A/N: Um… well… clearly I lied again. Here's another chapter ^^; The main reason ASAS is taking so long (other than that I have a lot of inspiration for this fic) is that I need to replay a couple bits of Dream Drop Distance to make sure I get some parts of that chapter right. That might still take me a little while, so I'll stop making promises I don't know if I'll be able to keep, especially since I've already started on the chapter after this one. *sweatdrop*

Also, surprise, this isn't a Terra/Cinderella chapter. This bit ended up needing to come first time-wise, but Terrella will be back next time!

Aqua almost screamed. Was Void ever going to let her get a full night of sleep? The Cursed Coach had suddenly started rolling erratically, throwing her against the inside wall. Her Flood had woken too and was hiding in the floor. Its little puddle vibrated nervously.

"Shhh, it's okay," she whispered to it, though she wasn't so sure. More Unversed had appeared in the room, and they didn't look as friendly as the Flood. The group was comprised of Bruisers and Scrappers mostly, plus a couple of Red Hot Chillis. Aqua summoned her keyblade and prepared for the worst.

"No!" Void called from under his covers. Aqua pressed herself against the wall at an angle where he wouldn't see her, even though it was probably too late already. "Xehanort…!" He cried out as if in pain. Had one of his own Unversed turned against him? No - they were fighting each other.

"What…?" She peeked farther out, then tumbled forward when the Coach jolted again. It seemed to be whipping a nearby Bruiser, who turned and rammed itself towards her. Thankfully, the bars of the cage prevented it from reaching her, but it still shook the Coach violently. How was this all not waking up Void? He'd said that if she attacked his Unversed, he'd feel it; did the same not apply for them attacking each other?

"Stop it! You'll kill-!" Void's sharp, desperate words cut off, dissolving into gibberish.

"Is he… talking in his sleep?" Aqua asked. The Flood tentatively poked its head out of its puddle, an odd sight. Then it emerged fully and darted out the bars and across the floor.

"Come back!" She called to it in a loud whisper. "You'll get hurt out there!"

But it didn't. It dodged under a Bruiser's foot, past the claws of a Scrapper, and stopped next to the hallway door. It stared back at her and twitched its antennae.

Watching it, Aqua realized this might be her best chance. She hadn't anticipated this chaos, but it might work more to her advantage than her original escape plan.

She knocked on the Cursed Coach, hoping that in its confusion it would open up, even though it would normally refuse while Void was asleep. Her luck wasn't that strong - the Unversed rolled off again, jerking her sideways and almost clipping the corner of Void's bed. Even though he must be deep in the thrall of sleep, he certainly would have woken if they'd collided.

"I can't… please…" Void murmured. If Aqua hadn't been so busy just trying to stay standing inside the crazed Unversed, she might have thought about how pained he sounded. Instead she just felt relieved.

Alright. We'll just move on to Plan B. Which had been Plan A up until a few moments ago, anyway. She would have rather implemented it in the early morning when she was well-rested, but she wouldn't complain at this opportunity.

She pulled on her boots and loaded up her command deck. She had already installed the Sleep command she'd won off of Void; now it was just a matter of seeing if it would work on the Cursed Coach.

She took a deep breath and pressed her palm against its side. "Sleep."

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then its rolling slowed, slowed, and came to a stop. She cast a quick glance at Void, but he was still buried under his blankets, murmuring against the white noise of the Unversed's brawl.

Here goes nothing. As her heart pounded against her ribcage, she heaved up on the underside of the Coach's mouth. It was lighter than it looked; she was able to pry the barred window open. After that it was a simple matter to slip through and touch down on the floor.

"Don't… Aqua…"

She froze upon hearing Void mumble her name. Was some part of him still awake? She wanted to dart out the door before she found out, but if he did awaken, he would catch up before she could get far. The safer bet would be to cast Sleep on him too.

She skidded and side-stepped around the infighting Unversed, resisting the instinct to just stab them with her keyblade. There was always the chance that that could still wake him.

Then she was at the side of his bed, staring at her reflection in his mask. She realized suddenly that if he was awake, she wouldn't know until it was too late. His eyes could even be open right now.

"Sleep," she whispered quickly. It was immediately clear that it had worked - the tension bled out of his neck; his silent shaking went still. The Unversed in the room calmed and then faded away, until only the small Flood was left.

He was having a nightmare, she realized. That must have been what spawned them. Ironic, considering he was a living nightmare himself.

Briefly - and foolishly - she considered removing his mask while he was sure to be unconscious. What kind of face would the monster have? Did he have one at all?

