged years.

When he entered the kitchen fully dressed where his parents were, he wasn't greeted with a stare from his mother or a glare from his father. Instead, a smile radiated from the woman sitting at the table beside the man who was quietly sipping at his coffee. There was still an uncomfortable air, but it wasn't suffocating like every other day.

His mother's smile widened when he sat across from her and he couldn't stifle the small smile he gave her as well. It wasn't her fault he was as he was, and he wasn't going to hold it against her… No matter that she was always uncomfortable around him or that she had to force the smiles. However, his smile faltered and he had the sudden urge to leave for school early. It didn't matter to him if he would be succumbed to waiting, he really felt like walking for some unimaginable reason. He glanced over to the clock hanging on the wall of the kitchen, noticing that he had a quarter of an hour before school was due. He stood and nodded to his mother, gaze lingering on his father as he left the kitchen and grabbed his backpack before walking out the front door.

It was a cold morning, an obvious characteristic of mid-October, but that didn't dampen Ventus' high spirits. However, his mind took a dive towards darkness as he thought about his strange dream. What did it mean? Was Vanitas still torturing him from beyond the mortal world? He shivered at the possibility. Was Vanitas angry? Did he… know about Lea? He blanched significantly and a shiver ran up his spine that wasn't related to the weather.

He quickly raised his mood by sifting through what he could possibly do for the remaining days of his freedom. He knew he was going to therapy directly after school, but perhaps he could ask Terra and Aqua if they wanted to go somewhere.

Wait… How long was Vanitas actually going to be gone?

He frantically shook the thought from his mind and he distracted himself with ideas. Possibly, he could take his friends to the movies. He heard that there was a good movie opening that coming Friday from both of them, but thinking it over, the movie seemed too bright in his honest opinion. Vaguely he wondered if the company that created the movies cold possibly make dark versions of them. It would be interesting to see the smiling animals perishing in a forest fire-

Ventus stumbled, snapping him out of his morbid thoughts. Immediately his guard skyrocketed as he glanced around nervously. Was he being paranoid? He knew the hand wrapped around his ankle wasn't just a figment of his overactive imagination. Nervously his fingers tugged on his jacket that hardly protected him from the weather that was slowly declining as fall approached. He bit the corner of his bottom lip, wincing at the pain from a sore nerve that Vanitas had obviously bitten a bit too hard two nights before. He was shaking, trembling; his eyes wide as a wave of chilling air swept past him.

Quickly he broke into a run, only stopping when the crosswalks commanded him to. School wasn't far away, but from the scare he had only a few blocks away, he wouldn't doubt that something would happen once again. Out of breath, he climbed up the stairs to the entrance of his school wearily, panting as he leaned against the doorway.

"Oh! Ven, you're early!" Ventus inclined his head to his left to attempt looking behind him. He hastily pushed away from the doorway, turning completely to see the familiar blue-haired junior that he had known for so long. She waved to him hesitatingly, but as she looked him over, her eyes grew wide lightly.

"You look horrible… A-Are you alright?" her voice was careful, unsure, as if she worried if Ventus would snap at her for showing the slightest bit of concern for him. However, he only laughed nervously, a forced laugh, but one nonetheless, and scratched the back of his head.

"Wednesdays aren't my prime, you know…" he noted her stifled wince and he quickly plowed through his complaint. "I'm fine! D-Did you and Terra want to hang out at the movies this Saturday-?" Aqua's eyes widened at whoever was behind him and he knew something bad was there.

"Hey, Ventus," an annoyingly cheery voice drawled behind him, said blond not needing to turn to the speaker to know who it was. "I've been waiting all morning!" the person whined, wrapping their arms around Ventus' waist. If the blond could grow any angrier, he would probably kill someone. Aqua stared in surprise and paled when she caught Ventus' eyes flash golden as he brought his elbow into his attacker's stomach.

Ventus couldn't understand what had just happened when he felt Lea jerk away from him, coughing loudly as he clutched his stomach. He blinked in surprise, spinning quickly on his heels to catch the red head's gaze that was both shocked and pained.

