Chapter 15: So This is Love
Aqua had to admit she was nervous, standing a little ways away from the picnic blanket in the grass where Vanitas had chosen for them to practice. She knew she had Darkness in her heart; almost everyone did. Before she'd befriended Vanitas, Aqua had viewed Darkness in the same way as anger and hate— natural emotions which existed within everyone, but which should be suppressed through self-discipline.
She wasn't afraid of the Darkness anymore— Not Vanitas's Darkness, anyway. However, it was one thing to accept the Darkness in others, but to accept the Darkness in herself? And use it intentionally? That was another step entirely.
Knowing how to flash-step would be vital against swift opponents like the Novashadow— as Vanitas had called it; compared to him, she certainly needed the speed boost. Still, it was hard not feeling guilty over subverting eight years of Master Eraqus's teachings— though Aqua now knew that the Master, for all his wisdom, hadn't known everything about Darkness. That was for Vanitas to teach.
"So," Vanitas began, looking a little unsure of himself, "Flash-stepping. It's like… moving very fast?"
"I figured as much," Aqua smiled.
"Don't tease," he said quickly. "I told you, I'm not good at this teaching thing."
She scoffed in amusement. "I'll let you continue then, Master Vanitas."
He turned a light shade of pink and cleared his throat. "Well— uh, flash-stepping isn't the same as teleporting, though they may look similar. You're not disappearing from one place and reappearing in another; it's more like… moving faster than the eye can see."
"That makes sense," Aqua nodded. "So how do you do it? Magic?"
"Nope. It's not true magic 'cause it doesn't require Mana," Vanitas explained, confidence steadily rising in his tone. "More of an ability, really. You're gonna have to harness your Darkness, and draw on it."
My Darkness…
What Darkness could she draw on? The guilt she'd felt at not being able to keep her friends safe? The despair she'd experienced as she wandered the Dark World alone? Her ever-deepening hopelessness and depression at the possibility of being stuck down here forever…?
"…Do I have to use a negative emotion?" she asked hesitantly. Immersing herself in such unpleasant feelings didn't sound particularly healthy.
"Maybe not," Vanitas mused, studying her thoughtfully. "There might be a better way for you. Ventus can feel negative emotions just fine without Darkness, so there must be some other component to it, like how I can cast Cure magic without Light. Now that I think about it, flash-stepping is less about negative emotions, and more… instinct."
"Instinct?"
"Yeah. Like that… animal feeling. When you're in danger, you've got this sense of self-preservation— Fight or flight, something that keeps you alive. I think you just need to tap into that instinct."
That was easy for Vanitas to say. Aqua suspected that sort of thing came naturally to him, what with his untamed nature and feline personality, but it certainly wasn't natural for her.
She shook her head. "I'm not sure how…"
"Maybe this'll help." Vanitas moved closer and took her hands in his, pressing her palms directly over her heart. "Don't be afraid," he murmured. "Close your eyes; breathe. Concentrate on the beat of your heart."
Aqua nodded and did as he instructed. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly and deeply, focusing on the sensation of her heart beating against her fingertips and Vanitas's warm hands upon hers.
His Darkness brushed up against her heart like a black cat greeting its owner; she invited its comforting presence, immersing herself in his calming scent— fresh pine and sweet cinnamon.
"If there's one thing I know for certain," Vanitas said, his voice low, "It's that deep down, more than anything, every living thing wants to stay alive."
Alive. That's what she was, even down here in the Realm of Darkness. She wasn't thriving, exactly, but she was still alive. For now, that'd have to be good enough.
Aqua dug deep, searching for the untapped Darkness she knew must lay somewhere buried within her heart.
The Darkness inherent in nature…
That was how Vanitas drew upon his Darkness, wasn't it. A sort of… primal feeling, terrifying if mishandled and difficult to master. Even a heart of pure Darkness could struggle to control the power, but when he did so it was with the upmost confidence.
An image of his handsome visage swam to the surface of her mind— inviting pink lips quirked in a playful smirk and piercing golden eyes like a majestic jungle cat. His whole being innately emitted a sleek, graceful strength.
Could she really find that same instinct within herself? And if so, would she be able to tame it? What if she couldn't, and it took her over…?
Her heartbeat quickened as she inhaled a nervous gasp.
"It's alright," Vanitas murmured as he squeezed her fingers. "Remember, don't be scared. It's your Darkness; it can't hurt you."
Aqua nodded and swallowed, her eyes still closed tight.
There's nothing to be afraid of, because it's a part of me…
If she was to control her own Darkness, she couldn't allow herself to give in to fear. She just had to find it…
Aqua took a calming breath and dived back in, searching deeper into the depths of her heart. Everywhere was bright, not a hint of Darkness to be found.
Suddenly, she spotted a thin strand of black lazily drifting amongst the sea of white.
"There's something there…" Aqua bit her lip, brow furrowed in concentration. "I think I found it."
"That's good!" Vanitas said, sounding relieved. Was he worried that he wasn't teaching her properly? "Alright, now all you need to do is bring it up to the surface."
Cautiously, she reached out towards the ribbon of Darkness; it vibrated at her touch and she could feel the dormant power sleeping inside— a wild sort of energy which almost seemed to have a will of its own. Was this what Vanitas and Terra felt, when they used their Darkness?
Aqua tugged at the feeling, awakening it from its slumber and bringing it up and out of herself.
She opened her eyes, peering down at her hands to find a fine black mist slowly curling around her fingers and pooling in her palms like liquid smoke. Surprisingly, it smelled of lemon zest and ginger root— earthy and sharp, yet sweet.
This… is my Darkness?
It was a small, fragile thing— warmer than she'd expected, but no more than a wisp of smoke. Not too long ago, Aqua would've been proud to have such a tiny amount of Darkness. But now she worried that in this case, it wouldn't be enough.
"That's it," Vanitas breathed, his golden eyes fixated on her Darkness as he gently cupped her hands to prevent it from spilling over. "Don't let go, now."
She squeezed the feeling a little tighter, making sure it couldn't slip away. Her Darkness responded, condensing into a marble-sized ball which floated an inch above her palms.
"You've gotta put more power into it," he instructed. "Treat it like coiling a spring, as tight as you can without letting it grow. Then, release it."
Aqua concentrated on putting more energy into the little ball of Darkness, trying to keep it the same size even as she poured out every ounce of Darkness her heart contained, winding it up tighter and tighter until it quivered like a bubble about to burst.
Finally the tension grew too great for her to continue any longer and she released the power. The ball of Darkness burst into a puff of smoke and vanished without a trace.
"And that's how you do it," Vanitas said, spreading his arms in an exaggerated gesture and chuckling at her startled expression. "Don't worry, you'll get faster with practice; controlling Darkness can be difficult, even for me."
"Where did it go?" Aqua wondered, looking around.
"It returned to your heart, of course."
"Oh!" That made sense. "I can't believe I actually did it…" She curled a hand over her heart, trying to sense if anything had changed. She didn't feel any different for having used Darkness… "I feel the same."
