If I said I wrote a starter piece to [Wayfinders to Days] would anyone be surprised? X,D,X I also came up with the most bonkers idea related to Xion and I'm just kind of like… -sarcastically surprised kirk meme- as I figure out its logistics…
TW: Vomit
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I wandered from the path that you chose for me
(I said I'd never let you go, but I had to)
I felt your hand slip away, as my eyes opened to see
(I didn't want to paralyze the thoughts in your head)
-Emery, Safe
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It was in the darkest hour of morning when Sora abruptly woke up disoriented, hot and cold all at once, and nauseous.
He felt weak as he tried to throw himself out of bed, stumbling as he managed to not fall full force onto his knees. He knew the girls would probably hear him, sharp eared as they were, however he had the immediate primary goal of not making a total mess.
He couldn't remember the last time he thought he'd been sick enough to throw up, the delirious thought that he wasn't sure he even knew how passing through his mind as he managed to drag himself into the bathroom in just enough time to make it to the toilet. He clung to it as he threw up, barely able to breathe as something rancid, oily, and dark came up.
All he knew was absolute misery for what felt like forever, heaving as the taste mixed with something coppery causing him to continue gagging. His back and throat hurt from the strain of it.
Cold miserable sweat had broken out. Coating his skin in a way that just made him feel more wretched as he simply tried to breathe while his stomach continued to clench painfully. He just wanted whatever this was to be over with so he could maybe drag himself into the shower to rinse off before throwing on some new clothes and collapsing back into bed.
Cool fingers pressed lightly onto his overheated skin somewhere between his neck and shoulder blades before the rest of a hand gently rubbed his upper back. He could feel the influence of Light Magic, softly absorbing into his skin from the other's hand as he slowly came back from his miserable haze.
Suddenly, he realized there were soft voices speaking, his ears having become temporarily deaf due to simply trying to stop throwing up.
"-urn the light on?" It was a young voice.
Skuld whispered softly, "No, that would just overload his senses."
"...but I think there's blood."
A soft sigh, "That was a possibility."
A soft rustle, "So the Holy Water and Light Magic haven't been enough..?"
Sora felt control return to his body. His throat burned and the taste left in his mouth was one of the worst things he'd had to endure in recent memory as it kept trying to re-trigger being sick.
Gently a small cup tapped on his arm as he blearily looked at it before shakily taking it as Skuld softly spoke, "Rinse out your mouth first, followed by a few tiny sips. Don't do it quickly or you'll just make yourself sick again."
He faintly nodded as he followed her instructions, spitting into the toilet since there wasn't much else he could do.
The hand left his back as he slowly pulled away from the porcelain bowl as Skuld made the decision to flush away his misery as he finally started to feel like himself again. He set the small cup he'd been handed on the floor beside him.
The small voice spoke again, "Skuld?"
"Hmm?"
A nervous shuffle before a click and a soft light appeared for just a short moment until there was another click, "Put this in water and have him drink it."
A soft gasp, "But Chirithy-"
"It might help more, and I've already had it for this long…"
A shift, the small glow moving as it left with Skuld. Sora finally pulled himself away from the toilet, leaning against the sink cabinet as he stared at the feline Dreameater. He blearily watched it, mentally catching up to the fact that it looked just like Ventus's.
Skuld returned, a clear glass of water with a few star-like sparkles at the bottom that almost reminded him of snowflakes-
He'd seen that symbol before.
He glanced at Chirithy's pouch before the cup was held within his sight, "Drink this slowly, Sora."
Sora gingerly took the cup with both hands, being careful by taking small sips with momentary breaks in between.
He really didn't want to be sick again.
Skuld knelt gingerly by his side as she observed him, watching for any adverse reaction.
Chirithy came to his other side, placing a gentle paw on his thigh as Sora looked from Skuld to the small creature. He croaked out softly, "You're… Chirithy?"
It nodded, "Sorry for not introducing myself sooner, we generally don't appear to anyone other than our Wielders or those they're close to."
He slowly nodded, "I've met one of you before… You're a Dreameater, right?"
It was a little surprised before it nodded, "You've seen another like me? Was it Ava's?"
Sora blinked, "Mom has one?"
It tapped its chin, head tilted as it regarded him, "You haven't-? Hm."
Sora blinked at that reaction as he minded the drink again.
It felt… fizzy. It was clearly not carbonated, but the concentration of Light was… numbing?
