"You made it." A voice echoed behind Aqua. She froze, taking in the familiarity of the voice. She wanted to smile, to wrap her arms around her friend, but something in her heart stopped her.

"I need to talk to you." She said, turning to face him. Though she had watched him turn to darkness, her heart skipped a beat. His skin was tan; his eyes gold, and his hair was the color of spun silver. He wore his typical clothing, though it looked deformed. Like someone wearing someone else's clothes.

Which, in a way, he was.

"Terra." The word hung in the air, as if she had heard it from a mile away. She hadn't talked to him since he left them for darkness. The male smirked, shaking his head at the woman.

"No, Aqua. Xehanort. That is my name now." He answered; a cold air to his deep voice. She shook her head, taking a step closer to him. She felt bile rise in her throat. She had really lost him. Terra; her close friend, was lost to the darkness.

"You will always be Terra to me." Her voice was shaky, yet determined. She saw his eyes widened ever so slightly, and then they returned to normal. He made a tsk sound, his eyes narrowed at her, an impatient groan escaping his lips.

"What do you want, Aqua?" He spat, his arms crossed in impatience. He was annoyed, she thought. She didn't care, though. He was the only person he could tell, the only person she could trust. Not Ven, not Master Eraqus. No one.

"God, I'm going to go to hell for this, but…"

~Sometimes your best friends become your mortal enemies...~

Ventus sat on his bed, his fingers clenched in anger. Why didn't Master believe him? The thought replayed in his head like a broken record. Eraqus dusted off Ven's words as a case of jealousy. He looked at his hands, which were red and bleeding at the knuckles. His wall suffered more damage, a gaping hole in the middle of it. Who knew he was so strong?

He bit his lip hard, trying to keep from yelling. He tried not to imagine Aqua and..Him. He tried not to imagine them going to get ice cream, laughing and giggling. He tried not to envision them getting married, tried not to see them in bed with each other..

He yelled in rage, standing from his bed and punching another hole in the wall. He bit back hot tears, his form sliding to the floor.

If only Terra were here. He always made him feel better when he was down. But Terra was gone now, and Ven never thought he would see him again.

Now he was going to lose Aqua. And he couldn't stand losing the last thing he had left. The last thing he had to having a family.

The last thing he loved.

~Nothing stops one who destroys monsters from eventually becoming one. ~

Vanitas stood on the shores of the Realm of Darkness. It was the only place that could cool his mind. He closed his eyes, hearing the calm wash of waves crash onto the sand. An image of Aqua appeared in his mind, and he smirked. God, that woman was a goddess. And now she was his. All his to do whatever he wanted.

And the best part was the fact that he won. If he could only look at Ven's face right now, if he could just relish the sadness and jealousy on his face..

He let out a maniacal laugh, leaning back against a fallen tree trunk. The waves washed against the sand in a soothing rhythm, accompanying the silence. He closed his eyes, letting the sound drown out his thoughts. He needed to relax before he went back to the surface, so he could be calmer while facing Ventus. He wouldn't stand a chance now that he had Aqua. No one would, not even Xehanort.

Grinning, he let himself slowly drift to sleep.

It felt so good to be winning.