Vanitas grunts as his face hits the hot sand and hisses as his arm is wrenched up behind his back so high that he can feel his shoulder beginning to dislocate.
‘Never talk back to me, boy.’ He can hear the old man’s words stab against his ear. ‘And look at me when I’m talking to you.’
Vanitas is thrown down again into the sand, and he does his best to open his eyes against the boiling hot grains to follow the command and look up. Master Xehanort stands over him, an unimpressed expression twisted on his face.
‘Yes, Master.’ Vanitas hardly gets out in a whisper, struggling to push himself up.
There are about a dozen or so Unversed milling about around them, posing no threat and simply idling as their master stands. Vanitas stumbles a few paces before forcing his body to walk normally, to show no weakness as he approaches an unsuspecting Hareraiser.
The small Unversed innocently looks up as Vanitas summons his keyblade.
‘Kill it.’ Xehanort urges.
Vanitas grips his keyblade tighter, his body tensing in anticipation of pain as he swings his weapon down, killing the Unversed instantly. It disappears into a puff of dark smoke, the fumes causing Vanitas’s heart to spasm with pain and his breath to hitch as the creature’s essence flows back into his body.
This feels wrong. His creations are manifestations of his most intense emotions, merely a reflection of his own thoughts and feelings. If left to their own devices, they are harmless. They sooth Vanitas’s jagged heart and offer release when pushed to his most emotional limits.
With them, he can breathe easier, let go of overwhelming emotions and simply live.
And yet, Xehanort orders that they must be destroyed. He says that pain is the best teacher, and encourages for Vanitas’s dark emotions to be recycled back into his heart over and over again. The feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, resentment, and loneliness are never released, and they fester inside of Vanitas like an irritated open wound with each passing day.
It’s painful. It hurts. More than any other punishment Xehanort can inflict upon him.
Please… Anything but this…
Vanitas snaps awake in a rush, his heart pounding in his ribcage and vision darting every which way. He finds himself in his room, the glow of early sunrise subdued through the softly fluttering window curtains.
He groans and sits up in bed, placing a hand to his forehead.
A nightmare… The first one he’s had since he came to live with Sora and Suzume.
He looks at the clock, seeing that it’s barely eight in the morning.
With a huff, Vanitas gets dressed and makes his way to the bathroom. The familiar sound of Sora’s snoring across the hall offers some comfort as he grabs a small plastic cup from the medicine cabinet. He rubs at his neck absentmindedly as he fills the cup with water, noticing that his throat is feeling incredibly dry and painful.
As Vanitas takes a sip of water, his throat spasms and he coughs, spitting the liquid back out into the sink.
‘Great…’ He mumbles to himself, frustrated at the familiar feeling of his throat closing up. ‘Nice to know some things never change.’
This always happens after traumatic nightmares; he can hardly eat or drink anything for the rest of the day, sometimes even longer. There were many days living under Master Xehanort where anxiety and stress got the better of Vanitas, and his own body would end up starving itself more than the old man ever could. Not that Xehanort ever particularly cared. Not when the Unversed were already keeping his precious apprentice alive through the collection of negative emotions.
With a bitter scowl, Vanitas focuses on his jagged heart, willing the anxious feeling bubbling there to disperse as he tosses the cup in the trash with more force than necessary. He heads down the stairs, tilting his head when he hears Suzume milling about in the kitchen. She brightens up at the sight of him.
‘Ah, good morning Vanitas.’ Suzume greets. She’s in the middle of mixing some batter in a bowl.
‘Making breakfast?’ He asks with a dark eyebrow raised.
Normally she doesn’t have the time in the mornings, and he and Sora are left to their own devices. Though she always makes it a point to have something ready for them for lunch and dinner.
‘Yup! I have some free time this morning, so I thought I’d make you boys something.’ Suzume hums. ‘Todays a big day after all, your first training session with Master Riku.’ She says his name in a soft, proud tone, giving Vanitas pause. Sometimes he forgets that she’s known Riku practically his entire life, since their two families are neighbors from across the street.
‘It’s not that serious.’ He shrugs and sits at the kitchen table, taking out his Gummi Phone from his back pocket. He’s unsurprised to see a text from Riku asking to let him know once he and Sora are awake.
Now that Vanitas and Sora have been growing closer, Riku has started reaching out to Vanitas more often. Sometimes Vanitas would indulge him, and they’d banter back and forth for a while until he got bored. There was only so much of his attention that he could give to a screen, after all. But when Riku mentioned that since Vanitas was mostly healed, he should join Sora’s training for the Mark of Mastery Exam, the dark-haired teen was definitely intrigued.
After the spiel he got from Yen Sid, he had thought he would be more monitored by the Masters for any suspicious activity. But no one had done anything of the sort, or at least not anything that his Unversed were able to pick up. Then again, Sora and Riku are best friends, so it wouldn’t be surprising that Sora himself was their main resource for keeping tabs on Vanitas.
