[Author's note: Hello everyone. I just wish to say that i hope that anyone who is reading this is enjoying it so far. I hope that i'll be able to keep writing for a while. Also, if it's alright, i wouldn't mind a little feedback, just to see what you might think of the story. Bad? Good? I don't mind, i'd just like to know, thanks.]
The city of Magnolia would've broken the record for the loudest city in all of Fiore. Right now, the "surprise party" that was set up for Vanitas was in full swing, with every member in the Fairy Tail guild going overboard in multiple ways. Many of the adults were having drinking contest, many of which ended with the women beating the men. The younger members were playing a game of go fish, with Wendy doing surprisingly well. Meanwhile, Natsu and Gray were going all out in a sparring match, using every ability and trick they knew to try to defeat and humiliate each other. Normally, Erza would be stepping in to scare them into stopping, but she was busy discussing a few things with Mirajane.
Meanwhile, Lucy and Levy were having another general conversation.
"This is one heck of a party, huh? I think the city guard is going to have us all arrested in the morning." Levy said.
""I hope not, if the land lady sees that I was arrested, she'd either kick me out raise my rent. The first option doesn't seem that bad now." Lucy replied.
"What!? Why?" asked Levy.
"The amount of times everyone broke in made me paranoid of someone just… I don't know… blowing the place up." Lucy answered.
"Sounds like Natsu. Hey, did you ever tell Natsu how you feel?" Levy asked with a small grin.
"WHA… What do you mean!? I don't have - uh- please don't talk about that." Lucy said, suddenly nervous. She decided to change the subject. "So Levy, how're the babies doing?"
"They're looking good, the doctor told me I'm twelve weeks now. Oh, the wait is killing me, this is going to be so exciting!" Levy had no trouble hiding her enthusiasm of becoming a mother. At first, she was worried, but now she couldn't be happier at the prospect.
"Glad to see you're happy about it. How's Gajeel handling it?"
Levy couldn't supress her laughter. When she was finished, she told her how her Gajeel, one of the Fairy Tail Dragonslayers and her boyfriend, had been taking so many jobs to make sure they would have enough money for the kids. She couldn't believe it when she saw him preforming in a children's play, dressed as a bunny rabbit. Lucy couldn't help but laughing so loud that she fell to the floor, rolling from side to side. Levy stuck to her chair, but she still had a strong level of laughter in her system.
Natsu and Gray paused for a moment when they heard the girls laughing. They were curious as to what they were laughing at for a moment, but then they decided to back to the brawl. The night was certainly going well; all that was left was for the guest of honour to arrive. Lisanna was sitting up at the bar, drinking a glass of lemonade, lost in her thoughts.
"I wonder what's keeping Vanitas?" she wondered.
…..
Vanitas looked back at the platform. It had been a while since he was back here. His last visit involved him fighting Ventus for full control over both their hearts so that he could gain full control of the ultimate Keyblade, the "X" blade. Since it was an incomplete version, he didn't have full access to the power it had, and lost to him in the end. Part of him was also focused on fighting a seemingly complete version of the weapon against two Keyblade wielders in the outside world, who he also lost to. It was after that he was trapped in that empty realm.
How he was able to get back here, however, he wasn't sure.
"Alright, I'll bite. What am I doing here?" asked Vanitas, looking up at the pure black sky as he spoke.
"You have grown incredibly strong, being able to defeat the invulnerable in seconds if you wanted to. However, even you must have noticed that your strength is not entirely your own. After he destroyed your spirit, he implanted a foreign power into you being. If you wish to accomplish your goals, you must increase and rely your own power."
Vanitas was beyond bewildered and confused at what the voice meant. However, before he could ask, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw the same black coat that he saw Xehanort wear from time to time, the same thing he expected to see during the job today. Vanitas felt rage bubble within him. He stretched out his hand and tried to summon his Keyblade.
Much to his shock, it didn't respond.