Skuld gently placed the back of her hand on his forehead, pushing back his sweaty bangs as the action startled him as he observed her.
He'd been there for about three and a half weeks, yet, due to Skuld's strange schedule and caring for Rota most of the time she was home, he hadn't really had the chance to interact with the Dandelion.
After a long moment she pulled her hand back as she continued in a soft voice, "It doesn't seem like you have a fever… Hopefully that was your body simply removing any lingering rot or impurity from whatever has left your Heart as damaged as it is…"
Sora tensed, "H-how do you know about my Heart?" Had Ava said something?
Skuld studied him for a long moment, "I can feel it." She lowered her gaze as she placed a hand on her chest, "I know we haven't had the chance to talk much, but I can feel the damage that's been done to your Heart. It's… I don't know if I should be glad you've managed to survive it, or wonder if it would've been easier for you to…" She looked away to the side with a deep momentary sorrow on her face before looking at him again, "I'm glad you're here though. I haven't had the chance to do much to help, but I'll help you and Ava in whatever way I can, ok?"
The brunette slowly nodded.
He knew he'd paid a steep price that had an impossible chance of survival- even if he hadn't realized the depth of that price at the time.
Saving his friends had been the most important thing on his mind.
Sora didn't regret it, no matter how miserable it made him.
It just felt… unfair.
It was when he was about halfway done with his glass that Skuld slowly got up, "Do you want anything?"
He thought for a moment, "I uh… I'd kinda like to take a shower."
She nodded thoughtfully, "I'll grab you some new clothes."
He blinked as he felt himself flush slightly, "Uh, no I can-!"
Skuld raised an eyebrow, "Sora."
He settled himself again as he pouted, "O-okay." Chirithy patted his arm sympathetically as Skuld went through a few drawers before returning with a fresh set of folded clothes that she set on the sink, "Do you need any food? If you're going to clean up I can put together something light that you can have in bed if you're not feeling up to moving around."
Slowly Sora nodded, "Y-yeah."
Skuld nodded before she glanced at Chirithy, "Call if you need help for any reason, ok?"
He blushed, "N-I think I'll be ok for a little bit."
She observed him for a moment longer before Chirithy disappeared with a decisive pop, "Alright."
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Vanitas stood on his Station, teeth and hands clenched as he glared at the glass below him.
Sora was suffering his sickness.
Their Hearts weren't even blending into one another yet- sure Vanitas had begun to be influenced by Sora, but…
There was no reason for Sora to be vomiting Darkness.
Sora might have a shattered Heart, but his wasn't broken and incomplete like his was.
He took in a breath and exhaled slowly in misery.
What was happening to them?
A tap, a step, and suddenly Ventus was there in front of him.
The Darkling jolted at the sound, taking a step back as he looked at his (previous?) other half.
Ventus was shocked, taking in Vanitas's changed appearance, as well as having somehow ended up there.
They stared at one another for a long time before Ventus took a few unsure steps forward, "Vanitas?"
Slowly he nodded, "...Ventus. What are you doing here?"
Weren't they more than simply Worlds apart?
The blond clenched a hand to his chest with mixed feelings on his face, "I'm not sure… I think I blacked out."
Vanitas blinked, "B-blacked out?! What are you doing that you'd suddenly faint?"
Ventus was focused on the glass below them for a long moment before meeting his eyes once more, "Aqua, Terra, and I are in the Realm of Darkness."
Ah. That explained… a small piece of it.
Vanitas frowned as he spoke deeply, "You shouldn't be there."
Ventus smiled awkwardly, "I'm kinda finding that out the hard way." They watched one another for a moment before the blond motioned with his chin, "You've changed."
Vanitas huffed, "Oh, have I? Maybe I'm just changing up my style to get your guard down."
Ventus pouted at him for a moment before looking around, "Where is.. this?"
Vanitas turned slightly, "This is Sora's Heart… or well, we're somewhere within it."
Ventus glanced around in confusion, "...How did I end up here..?"
Vanitas shrugged, "You and I were once one… and I've been here within Sora's Heart since you came here to Rest so…" He waved his hand, "Maybe it's because I'm connected to the Dark..?"
Ventus pondered that for a moment before shrugging, "Seems as good an answer as anything."
Vanitas rolled his eyes as he faced his other again, "What are you doing in the Dark Realm anyway?"
Ventus smiled sadly, "Looking for Sora."