‘Well still,’ Suzume catches his attention, eyeing him from over her shoulder. ‘It sounds like it’s an important step, and I’m happy for you.’ Her earnest tone causes Vanitas to look away. ‘Be sure to bring a jacket, it gets cold on that island in the morning. Also make sure to tell Riku if you need a break. I don’t want you overworking yourself.’
Her fussing causes Vanitas to retreat further and further inward. He’s never taken it well, having someone worry about him. Thankfully, she stops it there, giving him room to breathe.
‘I’ll tell him.’ He hums and decides to text Riku that Sora is still sleeping.
He gets a response not even a minute later, stating that Riku has already headed to the play island to do some warmups on his own.
“You can come and join me if you want until Sora wakes up.”
The offer is surprising in and of itself. He and Riku have seen each other quite a few times now whenever Sora invites him over to the house after training. But they’ve never been alone together just the two of them, and the offer is just that much out of left field that Vanitas struggles with a response.
His thoughts are turned away from his phone when Suzume sets a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him. The smell is intoxicating, and Vanitas has a hard time looking away as she puts a glass of juice down as well.
‘Thanks.’ He says, causing her to smile and ruffle his black locks. He doesn’t flinch anymore at her touch.
‘It’s no trouble at all.’ She smiles before turning back to her cooking.
Vanitas stares at the food for a few minutes, his stomach and throat not agreeing in the slightest. He braves taking a small bite of the toast, but immediately spits it out into a napkin as he feels the food form a painful lump in his throat. The juice is no better, though he forces himself to stubbornly swallow the liquid.
His phone lights up subtly on the table, reminding him that he has an unanswered message, and Vanitas huffs and texts Riku back, stating that he will be there soon.
‘I’m going out now.’ Vanitas stands up and pushes in his chair.
Suzume turns and raises an eyebrow.
‘You’re not going to wait for Sora?’
‘Nah. It’s the idiot’s fault if he misses training to get more beauty sleep.’ He smirks, looking up at the ceiling towards Sora’s room. It’s faint, but his twin’s snoring has gone uninterrupted.
‘What about your breakfast?’ Suzume asks. Her gentle tone causes him to look at her. She’s always been good about making sure his boundaries with food are respected, but that doesn’t mean she won’t push for him to eat more whenever she can.
‘I’m not hungry.’
Suzume places a hand on her hip, a knowing look in her eye.
‘Nervous?’
Vanitas scoffs and leaves the kitchen to head out the door.
‘Me? Never.’
Riku is practicing forms on the beach when Vanitas arrives via a dark portal onto the paopu tree islet. He pauses, letting his body adjust to the darkness as the portal disappears behind him. He’s only recently felt healed enough to comfortably use them again. Normally, he would just unhelpfully watch Sora row his little excuse for a boat to the island, but today he had to do without as the idiot was still in dreamland.
Vanitas casually strolls across the wooden bridge, watching Riku with some interest and realizing that he’s never actually seen the older boy fight before.
Riku looks so controlled as he moves between different poses and stretches, the discipline needed for a master showing through with each movement me makes. His battle stance, however, causes Vanitas to furrow his brows, not sure whether to be annoyed or confused.
Why does it look the exact same as his own? What, has Riku been copying him or something?
He makes it to the middle of the bridge, intent on jumping down into the soft sand, when he abruptly stops, a ghost of a golden-haired boy catching the corner of his eye.
That’s right. Vanitas has been here before, in this exact spot.
So much has changed since then. He doubted Ventus would even recognize him. He hardly even recognizes himself nowadays.
‘Good morning.’ A call from down below nearly causes Vanitas to flinch, and his brown gaze flickers to Riku. Something in his face must have given away his inner thoughts, as one of Riku’s silver eyebrows rises. ‘You alright?’
Vanitas doesn’t bother with a greeting as he continues with his original prerogative of jumping down onto the beach. The sand ruffles underneath his feet and the bright morning sunlight is nearly blinding as he makes a beeline for the other boy.
‘Why is your stance like that?’ He asks, curiosity weighing heavier than manners.
‘Like what?’ Riku raises a silver eyebrow.
Vanitas summons his own keyblade and holds it over his head.
‘This. It’s mine. Why are you using it?’
Riku looks Vanitas over, his expression puzzled, before he too raises his keyblade. The two of them stand like that, perfect mirrors of each other, before Riku replies.
‘I didn’t always have it. Not until I started using the power of darkness.’ He says, studying Vanitas with a critical eye. ‘Come to think of it, I did hear from Sora that your outfit in the Keyblade Graveyard looked a lot like mine from back then.’
Vanitas gives him an odd look and lowers his weapon.
‘Like that kid from the Organization? The one who looked like you?’
Riku dismisses his blade and stands up straight.
‘You talked to him?’ He asks, sounding surprised.
‘No.’ Vanitas huffs and also dismisses his keyblade in favor of crossing his arms. ‘There’s wasn’t exactly much of a chance to make nice with anyone when I was always forced to be at the old man’s side.’
‘… Right.’ Riku says, his voice soft as if he’s not sure what else to say to that.
‘But I saw him, and I get what you mean.’ Vanitas says as he shoves his hands in his pockets. He walks past Riku in favor of setting up to do a few warmups of his own.
