Chapter 8- And Soon They Will Know That
"Light and darkness co-exist. Two sides of the same coin. You can't just get rid of one side."
"What if we could, though?"
Vanitas was sick and tired of light screwing him up. When was a normal-ish life with the opportunity to gain needed strength again going to be on the cards? Soon, since light gave him one more blasted chance.
Sora broke so many laws of nature to bring his friends back together. As such, he was shoved into a different world with no way to get back home. Friends out of reach, but new ones in grasping reach. And by Kingdom Hearts he was going to help out a familiar face.
UA seemed like the perfect cover for them, solving all their problems. Until it didn't.
After all, light hates darkness, and darkness hates light. Destiny was inevitable.
"I'm going to hit continue, whether you like it or not." The stranger's hood slipped slightly off his head, removing some of the shadows on his face and revealing his wide, creepy smile.
Vanitas backed away slightly, his senses on hyper alert. He gripped his arm wound and snarled. "I told you, I'm fine by myself. Don't need anyone to puppet me."
"Shigaraki. What do you wish to do?" Vanitas spun round to see a man? Human? In a suit and a body of dark mist.
"Hrgh. Why don't you want to join us? Surely, you've heard of us from the USJ attack. We have everything you would ever want. A name for yourself, supplies, support, a common goal and common morals! You make me sick." The now named Shigaraki scratched at his neck.
So this isn't just a random group of weirdos. This is the source of the unease in this world. The darkness. "You need to convince me to change. I've done perfectly well for myself before. Why join up with you and potentially go down? Why let me be under the guidance of another?" Vanitas folded his arms. His shadow rippled slightly.
"Because we are going to take down the symbol of peace, All Might. And we have the means to do it."
Vanitas laughed. "That's such a basic response. Anyone could cook up that half-baked answer. I'm out."
Vanitas walked past Shigaraki with a smirk on his face. This was going to be the true test. Vanitas' instincts tingled, and his grin only grew.
Shigaraki jumped at Vanitas' back in a sneak attack, but Vanitas spun around. He grabbed Shigaraki's wrist and twisted it around further than it should. Shigaraki yelped in pain, but in one fluid motion he kicked Vanitas in the groin. Vanitas groaned and let go of Shigaraki's wrist. Shigaraki took the time to jump back and observe Vanitas. His black coat settled as Shigaraki grew just as crazy a grin as Vanitas- or a devil if that comparison speaks more to you.
"Kurogiri, move us to a more suitable place. I rather like him."
Vanitas cracked his knuckles as the cosy bar dissolved into a dense forest. Birds shrieked and flew away, a stark change to the calm and peaceful scenery. The mist guy stood to the side, arms behind his back, an expression almost of amusement in his body language.
"Remember, Shigaraki, of the plans. Don't overexert yourself."
Vanitas kept his eyes on the boy, while he let his emotions bubble in his shadow. He could only create about eight weak floods or one scrapper before hitting his limit currently, but Shigaraki did not know that. He also did not know of the keyblade's strength thrumming just within reach, waiting to be called. This was going to be a piece of bread (or was it cake? Vanitas never paid much attention to those phrases).
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about me." Shigaraki looked over to Kurogiri. A stupid mistake, and a great opening.
Vanitas charged at Shigaraki, taking the offensive first this time. He summoned Void Gear on the move and started a strong combo of downward and horizontal strikes. Shigaraki was caught completely unawares, but quickly recovered. He noticed a pattern, and with one arm up to block the incoming strike, Shigaraki grabbed Vanitas' wrist. It began to decay, but Vanitas was seemingly more bothered by Shigaraki's vicar grip. He kicked Shigaraki away and did a clean cartwheel backwards. Vanitas took one glance at his wrist, where the clothes he had stolen had disintegrated and his muscle suit was threadbare. He grimaced at the old ugly scars that were barely seen before looking back up at the battle. His wrist gathered dark energy and his muscle suit began to repair itself. He still bled the dark liquid from chest wounds, but Vanitas was thrumming with adrenaline.
Shigaraki picked himself up, from the base of a cratered trunk. Although now badly damaged, Shigaraki smiled like nothing was wrong. His hood of his coat was down, revealing a blue and dead hand covering his face. He had messy blue hair and horrible wrinkled skin. He still looked better than his 'Master' ever did in his old form.
"Well, well, well. You have several tricks up your sleeve, don't you? You hid how levelled up you were and caught me by surprise. You would be a valuable tool." Shigaraki almost whispered.
"Rather chatty, aren't we? Just means more openings for me."
Vanitas ran forward, similar to before. Shigaraki launched forwards too, preparing for the strong combo attack. However, Vanitas stopped just short of Shigaraki and cartwheeled away. Shigaraki turned his head, still in mid-air, before getting shot down by three flood unversed attacking his exposed back. Shigaraki hissed and bit down curses. He twisted around and with one swoop of his hand, the three floods dissolved.