The Darkling gave him an odd look before shaking his head, "He's not there… and the way to here won't be found within it."
The blond nodded, "I was… kind of thinking that might be the case."
"How long have you been in there, anyway?"
Ventus contemplated, "Since about a month or two after the War…?"
Vanitas took in that information, "It's been about a year."
Ventus took in a shocked breath before seeing the logic, "Time's weird here.."
Vanitas smirked, "Time means nothing to the Darkness."
Ventus huffed before looking around some more. He looked out towards the abyss that would have possibly been the direction of Sora's Station- if he could see it. The blond seemed to contemplate for a long moment before coming closer to the Darkling, "I… I don't know if I can help either of you, weak as I am right now, but…" He pursed his lips, "I want to try, while I still can."
Vanitas became uneasy as he studied his other, "What are you thinking, Ventus?"
Blue met red for a long moment before Ventus moved the final few steps forward and hugged Vanitas tightly. The Darkling sputtered, "Hey!" as his annoyance was ignored. After a drawn out moment Vanitas relented with an annoyed sigh as he hugged his Light half back in resignation. "...What are you doing?"
"Sora gave me a second chance… and we never resolved anything between us. I don't know… if we'll ever have this sort of chance again." He took a calm breath, "It might not be much… but let me finish what he started."
Vanitas frowned in confusion before he gasped, something hot and full of something bled into him. Sinking into the cracks of his broken Heart as the sealed lines began to glow white with the warmth and love of the Light. The Darkling arched as his body became rigid from the strange mixture of agony and pleasure as he garbled a scream. Ventus merely held onto him more tightly, "I don't know what you're planning… but two broken people making one another whole… the cracks will only deepen if you just put that much tape over the wound."
Vanitas bitterly hated Ventus in that moment of misery and incoherency.
Eventually the agony abruptly abated, falling away like dead leaves in the fall as Vanitas became dead weight in Ventus's arms.
His breathing sounded horrible as he whispered menacingly, "What the fuck did you do?"
"I filled in the foundations and cracks of your Heart. If you're with Sora… at least one of you will be whole to repair the other." Ventus abruptly became less solid.
Vanitas nearly stumbled as Ventus slowly backed away from him, "Looks like I have to return… Until next time."
The other Heart disappeared as Vanitas stood there with ragged breathing, "...There probably won't be a next time."
At least… not as they were now.
The glass below him began to glow in full, the reds deepening into maroon as his image shifted to reflect the way he appeared now. The faces haloing him changed, Sora, Ventus, the Unversed symbol, and the gears of his Keychain were there.
His Keyblade came to his hand, instead of the reds and greys he was used to it was now harsh monochrome. The eyes in the hilt and blade were glossy, the pupils of the gazing eyes having gone blind and hazy.
Void Gear
A fading remnant of the him who had once existed.
A Keyhole appeared in the center of his Station, his form rising away from the glass as he was made to observe the phenomenon.
He stared at the glowing Keyhole of his Heart with a long and drawn out disinterest before he finally lifted his Keyblade arm. His Keyblade reacted, glowing at its tip as a swirl of Light surrounded by tendrils of purple Dark created a beam that shot towards the Keyhole.
Something deep and groaning clicked, creating a wave of power to caress his now complete Heart Station.
He lowered as his feet slowly came to rest on the glass while Vanitas collapsed heavily onto it.
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Sora frowned as he worked on some practice tests on his laptop.
Vanitas had been quiet for a few days, ever since his strange and momentary sickness.
The physician had mixed reactions to what had happened. It was considered both good and bad, but he had been pleased that Sora seemed to have gotten back to a regular and healthy weight, his skin and hair regaining their proper coloring.
There was still something off with his eyes and bloodwork, though.
He was granted another two weeks with one final check-up before he'd be approved for the tests that were required of him.
Still… Vanitas's silence was of concern since he'd had the habit of quipping at random intervals.
'...Vanitas?'
There was a long silence before there was a rasp, 'What?'
The brunette frowned, 'Are you… alright?'
The pause seemed tired and drawn, 'No.'
'...Are you sick?'
'I've always been sick, Sora. I've never been healthy a day of my miserable existence.'
Sora pursed his lips, 'O-oh… uh…'
'You were sick a few days ago in the way I get pretty often.'
The brunette blinked in surprise, 'Really?'
'Yeah.' Vanitas's voice sounded weak and tired.