As he follows through the forms that Xehanort taught him to know by heart, he can feel Riku’s eyes on him.
‘That suit came to me after someone gave me the power to control the Heartless.’ Riku says, ignoring Vanitas’s incredulous look. ‘I remember it being difficult to summon the first time, but after that, Ansem… Or, Xehanort’s Heartless, possessed my body and I took to wearing it like a second skin.’ He hums, his eyes far away in memories. ‘In that way, the suit was never mine. It was probably more like an extension of him than anything else.’
Vanitas is quiet, absorbing information. He’d met Ansem a few times. He was a very cocky guy, never missing a chance to belittle Vanitas or downright discipline him if the need arose. He was Xehanort himself, and Vanitas is convinced that the two of them plus Xemnas had to share the same brain or something. They were always so in sync, sometimes never needing to talk to understand each other.
So why would Xehanort inherently teach Riku the forms he taught Vanitas, and provide a suit that practically matched his apprentice down to the very last detail?
The answer hits Vanitas like a slap across the face.
He turns to Riku suddenly, as if looking at him for the first time.
‘… You were my replacement.’
Riku blinks.
‘What?’
‘Are you deaf? I said he was going to make you my replacement.’ Vanitas says without any sugarcoating. ‘It’s the only thing that makes sense.’
Riku pauses, digesting the words and their meaning.
‘Care to elaborate?’ He eventually asks.
‘The old man always wanted an apprentice. Someone to keep under his thumb and mold into the perfect dark vessel. The body he ended up stealing was Terra’s, but his fighting style was more suited towards the light, and Xehanort wasn’t satisfied with that.’ Vanitas furrows his brow in anger. ‘It was supposed to be me. That’s part of the reason why he separated Ventus and me in the first place. He was banking on taking over my body once I took control of Ventus’s heart and formed the X-blade.’ He then looks at Riku seriously. ‘But normal people don’t have hearts of pure darkness. Unlike the princesses, they have to be specifically created either through splitting a heart in two or by filling the victim with so much darkness that they have no sense of self anymore.’
Vanitas is silent for a few minutes, letting what he is implying go through Riku’s head. When the other boy finally understands, he presses his lips together in a grim line, the horror of what might have happened coming to the front of his mind.
‘If you really were supposed to replace me, then you are very lucky to be alive.’
Vanitas turns away from Riku, letting the other boy stew in his thoughts. He can feel the anger and determination coming off of Riku in waves, along with the telltale tiniest hint of fear.
‘I know that already.’ Riku says, and the resolve in his tone and determination in his eyes catches Vanitas’s attention. ‘I-‘
He’s cut off though as the sudden sound of a Gummi Phone rings. The two boys check their pockets, and Vanitas is baffled to find that Sora has taken to calling him instead of Riku.
‘What do you want?’ Vanitas answers, an annoyed expression on his face at being interrupted. It wasn’t often that Vanitas got to have dark conversations like this, as Sora and Suzume preferred to talk about lighter, more wholesome topics.
Riku is interesting to talk to, even with his unknown knowledge of how to push Vanitas’s buttons, and he is surprised to find that he wouldn’t mind chatting together again, just the two of them.
‘How could you leave without me?!’ Sora asks with an incredulous look on his face, his voice loud through the phone. ‘You could have at least woken me up.’
‘Snooze you lose, bother.’ Vanitas shoves the phone over in Riku’s direction when the older boy comes closer. ‘Riku and I were having a good time without you.’
‘You were?’ Sora asks, and Vanitas can perfectly envision his perplexed look.
‘We were just talking.’ Riku explains dismissively, taking the phone. ‘When are you getting here anyway, sleepyhead?’
‘Very funny.’ Sora yawns. ‘I was up late last night, okay? Kairi called, and we lost track of time.’
Vanitas rolls his eyes in response as he continues with his warmups. He’s never met Kairi personally, but he’s pieced together enough about her through context clues to know that she’s Sora’s friend who went to train under Aqua in the Land of the Departure.
From the way Sora describes her even Vanitas can tell that the two of them share something special. That and the fact that they talk for hours on the phone every night to the point of being obnoxious.
Vanitas tunes out the rest of the conversation between Riku and Sora, before a particular comment from his brother catches his attention.
‘I’m bringing lunch, plus an extra helping for Vanitas. Mom told me that he didn’t eat breakfast.’ The last part is whispered, but Vanitas still snarls in response.
‘I’m. Not. Hungry.’
‘Like I’d buy that.’ Sora says, unimpressed. ‘Anyway, see you guys soon!’
A beeping noise comes from the Gummi Phone, signaling that the call has ended.
Riku hands Vanitas his phone back with a chuckle, immune to the death glare he receives in return.
Training passes by uneventfully for the day. Riku had mentioned at the beginning that it was more for learning Vanitas’s fighting style and limitations as he grew accustomed to training again. Vanitas himself thought that Riku’s soft style of teaching was a waste of time. He’s been through much worse with Xehanort’s fast paced ‘learn quick or die’ method of teaching, and had managed to come out of it just fine.