She shook her head and left him alone. That was a risk she couldn't take, not when she was so close to her freedom.

The Flood was still waiting for her at the door. She turned the handle, and… it jiggled uselessly. Locked. Locked! Of course it was locked. Void never used it; he was always going in and out with his portals. Normally she would just her keyblade to open the door, but doing so would cause such a lightshow it was bound to wake Void, Sleep spell or not.

Then she realized something that made her want to slap herself. It was locked - but it was locked from the inside. Of course, this was a bedroom, after all.

So she flicked the latch, turned the handle, and slowly pushed open the door. It let out an ominous creeeeeeak - the poor thing couldn't have been oiled in years. She glanced back at Void and the Cursed Coach, but they showed no signs of movement.

Could she really do it? After all her planning, all her worrying, could she be out so quickly?

The Flood tried to slip past her, but she held out her leg, as if forbidding a dog from leaving the house.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to it, and was surprised to find that she actually was. The blue creature had been her only company - well, her only likable company - since she'd been kidnapped. "I can't take you with me." She couldn't risk Void somehow tracking her that way.

The Flood's head hung, but it stayed behind her as she closed the door.

And then she was free. Well, almost - she still had to find Vanitas. And do it before Void awoke and realized she was missing.

Deep breaths. I'm a Keyblade Master. I can do this.

With adrenaline powering her steps, she took off down the moonlit hallway.

XXX

"Gah!" Vanitas bolted upright, his ears still ringing from the sound of something knocking on his helmet. "What the-!"

A Flood perched on his chest. What? He'd been fast asleep - well, he'd been having a nightmare, but then it had suddenly faded away. He'd been left in a peaceful emptiness deep as the Void itself. No feelings, and therefore, no Unversed. So where had this one come from?

It knocked sharply on his helmet again.

"I'm up, idiot." He swatted its arm away. "What is it?"

The Flood hopped down from the bed and slithered over to the door. Vanitas tensed and silently followed, removing his helmet and pressing his ear to the thick wood. He didn't hear anything, but the Flood was still gesturing towards it wildly.

"Alright, alright," he whispered, putting his helmet back on. "I'll check it out. Let's just make sure Aqua's still asleep first."

It threw its arms in the air and rolled its head. Sassy little thing.

Vanitas crept towards the Cursed Coach, hoping he hadn't woken her up with his shout. He didn't see any movement, at least, but even with his keen eyesight it was too dark inside to tell for sure.

Until he was within a foot of the Unversed. Then his breath stopped, and he finally understood what his Flood had been trying to tell him:

Aqua was gone.

His jolt of fear produced a flock of Archravens that flapped madly around the room. He struck three out of the air with a Dark Firaga, cursing the idiotic creatures, cursing himself for being weak enough to accidentally let so many out. But they were here now, so he shoved aside his racing thoughts and decided to make the most of it.

"Find Aqua," he ordered them. They still fluttered around the room, until he shoved open the door and shooed them out. At the last second, and prompted by his earlier nightmare, he added: "And don't hurt her if you can help it."

That might be a mistake - after all, if she did make it out of the castle, he was done for - but it was too late. The Archravens were already gone.

The oddly expressive Flood wasn't, though. It stood next to the door, impatiently tapping one of its skinny feet.

"I'm coming, idiot. We wouldn't be having this problem if you'd woken me up before she escaped. And you!" He turned to the Cursed Coach, whose tiny eyes at the top of its stem were still closed. At his shout they blinked open lazily. "I'd like to hear you try to explain to me how she escaped when she was literally inside you. If I don't just kill you first."

But he didn't have time to do either of those things. Aqua was getting away as he spoke. She could already be off this world, especially if she'd somehow called his bluff about "Vanitas." He tried not to think about that.

"You coming or what?" He called to the Flood, then ran out the door.

XXX

Empty. Empty. Empty.

Aqua unlocked door after door with her keyblade, but each lifeless room only made her hope sink further. Where could Void have hidden Vanitas? By glancing out a window as she ran past, she had gathered that they were still in the Castle of Dreams, if a strangely uninhabited part of it. It couldn't all be this empty; surely there was only a small area Void could have staked out.

Was his letter really a fake after all? It sounded so much like Vanitas…

She banished the thought. He had to be here somewhere. She would find him before -

She heard the flapping of wings. Getting louder.

"Unversed," she hissed, running faster; there weren't any doors to pause and check in this hall, anyway. Maybe checking doors was a waste of time - she could go straight to the Castle Guard. They had been fighting Unversed at the ball; surely they could help her look for Vanitas. If it wasn't too late by then…

She glanced over her shoulder in time to see a whole flock of flying Unversed round the corner. She hadn't seen these before, but she'd rather not get close enough for her Scan ability to give her their name.

