If Our Hearts Unite

Chapter 29: Vanita's Light

Aqua battled against Terranort, the two picking up their battle from long ago. The dusty landscape offered a wide battleground, allowing both conflictions to clash against one another without direct interference. For that Vanita was glad, for it allowed her to keep her focus on Venus.

"You're pretty good for someone who's been asleep for the last ten or so years!" Vanita taunted and kicked Venus back with her boot.

"Maybe that just means you're weak!" Venus spit back and ran toward her, weapon poised to strike.

You used to be too broken to fight back… Vanita thought as her blade clashed against Venus'. You used to be weak, and helpless, and relied on your friends for everything. She pushed her back, laughing in her throat as Venus' eyes lit with intensity and fight. You've grown up… and you've found your strength. You fight to protect those you care about. You fight to stand your ground against those that would try to break you.

"Or maybe I should stop playing with you!" She unleashed a fireball, her attack meeting its mark and forcing Venus to the ground. Vanita stood over her, face twisted up with a varying degree of emotions.

We are as different as light and darkness themselves… but we; you, me, Sora, and even Roxas… we are all sisters, connected together by fate.

Vanita let the darkness flow out of her, and she felt her vision go black. Instead of shapes and colors, all she saw now was light and darkness. Venus stood out like a sore thumb… all that purity flowing out like a river of light.

Before we were separated into two, I was nothing. I was a black core of emptiness hidden deep inside you. Little by little, I slowly gained a mind of my own. In your heart, I found a new playground… a place where I could experiment and play with my powers, and use you to see the world and all it had to offer.

Then… one day… We met Master Xehanort, and everything changed.

"Aqua! Venus!" Sora's voice broke the battle and Vanita looked up from her prey. She backed off, the triangle of guardians regrouping to face off against her and Terranort.

"You should have taken the strike while you had the chance." Terranort scolded. "Venus was wide open for attack."

"...and Sora would have done the same to me had I struck her down." Vanita pointed out and earned a dry chuckle from Terranort.

"Ever the coward."

Coward my ass! Vanita thought with a sneer and twirled her blade into attack position. Just who is the real coward here, I wonder? I spent my entire existence fighting and surviving… whilst you laid back and played your little puppet show.

"Humph, I don't want to hear that from you." She seethed and rushed all three of them herself. Sora took the first hit, blocking Vanita's attack and allowing Venus to move in.

"Freeze!" Venus shouted, unleashing a blizzard attack that caught her side and stiffened her movements. She had her hands full with the two, and was thankful Terranort had taken up his battle with Aqua once more to keep the playing field more even.

"DARKNESS AWAITS!" Terranort shouted as he sent a thunderous attack towards Aqua, but the young master cartwheeled out of the way, barely feeling the singe of his power as it vibrated the air.

I'm losing focus, Vanita thought and vanished in a swirl of black in order to keep herself from being flanked by the two guardians. I have to concentrate on drawing Terra out, but how? There's no way I can overpower Venus now that she's got Sora with her. I'll lose this fight if I don't think of something, and fast!

"You cannot win…" She bluffed with a laugh.

"Just what fight are you watching?" Sora dropped her guard to sass back. "We're totally kicking your butt!"

"Are you? I've merely been toying with you this entire time." Vanita dropped her keyblade and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Frankly, the two of you are starting to bore me."

"Say what!" Sora started to jerk forward, but Venus held out her arm to stop her.

"I know what you're doing Vanita… and it's not going to work. Bluff all you want, but I know you too well."

"Tch, is that so?" She stepped up to her, calmly and intimidatingly. Her gold eyes glowed with pure hatred. "Then tell me, sister… what am I thinking now?"

"I don't know…" Venus admitted and had Vanita laughing.

"Of course you don't, you arrogant fool. You don't know me at all!" Vanita slapped her across the face and Venus turned her head taking the hit.

"Hey!" Sora held out her hands but Venus kept Sora back.

"I don't know what you're thinking… but I know what you're feeling!" Venus looked up at her with wet eyes. "I look into your eyes, and I see fear… but I don't understand why you're afraid."

"You're mistaken…" Venus' confident look faltered a bit as she struggled to keep up the act. "That's not fear you see, but hate! I have no other feelings towards you at all!"

"LIAR!" Venus brought up her blade as Vanita suddenly attacked her, the two of them pushing against each other. "Stop lying to me! There's no point! Just tell me the truth! Why are you doing this? Why are you helping a man you hate? Why-"

"RAUUUUUGH!" Terranort let out a cry of pain as Aqua delivered a fatal blow. Vanita's eyes suddenly changed, and her head jerked up in his direction. When she saw Terranort collapse, everything else faded away.