Riku was stubborn in his own ways however, which Vanitas begrudgingly found out very quickly, and Vanitas was left with not much else to do but suck it up for now. At least he was able to spar and fight to his utmost ability here, rather than sneak around at night to practice on his own.
His renewing sense of wielding does nothing to reduce the annoying scratchy sensation in his throat or the anxiety pressing heavily in his heart, however. So, by the time lunch rolls around, the pattern of his inability to eat unfortunately repeats itself.
‘Vanitas, c’mon, eat something.’ Sora urges, worry showing on his face. The three of them have made their way over to the deck area at the far-left side of the island, and had just sat down for a lunch break when Vanitas refused to eat anything.
‘I can’t right now.’ Vanitas shrugs in response as he flips through a book.
Riku had passed along a few tomes that Mickey had thought might be helpful for studying up on the mechanics of the Mark of Mastery Exam. Vanitas himself wasn’t bothered about the test one way or the other, but one spell book in particular had caught his eye. He’s never been good at magic other than those with an affinity for darkness, and being able to use something as simple as a cure was sadly very far out of his league. So, he snatched it up almost immediately. Sora had obviously gotten to it before he did, though, as there were several sticky notes and dog-eared pages inside.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Riku tilts his head in question.
‘What I just said.’ Vanitas says nonchalantly while flipping a page. ‘I’ll eat later.’
He doesn’t have to use his eyes to know that Sora and Riku give each other a look of concern.
The day eventually winds down as the sun dips into a golden glow in the sky. Riku praises the two of them for their hard work and mentions that Vanitas is welcome to join them on a more permanent basis if he wants. He mentions that sometimes they will go off world for different training sessions or meet up with Master Yen Sid or Mickey for additional lessons, too, and Vanitas would be lying if he said the thought of leaving this world wasn’t intriguing. Sora had told him of the endless amounts of worlds he’s been to on his journeys, and Vanitas’s own small travel experiences pales in comparison.
‘I’ll think about it.’ Vanitas says as they turn a corner onto their street. There are a few more cars than usual in the dirt parking lot by the house, a telltale sign that Suzume is teaching her afternoon class.
The sight causes something in him to ease. It’s small things like these he’s noticed since coming to live with her and Sora. Just everyday things about the two of them that he can now understand with a mere glance. He often wonders sometimes if they notice similar small things about him.
He knows that Sora at least has somehow seemed to have picked up on a few things, as one look at Vanitas and Riku has him walking ahead of their group.
‘I’ll head inside first. Bye Riku! See you tomorrow!’
‘See you, Sora.’ Riku calls back, before turning to Vanitas as they reach the front gate.
When he doesn’t immediately turn away to cross the street back to his own house, Vanitas pauses and looks back at Riku.
‘Hey, so… thanks. For what you said earlier.’ Riku starts, before a complicated expression overcomes his face. ‘Back then, I had no idea what Ansem wanted from me. I could have guessed a vessel but, the way you put it. It made a lot of sense, and I feel like, I might have gotten a bit of closure from it today.’
Vanitas shrugs and crosses his arms.
‘I only said the truth.’
Riku lets out a breath, a small smile coming over his face.
‘Still, I appreciate it.’ He says before finally turning away to cross the road. ‘Don’t be a stranger, Vanitas.’
A non-committal noise is all that Vanitas can manage in that moment as he watches the older boy walk away.
‘Vanitas, this is worrying me. You never go this long without eating something.’ Suzume says later once dinner has been served. Vanitas once again tried to excuse himself, but she was quick to place a hand to his forehead, trapping him in his seat. ‘Are you sick?’ She feels his cheeks with the back of her hand, tutting when there is no evidence of a fever.
‘It’s nothing.’ He says, pulling away from her. ‘I just can’t eat right now. It’ll go away.’
Suzume pauses, lowering her hand as her face twists deeper with concern.
‘You sound like this happens all the time.’
‘It does.’ Vanitas says and stands up.
‘Are you serious?’ Sora also stands up, both his and Suzume’s body language insinuating that they will not let this topic go anytime soon.
‘Tell us more about it, won’t you?’ Suzume asks, her tone gentle.
Vanitas sighs and looks up at the ceiling.
‘There’s nothing to tell.’ He says, exasperated. ‘Sometimes my throat closes up and I can’t eat anything. It’s usually gone by the next day.’
Sora looks to Suzume as if for guidance, but she has her eyes locked on Vanitas, her fist under her chin and a furrow settled on her brow as if she’s trying to decipher a puzzle.
‘What causes it?’
‘Bad dreams? Anxiety? How should I know.’ Vanitas looks away, not exactly thrilled to be opening up and having this conversation in the first place, but is unable to say no when the two of them are ganged up against him like this.
Suzume is silent for a minute or two, a tense feeling of apprehension settling over Vanitas as he waits for her to speak. He’s about one second away from leaving the room altogether when she stands up a bit straighter and lets out a breath.
