AN: I'm trying to write these Asides no one asked for… 'cause they've been building in my mind since I finished posting Vulpes to Dandelions. Vanitas's role was technically the first character I wanted to focus on, but since things in KHUX/MoM are still being revealed, I've been hesitant on how to proceed. I have ideas for Vanitas, but I need to see what happens in KHUX/MoM to have any idea of how to fully continue with him. (I didn't actually fully think through his role in VtD until after its completion.)
-If you don't want to read all of Vulpes to Dandelions for context..which..I sort of don't recommend, you can focus on chapters 26 Sleep to Start and 33 Ventus (Or need refreshers for references). I also have slowly come to the understanding Vanitas's keyblade isn't actually called Void Gear, but is left unnamed, so uh... there's that too. Oops. Sorry for how rough this chapter is.
TW: Light swearing, vomit, and Flood Goo.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
What's my problem?
Well, I want you to follow me down to the bottom
Underneath the insane asylum
Keep your wits about you while you got 'em
'Cause your wits are first to go while you're problem-solving
-Twenty One Pilots, Neon Gravestones
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
Ventus growled as he continued to fight, "What are you people planning to do to Sora's Heart!?"
"Steep it in everlasting Darkness." The insane laughter of his Dark half reverberated across his Station as Vanitas slammed him into the stained glass, "You won't be getting in my way, Brother."
Ventus struggled as Vanitas gripped his collar and lifted him off the ground with ease, laughing as he threw him into the Abyss. Ventus screamed as his body began to disappear, 'No!'
Vanitas laughed as he stared at his brother's Heart as it fell deeper, "Struggle, Brother, and despise your own futility as you find yourself still unable to save anyone."
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
Three Hearts Sang, "Open the Door."
The memory of the moment Vanitas gained his face made his eyes flutter open.
His body was gone, that pathetic doll-shell that had been his broken form was no more. Absorbed and destroyed within Ventus was his corpse and grave.
He was nothing but Darkness. Many of One, and One of Many.
Yet.
He had become Something-Someone, and now his foundation had been Chained.
The form he had come to call his own, the face, the body, it was floating in an endless abyss.
But it was an abyss that held warmth.
Linked.
Ah. The one who got in the way.
The one whose face I share.
He had been tethered along with the one whom he had so thoroughly Chained himself to, Ventus. His Light Brother had unknowingly pulled him along, away from the End, and towards that which had healed his broken Light and Heart.
Vanitas breathed deep and closed his eyes.
A child's laughter.
A warm sun.
The Love and Affection of a Father.
If Ventus's Heart had been sickeningly pure and bright with love, joy, and affection, then the unfiltered feelings of a true child were even more nauseating.
It felt like Bliss.
Vanitas wrapped himself in the feelings of the one who harbored Them, and went to Sleep, to Dream the Life he would never gain.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
The next time Vanitas felt himself come back into awareness, he was no longer simply floating in an endless abyss.
His Heart Station had pieced itself back together… or at least, as much as his broken Heart could ever manage afterall. He was Darkness, with a stolen Fragment of one of Light's Children to build his base.
Vanitas shifted and floated up into the Dark, so he could view how his Station had pieced itself together.
Deep cracks with a sealed, moving swirl of darkness veined throughout the surface. The outer rim having healed first as to not let anything else slip away, was a strip of red followed by a second strip of dark blue. The third tier followed with a light aqua background and 2 simplistic leaves in a v-shape. The fourth tier inwards was backed in dark blue, with circles encompassing the Unversed symbol backed in red. His image was placed on the right side as if in Sleep, unmasked as he held his Keyblade, the cracks still focused near his heart and spreading outwards.
The main circle that made up the fifth tier held shadows of Keyblades from the Graveyard, as if falling into midnight, with shades of navy ombreing into blue making up the sky. The smaller sixth tier was still mostly darkness, a broken mess, and yet the only circle visible to make out was the split gear that made up the Chain of his Keyblade.
He stared at his Station for some time before finally descending upon it. A low grinding groan rang out from below, deep and shuddering, as his Station took on the weight of his Heart's form.
Still weak.
Still broken.
Vanitas glanced around, wondering what it was that had awoken him from his Slumber.
The image of a thalassa shell, with yellow tips that shifted into a bright blue, silver cording, and the symbol of the Keyblade apprentice's in its center appeared in his mind.
The child's Heart was bursting with deep love and affection, joy, and deep, deep sadness.
Ah.
Just as any person with a Real Heart had their ups and downs, that which gave them Joy, and that which gave them Hurt, the missing piece of Mother was a deep, hidden Pain.
A Pain that ached in its Hurt that had just been poured into with a Distant Love.
There were no Doubts that the child's Mother had deeply Loved him, despite the inability to be at his side to Nurture.
The release of that Hurt filled in the holes in Vanitas's Station, and Sealed them further.
The child, despite his Healing Light, could still carry a deep ocean of Hurt. Yet, so long as Love remained, even just a mere speck of it, he could Overcome that endless Darkness.