Columns passed in a blur as she fled, but she could hear the Unversed still gaining. Running wasn't going to work. Besides, if they were here, that meant Void was already awake.

Guess I'll find out what they're called after all. She spun, assumed a solid battle stance, and faced down dozens of glowing red eyes.

Send all the monsters you want, Void. You're not taking me back!

XXX

Vanitas clenched his jaw against the pain and panic that returned to him with the death of each Unversed. Aqua was still close. Too close, he thought as another wave of backwashed emotion hit him. She was ripping through the Unversed too quickly for him to replace.

It doesn't matter. I can still take her on my own, he told himself. I'll just wear her down enough to cast Sleep and -

Oh. No, he wouldn't. She had his Sleep command. He would've smacked himself for his stupidity, but he was already in enough pain from the deaths of his Unversed.

Not only did she have his Sleep, she had several of his other powerful commands. It would take a near-impossible stroke of luck to defeat her at this point.

His Flood paused at the intersection of hallways up ahead and peered around the corner. Vanitas didn't need its caution to know that Aqua would be there; he felt her cutting through his last Archraven. And worse - he thought he heard other footsteps, pounding in time with the clinking of armor. If the Castle Guard showed up, he knew he couldn't take them all on at once. He might be arrogant, but he wasn't a complete idiot. ...Usually.

He pressed his fist to the front of his helmet, thinking for all he was worth. He couldn't fight her himself. He didn't have the stamina to overwhelm her with his Unversed, like he'd tried to do with Terra. Violence was really letting him down this time; he wasn't accustomed to needing alternative solutions to his problems. Except when -

Except when he'd disguised himself to enter the ball.

An idea sprouted in his mind. A stupid, desperate idea. But he was desperate.

He opened a corridor, trying to ignore the tiny part of him that was relieved he might not have to fight her after all.

XXX

"Madam, I must ask you to leave at once," a guard told Aqua. She turned away from the door she'd just opened - empty again - to face them. Shimmering torchlight bathed their faces, making them look almost as spectral as the Unversed.

"Believe me, I would love to," she told them, banishing her keyblade and raising her hands in a gesture of peace. Two of the five guards recoiled. Right. They wouldn't be used to weapons magically appearing and disappearing. The other three lowered their pikes threateningly. "Please, I really do want to leave. I'm only here because I was kidnapped."

"Our king would never do such a thing!" The first guard - presumably the captain, by the extra-tall plume on his cylindrical helmet - replied. She couldn't help thinking he looked ridiculous, with that tall hat and stern, unchanging expression. Like a toy soldier, or one of the nutcrackers the Master had them set up around the winter holidays.

"You will come with us, and he will be the judge of your crime," the captain continued.

Seriously? Had she escaped only to be thrown in a different prison? Keyblade wielders were supposed to follow the laws of each world they visited, but she would break that rule in a heartbeat to avoid being captured again.

"I don't think your king had anything to do with it," she tried to explain quickly, before they just decided to try and grab her. She didn't want to have to fight them if she could help it, especially when Void could appear at any moment. "There's a boy hiding in the Castle. He's the one making all of the monsters that keep appearing. I just escaped, but before I can leave I need to find my friend that he kidnapped too."

The captain frowned thoughtfully, then brought his pike back to a resting position. "Very well. If there are multiple intruders in the castle, then it is our duty to find them too. But then we will take you to see the king."

Aqua nodded. She didn't know if the king would believe her story, but she had danced with the prince. He'd seemed like a kind and reasonable man. Maybe he would be willing to pull a few strings to ensure they were set free.

There were no more signs of Unversed, but Aqua was still sure to keep as quiet as possible as they searched the surrounding halls. Noise might not make as much of a difference as that torchlight, though. Where was Void? Her skin pricked with goosebumps; she expected him to leap out of a portal any moment. Had the guards frightened him off? She asked if they would keep close together for safety, and the captain agreed, though he interpreted that to mean he should keep Aqua in the center of his soldiers where she couldn't run away.

"Captain!" A broad-chested guard called, looking down the next hall. "There's a monster this way!"

"Only one?" He called back, and the group of them jogged over, Aqua easily keeping pace in the center of their formation. She wished they would let her past; it would still feel good to take out her frustration and fear on Void's creations.

When she saw which particular Unversed it was, though, she called, "Wait a minute."

It was a Flood, just slightly smaller than most. It was scratching at the bottom of a door at the end of the hall. At the sound of her voice, it jumped up and waved its thin arms, as if calling her over.