"Yeah, well. Your heart doesn't really have much Darkness," Vanitas mused, apparently having caught on to her meaning. "No more than… five percent, I'd say; the rest is all Light."
"Will it be enough to use the flash-step?" Aqua looked up, a little worried.
"Maybe," he shrugged, then grinned. "Wanna try it out for real? We won't know for sure until you do."
"I guess so…" she said hesitantly. This was all going a bit too fast.
"Don't sound so nervous," Vanitas said, patting her on the shoulder. "Remember, flash-stepping is all about the wind up, then release; it's easiest done in a straight line." He stepped a few paces back to give her some room. "Try doing the same thing, but keep the Darkness inside yourself— preferably your feet. You've gotta let it do the work— let it move you."
"Alright, here goes nothing…" Aqua muttered and closed her eyes again.
Her Darkness responded more quickly, this time; it seemed almost eager to be put to use. Aqua tensed her legs as she focused the Dark energy down towards her toes, concentrating hard on building up that little ball of Darkness inside her. All she needed to do was wind up… then release!
Aqua tried to flash-step and instead ended up doing an awkward little hop.
Vanitas burst out laughing.
"D-don't make fun!" she stammered, blushing. Light, that'd been embarrassing…
"Sorry," he wheezed, lips twitching in an effort not to smile. He cleared his throat. "Try again. I know you can do it."
Aqua made another attempt, this time tripping over her own feet.
"What're you trying to focus on?" Vanitas asked with a thoughtful frown, crossing his arms.
"Uhm, going fast?" she admitted sheepishly as she straightened up, her blush deepening. Was she disappointing him? Now that she'd said it aloud, her answer sounded quite silly.
He snorted. "It's not about 'going fast'. It's about wanting to escape danger, to stay alive."
"Right…"
Aqua closed her eyes once more and tried not to focus on the heat rising in her cheeks, but instead imagined the deadliest Heartless she could think of— the Orcus wielding that huge umber blade in its clawed hands, its predatory yellow eyes fixated on her. If a monster like that attacked her again, she'd need to be able to move like her life depended on it— because it most certainly would.
She held that thought in the forefront of her mind, the instinctual desire to escape certain death. She activated her Darkness once again, bracing her muscles like a quick-witted doe ready to gracefully spring forth and evade a huntsman, and then—!
Aqua suddenly found herself slipping on black ice, struggling to keep her balance. Not even half a second later, strong, warm arms wrapped around her, holding her up so she wouldn't fall.
"You okay?" Vanitas asked, brushing a strand of blue hair from her forehead and peering up into her face.
"Y-yes, I think so…"
Disorientated, Aqua glanced around to get a bearing on her surroundings. She was standing in the middle of the frozen river. Vanitas must've flash-stepped down from the hill to get here so fast, which meant—
"I did it!" Aqua exclaimed, breathless. She hadn't meant to go in this direction, but she'd just been on the hill, and now she was here, all in the blink of an eye!
Vanitas blinked, then grinned. "Yeah, you did."
Together they carefully made their way back to the riverbank, Vanitas lending her an arm so she wouldn't slip again. They walked up the slope of the hill and returned to the picnic site, where Bleu and the Monotrucker were still fast asleep in the grass.
Aqua let out a breath as she sat down on the blanket, still feeling a bit dizzy.
"I can't believe you were able to pull it off," Vanitas said with mild astonishment as he took a seat next to her.
"Why, you doubted me?" Aqua teased.
"No! It's just…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "I told you, I ain't much of a teacher. This whole thing is new to me."
"Van, you're a much better teacher than you might think," Aqua said gently, scooting closer to him and slipping an arm around his waist. "You're great, in fact. I'd never have been able to do this without your help."
He blushed and looked away. "Thanks. And… you're welcome."
Aqua beamed. "You know, I think the flash-step move needs a name."
"It already has a name."
"Yes, but I mean something more… official. Calling it a flash-step is like calling Thunder 'lightning magic'."
"Oh; well, go ahead and give it a name, then," Vanitas smirked.
Aqua tapped a finger against her chin, lost in thought. She needed to come up with something 'awesome' enough for Vanitas's taste. Super-speed? No, that sounded lame. Haste? That wasn't quite right, either… It needed to be something about disappearing and then reappearing, moving so quickly as to be invisible, almost like a—
"Ghost!" Aqua exclaimed.
Vanitas startled and looked around before turning back to her, an eyebrow raised. "…A ghost?"
"Yes, we'll call it Ghost—! Uh…! Ghost…"
"Ghost Drive."
"Yes!" Aqua's eyes brightened. Ghost Drive… Somehow, it just sounded right.
Vanitas chuckled. "And here I thought you were afraid of ghosts."
They shared a laugh and began cleaning up, putting away the leftover food and messy dishes into the picnic basket next to the amethyst geode. As she folded the picnic blanket to pack away, Aqua glanced back at the icy river, a question forming in her mind.
"Hey, Van?" she asked, placing the blanket on top of the basket. "Have you ever seen snow, before?"
Vanitas paused. "…Kinda? I always avoided the Land of Departure during winter, since it's hard to sneak around with the trees being dead and all; my Dark Suit's kinda conspicuous without some shade to hide in. Why?"
"I was just thinking… With the river frozen like this, it reminds me of when the pond would freeze over at the park where I'd go ice skating with my mother."
"Ice skating?"
"Mhm. In winter people wear these special bladed shoes that let them glide on ice. Professional figure skaters are really good at it— almost like they're dancing on the ice." Aqua twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she reminisced. "Ice skating was fun, but I'd always wanted to do ballet instead, but lessons were too expensive. Although, it honestly wouldn't have been good on my feet, anyway."
Vanitas scoffed. "I'm sure you're made of tougher stuff than a little ballet would hurt… Uh, what is 'ballet', by the way?"
"It's a form of dance," Aqua smiled at his curious expression. "When I told Master Eraqus about it, he helped me incorporate some ice skating and ballet into my fighting style." She'd been surprised that the Master had experience in such things, but she supposed traveling the Worlds had made him rather cultured.
Vanitas looked thoughtful. "Huh. You mean all those fancy spins and twirls you do?"
"Yes, all the spins and twirls," Aqua laughed. "Anyway, I just remembered how beautiful winter can be. It's my favorite season. I wonder if that's why I'm so adept at ice magic…"
"Really? I figured you'd prefer spring— You know, when it's all green."
"I do love spring," she agreed. "Especially flowers and the rain. But winter is so pretty. I love when the snow piles up so thick, it's like the whole World is covered with a big, sparkly white blanket. And the way icicles hang down from the rooftops, and frost on the trees, and how each individual snowflake has its own unique pattern… Something about it is just so… magical."
"Wow… When you put it that way, winter does sound kinda cool," he mused wistfully. "Wish I'd stuck around to see it."
"Hmm… I might be able to do something about that," Aqua said brightly. "Stay here." She walked a few paces away and summoned Master Keeper in a flash of light.
