And so you guys now know one of the worlds being visited in this story. Welcome to Shibuya. The best way to bring back our mostly dead Sora might just be for him to play a game. But of course, as we know, all games have their rules.
Vanitas knew that he wasn't alone even before he opened his eyes. He was no longer in pain, but he didn't trust it. Being healed didn't meant that they could be trusted. He kept silent and still, trying to listen in order to figure out what he might be facing. The number of threats, their approximate locations, whether her would be better off using magic or physical force with his sneak attack—
"I know you're awake," said a voice casually. "I would prefer that you don't try to immediately fight me. I just fixed your bruised ribs and concussion and I don't feel like patching you up again already."
Since there was clearly no further reason to pretend otherwise, Vanitas pried his eyes open. He seemed to be lying on a couch. On one wall was a bar with several bottles filled with various liquids. There were no windows, but the floor appeared to be made of glass. He could see fish swimming below.
And there were two people in the room. By the bar was a middle-aged man with black hair slicked back, a scruffy bit of stubble, and sunglasses that sat low on his face. He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a black vest, and sandals. Nothing about him looked like he was capable of combat.
On the other hand, Master Xehanort had been an old man far past his physical prime and yet remained one of the most dangerous people that he'd ever known. It never paid to underestimate an opponent.
The other person was perched on the edge of the arm of the couch, looking at a small phone that could fold in half unlike Sora's Gummiphone. He appeared to be a teenager near Sora's age, but with ash blond hair that was more wavy than spiky. He wore a gray-lavender short-sleeved shirt, dark gray pants, and white sneakers, most of his clothes wrinkled and baggy due to being oversized like they were meant for someone taller than him. But it was his eyes that proved the most unnerving when they turned away from the phone towards Vanitas. A dark violet shade and somehow far too knowledgeable, like he could see his entire existence and every secret with a glance.
He also seemed faintly familiar. The boy wasn't someone that Sora met after the disaster of a Mark of Mastery exam that gave Vanitas enough darkness to fully regain his sense of self. No, it would have been when Vanitas was still half-feral. It didn't give him enough detail to fully identify the blond boy; only enough to figure out why he ended up on this world.
"Friend of Sora?" asked Vanitas gruffly.
Smiling briefly and shrugging, he said, "We've crossed paths in a dream. And you? I suspect you're not his long-lost twin brother."
"Sora has a lot of lookalikes. You can call me 'Vanitas.'"
"Howdy, Vanitas," he greeted cheerfully. "The name's Yoshiya Kiryu. But Mother and Father call me 'Joshua.'" Gesturing towards the bar, he added, "And that's Hanekoma. Don't tell anyone that you saw him. He's supposed to be keeping a low profile."
The man gave a vague wave from his spot by the bar. Though he seemed to be nursing a cup of steaming coffee instead of anything alcoholic. There was a casual and unconcerned slouch to his posture, but he was paying far too close attention not to actually care.
"Now, here's the riddle," said Joshua with an almost playful smirk, but with a dangerous gleam in his eye that made Vanitas want to summon his Keyblade. "You see, Sora and his friend, Riku? I owe them. This entire world does, even if most people don't know it. Which is why I'm wondering why he seems to be shattered apart and stuck inside of you. I can't imagine anything good causing that. Do you know how that might have happened?"
Should he attack the boy? He was suspicious and there was something dangerous about him. Vanitas could sense it. He knew that it was best to face any foe directly and immediately, taking advantage of the element of surprise. He should be pragmatic and aggressive. Every instinct that he possessed warned that he needed to maintain a position of strength. Any threat needed to be faced immediately.
But that was what Master Xehanort would have pushed him towards. And Sora trusted this person enough to bring them to this world. Vanitas forced himself to hold off a little longer.
"I don't like owing people," said Vanitas, sitting up. "He saved me without realizing it. Kept me safe and I eventually healed. Then he decided to be an idiot and nearly destroyed himself saving a bunch of people. I decided to return the favor. I put what was left of Sora somewhere safe. Now I need to figure out how to fix him and get him out."
And especially figure out how to get Sora out without accidentally creating another Nobody or something similar. The last thing that they needed was another person with his face. There were already too many.
Nodding, Joshua said, "I believe you. I'm pretty good at telling when people are lying or hiding things."
"Omniscience helps with that," said Hanekoma.
"Extracting one heart from another is not something that we usually handle," he said, putting his phone away. "Fixing someone broken? We have a little more experience. Restoring someone back to life?" Joshua smirked in a particularly cocky way. "That's my expertise. And since neither you nor Sora are from this world, we can loophole around Hanekoma's restrictions against interacting with anyone from the RG or UG except me."