Vanitas would devour the child's pain, make it his own, and become Strong.
He would Protect this One Simple Heart.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
Vanitas Awoke again. The image of a Crown necklace held tight in the boy's hand as the warmth of Magic pulsed through it. The strong feelings of Love, and so many tumultuous emotions that rolled like a calm ocean surf before the storm under the surface. Vanitas took a deep breath and devoured the feelings of Insecurities and Doubt, bolstering his Broken Heart's strength, while also strengthening the Idea of the boy's Mother's Love.
Vanitas's back came to slowly rest on his Station, cementing that it was now strong enough to carry the weight of his Heart. He raised his arm towards the abyss and summoned his Keyblade. The familiarity of its weight brought a comfort to him that he hadn't realized he'd been in need of.
His eyes closed, and he felt the pull of a Dream.
A Dream of Awakening-
And followed.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
He would protect Sora from succumbing to The Gathering of all Darkness.
The endless loop would one day come to its end.
The tides shifted. The Dream began its course (once more).
The presence of the Mouse King trickled into the Dream, the Ceremony beginning.
Vanitas would not let the Mouse King control Sora's Awakening. He too had a say in it.
So much to do, So little time…
Take your time, Don't be afraid.
The Door is still Shut.
The Closer you get to the Light, The Greater your Shadow becomes.
But Don't be Afraid. You Hold the mightiest weapon of all.
So Don't Forget:
You are the One who will Open the Door.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
Vanitas frowned, Awake as he stood on his Station. The Mouse King's focus ignored Balance, just as Eraqus and Xehanort ignored the necessity of Balance in opposing measure.
Sora was an anomaly of that balance in his opinion. So to direct him purely to Light, and cause him to fear the Dark…
Vanitas scowled.
The boy could be fully aligned with the Light, but still come to understand the Dark instead of outright hating it.
What was Day without Night, anyway?
The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, and the Space in between.
All of it came to balance.
Vanitas could understand that now, as he was now no longer fully Chained to the collective Darkness, but certainly incapable of becoming one of Light's children.
Still…
For as much Time was still available, it was also miserably Short.
-xxx-
Vanitas wasn't sure how or when he had fallen Asleep again, but when he Awoke this time, he was Angry.
The vague memory of the Keyblade of Heart hooking into Sora's chest, releasing the Princess's Heart-
Ah.
That was when he'd fallen Asleep again. The presence of his old Master being nearby had caused him to retreat, and he'd been knocked off balance by the girl's Heart resting within the Abyss, suppressing his Darkness beyond Slumber.
Vanitas couldn't help but note that the 'landscape' of Sora's Heart and Body had changed since that moment. Ventus's presence was slightly skewed. Like a part of it had left, connected to Another, and then returned. The Abyss felt 'filled' in a way that was similar to when the Princess had arrived, but less… suffocating.
Oh.
Others had come in.
The passage of time was strangely apparent to him. He could tell that Sora's Links had been tampered with, and then cobbled back together hastily, causing an imbalance. There were 'boxes' that contained memories and data…
And then there was an echoing current of Anger, which fueled his own aggravations at Sora's foolishness.
Vanitas huffed, unable to let go of the fact that he was drawn to insufferable idiots to Chain himself to. Ventus had been imbalanced in his Light, and practically let him waltz in with the back door wide open.
Sora had welcomed him (Them) with open arms.
Literally.
Vanitas closed his eyes, feeling the new Links that had become Chained to the existence that was Sora and nearly choked. His eyes flew open as he stared out into the abyss, feeling the presence of one new, fully grown Heart that was intrinsically linked to Sora's body and Ventus's Heart, and the small piece of that Heart's Station that held onto a familiar wisp of a Memory of Heart.
That Memory, that fragile Heart that was being held onto.
It was familiar in a way it shouldn't be.
Vanitas pursed his lips in a deep frown before chewing on the bottom lip, crossing his arms as he contemplated the feeling.
The Unending Loop.
He bit down harshly, a growl deep in his throat.
Xion.
Seeker of Darkness.
The True Organization XIII.
Vanitas cried out as a sharp pain went through his skull, blinding him as he collapsed to his knees. He shuddered a breath as nausea overtook him, No, no, Not Yet, Sleep.
He fell onto his stomach, the Other New Heart's Rage and Sorrow filling in the deep crevasse of negativity he carried and healed his Station further as the Gazing Eye of his Keyblade stared back at him.
When had he-
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
Vanitas jolted Awake and to his feet as pitch black water began to flow over the surface of his Station.
Bewildered he looked around frantically as water began to rise over his feet.
What is this?!
A Flood came to the surface of his Station, floundering as he turned his attention to it. He picked it up, staring in confusion as it began to make erratic motions.
Same. Other. Past. Nightmare. Test.
The Flood melted in his hands strangely, as if had turned into goo. Vanitas grimaced at the sight as he felt the presence of his old Master creep in.