Aqua pointed it towards the sky and cast Blizzaga into the air, modifying the spell so instead of ice, it would produce soft, powdery snow. A giant glittering snowflake appeared overhead, briefly hovering above before bursting into a million tiny flakes. They slowly drifted down to form a thick blanket of snow, covering the entire hillside in a winter wonderland. It was a dazzling sight, the natural Light of the Castle sparkling on the snow.
"That's amazing!" Vanitas spoke in awe, reaching out to catch the falling snowflakes on his fingertips.
"I'm glad you think so," Aqua beamed and dismissed her Keyblade, watching as Vanitas knelt down and touched the snow; he gathered up a handful which clumped around his fingers. "Terra, Ven, and I love having snowball fights."
Vanitas tilted his head. "How can you fight with this?" he asked as the snow in his hand began to melt.
"Well, you get a handful of snow and pack it all together so you can throw it. It's best to wear mittens so your hands don't freeze, but I didn't bring any…"
"I could help with that."
"Hmm?"
"I can make something to keep you warm." Vanitas stood and wiped the melted snow on his trousers. "Here, take those off and hold out your hands."
Aqua obliged, removing her black fingerless gloves and stuffing them in her pocket before holding out her hands. Vanitas took her hands in his and she gasped in surprise as a Dark haze enveloped both their fingers.
"Stay still, it's not gonna hurt you," he reassured.
A strange tingling sensation washed over her hands as the black mist coalesced into hundreds of individual fibers, each weaving and interlacing together to form a mesh of Darkness.
Aqua stared, fascinated as she turned her hands over to examine her palms. They were now covered in a pair of rubbery black-and-red gloves similar to the ones Vanitas wore with his Dark Suit, but much more slender to fit a woman's hands. The material wasn't warm, exactly, nor was it cold. Instead, it kept her hands at the exact temperature they needed to be.
"Thank you," she said.
"No problem," Vanitas nodded. He was also wearing his own pair of gloves— identical to the ones from his Dark Suit. "They aren't exactly mittens, but I figured they were close enough. And hey, maybe if you practice hard enough with your Darkness, you'll be able to make your own," he winked.
Aqua gave a nervous grin. "…Maybe someday."
Vanitas smirked. "Come on, show me this whole snow fight thing."
"Alright, alright…" She bent down and scooped up some snow, demonstrating how to pack it together into a snowball. "So, the rules are simple. No Keyblades, no magic; don't aim for the face. The goal of a snowball fight is to hit the other person with snowballs."
"That's it?"
"Pretty much. Whoever gets hit by the least amount of snowballs wins. I do warn you, though; Terra and Ven have called me a master at this game." Aqua gave a bright smile, tossing the snowball into the air and then catching it.
"Is that so?" Vanitas snorted in amusement. "Alright, let's see what you're made of, Master."
Perhaps Aqua was feeling a bit mischievous, because she grinned cheekily and said, "You asked for it," before promptly throwing the snowball directly at his chest.
His eyes widened in surprise in the split-second it took for the snowball to make impact. Vanitas stared in stunned silence at his now-frosty shirt for a few seconds before slowly lifting his head, a wicked gleam in his narrowed eyes. "Oh, you're really in for it now, Miss Master…" he purred with a lopsided grin, a canine tooth peeking out over his lower lip.
Aqua ducked as Vanitas quickly scooped up some snow and hurled it towards her. She returned fire, barely missing as he dodged the incoming snowball. He grabbed another fistful of snow and threw it. It glanced off her elbow.
"That counts as a hit!" Vanitas shouted, gleefully pointing at the traces of snow on her arm.
"Oh… fine," Aqua retorted, gathering up another handful of snow. "You just wait for the next one!"
The two continued exchanging snowballs; both were so adept at dodging that they struggled to hit each other, but every so often their aim struck true. Aqua took another snowball to the shoulder, while one of hers hit Vanitas on the leg.
It was a thrill, running through the snow without a care, snowballs whistling past her ear and laughter filling the air. It brought her back to the times she'd played this game with Terra and Ven. How she wished all four of them could share this moment together, in the Realm of Light.
Aqua shrieked playfully as another of Vanitas's freezing snowballs smacked against her bare thigh.
"So far the score's nine-to-nine!" he called. "Whoever gets the next point, wins!"
"Then this last one will be ten for me!" Aqua replied. She took careful aim and unleashed the snowball with all her might.
Time seemed to slow as the snowball soared through the air with immense speed. Vanitas grit his teeth, clearly having realized there was no way he could dodge it in time. Looks like she would win this—
Vanitas was gone in a flash, only to reappear just a few steps away before she could even blink.
"Hey! I said no magic!" Aqua cried as her snowball sailed straight through the spot he'd just been standing and splatted against the ground. "That would've been dead-on if you didn't cheat!"
"You never said we couldn't use our abilities," he smirked, crossing his arms. "And Ghost Drive doesn't use Mana, so it's technically not magic. Besides, I never said I fought fair."
Aqua pursed her lips together. So that's how it was going to be, huh? "Fine, then," she huffed, packing together another snowball before drawing on her Darkness, concentrating hard on her target.
"Hey now," Vanitas warned, uncrossing his arms as his eyes widened with worry as he realized what she was about to do. "Don't overdo—"
Aqua activated Ghost Drive, but instead of appearing behind him like she'd expected, she ended up accidentally barreling right into Vanitas. They both landed backwards in a pile of snow, the snowball flying out of her grasp.
"Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry! I wasn't aiming for you, I swear!" she apologized frantically, but Vanitas just laughed.
Aqua suddenly realized she was in a rather compromising position, straddling his hips with her breasts pressed up against his chest. His face was close… too close!
He blinked slowly, long dark eyelashes fluttering over golden eyes and his breath came in little puffs. She stared at his lips, which had turned pale with cold. What if she warmed them up…?
Bleu abruptly pounced on her back with a loud chittering noise; Aqua squeaked in embarrassment as their chests were further pressed together.
"Hey! Bleu!" she complained, but the Flood simply chattered indignantly in response. His tiny pointed feet were poking uncomfortably between her shoulder blades.
"I didn't tell him to do that, I swear," Vanitas chuckled in amusement, watching as the Unversed leapt from her back and onto the snow.
Aqua sighed and pushed herself off him, the magic of the moment gone. "I think he's bothered we're having so much fun without him."
"Must be."
Aqua hummed in agreement and attempted to stand, but instantly felt dizzy— bordering on nauseous. She plopped back down on the snow, trying to keep the queazy feeling from overwhelming her. Okay, maybe that second flash-step hadn't been such a good idea, after all…
"Hey, are you alright?" Vanitas asked, kneeling down to place a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Not feeling faint, are you?"
Aqua shook her head to clear the dizziness from her mind. "No; I'm fine, Van. Just tired." She hugged her arms around herself, attempting to stave off the cold. "I shouldn't have tried that last flash-step."
"I tried to warn you," He frowned, brushing some snowflakes from her hair. "You haven't fully mastered your Darkness, yet, and flash-stepping can be really draining if you're not used to it… Damn, it's freezing out here, huh."