Darkness flashed in the corner of his eyes and he snapped his head to his right, where it had been. For a millisecond it seemed, his vision blurred and his eyes shook slightly as a chilled breeze wafted through his bangs, fluttering them. His eyes readjusted and caught a blob sinking into the linoleum floor.

"Ven, are you alright?" Aqua asked, watching the blond with concerned eyes. Had she really seen what she thought she had? Had his eyes really changed colors? Lea had long since scampered away, most likely to return to his friends. She hardly cared.

Ventus' eyes trailed over to her shocked gaze and he froze. Aqua was staring at him with wide eyes, and he didn't need to ask her if she had seen the mass of darkness as well. He knew she did.

Maybe things were looking up; at least one friend seemed to understand.

"Ven… what was that?"

"Larxene," Vanitas muttered, wings folding against his back as he settled into a seated position beside the blonde woman. She acknowledged him with only a hum. He shook his head slightly and growled, "I don't think I'm going to graduate anytime soon, if at all…"

She inclined her head towards him, shifting slightly as she stretched her leg over the craggy cliffside it was extended over. "I knew it. I knew that you were too whipped to do anything. You are so pathetic."

Ignoring her, he sighed and threw his legs over the side as well, knocking them against the wall. "Someone's taken an interest in him, it seems. I can't keep them away forever, they seem persistent."

Larxene chuckled slightly, a small smile gracing her lips. "You can't expect them not to. Besides, you can't stop your human if they want to fall in love with someone else."

Vanitas' eyes narrowed darkly and he glared down at the vast expanse of darkness beyond the cliff. "I'll kill him before he can," he whispered. "He's mine and he'll stay that way until he dies."

"Rushing through with what Xemnas wants will only hurt you, you know," Larxene replied nonchalantly, heels of her boots hitting against a few small rocks as she swung them monotonously, like a pendulum.

"Speaking of Xemnas," Vanitas frowned, "I have to go talk to him soon to discuss my current dilemma."

"What do you think he might do?"

"He could kill me," Vanitas laughed bitterly, "or he could take Ventus away and kill him himself." He closed his eyes and slowly reclined to a laying position on the craggily ground. "He's done it before, after all."

"Good luck," she cheerily grinned, clapping him on the back. He could only roll his eyes at her attitude, but a small smirk crawled onto his lips. He sighed before standing, brushing off the back of his pants for dirt. A small part of him felt scared, confronting the Elder, but the rest of him suppressed it with false courage.

He reached the Leader's office with little trouble, the dread building upon itself inside him. When he reached the door within the registration building that the demons were using to minimize the trouble of manually counting each and every being, he thickly swallowed the lump in his throat. The underling demons that were playing secretary seemed mildly interested as they allowed him to pass without a question. He hesitatingly rapped his knuckles against the frosted glass pane of Xemnas' office door, shuddering when a deep voice thundered a word for entrance inside. He opened the door and nervously poked his head into the opening. Being in the presence of an Elder was indeed a humbling experience.

"Enter, Vanitas," the demon behind the large oak desk smirked, staring down at the Shadow with amusement as he flinched. Vanitas stumbled to the chair placed before Xemnas' desk, collapsing into it with minimal difficulty. All expression dropped from the Elder's face when the raven raised his eyes. His fingers gripped the armrest, claws nearly puncturing the leather from the sheer force he was applying to it.

"I appreciate that you're so dedicated to your duty, but it's been years. If you do not graduate soon, I will be forced to dismiss you."

Vanitas' eyes grew wide and he paled further than his already light complexion. He knew that the Elder could only mean death. He could have sworn he heard the leather pop as his claws punctured the leather. Xemnas only raised an eyebrow, but the raven's panic was far too great to care.

"H-How long do I have?" Vanitas choked out, quickly pulling at his finger that was trapped in the material of the seat.

"A month," Xemnas replied, his deep voice showing absolutely no emotion towards the Shadow's worries. "However, I am prepared to do away with your human sooner if you show absolutely no progress."

"S-Sir," Vanitas whispered, struggling to keep his voice even and his eyelids from growing wide once more, "I… can't."

