Neither Noctis nor Vanitas speak of what had happened last night, merely making up some lame excuse as to why they both seem undoubtedly sleep deprived during breakfast. Gladio, Prompto and Ignis pack their things up rather efficiently without their help anyway, and by early morning they set off to spend their day visiting the outposts of Taelplar Rest Area, Coernix Station, and Cauthess Rest Area.
For lunch, the five settled on a nice, quiet meadow overlooking the Disk of Cauthess. There are wild anaks some distance away, standing tall and watching over the strangers with keen eyes as the wind ripples through the grass and wildflowers all around.
It’s during this peaceful lunch wherein Vanitas hears a strange sound.
‘What’s that?’ Vanitas tilts his small head, unable to decipher the noise.
‘What’s what?’ Gladio asks while taking a bite of his sandwich. He’s looking at his phone, which signals to Vanitas that the Shield can sense no threat nearby.
Still, the child frowns with apprehension as he hears the noise again.
‘Sounds like someone’s mumbling or something.’ Vanitas looks around with an annoyed expression at the jumbled words in his ears.
His blue eyes naturally go to the disk and its magnificent crystalline structure that glows in the soft rays of gentle afternoon sunlight. As Vanitas is admiring it, though, he notices something between the towers that causes him to startle.
…
A gigantic eye is hidden there amongst the crystals.
It’s huge, with a golden iris that shines in the afternoon light as it stares at Vanitas with the same piercing intensity as Ramuh had the night prior.
Instinctively, Vanitas’s hand grips onto the fabric of Noctis’s shirt, causing the King to pause and look at him.
‘What is it, Van?’ Noctis asks, though the child does not answer.
He looks in the direction where Vanitas’s gaze is caught, only to find that there’s nothing there.
The rest of their picnic goes by without incident, so much so that Vanitas is more or less able to convince himself that he must have just been imagining things. Besides, he has bigger fish to fry today. It’s finally time for them to drive onward towards the most anticipated stop of their trip; Lestallum.
The air is unbelievably hot as Ignis pulls them into the familiar parking lot of the bustling city. Vanitas can already feel sweat beginning to form on his forehead from the residual heat of Lestallum’s infamous powerplant as he takes in the sight of the nostalgic blue accents shading every building, window and store sign. Most of his fonder memories were founded here, on these streets. It’s overwhelming to be standing in this spot again, and to have a chance to take it all in once more.
The place is as crowded as ever; people wandering through the crowded maze-like streets selling food, shopping, playing music, and heading off to work. The city’s crown jewel is the powerplant situated in the center, wherein only women work to power both the city’s power grid and the multitude of utility poles scattered around Lucis. It isn’t hard for Vanitas to imagine that this was the place where most people congregated during the Endless Night, as the powerplant offered an artificial source of light when the world had none of its own. Not to mention that the way the city utilizes its space is already unreal to begin with, and undoubtedly thousands of people were able to fit into its never-ending alleyways.
Vanitas can see remnants of that time as he follows Ignis and Gladio through the streets. There are buildings on the outskirts of town, ones built quickly for shelter that were immediately abandoned as soon as the First Dawn came. There are also old stalls that had once been repurposed for selling weapons or curatives that now lay forgotten in back alleys. Graffiti is found on every wall, holding words and pictures of frustration and fear that have since been covered over with a fresh coat of paint.
Seems the inhabitants of Lestallum would rather leave those times long forgotten, but they’re still visible, though, should one take the time to look.
Vanitas does take the time to look, and he knows Noctis does too. Both of them have been spared from living that life here in Lestallum during the 10 years of Endless Night. Both spared a life living in fear wondering every day when the next daemon attack would happen, or who would be the next victim to never be heard from again.
It’s something else for Vanitas and Noctis to share that no one else in Lucis ever could.
Prompto almost runs into Vanitas as he is admiring the intricate hidden marks of graffiti on a wall leading to the powerplant.
‘Woah Vani, you can’t just put on the breaks like that.’ Prompto wildly swerves around the child.