‘I’m taking you to the doctor tomorrow.’ She says, her tone holding no room for argument when Vanitas looks ready to protest. ‘This isn’t normal. Vanitas, you’re already so thin, you need to be eating more not less.’
‘I know that.’ Vanitas growls, his arms crossing over his stomach as if to hide from her. ‘I’m fine.’
Suzume only sighs, her expression weary. They’ve had this conversation too many times to count at this point.
Sora, who had been looking between the two of them, chooses that moment to elbow Vanitas, ignoring the glare he receives in return.
‘Hey, maybe we should head back to see Ienzo and the guys at Radiant Garden. Maybe they could help.’
Vanitas glare only intensifies at this suggestion, while Suzume looks to Sora in confusion.
‘What?’
Sora looks to Vanitas, the two of them having a conversation with their eyes alone before Sora sighs and spills the beans.
‘Vanitas had a checkup there when we left the day after he came here. They did a lot of tests, and actually wanted to see you about something.’ Sora says, looking earnest while Vanitas appears as if he wants to bury him alive.
They still haven’t told her about what the scientists had found last time, but right now seemed as good a time as any to bring it up.
‘Me? What for?’
‘Vanitas can tell you.’ Sora nods to his brother. ‘Or what? Do you want to go to a regular doctor here?’
‘…No.’ Vanitas would actually rather drop dead.
‘Then it’s settled, right?’ Sora smiles, ignoring his twin’s glare. ‘We can all fly out tomorrow!’
The three of them head off to Radiant Garden bright and early the next morning. Vanitas, true to his word, felt the uncomfortable sensation in his throat disappear by the time he woke up for breakfast. Even so, Suzume ensured that he ate more than normal to account for his missed meals the day prior.
Her efforts were commendable, but left Vanitas feeling like an overstuffed Large Body as he lazily watches Sora point out different constellations to Suzume along their journey. She had been visibly entranced by the ship, and probably would have spent all day poking and prodding at the different buttons were they not on any time schedule.
Something in the back of his mind told him Sora probably got his amazement and wonder of the worlds from her, as he could clearly imagine his brother doing the same thing when he first boarded the ship.
Somehow, that thought is a bit sweet, but also bitter as he wrestles with what their trip today could have in store.
The scientists of Radiant Garden are expecting their arrival, and Ienzo meets them all outside of the castle. After proper introductions are made, he immediately begins discussing their findings from Vanitas’s last visit with Suzume.
‘So, if you see from the scan I have here, this area of the heart is rather concerning.’ He holds up an X-ray photo that is attached to his clipboard.
Suzume hums, looking it over with a critical eye.
‘He was saying his heart was bothering him. Is this something that can be treated with medication? Or physical therapy?’ She asks.
‘Well, we are still determining the specifics, but with our most recent discovery, I’m confident that…’
Vanitas grits his teeth, his nails digging into his crossed arms as he watches them discuss his health as if he’s not there.
‘Hey!’ He shouts when he can take no more. ‘Feeling a little left out here. Shouldn’t you be talking to me about my own heart?’ He all but snarls.
Ienzo looks taken aback before smoothing over his expression with a nod.
‘Yes, of course.’ He says, ushering them all to follow him inside. ‘I suppose I am getting ahead of myself. We have something to share with all of you.’
Even is waiting for them in one of the labs, clacking away on a computer. He barely looks up when they all enter, but he does turn on a projector, showcasing the scans of both Vanitas and Sora’s hearts on the screen across from the computer.
‘So, we have done more research regarding our last findings.’ Ienzo states. ‘From what Vanitas and Sora have told us, there should be no physical reason why they both share DNA, let alone that of twin siblings.’ At his words, Suzume blinks with shock and looks at the two boys. Sora has the decency to look sheepish, while Vanitas has his gaze locked on the screen. ‘We have researched further into this topic using resources provided by the wizard Merlin and Master Yen Sid, and I believe we have found the cause.’
Ienzo nods to Even, who changes the image on the screen to a diagram that appears to have been taken straight out of a book.
Vanitas stares at it, his brow furrowing as he tries to decipher the words underneath the diagram, but it all appears to be chicken scratch. Some sort of old language that he wouldn’t even begin to know how to read. One look at Sora reveals that he is also thinking the same thing, as his blue eyes stare a hole at the diagram, trying to decipher its secrets.
‘It’s a phenomenon among keyblade wielders called ‘Twins of the Heart’.’ Ienzo explains, ‘Two keyblade wielders who are born at the exact same time, down to the very second.’ The screen moves once more, showcasing a small collage of pictures, each one having two people who share the same face. Some of them have the same hair color and eyes, while others differ from their counterparts. ‘The two share DNA, along with matching keyblades.’ Even zooms in on one of the images, showing in closer detail the identical keyblades one of the sets of twins has. ‘It’s also been known that they have some sort of otherworldly affinity for the keyblade. Sora and his accomplishments thus far would be a prime example of this.’
Ienzo pauses, gauging that all of them are able to follow along with his explanation, before he flips through his clipboard, nodding in earnest.