He kept trying, but the weapon wouldn't appear to help him fight. He looked back at the cloaked figure and opted for a hand-to-hand fighting stance. Sure of victory, he charged in, leaping into the air, aiming his foot for the opponent's stomach. However, the being in the black coat caught the foot. He used his other hand to grab on to his leg and spun him around. He threw Vanitas to the farthest part of the edge of the platform. Vanitas landed a couple of metres from it, still sliding and would've fallen off had he not dug his feet and fingers into the platform as hard as he could, slowing him down. Vanitas' head was over the edge, luckily not any further. He pulled back his legs and flipped back onto his feet, ready to fight again. The figure, however, had different plans. He raised his right hand and clicked his fingers. The response was a dark aura surrounding Vanitas. It soon began to envelope him, just as the darkness of the cloaked wizard had done. Vanitas couldn't understand what was going on.
"The darkness that now engulfs you is that of your own master. He implanted a piece of his own heart into you, for what reason, it currently remains a mystery. While this darkness is still embedded in your heart, he will always have control over you."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Vanitas said angrily, struggling to free himself. Suddenly, what he heard from the voice struck him properly. If he was going to be using the power of the man he has come to loathe, it would be a pyric victory, He would need to use his own power to win this war. "So he's going to keep on controlling me?" he asked.
"Yes, but don't be afraid. You will be able to defeat the darkness, free yourself from his hold. However, when you accomplish this, you will lose a great portion of your current strength. Are you willing to go through with this now?"
Vanitas' temper shot up for a moment when he thought the voice implied that he was afraid, but calmed himself down to take in the voice's instruction. It was right. Vanitas promised himself that he was going to make himself stronger, and that wasn't going to happen if he was going to let a piece of Xehanort living within him. He closed his eyes, ignoring the darkness, and focused on his own strength, power and heart, becoming less concerned of the fact that he was being consumed as time went on. The dark aura was becoming stronger; starting to completely block out Vanitas. After a few more seconds, it had finished the job, leaving nothing more than a mass of dark flame where he stood.
"NICE TRY!" came his voice.
The dark flame suddenly burst, no, shattered into hundreds of pieces. As the shards fell, Vanitas stood strong, straight and with determination written across his face. He could feel the darkness, Xehanort's darkness, separate from him entirely.
"Like I'm going to let myself become a vessel. I will become stronger!" stated Vanitas. He then turned back to the cloaked figure. He then looked back at his hand and tried to summon his Keyblade. This time, it worked, only the Keyblade in his hand was entirely different.
Almost the whole weapon was black, except for a purple diamond just above the handle in the guard. The guard was shaped like two black wings, connecting at the top and bottom of the handle; the keychain of the weapon was shaped like an actual chain with a crown with a crown at the end of it. The blade was just over an arm's length long, with the teeth of the weapon in the shape of a symbol. Vanitas looked at the weapon for a moment, surprised that he had a new Keyblade.
"The "Oblivion". A Keyblade that represents demise and forgotten pasts. You gained this weapon after the part of your master living within you was finally destroyed. Let this Keyblade be a reminder of being able to overcome his control, the first step to achieving your goals."
Vanitas admired his new weapon, impressed with the design and slightly disappointed that he wasn't able to get it sooner. His attention got quickly drawn to the dark shards from the aura that tried to engulf him. They became pieces of dark smoke that floated into the palm of the being in the black cloak. When he was finished, he built up a strong aura around him.
Vanitas took his stance and charged at the Black coat, lunging at him with the point of the Oblivion. The figure dodged to the side. Vanitas stopped and turned his body toward him, swiping the weapon horizontally as he did so. As the tip of the weapon travelled, it created a shockwave of blue and black energy. The figure curled up into a ball and spun, causing him to narrowly avoid the shockwave. Vanitas soon aimed the tip of the blade at him and fired a ball of fire at him. When it was half way towards the figure, it split into multiple streams of fire, hitting him at multiple angles. The figure was slammed into the ground from the final fire stream. He got back up on his feet, the dark aura had offered some protection, but not much. The figure was starting to lose his balance, which Vanitas decided to take advantage of the opportunity; he raised his Keyblade into the air and, with a bit more difficulty than before, summoned the three dark crystals that would generate the dark cannon. He aimed the tip at the figure and fired the beam, only the colour scheme had changed, the edge remaining black while the inner part shone with a bright light. When the beam hit the figure, it went straight through, causing the figure to vanish like it was an apparition.