‘Or you could just watch where you’re going.’ Vanitas snarks teasingly.
‘Now now you two.’ Ignis reels them in, clearly in no mood for nonsense in the busy streets. ‘Let’s do our best to stick together as we make our way to speak with Holly.’
‘Yes mom.’ Gladio says, earning a snort from both Vanitas and Prompto.
‘Iggy’s got a point.’ Noctis says, grabbing Vanitas’s hand and gently pulling him away from the graffiti. ‘Way too crowded today.’
Vanitas doesn’t protest the hold, though he does make a face when both of their hands end up sweaty from the heat. Noctis has been acting weird ever since they got here. Overprotective. Not that Vanitas could blame him though, not after what happened during that thunderstorm last night.
Not to mention… Ignis did bring up in the car that Lestallum is one of the places where they suspect the central ring of child kidnappings is located. It makes sense, there’s so many people around that children can easily go missing in the endless crowds, all of them victims of greedy people wanting a child of their own.
Lestallum is also farther away from Insomnia, where Noctis has already cracked down on several trafficking rings over the past year. An accomplishment that all in the Crown City have been exceedingly thankful for, and one that Noctis hopes will strike a bit of fear in the remaining rings around Lucis.
Noctis and Ignis have been trying to stop the curb here too by using various methods, including having Crownsguard stationed around the city at all times. Thus far, though, there has been no solid evidence of any suspicious activity yet, even though the reports of missing children are undoubtedly the most rampant in this area.
The notion that Noctis is worried that Vanitas could end up like one of those kidnapped children here in Lestallum has him rolling his eyes. He knows he can handle himself, and even so, he can’t help thinking again about what Cid had said at Hammerhead.
Really. Who would ever want him anyway?
As it turns out, Holly isn’t too hard to find. She’s lingering about near the edge of the powerplant, just the same as usual. Vanitas never actually got the chance to speak to her much back then, having been far too interested in exploring the winding city streets at night and avoiding the never-ending throngs of people whenever he could during the day.
Holly’s been doing very well for herself lately, as she’s been promoted to CEO of the EXINERIS Power Plant after the old one passed away during an unfortunate daemon attack. She’s as friendly as ever when the five of them roll up on the scene, and she and Noctis proceed to have a very long, very boring conversation about the current state of Lestallum that Vanitas has a hard time sitting still for. Their visit spans all the way through until the afternoon, too, with Holly and a few other locals treating their King and his entourage to a proper welcome lunch and tour of the city.
Night is just beginning to creep over Lestallum when they are finally able to break free, with promises of more meetings and paperwork tomorrow.
Prompto and Gladio waste no time veering off to go book some rooms with the Leville Hotel nearby for the next two nights, while Ignis, Noctis and Vanitas set about scoping out a place to eat dinner.
They soon are reminded, though, that if the amount of people wandering around during the day was considered crowded, then at night it was absolutely infested, as the streets quickly filled up with locals, vendors and out of kingdom tourists just looking to have a good night out. Noctis doesn’t let go of Vanitas’s hand as he and Ignis idly walk through the busy streets, weaving in and out of the crowd unrecognized as the people are too busy watching where they’re going to realize that their King is among them.
‘Could hit up the usual place?’ Noct offers.
‘I don’t believe that would be a wise choice, considering Vanitas’s intolerance for spicy dishes as of late.’ Ignis hums and crosses his arms.
‘Could pick up ingredients?’ Noctis shrugs and steers them over to a vacant area on the side of the street to talk.
‘I suppose. But where would one cook them?’ Ignis ponders. ‘I believe the community kitchens have long since closed, but I could inquire around.’
Vanitas is only half listening to their conversation, idly watching people walk by. The city is lit up with lights, multicolored bulbs hanging from vendor stalls and on resident balconies. As he is admiring someone’s flashy purple window lights, however, a chill runs down his spine, much like that feeling he had earlier today and last night.
Only this time, the feeling is more hostile, more dangerous.