"And what are the RG and UG?" snapped Vanitas.
Waving dismissively, Joshua said, "Don't worry about that yet. My point is that between me and Hanekoma, who has even more experience than I do, we should be able to figure out how to put Sora back together again."
"The problem," said Hanekoma, giving the blond boy a meaningful look, "is that Joshua is on thin ice and I'm not much better off. Which means that there are limits to what we can do without ending up in hot water. Got to do it by the book."
"That doesn't mean that we can't stack the deck in Sora's favor, Mr. H," he said. "I owe him too much."
"So that's the plan? Pull out the pieces, put him back together, and enter him into the Game on easy mode?" Hanekoma shook his head with a fond grin. "Nice to know that you can make a friend without killing them yourself."
Well, that certainly raised some questions. Vanitas might not be the expert on friendship that Sora was, but he knew that manslaughter was not the typical method. Otherwise, Master Xehanort wouldn't have called friendship a weakness.
Laughing lightly, Joshua said, "I think that Sora did most of the work. The kid could befriend anyone if given five minutes."
"You have no idea," muttered Vanitas. "Last time he saw me, I was trying to kill him. Now I'm stuck trying to save him."
Hanekoma rubbed the back of his neck before setting down his coffee. Then he walked over and looked over Vanitas carefully. In a way that made him think that the man was looking at something invisible to the eyes. It was kind of annoying.
Annoyed and frustrated was better than nervous. Nervous and anxious were too similar to fear. And that would not be tolerated.
"Might have to get creative, but between the two of us, I think it might actually be manageable," said Hanekoma finally. "A bit more complicated than what I did for Rhyme though."
"You always had a talent for delicate work," said Joshua.
"Don't sell yourself short. You're good at it too." Shrugging, he said, "You just don't like working with finicky things that bore you. You prefer flashier projects."
Glaring at them, Vanitas snapped, "Sora's not some kind of… of art project."
That somehow caused Joshua to laugh again. A light, almost chuckling laugh that made Vanitas want to beat his smug face in with his Keyblade despite the gnawing sense that the boy was more powerful than he seemed. He was so irritating. Did Joshua provoke everyone on purpose or was it natural talent?
"An art project is a valid comparison," said Hanekoma. "We tend to be creative types. But I swear that we're taking this seriously."
Crossing his arms, Vanitas said, "Great. Get Sora back and in one piece. Then he's your responsibility and I'm out of here."
"Excited to leave us already?" asked Joshua. "I wouldn't count on it. You see, the Reapers' Game is not played alone. But the good news is that apparently people with Keyblades are different enough that I might be able to insert you into the Game without having to kill you first. You're close enough to being dead already."
"What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Granted, Vanitas had spent a long time practically dead, but the rest of it sounded suspiciously like he was being dragged into something. Being forced into a role after he barely escaped his old one. Not going to happen. He would fight his way out and find someone else first.
"You need to keep still and quiet so we can concentrate," said Joshua, mildly annoyed. "In fact…"
"Hey, wh—"
Before Vanitas could react, Joshua's hand shot out and flicked his forehead lightly. And power washed over him, like a form of a Sleep spell. He fell backwards towards the couch cushion, unconscious before he landed.
"Answer your Gummiphone, Lea," snapped Isa, glaring at the screen.
Unfortunately, his command was not obeyed and the call refused to connect. He shouldn't throw his Gummiphone at the wall. It would be childish. It wouldn't solve anything. It would result in an uncomfortably embarrassing conversation to explain to Ienzo why he needed a replacement.
But it would be satisfying. And less destructive than smashing something with his claymore, which was his second impulse.
Leave it to Lea to disappear right before a full moon when his temper was more volatile and close to the surface.
Isa wasn't the only one unhappy about what they found when they came home. Roxas was poking at his own Gummiphone in case he would have better luck. His scowl suggested that he was also on the verge of smashing something in frustration. Possibly Lea's thick skull if it wasn't for the fact that he was already off world. Xion just kept reading the note over and over again. As if she hoped it would eventually make more sense. Or maybe she was hoping that the message would change.
"We're going after them, right?" said Roxas. "We can't let Axel and Kairi go alone."
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Isa said, "We will… after the week is over."
"What?" he snapped. "You can't be serious."
"We don't know where they are currently and won't until one of them answers their Gummiphone," said Isa, trying to remain cool and rational. "Having even more people running around without a plan or direction would be pointless and only runs the risk of more problems. His note says that he will contact us, most likely by the end of the week at a minimum. If he does not return by then, we shall have enough information to act. We'll know where to find Lea and Kairi by then."
Setting down the note, Xion said, "It doesn't seem right. Can't we do anything other than wait?"