"What is this?" The captain asked her, his frown so sharp it could've cut glass. "Are you in league with these creatures?"

"No, I hate them as much as you do. But this one's different. I think it's the one that helped me escape."

It sounded ridiculous now that she said it out loud. The captain raised an eyebrow; she blushed.

"I'll go check it out. If that's alright."

He nodded curtly, his eyes not leaving her. As if there was anywhere she could run in this dead-end hallway. She clenched and opened her fists, trying to shake off her exasperation at the guards. They were just trying to do their jobs.

She slowly approached the twitching Flood. It looked up, but didn't attack. That was a good sign.

"Hey, little guy. I need to get to that door; can you step aside for me?"

It blinked its narrow eyes at her. Then it skittered out of the way, taking its place behind her. She smiled.

"Thank you."

"Aqua?" A voice called from behind the door. "Aqua, is that you?"

Her heart skipped a beat; her smile broke into an all-out grin. "Vanitas! Hold on, I'll have you out in a second!"

"Good. I'm getting sick of all the dust in this stupid place."

Apparently he was in good enough shape to be snarky. She laughed in relief and summoned her keyblade.

"Hey!" The captain called, but she was already unlocking the door. The brilliant flash of light startled the guards back, but to their credit, they didn't run away entirely. She heard one of them murmur, "Who is this woman?"

Aqua pulled open the door, and was surprised at how dark it was inside. There were no windows to let in the faint moonlight. She blinked for a few seconds before she finally saw a glimmer of gold reflecting the firelight behind her.

"Vanitas?"

He stepped out of the shadows into the doorway. He was still dressed in the red formal suit from the ball, but it was smeared with dust. She searched him for signs of injury and didn't have to look far - a thin scar cut across his cheek, turned diagonal by the curve of his smirk.

"Miss me?"

She laughed and pulled him into a tight hug, surprising herself along with him. "Of course. I was so worried about you."

When he didn't reply, and made no move to hug her back, she let him go and looked into his face. In spite of that smirk, she noticed for the first time how wide his eyes were. Fear danced there along with the reflection of the flames. She also noticed… something else. A feeling she'd grown accustomed to over the past few days.

He was emitting darkness.

"Alright, you two," the captain called. "That's enough. Come with me."

Vanitas froze. "What does that guy want with us?"

"He thinks we're intruders," Aqua explained, saving her sudden anger for a more appropriate time. Void, I don't know what you did to him, but you're going to pay for it. "He wants to take us to see the king. It's okay though, I think I can convince them to let us go."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he replied, eyes darting around wildly. If he noticed the Flood that had sidled up to Aqua's legs, he didn't acknowledge it.

"I'm not sure we have a choice, unfortunately."

One guard was approaching them with his pike held steady. He kept his voice kind as he said, "The Captain's softer than he looks. He'll keep you kids safe if you come along."

"We're not kids," Vanitas said sharply, but the effect was ruined by how he had to lift his chin to meet the guard's eyes.

"But we will come," Aqua added, given Vanitas a look that she hoped said, just play along. Trust me. It must have worked well enough, because he gave a shallow nod.

The guard grinned, looking a little relieved. Woman or not, she'd managed to intimidate them with her keyblade. She sighed; it was things like this that made Terra call her a girl "sometimes."

The five guards circled around them, then marched them through the maze of dim hallways. They didn't seem to notice, but Aqua saw the little Flood following behind, a dark stain against the red carpet of the floor. Well, if it had helped her find Vanitas, it couldn't be too much of a danger, could it?

They navigated the sharply turning corridors until their warm torchlight was joined by flickering candelabras. Vanitas flinched, as if the pinpricks of light were physically hurting him. Or maybe he was just afraid of reaching their destination. She wanted to comfort him, but was too wary to do anything more than smile reassuringly.

"I really think we should get out of here," Vanitas said under his breath, gaze still sweeping the castle. "You said you've got a keyblade, right? Can't you just take these losers out?"

"...I'd rather not," she quietly replied. "If worst comes to worst, I can try. But I still think we can settle this peacefully. The prince was reasonable when I danced with him; I believe he will listen to me."

"Yeah, if they don't just lock us up because of me first. I stole you from him, remember?"

"I wouldn't say you stole me. It wasn't like he owned me after one dance." She frowned. "Still, I could see how his father might not be happy about that, considering what Henri said about him."

Vanitas snorted. One of the guards prodded him in the back with the butt end of his pike.

"Quiet, you two."

