I stood facing Ven's doorway and kept my ears pricked for any sounds near the window. It had been four weeks since Terra's threat and already he had taken Ven's attention from me by giving them extra training sessions together. I glanced quickly at Ven's sleeping form and immediately shot my gaze back to the door. Ventus stirred in his sleep and suddenly cried out. I scrambled up onto the bed and searched for anything that could cause him pain. There was nothing. Confused, I watched him sleep, in case he was having a nightmare. He whimpered and wrapped an arm around my side to drag me close to him. "Vanitas..it hurts. Be gentle," he murmured in his sleep. It took me a moment to really understand what he was dreaming about. Once I figured it out, I was glad I had onyx black fur to cover my blushing face. Even though I purred at this thought, it also made my heart pang in sorrow. 'I wish I was human. I wish I could have that life he dreams of. I would even take just having my human form back,' I thought miserably putting my nose against Ven's. I sighed and with my paw, I caressed his cheek. He sighed happily and snuggled to me. I felt the pang again and closed my eyes for sleep.

-"Vanitas. Awaken from your slumber and stand in front of me," said a voice. I opened my eyes and leapt up as I realized that I wasn't in Land of Departure any more. 'Where am I?' I wondered looking around me at the many moons and stars that covered the walls, making makeshift windows. An old man in a blue robe sat in a tall wooden chair. He gestured for me to stand in front of him. "Vanitas, you wished for your human form. However, would you risk losing your memories in exchange? Tell me, do you really want this? Think carefully," he said. I closed my eyes and thought deeply about what he said. I thought of all the moments Ven and I shared and the many moments Terra cut in. I clenched my fists in anger at my memories of Terra kissing Ven in front of me, the hugs that were a little bit too affectionate, and worst of all, my first day here in the bath. I felt my ears pin back and my tail lash. Confused and shocked, I looked down at my human form that usually was shown in my dreams and found that I still had my tail. My nails were sharp like claws. I felt my head and beneath my gravity-defying spikes, I found my two cat ears flattened to my head. I opened my mouth and felt my teeth. I flinched as my fangs pierced my fingertip. "Why do I still have features of a cat?" I said. I clamped my hands over my mouth in shock. 'I can speak!' I thought excitedly. The old guy smiled and nodded. "This is what I decided. You will still have cat-like features but you will have your human form and your voice," he said. I smiled showing teeth and purred in happiness. The man chuckled then his face took on a serious expression. "You will lose your memories at 2:01am. I must do this to protect you. You will gain them back of course, eventually. Remember one thing though: you are always filled with Light somewhere within you. Your old master seemed to forget that," he said. I gasped and shook with fear at the mentioning of Master Xehanort. "Does he know where I am, sir?" I asked secretly relishing the sound of my voice. It was deeper than before though. The man shook his head. "Since you were given the form of a feline, he was unable to track you. That is why-" he said cutting off as I finished his sentance. "That is why you had me keep my cat features. Correct?" I said. He smiled in approval and nodded. Then he stood and walked over to the biggest window. "Be warned. Tragedy awaits you, Vanitas. Your keyblade will help you. I have faith in you," he said with a snap of his fingers. The room then got fuzzy and faded from my view.-

I came into consciousness and immediately was engulfed in pain. I made no movement, made no sound in fear of waking Ventus. However, internally I was screaming and writhing in agony. Eventually, the pain went away. I laid there sore and out of breath. I opened my eyes slowly into darkness. I waited for my eyes to adjust and once they did, I glanced at the clock. 1:57 am blinked back at me. I sighed and sat up. I gasped as I looked down at my human legs and human arms. I felt my head and found my ears pricked up. 'It worked. He actually did it,' I thought as tears of happiness flew down my face. I looked over at Ventus who was sleeping soundly. I bit my lip as I realized how he would react to my new form. Then, I remembered the old man's words and got out of his bed. It was strangely cold in the room. I looked down again and blushed at my nude body. I walked shakily over to Ven's dresser and slipped on some boxers, his plain black T-shirt, and his black training pants with the many pockets. I looked at his shoes then shook my head. No way would my feet fit into those. My tail throbbed uncomfortably in the pants. I tore a small hole in the back of them with my claws and slipped my tail through. I sighed with relief and opened the window to climb out. "Ven, I'm sorry. I will be back," I whispered. He stirred and muttered unhappily in is sleep as though he knew something was wrong.

I jumped out the open window to the ground below, my cat instincts making me land on my feet. I walked away from the castle to the Summit. Once there, I summoned my keyblade. It was different from my usual one with the one eye on it. This one was black and had long tendrils of shining white coming off of it. I studied it closely and realized it represented Light emerging from the Darkness. I laughed and the Light tendrils grew longer. I growled and the Light shrank back and Darkness grew bigger. I half smiled and winked. The two were now equal in length. I ran to the Mountain Path, brandishing my new keyblade. When I reached the water part of the path, I scooped some into my hands. I drank the cool water and sighed in relief. The bell rang in the distance, signalling that it was 2:00 in the morning. A strong feeling of dizziness suddenly took over me. My keyblade vanished and I fell onto my back, my head spinning. I felt a raindrop hit my cheek and lost consciousness.