‘We’ve looked at an exceeding number of avenues and this is the only explanation that makes sense.’ He says, ‘As you can imagine, however, it is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These three sets of twins are the only ever documented cases of the phenomenon.’
Vanitas for once has nothing to say, no snarky comment to give out. If this were true, Vanitas’s appearance has nothing to do with Ventus. In fact, it’s probably Vanitas’s connection from birth to Sora that even made it possible for Sora and Ventus’s hearts to touch as they had.
The shock of it all, of everything he thought he once knew, has Vanitas in shambles. He and Sora… they are even closer than he could have ever imagined. Somehow, it all made sense. The weird feeling he had when they first met, the connection that only keeps growing stronger with every passing day, his eye and hair color. All of it.
But something Ienzo said doesn’t quite add up.
‘You said they have matching keyblades.’ Vanitas accuses. ‘Then explain this.’ He says, summoning his keyblade to his hand. ‘It looks nothing like Sora’s.’
Vanitas looks to his brother, who takes a second or two to catch on before he also summons his keyblade. Void Gear and Kingdom Key could not be farther apart in concept and design.
‘Was that keyblade born from your heart or was it given to you?’ Even pipes up from behind the computer. Something in his tone suggests he had been expecting this question.
‘It came from my heart.’ Sora nods, looking down at the blade. ‘It was taken from me once but, it always came right back. It’s mine, I’m sure of it.’
The room turns to Vanitas, who has a contemplative look on his face.
‘It was given to me.’ Is all he says.
‘By Xehanort?’ Even presses, and Vanitas shoots him with a glare.
‘What do you think, idiot?’ He snarks.
‘I think that this weapon is not your true keyblade. Thus, our explanation still stands.’
‘Can we please back up a second?’ Suzume chooses that moment to interject. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here, but I would like some clarification, if you don’t mind.’
‘Of course-‘ Ienzo starts but Suzume holds up a hand.
‘From them, please.’ She says, her gaze locked on the two brothers. ‘Sora. Vanitas. Why haven’t I heard any of this until now?’
‘Uh…’ Sora scratches the back of his head sheepishly. ‘Well, um, Vanitas didn’t really take it that well when we first found out.’
Suzume’s eyes widen with realization, putting the pieces together about their fight. She turns to Vanitas, and he shrugs.
‘I got over it. We’re twin brothers. It’s not a big deal.’
‘Not a big deal to whom? I would have liked to have known this information.’ She crosses her arms, appearing disappointed in the both of them. ‘I am guessing that is why I was asked to come here?’ She looks to the scientists.
‘Yes, we would like to test the blood line, to prove our theory correct. If you would be so kind.’ Even says.
Suzume looks back to Sora and Vanitas one last time before she agrees without protest.
‘Of course. Tell me what you would need me to do.’
Sora and Vanitas are made to wait while Suzume undergoes her scan. Vanitas fidgets in his seat all the while as they wait for the results.
If he and Suzume share DNA, what would change between them? Would she expect him to call her his mother? Sora is already infinitely happy whenever Vanitas calls him his brother, even in an insulting way. Would she be just as happy? Would he even have the courage to say it?
And what happens if they don’t share that connection? Would she be disappointed?
Would he… would he have to leave?
The thoughts spiral in his head, his leg bouncing with anxious energy. It feels like an eternity has passed when Suzume finally comes to join them, looking just as thoughtful as Vanitas.
Still, she offers Vanitas a smile as usual and takes a seat beside him so that he is placed in between her and Sora.
‘That was fast.’ Sora comments. ‘I swear it took way longer last time for me and Vanitas.’
‘I’m sure your scans were more in depth. Mine was only a simple procedure according to Ienzo.’ Suzume hums, her eyes shifting from Sora to Vanitas.
He doesn’t catch her eye, instead keeping his gaze at the floor. Unversed are itching to escape his tense form and offer some relief from the anxiety building up underneath.
The wait for the results is long and strained, and it takes every ounce of his concentration not to unleash his festering emotions. But when Ienzo and Even finally come to join them in the waiting room, Vanitas can already tell the outcome of the test just by the relief and contentedness he can sense in their hearts.
‘Our hypothesis has been proven correct.’ Even states, handing a copy of the scans to Suzume. ‘Both you and Vanitas share DNA, that of biological mother and son.’
Suzume looks over the papers with interest as Sora jumps up from his seat.
‘Really? That’s great!’ He cheers, a great big smile plastered on his face.
‘Yes, and what I would suggest now would be to add Vanitas to your family registry through your local town hall.’ Ienzo says, ‘We can start the process of forging medical records and a birth certificate to be used in your world that would make the adoption process easier for you.’
‘Yes, thank you. I think that would be most helpful.’ Suzume hums. ‘Looks like there’s a lot of paperwork in my future.’ She says, her tone light with a small chuckle, causing the adults to nod in kind, more than likely understanding the feeling.