"You can do what Lea said and finish this final week. All you need to do is get through four more days," he said, sounding much calmer than he felt. "I will finish up any projects at the Old Mansion that can't wait and then stock up on supplies that might be needed if it does become necessary to go after them."
Roxas shot him a look, a sharp response on his tongue. Probably remembering Saïx being unconcerned about Xion not returning from a mission for a few days pursuing a stealthy Heartless around Twilight Town. But he bit back the words and looked guilty for even thinking whatever it was. Not that Isa could blame him.
"I'm upset and worried about Lea and Kairi as well," he continued. "But there is nothing more that we can do at the moment. And do not underestimate them. This would not be Lea's first time hunting down targets across different world and they are both capable of defending themselves."
Smiling faintly, Xion said, "You're right. Axel's tough."
"Four days," muttered Roxas, flopping on the couch in frustration. "He better call us before then."
"Agreed," said Isa. "None of us appreciate him disappearing like that. And we will ensure that he understands that when we see him again."
Especially after recent events revealed that he'd spent months ignoring his own wellbeing. He'd improved since that night where everything crumbled apart, but none of them forgot. Lea trapped in a nightmare, wreathed in flames. Seeing the scars on his body, both expected and unexpected. Finding out how often him pitted himself against Heartless on countless worlds without anyone knowing where he was. It was enough to leave his friends a little worried about him when he decided to run off without warning.
But Isa knew that he needed to be rational about it. Just like he told the Keyblade wielders, Lea was capable of taking care of himself and Kairi was not completely helpless. In all likelihood, they would be fine and could easily return before the end of the week.
Someone had to be the reasonable and rational one, keeping everything under control and to work out a plan. He couldn't afford to let his worry, frustration, and anger control him. They couldn't be impulsive about it.
"You know," said Roxas, crossing his arms as he glared up at the ceiling, "this is all Riku's fault. If he didn't disappear, then Axel and Kairi wouldn't have gone after him."
Peering down at him, Xion said, "You just want an excuse to fight him again, don't you?"
"I don't need an excuse to fight him. Just a reason to use a Keyblade instead of a Struggle bat."
"I would appreciate it if you would minimize the bloodshed of our allies, Roxas," said Isa. "If either of you have homework, I recommend working on it now. I will begin preparations for dinner."
That's what they needed. A practical and sensible course of action. And a little normality. It gave them something to focus on.
Besides, Isa needed to finish their meal before moonrise. Once the full moon was in the sky, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything except its pale light and the magic under his skin that it pulled towards the surface.
Vanitas woke with a start, snarling and swinging his Keyblade as he surged to his feet. But the weapon passed through an empty space. Joshua was not where he was when Vanitas passed out.
Nor was Vanitas.
He looked around, his head jerking sharply as he took in his new surroundings. Bright, empty, and white. A perfect void. And not even a dark void where it might not be too bad for him. Vanitas didn't trust it at all. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. It left him trapped and exposed.
He shouldn't have trusted Joshua. He should have fought his way out immediately instead.
"Where… where am I?"
His head snapped around at the tired voice. Slowly sitting up from where he lay sprawled on the ground, despite the fact that Vanitas was certain that he'd looked there a moment ago and saw no one, was Sora. Rubbing his eyes and looking surprisingly solid for someone who was recently a collection of broken shards of a shattered heart. Crouching next to him, his hand on Sora's shoulder, was Joshua.
Okay, apparently letting the blond boy help did work. Vanitas still didn't trust him.
"Apparently whoever wove enchantments into your clothing for protection never considered the possibility that you might be completely destroyed and reformed," said Joshua off-handedly. "The spells weakened somewhat in the process, but I can repair that for you. I wouldn't want something to happen to you because I didn't put everything back to the way it was."
Staring at him, Sora said, "Thanks. Um… My name's Sora. Nice to meet you."
Vanitas immediately frowned. He thought that Joshua and Sora already knew each other. And he wasn't the type to forget a friend that easily.
"Hello, Sora," he said. "You can call me 'Joshua.' And congratulations on being mostly dead."
"What?"
Banishing his Keyblade and crossing his arms, Vanitas snarked, "That's what happens when you're an idiot and shatter your heart. Guess you picked up some bad habits from Ventus."
Sora turned his head and stiffened when he spotted the black-haired boy. He pushed himself to his feet, but didn't summon his Keyblade yet. He was holding back for the moment. The last time that Sora saw him was in the Keyblade Graveyard and it was Vanitas's past self. A little caution was understandable, even with Sora's final words to him.
"Vanitas?" he asked carefully.
Tilting his head slightly, Joshua said teasingly, "I guess you two aren't friends then."