The beam faded soon after that, not lasting as long as it did once before. It also left Vanitas with very little power. "Woah, I didn't think that attack used that much energy… it's going to take a while to build that u- OH NO!" Vanitas suddenly realised he was now at a major disadvantage. "Now that I'm weaker, I won't be able to fight the kidnappers. This isn't good.
"Don't be afraid. You are still more than capable of defeating an opponent through physical combat, and you will become strong again. Never forget, the strength you wield, will be vital in achieving your goals… and in the protection of this world from the threat to come."
"Wait, what?" Vanitas asked.
"You ought to be prepared for it." Came a voice from behind him.
Vanitas turned and saw himself in his old body suit and mask. The copy was standing as still as a statue, whether waiting for him to attack of just trying to annoy him, Vanitas wasn't sure. He would be lying if he said it certainly wasn't the latter.
The body suit summoned Vanitas' original Keyblade at his side and took up his fighting stance. The real Vanitas did the same, only he took the first strike, jumping high into the air and spinning, firing bolts of lightning as he spun. The copy vanished from the ground, reappearing right above Vanitas, raising his Keyblade high into the air before bring it down towards Vanitas' head. The real Vanitas' peripheral vision just managed to see this and brought his Keyblade up in defence. Since he had to do it so quickly, the guard was too awkward for him to hold. He pushed the enemy's away and kicked him in the stomach. The copy was sent flying, but counterattacked with by firing a large ball of fire past Vanitas's head, which splintered into multiple missiles of fire. Vanitas felt the heat of the missiles and turned to them, slicing as many of them as he could, causing them to dissipate. He felt two strike him in his left leg, causing him to grunt. He caught sight of the copy lunging towards him with his weapon in hand. It was soon covered with a dark aura. Before Vanitas could defend, the tip struck him in the centre of his chest; instead of piercing him, the aura exploded, causing Vanitas to be rocketed back onto the platform.
Vanitas was finding it difficult to move, as that last attack sent pain flooding through his body. As he struggled to get up, he saw the copy walking up to him, stopping right in front of him. Vanitas saw the Oblivion Keyblade behind the copy. He tried to summon it back, but he was running out of energy again.
The copy finally to speak. "What's wrong? Giving up already?"
Vanitas flinched. He recognised that voice. An amalgamation of two voices. The mask began to fade way, as if it was being burned in a fire. When it was gone, it showed the face of a boy around his age, spiky, orange hair pale skin and, much to Vanitas' shock, the same yellow eyes that Vanitas has.
It was the combination of Ventus and Vanitas after the Latter fused them together to create the "X-blade". Ventus-Vanitas.
Vanitas found himself paralysed. Not from the pain, but from the sudden shock of seeing him. The worst reminder of his past. He composed himself, reminding himself that the fight wasn't done yet.
"Heal." Vanitas said. A weak cure spell appeared, healing his injuries and pain slightly. It may not have been a complete recovery, but it was enough. He rolled onto his back and onto his feet, staying close to the ground, as if ready to pounce.
"You have freed yourself from Xehanort's hold, but that isn't the reason you're here. You yourself asked that very question that will be answered here and now."
Vanitas was confused at first, but then he remembered what he was thinking back at Natsu and Happy's house. He was wondering if he was truly worthy of wielding the Keyblade. The dark reminder of his past gave his a snide smirk.
"Him, really, I'd rather let a dog wield the Keyblade than this loser." He said.
Vanitas ignored him. He was deciding what approach to take in order to defeat him. He proved to be just as good as him in terms of swordplay, and his magic wouldn't be as helpful as before. His only choice would need to use a different tactic. He thought about going hand-to-hand, but he didn't have much experience there. However, an idea came to his mind. He started chuckling light, which confused Ventus-Vanitas.
"What are you laughing at?" he asked.
"You said you'd rather let a dog wield a Keyblade before me, right? You'd fit the criteria easily." Vanitas stated.
This caused Ventus-Vanitas to tense, the comment clearly having got to him.
"What did you say?" he asked, his tone becoming much darker.