‘So hey, back to that matching keyblade thing.’ Sora grabs Ienzo and Even’s attention. ‘I had a thought about it. So…’
Sora’s words wash through Vanitas’s ears like the tide, too many emotions filling him to the brim. He feels relieved that the test came back positive, worried about what the future will bring, and scared that if, should he let his guard down, all of this may become just too real. If it does, it could be ripped away from him. He’s had too many things taken away in his life to know that nothing is set in stone. If he grows any closer to Suzume and Sora, what happens if something comes along and takes them away?
He wouldn’t be able to handle it.
‘Vanitas?’ Suzume calls, moving to place a hand on his shoulder, but he dodges her touch and stands up.
‘I’m going for a walk.’ Is all he says in response before quickly leaving the lab, ignoring the calls of his name.
He needs to leave, get away and think about this. The Unversed underneath his skin are raging to get out, pulling painfully at him as he hurriedly heads out the back entrance to the castle. There is a lone courtyard full of wildflowers and he barely makes it to the center of the field before collapsing onto his knees.
The smell of a thousand flowers should be pleasant but all it does is irritate his already sensitive nose, and before Vanitas can truly comprehend his actions his stomach is emptying itself onto the ground. He chokes and spits out black tar directly from his heart, unable to watch through clenched eyelids as the sludge shutters and forms into Unversed.
Several different types of creatures emerge from the tar as Vanitas continues to dry heave onto the ground. All of them form a loose circle around their master but do nothing more than idle harmlessly nearby. Their eyes are a slate gray, giving away the anxious emotion that created them.
Vanitas clenches his fingers into the dirt, focusing on breathing as the worst of it passes. It’s been a very long time since he’s felt an emotion so strongly that his body felt the need to vomit, and it takes him several minutes to stop shaking.
Before he can fully regain his sense of composure, however, a soft hand lands on his shoulder. He flinches so hard that he rips away from whoever is behind him to stare up at them with wild eyes.
Suzume has a gentle look about her face, her hand still hovering in the air.
‘Are you alright, Vanitas?’
‘Tch. What do you think?’ He turns away from her with a sneer, reacting in the only way that feels natural, by pushing her away.
Suzume is silent for a moment, contemplative.
‘Nothing needs to change between us if you don’t want it to.’
For some reason her gentle tone angers him and he scoffs.
‘And what would change? Would you read me stories and tuck me in at night like I’m some child? Newsflash I’m not some sweet little boy. I never have been.’ The words haphazardly tumble out of his mouth much like the vomit he had just thrown up. ‘I’m a monster, Suzume. And I create monsters.’ He angrily gestures to the Unversed around them. ‘I’m nothing but pure darkness, and I’ve hurt people. I’ve even enjoyed it too. I am my master’s apprentice and he taught me to destroy. There’s nothing redeemable about me!’ He finally turns to her, a glare in his eyes. ‘Sora’s already been delusional about all of this. But you don’t have to pretend too. I’m finally healed enough to leave, so you and Sora can go back to being the perfect little family without me.’ Something in those words hurts, but still, he keeps going. ‘I’ve never had a family; I’ve never deserved one. Xehanort made that very clear to me from the start.’
As Vanitas finishes, the air grows heavy around them with silence. Suzume, for her part, doesn’t look grateful for any of this knowledge. Moreover, she looks at him as she always does when she knows something about him that he doesn’t.
It was deeply overwhelming how she could seemingly take a look into his soul like that. But at the same time, it was always relieving, as if someone could finally see the real him, the real Vanitas.
Suzume approaches Vanitas, unbothered by the Unversed skittering around her feet. They let her through without any trouble.
When she holds out a hand towards Vanitas, he hates how he unconsciously flinches, as if she will hit him. She pauses, her eyes looking misty as if he had slapped her instead. But before he can react further, she drops to her knees and hugs her to him tightly.
‘Of course you deserve to have a family.’ Her voice cracks as she smooths a hand through his dark hair. ‘Vanitas, you’re such a good kid. You never get into trouble, you always help around the house and with the bees without being asked, you always take care of Jewel even though you complain about it.’ She chuckles then, and he relaxes some in her hold, ‘You’re so clever, funny, curious, smart, and incredibly special to both me and Sora. And…’
She pulls away from him then and looks him over. He turns his gaze away, afraid to show her any more of himself than she already knows.
‘I already knew, Vanitas.’ Her words cause him to snap his eyes up to meet hers. ‘Maybe not the specifics about twins of the keyblade or whatever they said back there, but I knew we were family from the moment I saw you that day on the beach.’ She pushes a few stray strands of hair away from his face. ‘And I know you are just trying to protect yourself now. Because you feel afraid of us getting any closer. And that’s okay. You can take as much time as you need.’ She smiles at him with that same affectionate look he saw that day back when they were talking about his brown eyes. ‘I already love you very much Vanitas, and you don’t need to question, or worry about that, no matter what you’ve done in the past.’ She rubs a comforting hand against his shoulder. ‘And while I would love for you to one day call me your mother, that doesn’t have to be today, or even at all. Just having you nearby is enough.’ She pauses then, looking around at the Unversed. ‘And, if you truly want to leave, to find yourself, know that I’ll always be with you wherever you go. Sora too. We both care about you so very much.’