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Aqua replied with a weak smile.
"We should probably head back inside," Vanitas nodded. "Here, let's get these off." He gently grasped her hands and both pairs of Dark Suit gloves unraveled and melted away into thin air.
"Thanks…"
She turned her attention towards Bleu, who was frolicking in the snow, diving in headfirst like an arctic fox before popping out again. The Flood abruptly paused at an oddly lumpy snowdrift, tilting his head in curiosity and raising a slender antenna as if listening for something, before he promptly began digging and licking at the snow.
Suddenly the Monotrucker popped its head out of the snowbank, blinking sleepily before it hopped up on its single wheel and shook off the snow. Bleu leapt backwards as frozen clumps of white were sent flying everywhere, chittering excitedly and running in circles.
"Oh no, I forgot about the Monotrucker!" Aqua exclaimed as the Unversed glanced around in confusion, the glowing lantern on its head swinging with each movement. It paused as it spotted the snow, transfixed by the way its lantern's light fell upon it and caused it to glitter.
"Don't worry about it," Vanitas chuckled as the Monotrucker began scooping up the sparkling snow with its pickaxe-shaped hands. "The Unversed don't need to breathe; they can even survive in Deep Space, if they need to."
"…I forgot you'd been there," she said, regarding him thoughtfully. It'd been shocking that such advanced extraterrestrial technology had been no match against Vanitas's Unversed. Swarms of Jellyshades flanked by Blobmobs and Sonic Blasters had invaded the huge alien spacecraft in full force against little resistance.
"I actually hadn't planned on visiting, but I stumbled across that Federation Ship when I was following Ventus around the Lanes Between," he shrugged, sitting in the snow next to her. "Him and some weird alien did a number on my Metamorphosis when it was sucking energy from the Ship's engine in the machinery bay— Oh, I don't think you've seen that Unversed, yet."
Aqua shook her head. "I haven't." There were even more Unversed she hadn't seen, before?
"Yeah, well; it's made of Lethargy, hence why it was attracted to the engine. I'd summon one now, but it's a higher-grade Unversed and can only survive in zero-gravity environments for some stupid reason." He sighed. "Which sucks, 'cause it's big enough we could probably fly it outta here if we really tried— though honestly it'd probably be too slippery to ride on, being a big white jellyfish thing and all."
"Don't worry about it, Van," she said, placing a reassuring hand on his thigh. She didn't want to fret over their failed attempts to escape, right now.
"Hmm…" Vanitas gave her a sly look out of the corner of his eye. "It's probably a good thing you didn't see it, actually; it kinda looks like a ghost…"
"Oh, hush," Aqua smiled. She quietly observed as the Monotrucker continued to build up a mound of glittery snow, hissing at Bleu whenever he strayed too close to the other Unversed's newest prized possession. "…You know, I met someone in Deep Space who reminded me of you."
"Really?" Vanitas raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. "Who? What'd he look like?"
"Small and blue, with four arms. Captain Gantu called him Experiment 626."
"Oh, that little guy…?" Vanitas mused, leaning back. "He's the alien I was talking about. Vicious little thing."
"I didn't think he was so vicious."
"Yeah, right. He growled at me when I tried to take that piece of scrap metal he was working on. Probably would've bitten me, if I had."
"Oh?" She had a suspicion she knew what he was talking about.
"Yep. I'd thought it was just some junk, kinda shaped like a flower, but now that I think about it… It must've been a Wayfinder!" Vanitas exclaimed brightly.
Aqua nodded and smiled fondly. "That's right. Terra was the one who showed 626 his Wayfinder; it's where he got the idea to craft one of his own. Doctor Jumba —626's creator— told me he'd been born only to cause destruction, that it was… built into his instincts somehow, but he was wrong. 626 befriended Terra —and Ven too, from what you've told me— of his own free will; all he really wanted was to become part of our circle of friends."
Vanitas was quiet for a long moment. "Yeah… I guess I can relate to that," he sighed, running a hand through his black hair before glancing at her, his golden eyes searching her blue ones. "I'm surprised you took such a liking to the little troublemaker. I mean, I wouldn't mind a bit of chaos; but you?"
"I suppose I have a soft spot for mischievous blue creatures," she giggled, glancing over to where Bleu was playfully wriggling around in the snow.
Vanitas scoffed and looked away, but with an easy smile on his face.
Aqua regarded him with a gentle gaze. Mentioning Wayfinders had reminded her… Perhaps now was the right time to give him her special gift.
"You know what I feel like?" she asked spiritedly, a subtle plan forming in her mind.
"What?"
"Let's have some hot chocolate."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hot chocolate, as Vanitas soon discovered, was very, very tasty.
His Prize Pods provided all the ingredients Aqua requested— a few heart-shaped Chocolate Valentines, two bottles of creamy Merry Dairy milk, and sweet, gooey Rich Marshmallows— his favorite.
Together they melted the Chocolate Valentines into a pan of Merry Dairy milk on the stove, stirring gently so it wouldn't burn. They poured the resulting hot chocolate into two mugs and plopped in several Rich Marshmallows.
Bleu pawed at Vanitas's boots until he finally gave in and poured extra hot chocolate into a saucer for the insistent Flood.
"Is that safe for him to drink?" Aqua asked as he set the dish down on the floor. "Cats and dogs aren't supposed to eat chocolate."
"He's not a dog," Vanitas snorted— though the 'cat' comparison was harder to deny as Bleu immediately began lapping up the hot chocolate, purring loudly.
Vanitas and Aqua took their mugs to the dining hall and sat on the soft rug before the fireplace.
Aqua snuggled in close, closing her eyes as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Mhm, you're warm…"
Vanitas chuckled in response, amused at being used as her personal pillow— not that he minded. He felt so relaxed and cozy, sipping sweet, delicious hot chocolate from the warm mug in his hands while taking in Aqua's calming scent.
They'd both had a big day— him finally overcoming his fear of Neoshadows and admitting painful truths he'd lied to himself about for years; Aqua learning how to utilize her Darkness.
Both were quiet for a long moment, just enjoying each other's company as they soaked up the heat from the fire.
"…You know, we used to drink this on every Winter Solstice," Aqua said, finally breaking the silence before taking another sip of hot chocolate. "That's what Master Eraqus called it, anyway. My mother calls it Christmas."
"Christmas?" Vanitas inquired. The term felt familiar. Perhaps he'd sensed it through Ventus?
"You don't know—?" she started, before catching herself. "It's a winter holiday."
He tilted his head in curiosity.
"It's like… a time of celebration," Aqua continued at his confused look. "When friends and family gather around the Christmas Tree, play games, and eat good food."
Oh yes. He recalled Ventus's excitement whenever Terra and Master Eraqus would haul a big conifer into the Land of Departure's training hall and decorate it with lights and all manner of shiny baubles. So that's what it was for. "Huh. Sounds nice…"
"Mhm," she agreed. "During Christmas there's snow and presents and gingerbread, and of course Santa Claus."
"What's that?"