"TERRA!" She let out a roar of anger and she pushed Venus back before zipping across the field towards Aqua. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Aqua!" Venus ran after Vanita, Aqua turned towards Vanita, her block coming up but it wouldn't be enough against Vanita's assault. In a desperate panic Venus aimed a spell. "WIND!"

Vanita's body cast up, making her body jerk and flail about. Sora and Aqua then tag teamed, and made a cross attack cutting into Vanita's chest with their blades. The denizen of darkness collapsed to the ground next to her partner. She wheezed out a breath and struggled to get up.

"Terra…" Vanita panted as she stared at Terra's collapsed body. The guy was out cold… which meant Xehanort's hold had weakened. She crawled to him and propped herself up on her knees to pull his head on her lap. "Terra can you hear me?"

"Vanita… do you surrender?" Sora spoke up and Vanita hissed at her jerking her head in the girl's direction.

"Shut up! Can't you see I'm busy?" Her vision blurred on the guardians and she cursed. She looked back down at Terra, her eyes more pleading. "Come on, wake up. Now's your chance you idiot, Xehanort's been weakened. Come back… come back… to the light." She stroked a hand through the silver hair, her teeth clenching when there was no response.

"Terra…" She shut her eyes and bowed her head over his, her mouth pressing a soft kiss over still lips. The gesture made her feel so empty inside, and her entire body started to shake. "Damn it… who am I kidding? You won't come back… not for me."

"Vanita…" Venus whispered her name, and the envy inside Vanita's heart made it heavy once again. She staggered to her feet and turned to Venus. Her eyes locked on and she clenched her keyblade tight in her fist.

"I hate this… I never wanted this. I didn't want it!" She shouted, darkness pouring out of her. "I didn't ask to be created! I didn't ask to be pulled from my place in your heart and given a taste of what freedom was like! I didn't ask to be given a heart, only to have it broken!" Tears welled up but refused to spill as everything emotion poured out of her. "He's not mine… he's never been mine. Why am I even here? Why do I even exist?"

"Vanita…" Sora could feel the rage of emotions coming from this girl, and her heart both ached and raged. "If you want to save Terra then why won't you stand by our side?"

"Shut up!" Vanita shakily raised her keyblade up. "I don't side with the light! I am Darkness! I am hatred, I am envy, I am loneliness, I possess nothing good inside of me!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Venus glared at her and stepped forward, in front of Sora. "You don't have to live like this. There's light in you, I know it, I've seen it! We're not just light, not just darkness. We can choose to be who we are!"

"You're the idiot!" Vanita shouted at Venus, tears welling up in her throat but she refused to let them out. "Don't you see, Venus? I've already made my choice." She holds her heart with her free hand. "I made it a long time ago."

"You chose to be darkness?" Venus frowned with disapproval.

"Yes. I chose to be darkness." She felt the first tear fall as she looked down at Terra. "Truth is… I've had a heart of my own for a long time. When you and I split apart, Sora was the one who made you complete again. When that happened my heart too was completed, but I was already chained by Xehanort and I couldn't defy him!"

She held her chest, the pain from her wounds and the heartbreak making it harder and harder for her to remain standing.

"I wanted to have true freedom like you did. I could see glimpses of your life… the joy, the affection, the love… and I wanted it! I craved it to the point that I actually believed if I became you I would have the life I truly wanted… but that was Xehanort playing with my feeling just so he could get the X blade."

"If that's true, then it sounds to me like you didn't have a choice at all." Sora pointed out. "Xehanort was manipulating you the entire time. You don't have to listen to him anymore."

"Maybe… but it was my choice to listen to him." Tired… so very tired… Vanita looked down at her hands. "After all, I could have joined the light when Venus and I were your heart… but I didn't."

"Why didn't you? That's the part I never understood, Vanita." Venus took a step closer to her. "Why did you choose to go back to the darkness?"

"I went back because I knew what Xehanort's plans were" She lifted her head up to meet Venus' gaze. I" knew what he had in store for Terra, and I wasn't about to let him get away with it. I wasn't about to let Terra suffer in the darkness alone."

"What?" Venus was taken aback by this news. "I don't understand."

"Look at him, Venus" She pointed to the unconscious Terranort. "That's not Terra. Terra's heart was separated from his body a long time ago. Xehanort cast it into the realm of darkness where it remained lost. I thought I could help him. I thought if I stayed by his side, protected his body and remained loyal to him, then my feelings… these messy, twisted up feelings that I can't put a name to.. would break Xehanort's hold and free Terra's heart... but I was wrong."