Vanitas is at a complete loss for words. He’s never thought anything like this could happen to him. His entire life up until this point has been nothing but misery. The thought of a family, of a mother, was so far out of his reach that he couldn’t even dare to dream of it. There were times, though, when he was allowed to journey to other worlds, where he saw children running to their mothers after school, sleeping to the sound of quiet lullabies, receiving healing kisses on cuts or scrapes, or being swaddled in loving arms.
Vanitas is a being of pure darkness. He was never supposed to want such things. Not after everything he’s done, after everything Xehanort told him. But… Suzume is here, offering it all to him without any strings attached. No ulterior motive: he can sense it by the way her emotions are nothing but genuine.
It’s enough to cause him to shakily fall forward into her waiting arms. He clings to her like a lifeline, burying his face into her shoulder as she kisses his forehead and gently sways the two of them in place. The ugly, anxious emotions that created the Unversed around them are now gone, and the creatures return to his heart with painless puffs of dark smoke. He expects her to startle, perhaps ask something about them, but all she does is quietly shush him and rub his back.
It takes him a long time to realize that there are tears falling from his eyes.
Vanitas doesn’t know how long the two of them sit there on the ground full of wildflowers, before a pair of footsteps find them. He can feel it as Suzume looks up and one of her hands is removed from his back, before there is suddenly a force tackling his side in a hug.
‘Who invited you?’ Vanitas grunts, not having to look up from Suzume’s shoulder to know who has come to join them.
‘What? I’m not invited to the family hug?’ Sora snarks right back, squeezing Vanitas so hard he wheezes.
‘Obviously not. Get your own hug.’
‘You two I swear.’ Suzume chuckles above them, before giving each of her sons a kiss on the forehead. ‘At least now I know why you both fight all the time. Twins, no less. What am I going to do with you?’
‘How about… tacos for dinner?’ Sora jokes.
‘What is it with you and those things?’ Vanitas frowns.
‘You have any better ideas?’
Vanitas thinks for a moment before huffing.
‘Meatloaf, obviously.’
‘You’re weird.’ Sora sputters. ‘Who asks for meatloaf?’
‘Clearly someone who has taste. Unlike you.’
Vanitas can feel Suzume and Sora laugh as he rests his head back against her shoulder, settling further into the embrace of his mother and brother.
The little family of three eventually returns to the castle just as Ienzo is thankfully finished with the forged paperwork for Vanitas. She mentions to the scientist that Vanitas has been having trouble with his eating habits, much to the teen’s chagrin.
‘I thought you’d forgotten about that.’ Vanitas sneers.
‘Of course not, silly. That’s why we came here in the first place.’
Vanitas is left with nothing else to do but reluctantly watch as Ienzo and Suzume discuss how stress and anxiety can cause a person’s throat to close up, and what medicines or at home remedies she could try to help him ease it.
‘They’re doing it again.’ Vanitas complains under his breath. ‘Talking about me as if I’m not even here.’
He is brought out of his grumblings as Sora nudges him.
‘Hey, don’t worry about it. That’s what having a mom is like.’
Vanitas instinctively moves to argue, but pauses, looking at Sora with interest.
‘Really?’
‘Yup!’ Sora brightens. ‘She’s going to take care of you. Whether you like it or not.’ He casually crosses his arms behind his head. ‘Oh! And don’t think about hiding anything from her. I’ve tried. It doesn’t work.’
Vanitas huffs, feeling as if he wants to complain further, but a larger part of himself decides to let it go.
‘Yea… I know.’
Bonus Scene:
‘And this one is… anger. Right?’
‘Not even close. Does that look like red to you?’ Vanitas rolls his eyes. ‘Orange is confidence, idiot.’
‘I’m trying alright.’ Sora protests, leaning more towards the Unversed in his arms to get a better look at their orange hued eyes.
He, Sora, and Suzume had found themselves sitting in the flower field for quite a while after the emotional moment had passed, and naturally questions began to pop up about the Unversed.
Honestly, it seemed like a good a time as any to share one of Vanitas’s most guarded secrets.
‘Oh! This one. It’s surprise.’ Suzume says while looking into the white eyes of a jellyshade.
‘Uh huh.’ Vanitas shifts a little awkwardly, pulling his legs up to rest his chin on them.
‘Alright this one. Definitely disgust.’ Sora pipes up on Vanitas’s other side while staring into the green eyes of an axe flapper.
‘Oh, they’re all so adorable.’ Suzume says while patting a mandrake on the head, causing it to sway happily in place. ‘In their own way.’
‘Yea, they’re so cool. I’m kinda jealous.’ Sora grins as an archraven lands on his shoulder.
Vanitas hums, drawing more inward on himself, and unconsciously allowing another emotion to slip free. Sora catches the resulting hareraiser first, raising a brow.
‘Pink… what’s pink? I don’t remember that one.’
‘I don’t think you’ve said Vanitas.’ Suzume turns to him.
‘It’s uh… frustration.’ Vanitas huffs, not having the strength to share the embarrassment covering his pink cheeks.
Dream Eater Allyphant Creations 
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