"Not 'what', who," Aqua corrected, her face lighting up. "He's a legend, basically. Supposedly somewhere out there, there's this World called Christmas Town, where Santa lives. And once a year on the eve of the Winter Solstice, he climbs down your chimney—"
"He what?"
"—Eats any milk and cookies you've left out for him, and then leaves gifts for all the good kids!"
At this, Vanitas snorted. "Well, that explains why I've never met this 'Santa Claus'. I was too much of a brat."
Aqua looked a little embarrassed. "Well, as I said, he's just a legend. You're supposed to write him a letter asking for what you want for your Christmas Wish. Ven does it every year."
Vanitas rolled his eyes. Of course Ventus would believe in a kiddie fairytale like that. "I dunno… A man who sneaks into your house at night to steal your food? Sounds pretty sketchy to me."
Aqua straightened up. "Now hold on just a minute. Are we talking about Santa Claus, or you?"
"Hey! I'm nothing like Santa Claus."
"Hmm… No, you'd make a terrible Santa; you're more of a Boogieman," she said with a playful smirk.
His lips twitched. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They melted back into a comfortable silence, sipping on their drinks.
"…Still thinking about home?" Vanitas asked Aqua, who was gazing at the hearth.
"No, actually," she replied, blinking slowly. "I was thinking about you."
"How come?"
"I was just wondering… If you could wish for one thing in all the Worlds, what would it be?"
He subtly glanced at her. If he could have anything in the Worlds? Well, that was obvious.
You, of course…
"I dunno… How about some ice cream," he said half-jokingly, finishing off the rest of his hot chocolate and setting the empty mug aside. "I didn't get a chance to swipe any in Disney Town."
Aqua looked thoughtful. "We might be able to make some."
"Oh?"
"Mhm. Come with me."
They returned to the kitchen; Vanitas placed both empty mugs in the sink while Aqua retrieved the dessert book from the pantry along with an odd contraption. Bleu, who had settled down in a corner of the room, watched them curiously.
"Looks like we're doing this the old-fashioned way," Aqua said, setting both items on the counter.
"What is this thing?" Vanitas asked, peering at the strange object. It appeared to be a large bowl with a crank on top.
"It's an ice cream maker," she replied, patting its lid. "The ones in Disney Town were a bit more advanced than this, but it'll have to do." She opened the dessert book and ran a finger down the recipe list. "Let's see here… Homemade ice cream requires milk, cream, sugar, ice, and salt."
"Salt?" he questioned, frowning. "I thought ice cream was supposed to be sweet."
"The salt isn't for eating," Aqua explained, fetching some ice and more Merry Dairy milk from the ice box. "Although, I did buy a bar of sea-salt ice cream from Scrooge McDuck in Radiant Garden. He said he was trying out a new recipe."
"Sea-salt ice cream?!" Vanitas exclaimed, sticking out his tongue. "That's disgusting!"
Aqua laughed. "It does sound rather odd, doesn't it? But it tasted really good. Salty, but sweet." She eyed Vanitas mischievously as she opened a cabinet. "Kind of like you."
Vanitas spluttered. "I am not sweet!"
"If you say so," she teased, placing some packets of Crystal Sugar and Mermaid Salt next to the other ingredients. "Speaking of sweet, I really want to make Royalberry; it's my favorite flavor. Now, let me think…" Aqua crossed her arms and tapped a finger against her chin, lost in thought. "What was the ducklings' recipe…?"
"Ducklings?" Vanitas wrinkled his nose. "You don't mean those three who were palling around with Ventus in Disney Town." The concept of talking animals still weirded him out.
"Probably the same ones," Aqua said brightly. "Huey, Dewey, and Louie needed my help taste-testing the new ice cream flavors they'd made with some Prize Pod snacks they'd found, and I helped them gather more ingredients. Now that I think about it, they mentioned that Mister McDuck is their uncle. Ice cream-making must run in the family."
"Wait, wait, wait, back up. You're telling me you willingly ate stuff made from my emotions, that you found inside monsters, before you even knew me?!" Vanitas asked with an incredulous laugh.
Aqua blushed deep scarlet. "I hadn't known they were yours at the time!" she exclaimed defensively, and he gave a loud snort. "Besides, I couldn't turn down free ice cream…"
"Apparently not," he smirked. "So, if the Heartless were full of candy, you'd…?"
"Oh, shush," she sniffed. "You eat Prize Pod food all the time."
"Yeah, but it's not weird when I do it," Vanitas grinned. He hadn't realized the 'toonish effect Disney Town had on his Unversed had made them so easy to catch, if a flock of cartoon ducks could get their hands —wings?— on them.
"Do you want Royalberry ice cream, or not?" Aqua pouted.
"Yes, please."
"Alright then," she nodded, the blush fading from her cheeks. "We'll need Gaspberries, Nebula Nectar, Honeybunch— or was it Rose Honey? And… Oh! Birthday Cake."
"Birthday Cake? Why would you put cake in ice cream?"
"That's how the ducklings made it," she waved a hand airily. "Trust me, they go together."
"Huh." Vanitas thought for a moment, his expression slipping into a small frown. "…I've never had a birthday." Xehanort wasn't exactly the type to throw a party; certainly not for Vanitas. The closest he'd ever gotten had been seeing glimpses of celebrations through Ventus's eyes.
Aqua paused for a moment, her lips parted slightly. "…We'll celebrate now, then." She turned towards the pantry door and whistled. "Here, boys!"
Two Prize Pods floated in, one green and one purple. The usually timid Unversed seemed eager to give them more ingredients, producing bunches of plump red Gaspberries, small glass vials of golden Nebula Nectar and light pink Rose Honey, and best of all, a large white Birthday Cake.
Aqua began instructing Vanitas on how to use the ice cream maker. It was certainly an interesting machine— essentially two tall bowls, one stacked inside the other, with a stirring stick attached through the inside of the lid to a crank on top.
Together they dumped half the Birthday Cake and a bunch of sour Gaspberries into the center bowl, followed by creamy Merry Dairy milk, sweet Crystal Sugar, syrupy Nebula Nectar, and fragrant Rose Honey.
Vanitas packed ice sprinkled with Mermaid Salt into the outer bowl —apparently salt made the ice colder— before closing the lid and turning the crank until the ice cream gained what Aqua thought was a proper consistency.
She cut two large slices from the remaining Birthday Cake and fetched an ice cream scoop to plop a generous serving of Royalberry onto each of their plates, all topped with more fresh Gaspberries and a drizzle of Nebula Nectar. Even Bleu got his own little dish.
Vanitas gazed in awe at the wondrous dessert while Aqua stored the left over ice cream in the ice box.
"You'll need to eat it before it melts," she giggled as she noticed him staring.
"Right!" He eagerly grabbed a spoon and was about to dig in, when she raised a hand to stop him.
"Oh, wait just a moment—!"
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just thought it'd be nice if…" Aqua trailed off as she pulled out four small, colorful candles from a drawer and stuck them on top of his cake.