"Don't you remember? You followed Xehanort around like one, doing his bidding without question, afraid to go against what he said. You talk about being all high and mighty, thinking you're better than everyone else. Well let me tell you some, you're nothing than a pathetic COWARD!"
All was silent for a moment. Then Ventus-Vanitas started growling, his face plastered with uncontrollable rage. He raised his weapon, coating it in black flames. With a blood-curdling scream, he zoomed towards Vanitas with intent to kill. Vanitas took advantage of the situation. He quickly shifted to the side, causing Ventus-Vanitas to embed his Keyblade into the platform. He tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't move an inch. With his frustration getting the better of him, acting as the perfect distraction, Vanitas ran to the Oblivion, picking it up, holding it by the blade. He turned to see Ventus-Vanitas staring to make progress in pulling out the weapon. With as much strength as he could muster, Vanitas through the Oblivion like a javelin, sending it flying, piercing Ventus-Vanitas in the left side of his chest, more specifically his heart.
Ventus-Vanitas let go of his weapon. He didn't utter a single word as the life quickly left his body. He turned to real Vanitas, fear now present in his eyes. Vanitas met his gaze, but was finding it troubling to look, as it reminded him of himself after he lost to Ventus. The fear of losing yourself to the feeling of nothing.
Ventus-Vanitas collapsed to the ground. He began to fade away in a dark smoke. When he was gone, Vanitas fell and landed on his backside. He began to laugh. He remembered his words towards the copy. He knew that he was aiming his words towards himself as much as it was the copy. He was nothing but a lackey, blindly bothering orders. But now, it's over, we would let go of who he was, and focus on who he can and would be.
"You have passed. You have proven you yourself worthy of the Keyblade. May you find worth in the days to come."
…
Vanitas shot out of his bed. Instead of looking from side to side, he just looked at one of the walls of his room, remembering his dream. He was wondering if whether or not if what he had experienced in his dream was the real deal or not. Just to confirm, he held out his hand and called for his weapon. As soon as he willed for it to appear, it materialised. At first, he saw his original Keyblade, causing him to feel disheartened. However, cracks began to appear in the Keyblade. They kept growing and growing, each one letting out a small bit of light. In an instance, the Keyblade burst, creating a blinding light that engulfed the entire cottage. After seconds, the light faded. When Vanitas' sight returned to him, he saw that his original Keyblade was replaced by the Oblivion.
He grinned at the sight. He dematerialised it and looked out the window. He saw the moon and estimated it was around 1am in the morning. He decided to head over to the guild to see what was going on. He exited the house, ensuring it was locked properly, and began jogging.
…
"COME ON YOU ICE-FREAK!" yelled Natsu.
"DON'T NEED YOU TELL ME THAT, HOT-HEAD!" roared Gray.
The party was still in full swing, despite it being very early in the morning. By now, they would be approached by the city guard and be told to stop, but Makarov had took the liberty of using a spell he had been experimenting with for a while; a barrier that would negate the sound of anything on the inside of it. Anyone could go in and out of it as they pleased, so it would certainly be handy if, in this case, they wanted to join a party who was creating an unpleasant level of noise.
Everyone had shown no sign of fatigue and boredom, clearly enjoying themselves. However, there was on person who was a little down in the dumps.
When Lisanna was on that mission with Vanitas, she thought of him more as a threat than a potential ally. When she saw him teleporting through the city, she thought that there was a criminal loose in the city. She thought of how terrifying he was when he stood up to the cloaked wizard, proving to have more darkness in his soul than any villain than they had faced. But there was something else.
She was horrified when she learned how the cloaked figure had done the same thing to more people and would've done more. She was shaken to the point where she believed that there wasn't any point to the good they had accomplished before was for nothing if there was still going to be crimes like this in the world. She had never felt so alone. Vanitas, however, managed to pull her out of that darkness. She was reminded that with her friends, no, her family, anything was possible, they could take on any problem they were faced. They would help to save their home from the evil within.
All of this has given her a sort of… interest in the dark warrior. She was keen on learning more about him.
Mirajane noticed her sister's gloomy mood and intervened. "Are you okay Lisanna?" she asked.