Pain oozed out of every word. Sora and Venus, two women who had close ties to her, could hear the sincere agony of the path Vanita had chosen.

"So everything you did… was for him? You tore yourself away from Sora's light, became a nightmare, a heartless, and Xehanort's vessel... just to help Terra?" Venus felt a tear slip down her cheek. If Vanita wouldn't cry for herself, she would cry for her.

"Well I certainly didn't do it for you, you brat." She took a step forward and stumbled to her knees. The wounds that they had inflicted on her finally taking its toll on her temporary body. "Mmmph damn it!"

"Vanita!" Venus ran to her side, holding Vanita despite her attempts to push her away.

"Xehanort played my heart like a fiddle…" Vanita wheezed out, and lifted up a hand watching the dusty black smoke slip from her fingers. "He used my feelings of love and affection for his own purposes." She gave a sour laugh. "I was a fool. I should have known that Darkness isn't meant to help anyone." She clenched her hand into a fist and lay it on her heart. "I'm not meant to help anyone."

"That's not true." Venus narrowed her eyes. "You can help me!" She held her closer, laying her forehead on hers. "We can bring Terra back, and this time we can do it together."

"You're such a sap." Vanita laughed darkly, but allowed the intimate contact. "Terra's got enough darkness surrounding him. He doesn't need me. What he needs is a light to guide him back. He needs YOUR light, Venus."

"My Light?"

"Yeah… your light." She grit her teeth and used her hand to firmly grasp Venus' face. She gave it a hard squeeze, laughing again at the ridiculous face she made. "That annoying, bright…" She slowly let go, sighing in defeat. "...and warm light." She placed something inside Venus' hand, the familiar shape both confusing and shocking Venus.

"This is... Terra's wayfinder." Venus admired the familiar orange star with a teary expression. "Why do you have it?"

"I took it from Terra's body before Xehanort possessed it. It seemed like a good idea at the time… but his heart doesn't respond to me." Vanita closed Venus' fist over the star and pushed it towards her. "Save him, Venus. You're the only one who can."

"Vanita…" Venus sobbed and then gasped as Vanita's body started to disappear. "No! Wait don't fade away! Fight it, stay with me!"

"Nah… it's too bright here for me." She smiled at her affectionately, it was the first time Venus had seen Vanita's light since they'd separated inside Sora. "Call to him…" Her hand reached up to caress her cheek. A single tear dripped down her face, paired with a soft genuine smile that warmed Venus' heart. "Don't let him feel alone anymore."

Venus couldn't help it, she started to cry hysterically.

"I will, I promise… and I'll do the same for you!" She hugged Vanita's body to her tightly. "I'll guide you back, I'll save you, so don't give up, don't ever give up."

"Heh…" Despite herself Vanita wrapped her arms around Venus and hugged her back. "Loser."

Vanita's body faded away from Venus' hold, and the blonde girl continued to sob hysterically. She felt as if she'd just lost a piece of herself.

"Vanita…"

"Venus…" Sora placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll find a way to save her. Right now, we need to help Terra."

"Terra…" Venus lifted her head and looked to the collapsed body of the man she loved. She shakily got to her feet and staggered over. "Terra… TERRA!" She called out his name and with Aqua's help lifted Terra up onto his knees.

"Ven… Aqua…" Terra spoke, grunting with pain as he struggled to bring himself from darkness.

"Terra, please!" Aqua braced him upward as Venus got on her knees in front of him.

"We're here Terra. Come back to us… come back to the light." Venus stroked a hand over his cheek. "Come back to me."

"Venus…" His eyes slowly opened, and he reached for her. He watched her smile and brushed a tear that fell down her cheek. Then his smile spread wickedly and he clasped Venus by the throat.

"What! MNNNG!"

"VEN! AHHHH!" Chains of darkness lashed out, encircling around Aqua and Sora and lifting them up high and out of the way. Terra laughed and stood up, still holding Venus who struggled in his grip, trying to breathe.

"These chains…" he spoke in Xehanort's voice. More black chains slithered across his arm and around Ven's neck, chest and arms his grip loosening but he kept her trapped in his power. "...are our bonds."

"Terra…" Venus wheezed out and shook her head. Her arms and legs held spread out, and the chain around her neck tightening little by little until she could no longer breathe.

"They cannot be broken… you have no power over me." He stepped to her, his hands clasping over her face. "The Terra you knew is gone… all that is left, is darkness."

"Call to him, Venus…"

"Terra…" Venus wheezed, her hand fisting over the wayfinder that was still clutched in her hand. "I kept my promise."

"You're the only one who can."