Xemnas laced his fingers and leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his desk as he looked down at the demon once again over his fingers. "And why not?"

All words were lost to Vanitas as his wings twitched at the anxious feeling coursing through his veins. He blinked, opening his mouth before closing it once again. "I'll… do it, sir," he forced, eyes staring at the ground, unblinking, lids almost closed as all sense escaped him.

"Good," Xemnas hummed, amusement crawling back onto his features. "I will send some demons to regularly check up on your progress. You are dismissed."

Mechanically, Vanitas stood, eyes remaining downcast as he walked to the door without a word. He opened the door and only raised his eyes as he sensed someone before him. He met the golden gaze of a girl, and, when he was walking away, had to look back to confirm his suspicions that it was, indeed, Xion.

Was she already deemed fit for a human? Good for her. Maybe then she could graduate quickly and get Xemnas off his back.

"How was your day at school?"

Resting his forehead against the glass window of his mother's car, he couldn't bring himself to answer her. It was the same as every other day, obviously, albeit the strange occurrences from earlier that morning. He couldn't tell her. She would think either her only child was insane or she would… he couldn't imagine what else could possibly be done.

He hadn't the slightest idea when he had fallen asleep, but as he flinched when his mother lightly shook his shoulder, whipping his head in her direction, he knew he had. She smiled down at him, softly whispering, "we're here."

It was then that he noticed that the car was parked in front of the familiar building of his therapist. He shook his head slightly, rubbing at his eyes as he pulled at the door handle. He quickly stepped out of the car, stretching when he stood to full height. Obediently he followed his mother as she walked through the doors of the building, holding the door open for him. He hurried through, thanking her. The receptionist looked up at the two of them with a well-versed smile, and soon Ventus found himself in his therapist's office.

Tense silence suffocated him as he shifted uncomfortably in the seat before his therapist. It may have been an exaggeration if he concentrated on the minute sounds of birds chirping outside, the air conditioner working full blast or the distant ticking of an analog clock, but those were beside the point.

He was uncomfortable, and that's all that mattered.

Sure, Ms. Gainsborough was a kind woman, but the fact that she was expecting answers to the prying questions that she asked was enough to make it awkward with her.

"You know, Ventus, I need at least a bit of information so we could start on the road to being diagnosed."

He almost laughed. Diagnosed? It was simple, really. Just a few fears and a fucking demon thrown into the mix could only mean one thing. He couldn't tell her, she would only think he was insane.

Lies. He could only lie straight through his teeth. He could only tell her lies he either made up on the spot or thought through on the car ride. Stupid things, like he was depressed and couldn't make friends or that he was afraid of interacting with people. A lie.

He loved people in actuality.

…Or at least, he used to.

Being shunned by practically your entire school because they thought you were not only crazy but also gay did not help at all. He fell far from his popularity long ago in Junior High School when he had told a few of his friends about Vanitas. They laughed, they teased, and they soon grew to hate him.

He was lucky that the only rumor that truly stuck with him was being gay. It wasn't as severe as being insane. He could handle the insults and teasing. The only person that knew even a little about Vanitas was Aqua, and, although she was wary of him, she didn't believe it.

…Well, at first she didn't. From what had occurred that morning, he was convinced she believed him now.

"Ms. Gainsborough," he muttered, throat tightening as he almost choked on his words, "I don't want to tell you anything."

"You need to, Ventus."

"I… can't," he whispered.

"Dear," she hummed, quickly scribbling something down onto her notepad, "I won't tell anyone."

"Please," Ventus pleaded, raising his head to stare into her emerald eyes, "promise me that this information won't leave the room."

The brunette's eyes grew wide, but she nodded, closing her notepad and pushing her pen far away from her to show that she wouldn't make a move to note it.

Ventus inhaled deeply, shuddering as the breath exited his parted lips. "Just- don't think I'm crazy or anything…"

"I won't, I promise," his therapist smiled.

"There's this d-" his breath stopped and he couldn't force the words out. It felt as though there was a hand clamped tightly against his lips, but he couldn't see a thing. He attempted to breathe through his mouth but it was caught short and he sharply inhaled through his nose. It was stifled significantly and he begun to panic.