Sora's brows furrowed, 'I- there's nothing I can do to help, is there?'
'Something unexpected happened a few days ago after you were sick.'
Sora leaned his head back as he stared at the ceiling, 'What happened?' What in the World could happen to a Heart hidden within another's?
'Ventus.'
His eyes widened, '...Ventus?!'
'He did something to me. I'm… still recovering from it.' He sounded bad.
Sora frowned as he closed his eyes, Dropping into his Heart as he slowly came to rest on Vanitas's changed Station. He noted the changes immediately as he lightly landed on the glass, surprised at the Darkling's disposition.
Vanitas was laying on his back in the center of his Station, pale (well, paler than usual) and breathing oddly. The exhaustion was blatant.
Sora went over to him and kneeled as Vanitas watched him with silent annoyance coloring his red eyes, "Your Heart looks whole." Vanitas coughed wetly in response, causing Sora to grimace, "Uh…"
The Darkling grimaced, "Darkness doesn't play well with Light, Sora."
The brunette carefully pulled the Darkling into his lap, "Riku seems to be alright."
"He's a freak."
Sora sighed in annoyance but allowed it to slide, "I know what your answer already, but are you sure there's nothing I can do?"
Vanitas studied him for a long moment before slowly turning himself and vaguely clambering up to meet the kneeling teen's shoulders, "It's what the plan's always been. It's just… changed a little."
Sora took Vanitas's weight somewhat bewildered, "...Absorbing you?"
"Absorbing me."
Sora wanted to protest the idea, but Vanitas's fingers dug into his shoulder joints, making the brunette hiss in pain, "I-"
Vanitas shifted and hugged the teen while baring all of his weight on the other. Sora grunted as he tried to shift. The Darkling breathed for a long drawn out moment as he meditated.
Sora was stuck, holding the other as he did… something. Still, he felt sorrow weigh on his chest heavily, "I don't want you to leave me." Tears were gathering in his eyes as he took in a shaky breath. "I'm scared."
There, he'd said it.
He didn't want to be the sole resident of his Heart.
Sora hadn't realized how much space had been taken up by the others… but now the idea of being alone was…
Vanitas spoke soft, "I'm not giving myself over to you just yet… but I am building the foundation." He closed his eyes, "Even if we do become the same, I'm pretty sure you'll save my personality as a keepsake."
Sora blinked, "H-huh?"
Vanitas tapped his back, right where his beating heart was, "A Heartbinder. You were able to make one of Auron… I'm sure you could create something like that to hold my remnants separate if you wished. You're… special like that, Sora."
Sora held Vanitas's weak form tighter as he blinked away tears, "What do you think will happen to us?"
"Hmn?"
"Will your personality influence mine?-"
"I think I've done that already."
Sora huffed. "Will my appearance change..? Will I get some of your memories..? Will I lose some of mine?"
Vanitas hadn't entirely thought that through.
"Maybe… probably?"
Sora frowned, "Neither of us will come out of this the same, huh?"
"Hopefully your personality wins out… you're the more likeable one."
Sora chuckled wetly, "You're a jerk, but you're pretty funny past all the meanness."
"I don't think that's the compliment you want it so be, Sora."
The brunette sighed, "Vanitas."
The Darkling chuckled, seeming to recover little by little the longer they were in contact, "You'll be stuck with me forever. How unfortunate."
Sora's shoulders slumped as he whispered, "It's better than being alone."
"You're gonna end up with a lot of Darkness as part of your Heart."
"I'll learn to live with it."
Vanitas closed his eyes as he rested his head against the brunette's, "Just promise you'll take better care of yourself, dumbass."
"I promise."
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Sora frowned as he opened his eyes in the dark, only to note a strange cast to the room.
...Huh?
The brunette blearily glanced around as he pushed himself into a sitting position, turning to glance over at his cell phone, wondering if some notification had caused the screen to turn on.
But it wasn't his cell phone.
It was his Gummi phone.
Bewildered he shifted and gingerly picked it up, examining it as the screen made him blink from its brightness in the dark.
Something was downloading onto his phone despite the fact it technically had no network to connect to.
He turned on his side lamp with a squint as his eyes adjusted, staring at the loading bar.
He frowned at it as various feelings rushed through him.
Had… someone else with a Gummi phone appeared in Quadratum?
Even so, they wouldn't be able to communicate- at least, he didn't think they'd be able to without the network's source.