Lisanna perked up upon hearing her older sister's voice. "Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm okay. It's just… is Vanitas going to come at all?" she asked.
Mirajane gave her a cheeky smile. "oh, does someone have a little crush?"
Lisanna's face became the shade of red that you would see on a tomato, being unable to say anything at first. When she was able, she stuttered "U-uh, no, I… w-what is up with you Mira?"
Mira giggled and let the matter drop, soon answering her question about Vanitas. "I don't know, it was his first Fairy Tail mission, the first in a while even when we didn't get a bill for property damage. It couldn't have been easy at all." She pointed out.
If there was anything Fairy Tail was famous for other than its boundless strength and spirit, it was its ability to go overboard in any scenario, which would often lead to property damage from fights, upset city officials and a certain Fairy Tail master crying from how much the guild owed the entire country for the damage caused.
Lisanna couldn't help but chuckle. "Guess you've got a point." She said.
"NATSU, GRAY, WILL YOU CALM DOWN ALREADY!" yelled Erza.
"SHUT UP!" roared Natsu and Gray, not realising it was Erza who was yelling at them. Out of anger, they both fired large missiles of their respective elements. They narrowly missed Erza, who was stunned at having been roared at like that. It was quickly replaced with anger. However, it was quickly replaced by pure shock when she heard them explode and a roar of pain. She and everyone in the guild turned towards the source of the noise and found the entrance destroyed, as well as someone lying face down on the ground, with ash and smoke covering that person.
Wendy ran out first and gasped when she recognised the injured person.
"VANITAS!" she screamed.
She tried shaking him awake, but had no luck. She was beginning to panic. She raised her hands over him and began to build up energy in her hands. As the sky Dragonslayer, she had the ability to use powerful healing magic. However, the energy dissipated quickly when she saw Vanitas starting to get back up as if he had just tripped and fell over. When he was back on his feet completely, he gave a cold, dark glare towards Natsu and Gray, one that was more chilling than anything Erza could've thrown at them.
"What the heck was that for?" he asked calmly. It was slightly worrying, as it was in a calm sort of way a person would sound if they were going for the kill.
The two wizards were silent for a moment before they both pointed their fingers at each other yelling "HE DID IT!"
Straight after, Vanitas summoned his new Keyblade and cast two spells he hadn't tried in a while. He cast a spell on Gray which involved a timer in a red circle hovering over him that was counting down from 5. Natsu, however, was being encased in a shell of ice before he was completely engulfed. When the timer hit zero for Gray, he was caught in an explosion, which also caused the ice crystal Natsu was trapped in burst into pieces. When it was finished, Gray was unable to move with the amount of blisters on his skin and Natsu was struggling to fight the cold that had penetrated his body.
"That… was…" Gray started.
"COLD!" finished Natsu, his voice sounding like a whimper.
Vanitas couldn't help but chuckle. "I assume you wouldn't be on the receiving end of actions like this."
"Actually, they usually are… by me." Erza said. She then decided to glance towards the two young wizards, both of whom shivered in fear from her.
"Hey everyone, what did I miss?" came Makarov's voice from behind the crowd. He looked like he was after falling asleep during the party.
"Vanitas finally made it, now we can really have some fun." Mirajane said.
Makarov raised a fist into the air. "You got that right!" he yelled.
In that instance, everything went back to its chaotic state. Natsu and Gray, however, were still struggling to move. Wendy got to work on healing them. Vanitas raised his Keyblade into the air, generating a green light. After it faded, the ice wizard and the fire Dragonslayer were healed even more quickly. This surprised the trio. They were confused at what happened until they saw the Keyblade wielder twirling the Keyblade around in his hand.
"You're not the only one around here who knows how to use healing magic. Hope it won't cause any trouble." He said casually, as if he hadn't just attacked his new friends.
"Not at all, it's pretty cool to have someone with the same power as me. It'll definitely help on other jobs. Uh, not that I want to be relying on you all the time or something, it's just-" Vanitas interrupted by placing his hand on her head and gently rubbing it.
"Relax, no need to get nervous. So, did I miss anything at all?"