"What're those for?" Vanitas asked as she lit them one-by-one with a small Fire spell from the tip of her finger.
She smiled gently, but her eyes were a little sad. "…Four candles, one for each birthday you should've gotten."
"I…" Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, before he swiftly blinked them away. "Thanks."
Aqua nodded, her smile becoming a little brighter as she stood back from the counter to give him some room. "You need to blow out the candles and make a wish— But don't tell me what it is, or it'll spoil the magic."
Vanitas snorted softly. More fairytale stuff, huh? Sure, why not. "Hmm… Well, since I already got my first wish…"
A wish…
There were so many things he could wish for, from the most practical like escaping the Realm of Darkness, to an impossible dream like finding his —and Ventus's— parents. But if he could only have one thing, above all others… Vanitas knew exactly what he'd wish for.
I wish… that me and Aqua will always be together.
With that thought firmly held in his mind, he blew out the candles.
Aqua whooped and clapped. "Nice job! You got them all in one go!"
Vanitas grinned at her praise. Was it silly to feel proud over such a simple thing? "Guess that means my wish will come true, huh?"
Aqua beamed and together they returned to the dining hall to eat. Vanitas carried their plates while Aqua set the small dish of ice cream on the floor for Bleu before taking her place at the table. Once all three of them were settled, they dug in to the delicious treat.
The Royalberry ice cream was delicious; it tasted of honey and raspberries with just a hint of sour hiding under all that sweet. The Birthday Cake was equally delectable, thanks to his Prize Pods— moist and fluffy and covered in sugary frosting. And when both were eaten together, it made for the most amazing dessert Vanitas had ever tasted— even better than hot chocolate. Aqua was right; cake and ice cream went great together!
Much sooner than he would've liked, his spoon was scraping the bottom of his plate.
"Light, I haven't eaten this much sugar in forever," Aqua sighed, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. "We'll definitely need to eat plenty of vegetables, later…"
"I'm game for some more ratatouille," Vanitas suggested hopefully.
"Mhm. I'll have to check the garden…" she said absentmindedly, pushing back her chair and standing up.
"What, right now?"
"Hmm? Oh no, it's not that," she shook her head. "Please wait here, Van. I need to go get something."
He blinked. "Uh— Okay…?"
Vanitas watched as Aqua left the room. What exactly did she need to get all of a sudden?
Bleu was licking up the last drops of ice cream from his dish. Vanitas glanced at his and Aqua's plates, considering whether or not he should lick them clean too while she was gone; he didn't want another scolding on 'good table manners'.
After a few minutes, Aqua returned with two boxes wrapped in colorful paper.
"One for you," she said, handing him the larger package. "And one for Bleu." She placed the smaller box on the floor. Bleu raised his head curiously, his dish forgotten as he sniffed at the box while Aqua took a seat next to Vanitas, staring at him expectantly.
"What's this?" he asked, examining the box in his hands.
"It's a gift I made, from me to you. Honestly, I've kind of been keeping this a secret for a while," she admitted, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.
He glanced up. "Wait, this is what you've been working on this whole time?"
She shifted in her seat, looking a little sheepish. "I didn't mean to keep it from you, but I wanted it to be a surprise."
"Aqua, it's okay," Vanitas laughed. At least now he knew why she always acted so shifty every time he entered the sewing room. Had she knitted him a scarf or something? He eagerly tore off the wrapping paper to reveal an ornate blue box.
"Go ahead, open it," she encouraged.
Barely able to contain his excitement, Vanitas lifted the lid and set it aside. Inside the box, sitting on a soft cushion of black velvet, was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
The star-shaped charm was fastened to a delicate bronze twine. Its silver trim shone as it caught the firelight, encapsulating five petals of brilliant red glass which faded to deep magenta at the tips. At its center gleamed a familiar silver pendant, the same one that until now had adorned Aqua's chest— the sigil of the Land of Departure, of Master Eraqus's family.
Vanitas didn't dare breathe as he carefully took the good luck charm into his shaking hands. When he finally found his voice, it came out as a choked sob. "A Wayfinder?"
"I know blue is your favorite color, but I thought the red looked nice," Aqua said gently.
He nodded, trying to hold back his tears, but they just wouldn't stop flowing. "It's beautiful…"
It didn't matter what color it was; this Wayfinder was the best gift he'd ever gotten.
Sure, he didn't need a charm to know that he and Aqua were best friends, but it still meant the Worlds to him to have a tangible symbol of their friendship, a sign that they belonged together… An unbreakable connection.
Overwhelmed by emotion, Vanitas flung his arms around Aqua and embraced her in a tight hug. "Th-thank you!"
Delighted, she leaned into his embrace. "You're welcome."
A crinkling noise caught their attention and they looked down to see that Bleu had chewed through the wrapping paper of his own gift and tossed the lid aside, and was now trying his best to sit in the box.
"Bleu gets one too?" Vanitas laughed, drying his tears on his sleeve.
"Something like that," Aqua replied. She lifted Bleu out of the box before pulling out his gift and holding it aloft. It was a collar, with a small star-shaped charm made of dazzling silver hanging from an equally silver ribbon. "Here you go, Bleu."
The Unversed squeaked excitedly before sitting on his haunches, allowing her to hook the collar around his neck. He stood and shook himself like a dog; the charm made a soft tinkling sound. Bleu ran over to the other side of the dining hall and hopped up onto a plush bench to admire himself in a mirror hanging on the wall.
"I think he likes it," Vanitas snorted in amusement at the Flood's display.
"I'm glad," Aqua beamed. "I worked a little magic on your Wayfinder to link it to mine, and I used the same protective spell I put on Kairi's necklace to enchant Bleu's collar. It should keep him safe."
His gaze returned to the red Wayfinder cradled in his hands. "…Does that mean mine is connected to Ventus's and Terra's, too?" That wouldn't be such a bad thing, he supposed; he could live with it, anyway.
"That's a good question," Aqua said, pursing her lips in a slight frown. "I guess it's hard to tell; when I linked my Wayfinder to theirs, I had all three together. But we can make sure to connect yours and Ven's as soon as we return to the Realm of Light—" She paused, a pained expression on her face.
"We'll get there," Vanitas insisted. He still didn't know how, but he had to believe they would. "And hey, maybe that connection is how we'll find Ventus's heart." It was worth a try, at least. Aqua knew where Ventus's body was, so presumably she knew where his Wayfinder was, as well.
Her eyes widened in surprise, before she nodded. "Thank you… That gives me hope," she sniffled.
"No problem."
Aqua gazed at him for a long moment, lips parted and a slight crease to her brow. "…Happy birthday, Van," she murmured and leaned in so close that the tip of her nose brushed his cheek.
Confused, Vanitas turned to face her. "What're you—?"
Their lips met.
All at once his mind went blank as he was suddenly transported somewhere like a dream— soft, pillowy, warm; slightly sticky with ice cream and all the more sweet.
The moment was gone as soon as it had arrived.
Aqua quickly drew back with a startled gasp, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Oh! Van, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—!"