Vanitas twitched slightly before focusing. He had not practiced casting spells as much as anything else, but it was worth a shot. Void Gear glowed black, twisting around the gear motifs to the end of the shaft. Orange intermingled with the darkness, and Vanitas released a dark fireball at a searching Shigaraki.
It hit his shoulder and brought Shigaraki back to his knees. Vanitas wished he could teleport at that moment, for it would have been a perfect opportunity. Instead, Vanitas managed to summon two more floods to hold Shigaraki down as Vanitas silently walked over to a defeated boy. Shigaraki struggled but froze as Vanitas pointed his keyblade towards him.
Vanitas whispered in a twisted tongue to the unversed, who let go of Shigaraki, before addressing him once more. "You're not a waste of my time. No conviction, no grand plan yet, but you've the desire. Decent combat skills. I'll join you for the meantime."
"Huh? Just like that?"
Vanitas desummoned Void Gear and examined his wrist. "I was testing you, seeing if your talk matched your actions. It barely does mind you, but I need a place to collapse and train. My old one people were starting to suspect," Vanitas folded his arms, his chest wounds now covered by his suit once more. The only sign was the holes in the jacket he stole.
Shigaraki stumbled to stand. "Good. You'll meet the other members tomorrow. Make preparations for a large battle."
"Huh? That sounds fun. I presume we'll talk in depth about our 'quirks' tomorrow and formulate a plan?"
"Indeed," Kurogiri appeared beside Shigaraki. "Where shall I drop you off and pick you up tomorrow? You understand we can't allow too many to know our location of our base."
Vanitas tilted his head, like a confused child. "Yep. Let's see… drop me off on a roof in Musutafu. Don't care what one. You better be there sharp when morning comes tomorrow. Or else."
"Of course. It has just occurred to me; we do not know what your villain name is."
Vanitas chuckled darkly. "Oh, I'm nobody that special. If you really need me, I'll be there."
"You didn't answer the damn question." Shigaraki hissed, clutching at his burnt shoulder.
"Well, you can call me what I am. A Seeker."
Kurogiri opened a portal then, and Vanitas began to walk into it.
But Shigaraki had one last question. "A seeker of what? Chaos?"
Vanitas turned while in the portal. "Think bigger, you idiot. Chaos is only the starting point for me."
And with that, the so-called Seeker disappeared.
Shigaraki stood watching the space Seeker had left.
"What did you think of him?" Kurogiri addressed the silent Shigaraki.
"He's an annoying enigmatic brat. But he'll be very useful. I like him better than the other ones. He shares my opinions."
"Indeed. Let's head back. We should inform your master of the recent developments."
"Hello dearie. Is everything alright?"
"I'm Sora, Aizawa sent me here."
"Ah, come in, come in! Let me just sign this pink slip while you sit down over there."
"Did Midoriya get hurt during his exam?"
"Oh, so you know him. Yes, All Might did quite a number on both of them. He should have gone way easier on them. But they both should make a full recovery. All they need to do is rest. Now, about you. Come over."
"It's nothing much."
"Oh dear. A few scrapes and a nasty bruise. How did you get them?"
"I, um, kinda fell?"
"Well, I'm going to do a full check over, just in case. Is that ok?"
"Could you, um, avoid doing my back and chest?"
"Dearie, I'm afraid I need to. Don't worry, I'm not going to judge or anything."
"Well, could we, um, get it done first then?"
"Of course. Could you take off your top?"
"If it's too personal, it's ok, but how did you get so many scars? The healing done on these is bad."
"…Villain attack."
"Could you take off your gloves too? I'll do a few tests then you can put your top back on."
"Ok."
"Sora!? What are you doing here? And what happened to you!?" Midoriya screamed from his bed.
"Um…" Sora scratched his cheek.
"Dearie, you should get some rest. Sora came in because he fell, and I'm just doing a quick check over."
"B-but his torso…?" Midoriya had almost a guilty look on his face, like he blamed himself or something.
"That's none of your business. Now lie down and rest."
"Recovery girl, it's ok. I don't mind explaining." Sora spoke up with a smile.
Midoriya let out a noise of surprise before looking to Sora. Recovery Girl let Sora speak.
Sora hesitated though. He was not quite sure how much he was ready to tell. Sure, he accepted for a long while that he needed to be there when the worlds were in danger, and he'd had a few close calls with death. But the Keyblade War, where his friends d- he just-
Sora's vision became hazy before he snapped himself back to reality. They are happy now. I'm happy now. No use thinking about that.
Sora took a deep breath before deciding on the story he wanted to tell. Remember: World Order.
"These scars are from villain attacks. You see, back home, there was, um, a little bit of trouble, and I guess it was around then that I got my quirk. There're these monsters that wrecked my islands and made me lost in a new place. I managed to make friends quickly, and the monsters who kept on hunting me for my quirk, well, managed to hurt me a few times. We were all doing our best to try and survive, and Aerith did heal me whenever she could, but it was tough."