"Please come back… Terra." Tears flooded her face as she started to lose consciousness, her grip on the star starting to loosen. "I love you."

As the wayfinder slipped from her fingers, it started to glow. Like a moth to a flame, the shadowy figure that had been tethered to Terranort's body began to act on its own. It caught the wayfinder in hand and grabbed hold of the chains holding Venus and the others hostage.

"What!?" Terranort looked behind him and then back at the creature. "Impossible!"

The creature crushed the chains, setting Aqua and the others free. He caught Venus and the others in his large arms, and lay them safely on the ground.

Sora, who was the only one to remain conscious through the events, looked up in wide eyed wonder.

"Who?"

"HOW!?" Terranort shouted in fury. "You fell to the dark-MMMPH" He couldn't finish his statement as the creature reappeared behind him and grabbed hold of his head.

"Grrr…." It struggled a bit before finally ripping the binds off his face. Panting and wheezing, it did its best to reclaim its voice. "One day… I will… set this… right."

"What…" Aqua… her vision blurred as that voice brought her back. "Terra?"

"I will set this right…" The creature lifted Terranort off his feet, repeating the vow it had made many years ago. "I will return to this land… and protect… MY FRIENDS!"

As he did, it's darkened shape faded… and Sora could make out the true face of the man coming out of the darkness.

"Terra! Now!" Sora unleashed her keyblade, using it to subdue Terra's body. Terra's heart then burst free from darkness and rejoined with his body, banishing Xehanort from it and reclaiming control.

Terra fell to his knees, gasping a bit as he took a minute to process all that had happened. He looked down at his hands, smiling, and then to Venus who remained unconscious. Fear and worry had him sprinting to her and he cradled her in his arms.

"Venus! Venus please be okay. Please wake up."

Venus stirred at his voice… her eyes blinked open and the smile that spread on her lips was one of relief, and of love.

"You're here."

"Yeah, thanks to you." Terra smiled back, tears spilling down as he looked at the young woman he loved. "You saved me, Venus… you came just like you promised."

"Terra…" Aqua, tears of joy in her own eyes, walked to them both and hugged them. "You're home… we're all together again."

"Yes… you brought me back, all of you did." He held the two most important women in the world to him close. "Thank you."

Sora smiled warmly at the happy reunion and slowly backed away.

"You guys should all rest up. I'll go help the other."

"Wait!" Venus coughed, her voice rough from Terranort's abusive assault. "I'm coming too!" She got to her feet but stumbled. She cursed herself, wanting so much to repay Xehanort for what she'd done to Terra, Aqua, and Vanita. "I have to make Xehanort pay for what he's done."

"You're in no condition." Aqua held Venus up.

"Aqua's right Ven… and besides you two have some catching up to do." She winked at her and Terra.

"...but-" Venus looked up with pleading eyes, but knew she didn't have the leg strength to go on just yet.

"Don't worry I've got this." Sora beat a fist on her chest and then looked to Aqua. "Keep them safe while they rest up, okay?"

"You can count on me." Aqua nodded and the three watched Sora rush off towards the maze. Aqua looked to her two best friends, Terra helping Venus to her feet and holding onto her. "Guess I'll make myself scarce while you two rest, and… talk." She smiled and turned her back to give them some privacy.

"Aqua…" Terra waited for her to turn back. "Thank you."

"Mmm…no worries. I'm just happy you're back. I'll keep the area clear while you two take a moment. You both deserve it."

Terra waited until Aqua had fully excused herself before looking down at Venus who had gone quiet, and flushed.

"So…"

"So…?" Venus laughed nervously. "You're back."

"Yeah…" he lifted a hand to her cheek, stroking it affectionately. "Thanks to you."

"I can't take all the credit." She knelt down, picking up the wayfinder he'd dropped and running a finger over it. "Vanita helped."

"Vanita did?"

"Yeah… she's done a lot more than you know, Terra." She lifted her gaze up, tears filling them. "There's light inside of her… it was only for a moment but I saw it. Her true self."

"Then, once this battle is over… and everything settles." He gripped his wayfinder in hand. "We'll find a way to bring her back. That way I can thank her personally."

"Mmm… I think that would make her happy." She lifted her eyes up again, the blue orbs so filled with love. "I've missed you, Terra."

"I've missed you too, Venus." He cupped her face in his hands… and for the first time in over ten years… kissed her with all the love and joy he had within him.

~Ask Briry~

Bri: *squeeeee* FINALLY! I've been waiting to release this chapter ever since I started this fic. Vanitas is my favorite KH villain and I had so much fun playing with the character, finding his/her motivation and putting my own twist on it. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

Next Chapter: Who are you?