He growled, turning towards the endless abyss, the proverbial back door that Master Xehanort was trying to creep through.
I won't let you come in so easily Old Man.
Except the presence wasn't Old.
It was Young.
Vanitas turned back towards the direction of Sora's Heart Station. His Heart reached out towards his Other.
Wake up, Ventus.
We're in Danger.
Vanitas was struck with the memory of Sora facing down a Young Xehanort, an after image of himself beside him.
Your Heart is Nothing but a Prison!
Vanitas growled and clenched his fist, No!
This Heart was a Balm on the unending Brokenness!
Vanitas took a deep calming breath and grimaced. Time to fulfill my usual Role.
A Path opened up to Ventus's Heart Station. He climbed up towards his Other.
His own Station overflowing with dark water as he walked away from it.
He would become Sora's Nightmare, and Ventus… Ventus would become Sora's Protector. The Armor that would encase and Protect his weakened Heart.
Alone the Darkness would devour Them.
Together, Ventus and Sora could weather the Bleak Dark.
Vanitas allowed his natural darkness to uncoil from him and bleed onto Ventus's Heart Station as he stepped out from the abyss, "What a shame…"
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
He watched as Ventus's Heart encased Sora's Sleeping form. It was odd to know that somehow, the boy had de-aged himself to match his Heart Station's memory. The clothes had been tampered with, but the idea was the same.
Sora was still having issues coming to grips with the year he'd lost Asleep.
Vanitas and Ventus could relate.
Vanitas stretched with a groan. His Evil Act had lost its charm over the years, but it was still kind of fun to mess with his Light Brother. Ventus was just too easy to tease.
He turned and looked up towards a faint brightness in the distance. His eyes narrowed.
No one else would be allowed to just walk in. They'd have to prove themselves first.
He was Unversed in his existence.
He was Darkness.
He was made to be a Nightmare.
He reached out towards the Bright, and felt his Heart disappear from Sora's Heart, and reform in the Dream.
Vanitas felt his form change, returning to the base doll-like state he had started out as, the black coat of the Organization covering him, keeping in his darkness. He glanced down at himself, seeing the pink swirls and designs. It was strange, being in this form, but he would protect Sora.
He turned partially to look at the boy, Asleep in a bubble, and being pulled ever farther into his Dreams.
Don't lose to the Old Man, Sora. Don't let him take you.
Footsteps approached, a familiar mop of hair (Aqua? No.) confronting him. Riku bared his teeth, and Vanitas smirked, releasing weapons of the Dark into his hands.
Showtime.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
His test was done. Riku passed, and continued onward.
Vanitas went to Sleep, if only because he was sick of the machinations of literally everyone around Them.
Sora's Power being stripped away (Again) was already annoying and frustrating enough.
Being passed over the Mark was infuriating.
Vanitas could only conclude that those who belonged to the Light were more Stupid than he'd given them credit for. Which honestly was saying something, considering how low his opinion of them had been from the start anyways.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
Sora was being sent on a wild Goose Chase.
Ventus kept unintentionally emoting onto the poor kid, and Vanitas was getting a little nauseous from the back-and-forth pull between the two. Every time Aqua was mentioned it was the same thing.
Vanitas groaned as he rubbed his eyes as a migraine settled in, when suddenly he felt his Power uncoil from his control and seep into Sora's Heart Station. He stumbled with a breathless gasp as he felt himself physically overlap with Sora and the remnants of his Heartless. Rage overcoming them both as three Hearts were released, the boy's Health depleting dangerously in quick succession.
He (They?) tore through their enemies, silent as they ripped through flesh and broke through bone. Their enemies would know True Pain for the damage they had caused his Heart Over and Over and Over-
Release.
Vanitas collapsed upon his Station, breathing heavily as the experience of being in flesh and blood for those few moments in battle exhilarated and sickened him. His world tilted as a familiar sickness crawled up his throat. He pulled himself off of his stomach and to his knees before vomiting pitch black darkness.
His stomach clenched as he choked for a moment before the feeling left him, receding like a tide.
He crumpled onto his back as he caught his breath, staring up into the abyss.
What the fuck was happening?
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
The Loop was beginning.
When Light would Expire.
Sora was too stubborn for that, even in the pit of his despair. The Hearts beside his own cried out.
Roxas yelled, his Awareness returning as he Screamed until his voice was raw.
Vanitas reigned in every piece of Darkness.
The Memory Wept.
Connections made long, long ago, ones Vanitas hadn't even noticed, sprung to life.
Ephemer-!
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
The Light had been torn away, it hurt.
He was forced to the surface again, the horrible form of Rage pulling him out and exhausting him every time, but this time was the worst of them all.
The Light had been stripped away by Xehanort.
Vanitas's Heart cried and screamed as Their mouth kept Silent, the Too Bright world around them in their battle against the Old Man.
They recovered their, no, His Light, and Vanitas collapsed back onto his Station.
Sora's Heart was Creaking.