"You poor thing…" Recovery Girl gave back Sora's top and he put it on. The check up and the conversation continued.
"Where were the pro heroes? Weren't they trying to beat whoever had this quirk?" Midoriya's eyebrows knitted together.
"Yeah. The man controlling them at the time was super tough though. A pro was finding out where Ansem was hiding and trying to figure out as much about him as possible, while his friends were trying to find me. It turns out my quirk was one of the only things to defeat him." Sora fidgeted.
It was strange trying to explain everything in this world's terminology while keeping World Order. But his gut feelings were telling him to be careful, even while talking to Midoriya. And they never failed Sora before
"How come this was never shown on the news? It sounds pretty big."
"I'm not sure," Sora half lied, "Maybe it's because my home is far away or something."
Sora looked down at his hands, with all the faded cuts and blisters. He really missed the islands. He missed Riku and Kairi.
Sora was suddenly assaulted by Midoryia hugging the life out of Sora. He frowned. He loves hugs, and he quickly returned the hug, but why did Sora need one right there? He did not tell anything that sad, did he?
"To be so cheerful after that experience… you are so strong. I'm so sorry. I unloaded my worries onto you, and yet, you must have so many of your own. If there is anything I can ever do to lighten your load, or help at all, just say." Midoriya had tears in his eyes as he let go of the hug.
"Thanks." Sora smiled sadly. He appreciated the gesture, but Midoriya most likely could not help him with his homesickness.
Hey, stay optimistic! You just made a good friend! Everything's going to be ok.
"Okie dokie, your check up is done. You can head back to Aizawa now. As for you," Recovery Girl turned to Midoriya with an evil aura and an angry look, "Didn't I tell you to rest?!"
Recovery Girl wacked Midoriya several times, with Midoriya protesting all the while. Midoriya eventually got back into bed, Sora chuckling while he put his signature fingerless gloves back on.
"You'll really regret that in a few hours!" Recovery Girl hit Midoriya for the last time.
"I said I'm sorry!"
"Hope you recover soon Midoriya. You did great in your exam, especially working with Explosion Boy," Sora looked over to the sleeping boy beside Midoriya. "You guys didn't seem to get along. I hope that changes though. Bye!" Sora cheerfully left the room.
The curtain separating the rest of the room was pulled back to reveal a skinny man with limp yellow hair. He frowned and placed a hand on his chin.
"How did he know about your exam? I've never seen him before."
Midoriya blanched. "Huh? I-I have a stalker?"
"I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason! Aizawa's looking after him after all!" The man spat out blood.
"There are more serious things at hand, I'm afraid. The wounds on his torso aren't just from the monsters. They come from a blade." Recovery Girl looked down sadly.
"You mean-"
"Yes. He did not tell us of all his troubled past. People have tried to hurt him."
"To think, such young people being hurt and mistreated at such an early age-!" The skinny man suddenly buffed up to an extremely large and muscular man. Even his hair seemed enlivened and stuck up perpendicular to his face.
"It's not your fault, All Might. You can't save everyone," Midoriya looked down at his clenched hand. All Might deflated back into his skinny form. "You said so yourself."
"You're right, Young Midoriya. It still bothers me to no end though."
The room went silent after that.
On a rooftop, far away from both Sora and Vanitas, a group of strong individuals gathered in a meeting. One in a black coat and its hood up looked down at the bustling cars zooming across the streets. The other individuals equally had their identities hidden but were quietly discussing amongst themselves different experiences and apologies.
One more member waltzed into the random rooftop, wearing a black coat and hood up just like another. The only difference was the height and body language. The one looking at the cars stood up suddenly and turned around to the group.
"Now that everyone is here, I first would like to congratulate everyone for arriving! It's no small feat arriving at the right time, and to even get to this isolated world. Secondly, I want to point out, you," they pointed towards the person who arrived last, "Were almost late! I was getting bored! Arrive at least twenty minutes early, not five."
"Um…" Was all they could respond with.
"Down to business. A large event is going to be happening within the week, and the balance between light and darkness will be unsettled. I called you all here today to divvy out roles, since you guys are thick and can't decide on stuff yourselves."
A round of protests followed, until the leader shushed them. "I know, I know, you guys are all smart, I'm only kidding. Take a joke lighter, will you? Now, it might seem strange, but we're going to help the darkness a little, be a little bit more lenient with the rules. Have some fun with the future! It's strange, but it'll all work out. And without further ado, your roles are…"
Xerayn's Notes 8-
I delayed this because I had no clue where to go. And then today it hit me. Fight scenes are very fun to write but are also a pain. I struggle to think of what moves people can do. Also delving into cinnamon roll Sora's thoughts and doubts is fun too. This boy can not be fine after everything. Hope you enjoyed this slightly longer chapter!