Natsu, now fully healed, jumped to his feet and put his hands on Vanitas' shoulders. "We got a special thing planned for you." He grinned cheerfully. "You ready?"
Vanitas was sceptical about this. He could tell Natsu was one for messing with other people for the fun of it. Whether or not it was to a severe degree, he didn't know… well, not yet.
Natsu gently shoved him towards the bar counter, where Mirajane had lifted a giant object under a white cloth onto the table. His scepticism was becoming reduced to curiosity, knowing how Mirajane was involved in this convinced him that there wasn't going to be much fowl play.
"I kind of picked up on how large parties may not be your thing." She said.
"So you decided to through me one all the same?" he asked her.
"I didn't really pick up on it until Lisanna said you would be late. Sorry about that." Mirajane was sounding a bit sheepish, feeling a bit silly for having set up the party.
"Sorry? What nonsense is this? I really appreciate the thought and effort. Besides, who said I wasn't into parties, I was just tired after the mission is all."
Mirajane perked up immediately. "Really?" she asked. Vanitas nodded. "Oh yay!" she exclaimed.
"Now that that's settled, show him what's under the sheet." Said Gray, starting to become impatient.
"I agree. We have been working on this all day, don't you dare let it go to waste!" Erza said with extreme seriousness. No matter what was going on, Erza would have a fierce determination that one would expect from a war general.
Mirajane grabbed the sheet and pulled it off, revealing a 3ft cake with red and white frosting with the heart shape on his necklace was drawn on the top.
"I thought you might like it." Mirajane said.
"It's beautiful. Thanks Mirajane." Vanitas said.
"Please, call me Mira." she said back.
"Alright then. So, Mira, what flavour is the cake?"
Mirajane offered him a paper plate and a plastic fork. "How about you find out for yourself?"
Vanitas shrugged his shoulders and took the items. He picked up a pre-cut slice, which he thought was odd but didn't want to offend anyone, an d placed it on the plate. He used the fork to break off a piece and inserted it into his mouth. Everyone stared at him with very keen interest, wanting to get his opinion. He actually downed the piece in an instant, but he found the intense staring entertaining.
"A sweet blend of strawberry and Vanilla. My two second favourites. Great job!" he said.
Everyone cheered. They were soon keen on getting a slice each, some of them having to fight their way to get a slice. Mirajane was doing her best to control the situation, with Erza in tow. Surprisingly, Erza was very passionate about sweet things and didn't want the cake to be ruined by getting knocked over or something like that.
Vanitas was still enjoying his first slice, taking his time. He reckoned that he wouldn't be able to get a second one anytime soon. As he was leaning against the side of one of the tables, he saw one of the members walking towards his direction.
"I'm guessing you're Levy?" he asked
The girl with long, blue hair was surprised. "How did you know?" she asked, genuinely surprised.
"Lucy told me about you on our way back from that village that Nightmare was wrecking. She told me about your script magic. Just want to make sure, being able to write words in the air and then said words will act, like writing fire in the air will create a fireball that will roast any bad guys your way?" Vanitas noticed her surprise.
She soon composed herself and stared at him with a playful frown. "You're pretty well informed, aren't you? You thinking of learning how to use it?" she asked.
"I don't know. I'm pretty comfortable with what I can do. Besides, I kind of need to do some "back to square one" training, starting tomorrow.
"What, why?" she asked.
Vanitas was hesitant for a moment. He then placed his cake on the table and summoned his Keyblade. "A lot of my power came from a dark place, something I needed to let go of. As a result, I actually lost part of my power in the process. I need to train to get back what I lost, not having to rely on the kind of stuff that can… well, lead a person down the wrong path." He dematerialised his weapon and held his fist right up against his face. "I won't let the darkness tell me how to live my life."
Levy was surprised at his honesty about his current situation, especially since he just told it so a complete stranger.
"In case you're wondering, if Lucy and her team trust you, then I trust you just as much." Vanitas held out his hand to her. She responded by grabbing it and shaking it.
"Alright then. So, what else can you do, or, what can you still do?" she asked.