Her face flushed redder than his Wayfinder as she continued to babble some kind of apology, but Vanitas was too far inside his own mind to comprehend it.
Aqua had… kissed him.
A kiss… Just like in the fairytales. Perhaps… Was this the key to being 'more than a best friend'?
Vanitas clutched the Wayfinder closer to his chest where that mysterious bubbly feeling had returned, filling his heart with an emotion which was lighter than air and warmer than anything he'd ever known.
He'd first noticed it after Aqua had read La Belle et la Bête to him, but truthfully he'd been feeling it much longer than that. It was an emotion which rose up whenever she sang for him, praised him, whenever he was merely in her presence. He'd been on the cusp of understanding it before, and now the last piece of the puzzle finally clicked into place.
So… this is love.
He'd cherish this moment for the rest of his life… Even if it hadn't been on purpose, even if she didn't love him back.
"Aqua," Vanitas finally spoke, quelling her babbling. Their eyes met. "Thank you. For everything."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Aqua felt horribly awkward.
It'd been an accident. She'd been trying to kiss him on the cheek, but then he just had to go and turn his head and—!
Aqua groaned and buried her flushed face in her hands. Vanitas hadn't even seemed upset by the kiss, just confused. Did that make it better or worse?
She'd never given much thought to romance beyond novels and fairytales. Sure, Terra had had a crush on her once, but that'd been a long time ago and she'd made it clear she only saw him as a friend, same with Ven. The only boy to ever ask her out was Zack, and she'd been so flustered and caught off guard by his proposal that she hadn't known what to say.
But with Vanitas… it was different.
Aqua had insisted on cleaning up the dishes herself, so he'd wandered off who knows where; Bleu had gone with him. She was now roaming the halls aimlessly, lost in thought. Several docile Unversed meandered about, peering at her curiously as she passed by.
Everything had been going perfectly.
Vanitas's reaction upon seeing his Wayfinder had made her heart swell with joy. She'd loved how his eyes had lit up at the sight of it, the red glass reflected in those golden irises like a sunset. His warm embrace… How soft and sweet his lips had been against hers—
Aqua stifled a squeak.
No! She would not go down that road.
Sure, Vanitas understood friendship just fine, but romance was something he'd barely touched on. How could she expect anything more from him?
…Did she want something more?
Of course you do! a tiny voice in her head piped up. It's written all over your face.
"Shut up…" Aqua moaned, shaking her head.
Yes, Vanitas was handsome, and he was also her best friend. But that's all they were. Friends.
…Right?
Friends don't exactly sleep with each other every night, her subconscious reminded shrewdly.
Aqua was glad no one could see her right now, because she was pretty sure from the heat in her cheeks that they were glowing beet-red. Sleeping with —no, sleeping in the same bed as— Vanitas had started off innocently enough… But they'd grown more bold in their sleeping positions as of late, snuggled close together among the plush pillows.
One of her favorites was when they pressed their curves flush against each other like a pair of spoons, legs intertwined. Either Vanitas would sleep behind her and rest his chin on her shoulder, or she would sleep behind him with her breasts pressed up against his back, an arm wrapped around his waist while she nuzzled his hair. Last night, she'd even been brave enough to slide her hand beneath his pajama shirt and up his toned stomach—
Aqua swiftly smacked her cheeks to clear her head of indecent thoughts. Clearly she'd made a mistake.
Why deny your feelings?
Why, indeed?
He… he's too naïve, about dating and… stuff.
So teach him, the voice argued back. As if it would be that simple…
She blinked.
…Was it that simple?
Vanitas was the smartest person she knew; he'd probably figure it out on his own eventually, and that would just lead to more awkward questions. Honestly, it was she who always shied away from embarrassing topics; Vanitas was the curious one. He said all sorts of odd things that made her blush, sometimes knowingly just to tease her, but other times he was being genuine.
'So, that's what we are? Boyfriend and girlfriend?'
He'd asked that so innocently…
Aqua bit her lip.
It wasn't as if she'd never wanted to be in a relationship… It was just that between her Keyblade training and other studies, she'd never gotten the chance. Even during the biannual vacations she'd spent with her mother in La Cité des Cloches, she hadn't bothered trying to get a boyfriend— despite her mother's prodding. What would've been the point, when she'd need to return to the Land of Departure before things could get serious?
But… she had the chance now. And if she and Vanitas weren't going anywhere for the time being, then… why not? The Castle of Dreams was like their own private island, far away from prying eyes.
Her heart leapt at the prospect and she let out a nervous giggle.
A young man and woman alone together… What could possibly go wrong! The term 'teenage mischief' sprang to mind, in a disapproving tone which sounded suspiciously similar to Master Eraqus's.
She'd already slipped up by calling their picnic a 'date', and when they'd fallen in the snow together… She'd wanted to kiss him. Really kiss him; not just on the cheek, not just by accident.
Aqua halted in her tracks as she heard Vanitas's voice issuing from the music room near the end of the hall. She silently crept closer and peeked around the doorway. He was playing the piano and singing, the red Wayfinder glinting at his hip and Bleu curled up at his feet.
"…Don't hear me say 'please, oh baby, don't go'. Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel, tonight. It's hard to let it go…"
Aqua gasped and placed a hand upon her chest, where a warm and weightless feeling blossomed within her heart, fluttering and soaring upwards like a bluebird taking flight.
"I… I'm in love with Van," she whispered, like a prayer.
It was undeniable; she loved everything about him.
She loved his golden eyes and handsome features; his toned chest and those times he'd carried her in his strong arms like a princess. She adored his desire to protect her and cheer her up when she was feeling down; how he spent time playing fun games with her and told her everything would be alright.
She deeply appreciated whenever he complimented her, called her beautiful or lovely without hesitation. She admired his tenacity and intelligence— his wit and charm, his curiosity and eagerness to learn; even his dark sense of humor had grown on her.
She couldn't imagine life without him.
Aqua stood there, listening as Vanitas continued to sing. His voice was slightly off-key and he had to hum the parts where he didn't remember the lyrics, but it still sounded beautiful to her. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes and she tenderly wiped them away, sniffling as she turned back down the hall.
Light, what was she going to do…?
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Vanitas leaned back on the piano bench as he played the final note of the song.
It really was a beautiful piece of music, even if he didn't quite understand all the lyrics. Aqua had told him that 'baby' was a term of endearment for someone you love, not referring to infants. Should he call her 'baby', then? It didn't really suit her; someone with a heart as sweet as hers deserved something less… juvenile. He'd have to think on it.
He glanced at Bleu, who raised his head and chirped, the silver charm on his collar tinkling with the movement. Smiling faintly, Vanitas unlooped the Wayfinder from his belt and gazed at it, running a finger gently down its silver trim. He still couldn't believe it was real, a Wayfinder of his very own. One of four unique charms bonding him to Aqua, and possibly to Ventus and Terra, too… Well, one of five, if he counted Experiment 626's little homemade project.
Vanitas snorted.