Aqua spun towards the guard, clenching a fist tight to keep herself from summoning her blade. "Don't touch him. Can't you see that he's been through enough?"

"Give them a break, Jean." One of the other guards placed a hand on his shoulder, and he had the decency to look embarrassed.

"...I don't look that rough, do I?" Vanitas muttered as he stared down at himself.

He kind of did, but he probably didn't need to hear that from her right now. Besides, the captain was knocking on a door, signaling their arrival. A few seconds passed before a mustached man in a nightgown answered. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and put on a monocle.

"Captain? It's…" he yawned again, "awfully late. Is something the matter?"

"Yes, my lord. We have discovered two intruders in the castle. They may even be related to the thefts the cooks have reported recently. Would you ask the king what should be done?"

Aqua blushed, glad that she had rejected most of the food that Void had attempted to share with her.

"Well, let's take a look at them first." The man adjusted his monocle, then blinked rapidly when his eyes landed on her. "Well! This is - this is wonderful! Oh, the king will be thrilled!"

"He will?" The captain balked.

"Yes, yes," the man waved him away. "I can take care of them from here. Thank you very much, Captain. I will inform the king of your success."

"Err… yes, my lord."

With a last glance at her and Vanitas, the captain and the guards marched away. Then they were alone with the strange mustached man. While his words had made her hopeful, the way he stared at her was a little unnerving.

"Why would the king be excited to see me?" She asked, though she already had a sneaking suspicion. Hopefully Henri had been exaggerating about just how much his father wanted him to court someone.

"Oh - well, nevermind that." He coughed into his fist. "I'm sure he'll want to tell you himself. Now! Follow me, please!"

After he turned his back on them, Aqua shared a worried look with Vanitas. He mouthed the question she was already thinking: Run?

A moment of hesitation, and then she shook her head. Void could still be prowling the halls; their safest bet would be to have the king lead them to the castle's exit.

He nodded almost imperceptibly. His pupils were still wide, his jaw still set. He followed behind her, as if trying to hide within her shadow. Again she felt the darkness wafting from him.

Vanitas, what did he do to you…? His letter had said he was doing fine, but he must have been trying to put on a tough face for her. Either that or Void hadn't allowed him to write about what was really going on.

In less than a minute, they had arrived at a different door, this one much larger and more ornate than the last. Their guide cleared his throat and then knocked thrice.

"Oh, I certainly hope he is happy to see you…" He said under his breath. Aqua forced herself to stand straight and still; better not to show how nervous she was. If nothing else, maybe her display of confidence would calm Vanitas.

The door opened, revealing a short and rather pudgy man, who didn't look particularly happy to see anyone.

"Duke? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Err, yes, Your Majesty, but I thought you would want to see this immediately." The duke stepped aside, leaving Aqua open to the king's scrutiny. He squinted, rubbed his eyes, and then let out a bellowing laugh.

"Aha, you've done it!" The king clapped. "The boy said it couldn't be done! She vanished into thin air, he said! But here she is!"

He stretched his arms out towards Aqua, but she took a step back, bumping into Vanitas. That was when the king noticed him.

"But you!" His face burned red. Vanitas grinned tauntingly.

"What about me?"

"Sire, your blood pressure!"

The king swatted the duke's warning hand away. "I'll have none of that! This is the lad who ruined my son's dance! Why have you brought this miscreant here? Take him away, lock him in the dungeon!"

"I'd like to see you try, you old-"

"But Sire, you're being absolutely-"

"Stop!" Aqua finally yelled. If only she had a Stop command in her deck - but her shout was effective, at least startling the three of them into silence. "There's been a misunderstanding, Your Majesty. Vanitas and I are innocent. We were kidnapped from your ball a few days ago, and when we escaped tonight, your guards found us in the castle. Please, we both just want to go home."

Her voice finally cracked. The lack of sleep, the desperate escape attempt, the arguing - it was all adding up, slowly grinding her down in spite of her determination to stay strong.

"Go home? Why, but this will be your home shortly, my dear!" The king beamed at her, as if he'd just told her she'd won the lottery.

"What are you talking about?" Vanitas demanded before she could get the words out. "You're not going to kidnap us too."

"Of course not!" The duke said; meanwhile the king took a step towards Vanitas, hands on his hips.

"Hmph! As if I would want to-!"

"Enough!" Aqua forced herself between them. Master Eraqus would not be proud of her 'diplomacy' here, but that was the least of her concerns now. "I do not know what you are implying, Your Majesty, but I will not be staying here. And neither will Vanitas."

"What - you - are you suggesting that you wouldn't marry the Prince?" The king asked.