Vanitas was about to answer when he heard a soft, squelching noise. He turned to the source and saw that Natsu had crashed into the cake. The room suddenly went incredibly silent, fear written on everyone's faces except his own. It was only when he came across Erza did he realise why they all seemed scared.
Her eyes were focused on Natsu, which were filled with a supreme level of anger and despair at, most likely, him having ruined the cake. She held out her right hand and summoned what seemed to be a giant axe that only a giant could use, yet she was able to wield it with ease. Furthermore, a strong, magical aura was starting to build up around her. Natsu was still sitting on the cake, fear written all over his face.
Vanitas looked back at Levy. "To start off with, I can still teleport. Talk toy you later Levy." Vanitas said. He vanished in an instant, taking the smart approach and escaping before he would witness what he assumed would be a ferocious revenge. Levy began to worry, mainly for Natsu's sake that Erza would go even more overboard than she had before in the past on the fire wizard.
"I didn't even get a slice…" Erza whispered.
She raised her sword up into the air. When she brought it down, someone appeared right in front of her, raising an unusual sword in Natsu's defence. Both blades connected, creating a strong gust of wind that blew many of the members away, including Natsu and the rest of the cake. Erza looked to see who it was who stopped her.
It was none other than the dark Keyblade wielder.
"You dare interrupt me when I am delivering punishment!?" Erza roared.
Vanitas smirked. "If losing the cake was that upsetting for you, you can have the rest of mine… or…" he raised his free hand and clicked his fingers and, in a quick moment, appeared a bar of light blue ice-cream on a stick. Erza's expression immediately changed from a vengeful growl to one of awe and amazement. Vanitas silently offered it to her. They both unsummoned their weapons and Erza took the ice-cream. After she took a brief bite out of it, a tense silence followed. No one would be sure of how she would react if the treat wasn't to her liking.
Vanitas could swear, however, that he saw sparkles in her eyes a few seconds after she took the bite.
"It's… It's magnificent!" she said, causing everyone to breathe out a sigh of relief.
"What is this?" she asked in a demanding tone.
"Sea salt ice-cream. Something I came across a while back, got a bit of a weakness for them. I usually carry one with me in case I get hungry."
Erza wolfed down the rest of the treat and bowed before him, causing everyone, including Vanitas himself, yell in surprise.
"Thank you so much. Can you tell me where I can get more?" she asked.
"They wouldn't sell it here in Fiore, I'm afraid. But I can show you how to make it, usually the homemade versions are better than the ones you buy in stores anyway.
"Then please teach me!" she said, now on her knees.
"What are you doing? Stand up already! No one bows to me, and I bow to no one, okay. Besides, we're… we're friends, right?" Vanitas said. He had found it unusually difficult to think of anyone as a friend, given his past, so saying it out loud was a new concept for him.
Gray appeared behind him. "Finally, he said it."
"Aye, this is great!" yelled Happy.
Everyone cheered for Vanitas. He wasn't exactly sure why though.
"We could tell you were the lone wolf kind of guy, which isn't all bad, but it's good for you to acknowledge that you've got friends looking out for you." Gray explained.
Vanitas took in his words slowly. He turned to see Natsu when his eyes came upon Lisanna. She saw him too and gave him a wink. Vanitas smirked and gave her a two fingered salute in return.
With that, the party continued yet again. Vanitas smiled at the level of energy they possessed.
He was about to head back to the bar when a sudden chill went down his spine. He turned his head behind him, expecting to see someone, but there was nothing there. He shrugged it off and sat down at the bar, asking Mira for a cola drink.
"NATSU!" yelled Erza. Natsu appeared from the opposite side of the counter, his head still covered in scraps of the dessert.
"You still owe me a new cake." She said menacingly, which he responded to by nodding multiple times, quickly.
Vanitas leaned onto the counter with his drink in hand, admiring the activity in the room.
"Glad I made the right choice." He thought to himself. He was about to take a sip when he noticed something in the reflection in the glass. He saw the yellow in his eyes slowly fade, as if something was emerging from underneath it. When it had finished, his eyes had completely changed colour. He looked into a clear picture of water and saw that they were now ocean blue.
He grinned and raised his glass to himself. "I wonder what else life has in store?"