Usually he'd balk at being compared to some weird blue alien, but he had to admit his and 626's lives paralleled each other quite closely. He wondered what'd happened to the little guy; hopefully he was okay. Was it weird to be worried for a being he barely knew? Or… was this how he was supposed to feel?
Vanitas frowned thoughtfully as he glanced around at the dusty instruments and the portrait of Prince Charming's likely deceased mother, thinking back to the first time he'd felt sorry for anyone. On their first day together in the Castle of Dreams, Aqua had told him how horrible Cinderella's life had been, being treated like a slave by her wicked step-family. Vanitas had tried to deny his feelings at the time, but he'd felt genuine sympathy for the Princess of Heart.
All his life Vanitas had felt disconnected from other people, unable to relate to anyone; he'd never imagined there were those out there who might understand even a sliver of what he'd been through. But now he'd come to realize that he, Aqua, Ventus and Terra… Experiment 626… even a pure Light like Cinderella and her perfect Prince Charming… They'd all had painful, lonely pasts; all had suffered some form of… of abuse, or bullying, or had lost someone dear.
The knowledge that they'd all suffered tragedies wasn't a happy feeling, but he was glad to not feel so alone.
…Was this that 'empathy' thing Aqua had tried to help him understand?
Vanitas wanted to do something nice for her. She'd made him such a wonderful gift; he needed to give her a thank-you present in return.
He slipped the Wayfinder into his pocket and stood up. The star-shaped charm had given him an idea for the perfect gift. It wasn't as amazing as a Wayfinder, but he hoped Aqua would enjoy it. And maybe if she liked it enough, she'd kiss him again…
Vanitas tenderly touched his lips as he made his way to the observatory, Bleu trailing behind. Aqua had such lovely lips… Why had it taken him so long to realize…?
He entered the observatory and looked around, wincing at the sight of his own dried blood on the floor. It'd stained the wood after his harrowing encounter with the Orcus. That definitely needed cleaning up. If only he or Aqua knew water magic…
Vanitas ran a hand along the bookcases lining the circular room, examining the titles. There were all manner of books on constellations and astronomy, celestial maps and star-charts… He nodded in satisfaction; everything he needed was right here.
Bleu settled in a cushioned chair while Vanitas peered through the giant bronze telescope. There was nothing above but an inky black sky. If this were the Realm of Light, he'd be able to see millions of stars. It'd be so amazing if only he could look upon them with the same deep wonder and appreciation as Aqua and Ventus and Terra had done.
Vanitas sighed, drawing back from the telescope and running a hand through his hair.
If he was being completely honest with himself, he'd been growing bored of the Realm of Darkness. It didn't negatively affect him in the same way it seemed to affect Aqua, but being stuck in one place with no clear path forward was starting to make him antsy, no matter how pleasant the Castle of Dreams was.
At least Aqua's Ghost Drive training had gone quite well— better than expected, really, given that she'd never used Darkness before and he'd had no idea how to teach. Maybe if she learned to master her own Darkness, the negative energy of the Dark World wouldn't harm her, anymore? That was his hope, anyway.
Vanitas's own Darkness had calmed down considerably; what had once been a raging tempest within had settled into a mild thunderstorm. Hers was more like a fine morning mist, rays of bright sunshine casting only the faintest shadows.
Truly, Aqua's Darkness was just as beautiful as her Light. Vanitas couldn't help but be transfixed by the way it had gracefully twined between her fingers, glittering like powdered obsidian. Did her Darkness smell as sugary sweet as her Light? Vanitas could only sense Darkness, not smell it like Aqua could. She'd said before that his own Dark scent reminded her of home.
'You smell like cinnamon.'
He grinned awkwardly to himself. Cinnamon? Really? That was a rather… well, silly scent for Darkness to have. But if it made Aqua happy, he didn't mind.
Vanitas loved her Darkness, and he loved her Light. He loved Aqua as his best friend, and as more than a best friend— even if he still didn't quite understand what that meant, he could trust his heart on this. He couldn't help but love everything about her.
He loved her ocean-blue hair and pretty smile; her long, slender legs and pleasing figure; her warm, soft chest which she allowed him to use as a pillow every night.
He cherished her beautiful craftworks and delicious cooking; the time she'd spent teaching him how to play piano and read French.
And most of all, he loved her kindness and strength of heart; how she'd helped him become a better person, how she believed in him, praised him, gave him the confidence to recognize his skills in art and chess and other things when he'd never believed in his own self worth.
He and Aqua needed —and completed— each other.
There was only one question left remaining.
How the hell am I gonna tell her…?
He had no idea where to even begin.
Thanks for reading!
Happy Chapter 15! Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for. :D
This one took much longer than expected due to me recovering from a mildly serious injury and an unrelated surgery, plus I've been distracted watching Breaking Bad for the first time, re-reading the entire Harry Potter series and playing Hogwarts Legacy (deluxe edition, my character's name is Zany Lovegood and he's a Hufflepuff), but it's finally here!
I've also posted a brand new comedy oneshot featuring Ventus and Terra called Shooting the Seabreeze, so please check it out! I hope to post more KH oneshots in the future, and eventually spread out to other fandoms like Harry Potter and My Hero Academia. :3
Back to Chapter 15, ever notice how in BBS, Aqua learns Ghost Drive after her second encounter with Vanitas? I headcanon that she learned it by watching him! Also, did you know Vanitas met Stitch (Experiment 626) in the BBS Novel? Page 208! While playing BBS I noticed how similar Vanitas and Stitch's stories are, plus how sympathetic Aqua is towards Stitch. I'm actually disappointed the games never did anything with this concept! D:
I've also been re-reading this fic and doing a bit of editing— nothing major, just fixing a few errors and making my earlier writing a little less stiff (there was a real lack of contractions!). I also realized there's a couple moments that must've made sense in my head when I wrote them, but wouldn't make much sense to a reader, so I added a couple extra sentences to make things more clear. (If you wanted to do a re-read of this fic too, it'd make me very happy!) X'3
Just a heads-up, the next couple AHaaH chapters will feature adult content, something I've actually had planned since I started this fic back in 2018. It won't be as explicit as my smut fics over on Ao3, but I figured I should let you guys know. Unfortunately since FF's ToS doesn't allow smut scenes, I'll have to cut that part out of the story. So if you want the full version of this fanfic, you'll have to read where I've posted it on Archive of Our Own, under the name VengeVerse.
Also I know Vanitas and Aqua might be a bit young for that sort of thing, but I don't think it's too out of bounds for Disney or Square Enix characters, since there are plenty who married or had kids in their late teens, like Ariel and Eric, Jasmine and Aladdin, Jim Hawkins's and Cloud Strife's moms, Coco's dad, etc, so it should be alright. But don't worry about skipping over those scenes if they're not to your taste! :P
Oh and one last reminder, since I'm such a perfectionist I update all my fanfics every so often, usually just to add an extra word or two here or there, so if you'd like to save the most recent versions of my work, just re-download them from Ao3 once a year or so. It's not too big of a deal, though. :3
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you at Chapter 16! :D
The Chapter 16 work-in-progress is currently over 5,000 words.