The loading bar completed and changed to an update bar as Sora couldn't help but groan and stretch.
Might as well get something to drink.
He set the Gummi phone down as he silently padded out of his room towards the kitchen. He paused as he noted Ava on the couch. Carefully he moved closer and realized she was asleep, Rota dozing in her arms as both were propped in such a way that they managed to stay in a relaxed balance.
Sora smiled wryly as he gently coaxed Rota out of his mothers hold as he gently whispered to Ava that she should go to bed. Ava blearily blinked awake as Rota snuffled a bit before burying her face into his chest, fussing for a moment before settling again. He smiled down at his mother uneasily as she finally seemed to wake up, "Oh, Sora…" She winced at what was probably a crick in her neck as she tried to massage it out.
The brunette stepped back, "I'll put Rota to sleep, you should go back to bed."
Ava slowly nodded as she got up and stretched, a few joints cracking from her odd position as she hissed.
Sora put his little sister to bed carefully, making sure she was really asleep before carefully coming back out and heading towards the kitchen, half watching his dazed mother standing in the front room. He made two glasses of water before going over to her and gently tapping her with it, "How long've you been out here?"
Ava had jolted at the cool glass tapping her skin before carefully taking the glass and sipping from it on autopilot, "Mmmmh, a few hours?"
The brunette nodded slowly as he took a half step back, "Don't stay out here too long."
She smiled as she finally looked at him properly in awareness, "Right. Thank you."
Sora nodded as he returned back to his room, a final glance to check on his mother as she turned and waved him off.
He took a long refreshing drink of his beverage before setting the glass on the side table as he crawled back into bed.
The Gummi phone made a sound that startled him as the screen changed.
It was still the dark starry background, but now there was something else.
There was a younger him grinning lazily with hands behind his head from the screen.
Sora was frozen in shock as he blurted out, "The fuck?"
The younger (Data?) him frowed from the screen, "Well that's not a nice way to greet someone…"
'Sweet Void, I can't believe this. There's TWO of you!?'
Sora couldn't help but laugh hysterically under his breath, "Uh, sorry." He rubbed the side of his head bewildered, "What… Where did you come from..?" What was going on?!
The young him perked up, "I'm the Data you! Or, well, I'm the third one? There was the first one that uuuuh… I'm not sure what happened to him. But then there was a second version of you that was used for some simulations by the Restoration Committee, and now there's me! Data Sora 3.0! I have some upgrades from your most current data on file, but there's still more of your outdated information on record."
...Sora was surprised he could actually follow that.
'He learns!'
Sora made a face as he blocked Vanitas out, "So… you're my Data."
"Mmmhmm!"
Sora lifted the Gummi phone, "How did you end up here?"
His data self contemplated a moment, "Well, it was kind of a file backloaded into all of the available Gummi's… Oh! Well, I guess another Gummi was able to somehow reach you? I wouldn't be here otherwise with all of the updates!"
It wasn't that Sora couldn't guess that, but… well, he'd have to give the Data of the past him a pass.
He'd only just become computer competent himself.
Sora flopped onto his side, "So you're some sort of AI?"
Data him thought for a long moment, "Maybe? The King was of the opinion that I still have 1.0's Heart… since I can summon a proper Keyblade." He shrugged, "I'm just me with you as my base."
Sora scratched his head as he stared at the digital version of himself, "Do you have a name?"
"Sora!" He paused at that for a moment before slumping, "But you're Sora…"
The teen laughed softly under his breath as his data self perked up, "I guess you can just call me Data for now?"
Sora nodded as he turned onto his back, "Alright… But, do you know who's Gummi phone you were transferred from?"
Data folded his arms as he thought for a moment, "...No, sorry. I'm just a duplicate zip file that was asleep until I woke up here."
That figured.
Sora smiled sympathetically, "Sorry."
Data shook his head, "No, that should have been in my core files, but it wasn't deemed as important. Not your fault."
Sora internally agreed, "Well, I have some practice tests to run through tomorrow. I have a lot of important tests coming up, actually... "
Data pulled back in shock, "Oh!" It seemed he became aware of the early morning time, "Uh-I'll let you sleep. Sweet dreams, me!" The screen went black as Sora stared at his reflection in the glass.
His Data self made him realize just how much he'd changed.
He set the Gummi phone on the dresser as he turned his side lamp off.
Tomorrow would be a long and interesting day.