"Ventus?" his therapist asked, eyes showing her full concern. "Finish your thought-"

Ventus' eyes grew wide when the woman before him was cut short; eyes unblinking, frozen. All the sounds around him abruptly silenced, causing his body to twitch and his fears to peak. A light flashed before him and all attempts of breathing stopped.

"Don't say a word," Vanitas breathed, pulling his hand away from the blond's mouth. Ventus' lips parted slightly, breath catching in his throat when the demon leaned forward. His lips touched the blond's softly, hesitantly at first, before pressing harder, melding their mouths together as Ventus found himself doing the same.

His eyes fell shut as he pushed himself further into the kiss, hand tightening on the armrest when Vanitas pinned his wrists to prop himself up to ensure he could lean over him. He hated the fact that he was giving in so easily so quickly, but he couldn't make himself care. Deep down inside, he knew his missed this.

Vanitas leaned forward slightly, tilting Ventus' head back as the kiss deepened further. His tongue ran along the blond's bottom lip, pushing passed the opening to maul the inside of his mouth. A moan rattled through the blond's throat despite his attempts to stifle it.

A lightheaded feeling enveloped him and he jerked away. Panting, he stared up at the demon, eyes hazing slightly. Vanitas seemed to be staring at something behind the two of them over the back of the leather chair, eyes wide before narrowing dangerously. "Damn spies," he hissed. When his gaze fell down to Ventus, he bit his lip, eyebrows furrowing.

"I can't do it…" he whispered, head falling forward as he stared down at the carpeted floor between Ventus' legs. "I just… can't…"

"Do what?" Ventus slurred, blinking slowly as his head began to spin.

Vanitas raised his head and his eyes were swimming with a longing look. In a flash of light he disappeared, and reality was taken off its unnatural pause.

"-Ventus," his therapist finished, blinking in confusion when she took in Ventus' current state. Her eyes grew wide as the blond's pupils dilated. "Ventus?"

The blond's head lolled forward helplessly, like a rag doll, seemingly unsupported as his body wavered slightly. As Ventus' eyes refocused once again, he could only catch the sight of his therapist frantically reaching out towards him over her desk before he fainted.

Vanitas disapprovingly shook his head while watching the ant-like creatures frantically stumbling over one another as he stood facing the space where two cliff sides met to form the perfect corner. It seemed almost too easy to corner the spies and, although a slight twinge of paranoia settled deep within him, he couldn't help but feel a bit smug. He sighed and raised his hand, stretching his fingers experimentally before settling with only his index finger. The power surged as if a flood gate had been opened and a dark ball of energy formed at the tip if his claw. The dark aura soon doubled in size, causing the miniscule demons to begin to panic. With an evil smirk embodying all his anger, his dread, and even worry, the energy shot out and blasted them all into oblivion. Darkness swirled where the spies had once stood, lingering as a reminder of what once was. He crouched and batted away the smoke-like swirls bitterly.

"Someone seems upset." The raven flinched, inclining his head towards the somewhat familiar voice behind him. Catching the cerulean gaze of the mysterious person, his breath caught in his throat and his eyes grew wide.

"V- Roxas?" Vanitas quickly corrected himself, silently cursing the slip up. His nose wrinkled at the overpowering sent of light the Radiant carried. It was already giving him a headache.

"Hello, Vanitas," the blond simply replied, moving to stand beside the Shadow before taking a seat himself. "Would you mind telling me why you just destroyed a handful of Xemnas' spies?"

Vanitas' nose wrinkled further and his anger flared. "I don't see why that would be any of your business."

"Well," Roxas drawled, watching the last remains of the spies' wispy existences swirl away into the air, "I believe that watching you murder a few innocent beings would make anyone curious."

Vanitas twitched a bit, anger growing deep within him. Just being so close to the being of Light was enough to piss him off, but the interrogating was make him seethe. Why wasn't a demon allowed to murder without a reason? He wanted to be left alone. He needed to think over his assignment and Xemnas' deadline. In both a metaphorical and literal sense. He mentally laughed at his pun.