Sora frowned at his words. Vanitas was more direct.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
Holding up a hand, Joshua said, "Calm down. Both of you. I will get to that in a moment. For now, you should focus on the fact that you're mostly dead. The good news is that I can do something about that little problem. Unfortunately, I can't."
"What?" asked Sora, relaxing out of his combative stance as confusion won out.
"I'm afraid that it is complicated. We owe you, but I am already in hot water with some of the others and can't risk solving all of your problems. There are rules and I can only bend them so far, even if I do like you." Smirking faintly, he said, "But there is a way to give you a chance to earn back your life. I know that you can't remember me, but do you remember hearing about the Reapers' Game?"
"Yes," he said quickly. "During my Mark of Mastery exam. When I was in Traverse Town, I remember hearing it from…" Sora frowned, his confusion deepening. "I heard it from… Why don't I remember?"
"What did you do to his memories?" snapped Vanitas.
Nodding in approval, Joshua said, "Bravo. Though I mean no harm. You see, if you play the Reapers' Game for seven days, you can win back your life. But there are a few conditions. First, in order to play, you have to pay an entrance fee. You'll get it back at the end, but you still have to pay that fee."
"And the cost was some of my memories?" asked Sora.
"It is whatever you value most. And what you care about most are your friends. You already severed the connections to your heart before you destroyed yourself and my power isn't quite strong enough to reach out to other worlds to collect them, so that leaves only the memories of your friends," he said. "You remember everything else in your life and even what those friends did in the past, but you won't remember them specifically. Not until the Game is over."
Vanitas watched the emotions dance across Sora's face. Confusion, unease, desperation, realization, and finally sorrow and grief as his frantic attempts to remember any of his friends clearly ended in failure. Joshua knew exactly what to take. There was nothing that Sora cared about more than his friends.
"I can give you a better chance of winning. Easier missions. But I can't allow the other Players in this round because their Souls are in need of refinement and tempering. They need the challenges and hardship in a way that you do not," said Joshua. "And there lies the issue. The Reapers' Game is not one that you can play alone, Sora. You need a partner."
Glaring at him, Vanitas growled, "Which is why you want to stick me in your stupid game. Forget it. I have better things to do and I'm not taking orders from some cocky brat with dumb hair."
"You're right. I can't make you participate, Vanitas," he said, flicking his hair back with his hand. "And unlike Sora, you're closer to being alive than dead. I would be pressing my luck even pulling you into the Game as it is. If you don't want to play, you do not have to. You can walk away right now. I can't stop you."
"Good," he said suspiciously, not trusting him.
"But Sora cannot win back his life alone," said Joshua calmly. "He needs a partner or he will be Erased very quickly."
"Wait, if Vanitas doesn't want to be my partner," said Sora, "maybe you could be my partner instead? Since you know me and I don't remember you, that means we're friends. Right, Joshua?"
Chuckling quietly and shaking his head slowly, he said, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm currently doing multiple jobs and trying to keep several other powerful being from accusing me of causing more problems. Participating in the Reapers' Game as a Player would be seen as suspicious and trouble would immediately fall on my head." Joshua looked away with an almost wistful expression. "Besides, I already have a partner. And even if he last saw me in a dream and won't see me again, no one can take his place."
"I understand," said Sora, smiling gently. "He's your friend. And you can't just replace someone like that. I couldn't replace…"
His voice trailed off as his expression fell. Unable to remember and hurting from that loss.
"I don't know if he would truly consider me a friend. Not outside of a dream. I am not exactly someone made for friendship and despite what he might claim, I doubt that he would want to see me again after everything that happened."
"You never know unless you reach out. Friends forgive each other. Talk to him in real life. You might be surprised, Joshua."
Rolling his eyes, Vanitas said, "Fine. I'll be your partner, Sora. Just drop the friendship speeches already." He glared towards the blond boy. "And what exactly am I giving up for this stupid game of yours."
"What you value most," said Joshua evenly. "Something that you have barely regained. By staying here, you are surrendering your freedom. For the next seven days, you are trapped in Shibuya doing exactly what you are told to do." Stepping closer to Vanitas, he said, "You'll get your freedom back when it is over. And I'll try to come up with a suitable prize since you're not competing for your life. I just need to adjust your vibe to keep you solely in the UG and we should be ready to get things started."
Vanitas opened his mouth to demand an explanation. But Joshua's hand shot out towards him. And despite his attempt to duck out of reach, the blond boy flicked his forehead again and sent him plunging back into unconsciousness.
A bit of a shorter chapter, I'll admit. But we finally got to see Sora again, even if he's still mostly dead. And we got to see a few other characters. That's good. Hopefully you are having a good time with this.