"Marry him?" Aqua repeated in an attempt to process the question. She'd been warned that the prince was supposed to court someone, but marriage? Did the king have her confused with someone else?

"Of course she wouldn't," Vanitas scoffed, then stole a glance at her. "Right?"

Though she agreed with his sentiment, she shot him a warning look. His unbridled tongue could easily get them into even deeper trouble.

"What he means is, I barely know the Prince. We danced for fifteen minutes at the most."

"Yes, I'm aware." The king glared at Vanitas again before clearing his throat. "But there would be plenty of time to get to know him between now and the wedding."

How could he even say that with a straight face? She couldn't get married! Not to the Prince, not to anyone - she was a Keyblade Master, for light's sake! It was so ridiculous that she was torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to slap the king. She'd just escaped captivity; darkness was threatening the worlds; Terra and Ven could be in danger. She didn't have time to stand here and argue with a delusional old man, king or not.

"There will be no wedding," she said.

"But - but-" The king's jaw flapped as he searched for words. "You would be Queen one day!"

"No, thank you." She turned to walk away, but the duke reached out to grab her arm.

"Don't touch her!" Vanitas shouted, but the duke ignored him.

"Please, mademoiselle, would you reconsider?" He practically begged. His eyes were even more frightened than Vanitas's had been. Whatever crazed politics were going on here, she wanted no part of them. She jerked her arm out of his weak grip.

"My decision is final," she said icily.

"But-!" The king began to stutter.

Rainfell sprung to Aqua's hand in a flash of light. She didn't point it at either of them, but they scrambled back anyway.

"I said, my decision is final."

She looked towards Vanitas, who was smirking at the royals' reactions. For the first time tonight, he didn't look the least bit afraid. Void had probably threatened him enough that the shock of summoning a keyblade had worn off.

"Come on. We'll find our way out on our own," she told him, though her hands trembled at the thought of running into Void again.

Vanitas nodded. As they sprinted down the hall, he called one last insult over his shoulder.

"See ya never, losers!"

XXX

By the time they stopped just within the forest, Vanitas's lungs felt ready to explode. It must have only been ten minutes at most, but he felt like he'd been fleeing through dark hallways and starlit courtyards for an eternity.

"You think we lost them?" He asked between gasps of air. Of all the training Xehanort had forced him to endure, he hadn't included distance running. Pretty inconsiderate of him.

Aqua glanced over her shoulder before sinking to the ground. "I think so. They'll be more concerned with protecting the castle than chasing after us, I think."

"I don't know." Vanitas sat down beside her, though he was careful to keep a safe distance between them. "That idiot seemed pretty set on marrying you off to his kid."

"He was pretty stupid, wasn't he?" She smiled at him. His heartbeat stuttered, as if he needed another reminder of how intent it was on betraying him lately.

"Yeah. Did you see how red his face got? I thought he was actually going to explode."

She laughed; he hated how much he enjoyed that sound. How much he'd missed it. This half-thought plan had only stolen him a little more time; he couldn't let himself get used to it.

"I thought so too. You really shouldn't have pushed him, you know."

He shrugged. "I don't think it mattered. He still would've flown off on me."

"You're probably right… It's hard to believe he was so upset by you. Whether you had come to the ball or not, I wouldn't have married the prince." She shuddered. "And he was so caught up in that, we didn't get the chance to tell him about Void."

"Yeah." Vanitas swallowed. So far, she'd shown no signs of suspicion towards him - the opposite, in fact. She seemed even more happy to see him than he'd expected. It was… jarring, to say the least. Not unpleasant, though.

Aqua scooted a little closer to him, looking him in the eyes. It was hard not to flinch back from them now that his face was bare again.

"Vanitas, if you don't mind me asking… what did he do to you?"

"Nothing," he lied, dodging her gaze. "Just threw me in that room and ignored me, basically."

She frowned. "Vanitas. Please. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to, but you don't need to lie."

"...I don't want to talk about it." He pulled his knees close to his chest. It was hard to keep his breathing even. She couldn't guess, she couldn't know…

"Alright," she reluctantly replied. "Would you mind if I healed you, at least?"

"I'm fine," he told her. He might look rough, but he wasn't injured - at least, not in any way she should be able to see.

Her fingers reached out, lightly touching his cheek. At first he was too surprised to recoil. Then he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Then what's this?" She asked.

What was what? Oh - the cut from the shards of his shattered helmet. He hadn't had the chance to cast Cure on it, and then he'd forgotten.

"Uh…"

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me how it happened, but can I fix it?"

Her hand was still on his face. It smelled like flowers. What had she said? Oh, right. Fixing him.