"You're not going to tell me? I suppose you do have something to hide, then."

Vanitas sighed and shook his head. Why did he feel that he obligated to tell Roxas? …His holiness must have been rubbing off on him, which was a sickening thought. Another sigh. "I don't want to die," he finally muttered, causing the Radiant beside him to raise an eyebrow.

"You're dying, so you killed demons?" Roxas voice had a hint of disbelief, albeit being amused.

"No," Vanitas hissed irately, head falling into his hands as his fingers threaded through his jagged bangs. He was extremely exhausted and had no desire for twenty questions due to the immense power he had just used, however, the blond beside him seemed very persistent.

"Well…?" Roxas' voice trailed off hopefully.

"If I don't, Xemnas will."

"Will, what? Vanitas, you aren't making any sense," Roxas huffed, looking over with concern. He quickly blinked it away; this wasn't Sora…

"I can't kill him, and Xemnas can't know," Vanitas whispered, moving to sit appropriately. "I tried… I really did…"

"Your human?" Roxas asked, curiosity piqued. "Xemnas will kill him? I don't understand."

Vanitas' skull pulsed. "I don't even know why I'm bothering to tell you," he sighed, noise wrinkling once again. "I tried drugging him so he wouldn't die painfully, but I couldn't follow through…"

A small smile touched Roxas' lips despite their grave conversation. "You must really care about him, don't you?" he whispered.

Vanitas spared him a fleeting glance, sighing once again before pushing himself to his feet. "See you 'round," he muttered, cutting their conversation short. He didn't want to deal with anyone. His wings twitched, expanding to full span as he had absolutely no desire to walk home. He jumped and quickly propelled himself high into the air, leaving the blond without sparing a final answer. Roxas watched the demon fly away, sighing as he stood to full height. He shook his head disapprovingly and turned to walk away.

…At least his powers worked on the raven.

"…Ventus! Ventus! Wake up!"

Ventus' eyes cracked open to meet the sun in his face. Immediately he winced, closing his eyes once again to avoid the light. A shaky sigh of relief left the person that was attempting to shake him awake. He opened his eyes once again, staring up at his mother. "Mom?"

The woman immediately pulled him into a suffocating hug, and he noticed that she was trembling. "Ventus, I was so scared!"

"You have to take him to the hospital," his therapist whispered beside him, and he noticed that he was still seated in the large chair.

His eyes grew wide when he registered her comment. "No," he whispered against him mother. "I'm fine! No… no…"

"Ventus?" his mother squeaked, holding her son away at arm's length. "What are you saying? Aerith, is he alright?"

"I'm fine! It's just… no!" He couldn't risk anything. He hadn't been to the hospital in years, he couldn't let them see his scars. No one had seen his scars, not even his doctor.

"Ventus, it's just a precaution!" Aerith reassured, eyes wide in confusion.

"I can't! I'm fine, really! I'll just take two Tylenols when I get home to make the headache go away! I'm sure it's just lack of sleep!"

"We have to take you!" his mother cried, shaking his lightly.

"I'm fine!"

"Are you afraid of hospitals, Ventus?" Aerith asked, a hand touching his shoulder hesitatingly.

Realization dawned on the blond and he vigorously nodded. He needed to get out of this situation. His mothers eyes could only grow wide and she stared at her son.

"You are?"

"Y-Yeah!" he stuttered, hoping his mother would buy the lie.

"Alright…" she muttered, raising to full height as she blinked down at her son. "Let's… go home then." She turned and began walking out, causing Ventus to frantically scramble after her to keep up.

"I'm sorry, Mom…" Ventus whispered when he followed his mother out the door of the building, but he was sure that she didn't hear him. "I really am."

A/n: Ending was rushed… D:
Thanks for reading! Please review and give me feedback to tell me if I should keep writing! Sora would really appreciate it! Sora: *barks* (She's my new puppy! :D)
If you have any questions about certain things if you don't understand, just leave a review and I'll reply as quickly as possible! However, I won't give out spoilers to anyone but MeeShee, so hah. XD