"What, you've got a band-aid or something?" He asked, since "Vanitas" wouldn't know about Cure magic. She laughed a little.

"Not exactly." A soft green light pooled around her fingers, cool and soothing against his skin. He'd expected it to burn him, the way light spells typically would, but it was just a regular Cure, if one cast with more skill than his own.

"That's… a lot better than a band-aid," he said, touching the now-smooth spot where her hand had been. "Feels good as new."

"I'm glad." She smiled again, though it didn't reach her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out - something else caught her attention. Vanitas looked in the direction she was facing, back towards the castle.

"Guards again?" He stood, itching to summon Void Gear. It felt like ages since he'd just been able to fight something.

"No - look. There, on the ground."

She stood and pointed, and he saw it. A dark blue puddle, zipping towards them. Vanitas relaxed; it was just a Flood. The same one that had been following him around back at the castle, he could tell when he reached out to it through his heart. Not only was it sassy, it was also persistent. Why would it have followed him all the way out here? He hadn't given it any commands. In fact, he still had no idea when he'd created it.

Then he remembered he should probably look scared, or at least concerned. So he did.

"You can kill it, can't you?" He asked her.

"...I guess so," she said, though she looked reluctant when it appeared out of the ground a few feet away. "It's funny. I know they're monsters, but this one… it's still all by itself. I wonder if it's the one that helped me escape?"

"What?" Vanitas shouted. Aqua looked at him in surprise, then bit her lip.

"I know it sounds strange, but that's what happened. It led me to the room where Void was keeping you, too."

Traitor, Vanitas thought, shooting a glare at the Unversed. It kept its distance, twitching its antennae curiously.

"It sounds like some kind of trap to me," he muttered. A disconcerting thought tickled the back of his mind: why had the Flood helped Aqua escape? It was a part of him, if a tiny, insignificant one. It shouldn't be capable of acting completely against him.

"I thought so, too. But Void was out cold when it happened. Besides, what could he gain from letting us go?"

Seeing you smile again, the thought flashed through his dug his fingernails into his arm, banishing it.

"I don't know. But I still don't think we should trust that thing." He reached out to the Flood again, mentally prodding it to go away. It must've been as stupid as it looked, because it still stood there, blinking at him like it had been Confused.

"Well… alright." She sighed and summoned her keyblade. Before she could take more than a step towards it, the Flood decided to listen to him, and it scampered off into the trees.

"Weird little thing." Vanitas shook his head. "I didn't think you had a soft spot for monsters, Aqua."

"...Me neither. It's silly, isn't it?" She sat back on the ground, leaning against the base of a thick tree. "It still makes me wonder, though… Void said that they're made out of his emotions. If this one really did help me, do you think that means he has some good in him?"

Something squirmed in Vanitas's chest at the question. It didn't surface as an Unversed, thankfully. He sat down in front of her, head resting back against the opposite tree.

"No," he finally answered. "I don't."

She nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. Even if one of his Unversed was good, it doesn't change what he did to us." She placed her hand over her heart. "Speaking of which… I think I can fix something else he did to you, Vanitas."

"What?" He asked, brow furrowing. "I never told you what else happened."

"I know, but… I think he did the same thing to me. I'm not sure how to explain it in a way that would make sense if you're not a keyblade wielder."

"Try me," he challenged. She hesitated, but went on.

"You know how I told you that he wanted my light? Well, he took some of it, once." She shuddered, pulling her legs in close. "It was horrible. Like I was being sucked empty. Like I was never going to feel happy again. Did he ever do something that made you feel that way?"

I… made her feel like that? Honestly, he hadn't thought about the consequences of taking her light. He'd just assumed she had so much she wouldn't miss it; the Princesses never did. It was hard to remember that for as bright as she felt compared to a monster like him, she still wasn't flawless.

He dug his fingers through the soft autumn dirt, remaining silent.

"I'm only asking because, well… I can sense darkness from you now."

His head shot up, shock plain to see. Stupid! How did I forget that? She knows, she can see right through me -

"It's okay!" Aqua held out her hands in a calming gesture. "I mean, darkness isn't okay, but what I mean is - I think I might be able to help fix it."

"Fix - you want to get rid of my darkness?" He finally realized. It didn't make sense. You couldn't get rid of darkness. At least, not permanently - his whole existence was proof of that.

"I don't know how to do that," Aqua admitted. "But I think I can give you back some light. It's the least I can do, after everything I've put you through."

"It wasn't your fault. I thought I told you to stop apologizing for it." He should have just taken advantage of it, but those words had stabbed him as badly as her light had. Maybe even worse.

"Let me try to help you, then. It'll make me feel better."

"...Well, we wouldn't want you to feel bad, now would we?" He rolled his eyes, but a smirk stayed on his face. Because it was so like her to pretend she was the one being selfish, when she probably didn't have a selfish bone in her body.

"Is that your way of saying yes?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure." He shrugged. It would be more suspicious of him to deny help. And if whatever she did ended up hurting him, it couldn't be worse than the punishments Xehanort regularly inflicted.

She scooted forward, brushing dead leaves out of the way to kneel in front of him.

"Alright. This shouldn't hurt, but tell me if it does, okay?"

He nodded, not sure if that made him feel more worried or less. Then she reached out and placed her hand over his heart. He swore she would feel it beating out of his chest.

She closed her eyes tight, and wispy light coalesced around her palm. Vanitas smelled it before he saw it - the sweet mix of honeysuckle and cold rain he thought he'd grown used to. The wisps sunk through his stolen coat, through his skin, into his heart. He clenched his teeth in preparation for pain… but it didn't come. At least, not the way it did when he stole light himself. It felt a little like standing just a little too close to a fire - warm and comforting, so long as he didn't stay there too long. It filled him with something he couldn't describe, something he hadn't felt since he was whole…

Peace?

He was so caught up in the feeling, it took several long seconds before his mind actually processed what was happening: she was giving him light. Of her own free will. Why? What did she hope to gain?

Her hand slid from him - all of her slid away, nearly collapsing on the leaf-littered ground. He caught her by the shoulders, keeping her upright.

"Aqua?" He asked, shaking her gently. Her eyes blinked open.

"Nnnhh… Vanitas? Are you alright?"

"Why don't you tell me? You're the one who almost passed out."

She laughed a little breathlessly. "Sorry about that… I should have guessed something like this might happen. I was just trying to replicate what Void did, but in reverse."

"You were trying what?" His grip tightened on her shoulders; she flinched a little, and he let go. "You said that felt like being sucked empty! Why the - why would you do that again?"

"Because I didn't want you to have to feel like that," she said, regaining enough strength to smile. "I'm fine, really. How do you feel?"

"...Better than fine," he admitted. He didn't expect it to last long, but at least for now, he felt… he felt whole again. "I still think it was pretty stupid of you to try it, but… thank you."

This time, he didn't even feel a spark of hesitation in saying it.

Though she insisted she was fine, he managed to convince her that they should call it a night. It was more like early morning by now, but neither had the energy to go much further after their daring "escape."

"I had hoped we could…" Aqua yawned, "get you back to your family tonight."

He shook his head, suppressing a bitter laugh. "Don't worry. They're not missing me."

She looked like she wanted to press him about that, but he didn't offer anything more.

"You think… Void will come back for us?" She asked, exhaustion leaking through her voice.

"Maybe. I'll keep watch, just in case."

"No, I should. I'm the one with a keyblade." She yawned again, and he smirked.

"You're also going to pass out any minute. I'll wake you if anything happens. Trust me."

"...Alright. I still owe you one." She lied down next to the tree, using its root as a pillow. Vanitas shook his head.

"You don't owe me anything, Aqua," he whispered. Her light still pumped through his veins with each beat of heart. He didn't want to sleep now, no matter how tired he was. This was a feeling he would savor for as long as he was capable.

He scratched at embroidery around his neck and smiled. Not a smirk, a real smile. It didn't make sense. He was running on basically no plan. It seemed impossible to hide this from Xehanort for much longer. It was probably impossible to hide his identity from Aqua for long, too. But those worries seemed slippery, as if they belonged to someone else. For the moment, Vanitas allowed himself to believe that they did.

Those are Void's problems. He can deal with them. Right now, he didn't feel like Void, a ruthless kidnapper, a monster behind a mask. He didn't even feel like Vanitas, half a heart, ruled by discordant emotions.

He felt like himself. He felt like Ven.

"Aqua…" He whispered. She was already asleep in spite of the uneven ground. He shook his head and chuckled softly.

"...You're something else."

A/N: Whew, this was a monster of a chapter. I feel a bit like Aqua right now, it's like 1 a.m. here and I've been working on this way too long xD Please feel free to point out any typos or anything; this chapter is so long I probably didn't catch them all.

The plot development with Aqua using the Sleep command to escape was inspired by The Unplanner, thanks for that!

Edit: Also, thanks to the Unplanner for catching a mistake I made; Vanitas should still be wearing his ball outfit at the end of this chapter, not his dark suit. This should be fixed now.