Vanitas immediately looks around and catches eyes with a stranger in the crowd. He’s a tough bald looking guy, with stubble on his chin, a slash wound on his cheek and a hard gaze. One directed specifically at Vanitas, much like the way a predator stalks its prey.
The child frowns and returns the hard gaze with one of his own as he senses the man’s ill intent. His hand instinctively twitches before tightening its grip around Noctis’s hand, wishing to call forth his keyblade in response to the threat and feeling angered that he’s still unable to defend himself in this small body.
The movement catches Noctis’s attention, causing the King to pause mid conversation and look down at him.
‘What’s up, Van?’ He asks.
‘Can you pick me up?’ Vanitas asks, not looking at him.
His words cause Noctis to blink with surprise. Vanitas never willing asks to be held, much less picked up. The only one he allows to do so is Noctis, and even then, he usually squirms and complains to be let down.
Noctis crouches, looking the child over.
‘What’s wrong, guppy?’ Noctis uses the nickname he came up with recently. It has the desired effect of pulling Vanitas back to reality immediately as the child prickles at the nickname and finally turns to look at the King.
‘There’s…’ Vanitas turns back to look at the guy he saw. The man is no longer there, though, but Vanitas can still feel his presence watching nearby. ‘I gotta bad feeling.’
Noctis shifts upwards to stand in response, his expression fierce as he turns to where Vanitas is gazing. He frowns, furrowing his brow as he hoists the child up into his arms. He, too, can sense the ill intent nearby but is unable to discern where exactly it’s coming from among the large crowd.
‘Noct, as you were saying…’ Iggy says, returning to the conversation at hand.
‘Right, well we might as well look around at our options for now.’ Noctis says, casting one last hard look at the crowd before leaving in search of food.
Vanitas only sighs, feeling relief wash over him in the safety of Noctis’s embrace.
The rest of the night goes by without incident. Vanitas explained what he had felt and described the stranger in full detail. While the guys believed him and were susceptible to looking into it further, there was sadly just no trail to follow. Lestallum’s streets were notorious for hiding secrets, and the mysterious stranger was no exception, unfortunately.
‘Even so, I’ll run the man’s description by the Crownsguard in the area.’ Ignis said. ‘Maybe something could come of it.’
‘Yea who knows.’ Prompto grinned teasingly. ‘Maybe Vani unknowingly discovered the secret crime boss.’
‘Highly unlikely.’ Ignis surmised. ‘Though, one can dream.’
Prompto, Ignis and Gladio spent the majority of that next day helping Holly with some lingering labor work at the powerplant, while Vanitas begrudgingly stayed behind with Noctis in the town hall.
‘Why do we always get stuck with the boring parts?’ Vanitas complained while squeezing a stress toy that he had swiped off of somebody’s desk.
‘Welcome to my world.’ Noctis hummed, not looking up from the papers he was working on.
‘I thought being King meant you can do anything you want.’ Vanitas frowned and crossed his arms.
‘It’s a lot more complicated than that.’ Noctis sighed while marking up a report. ‘Especially now that we’re in a time of peace. There’s a lot of rebuilding that needs to be done, and that all needs attention and budgeting right now.’
Vanitas looked at him with a knowing gaze.
‘Something tells me that this isn’t your fave part of the job.’ Vanitas teased.
‘No.’ Noctis didn’t even try to deny it. ‘But coming out here, seeing the payoff, that’s what makes it worthwhile. Because I know we’re actually doing something for them.’
Vanitas went silent at that, looking contemplative.
‘Gil for your thoughts?’ Noctis tilted his head curiously.
‘Just, you care so much for people that you don’t even know.’ Vanitas looked away and brought his knees up to his chest, resting his arms on top of them as he gazed outside. ‘Before I met you guys, I didn’t care about anyone but myself.’
‘Don’t forget that’s all you could care about back then. Because you were trying to survive.’ Noctis said, defending him. ‘No one blames you for that, Van. Least of all me.’
‘I know. I know. Whatever.’ Vanitas grumbled.
They’ve had this conversation before, when they were first getting to know each other and Vanitas opened up about doing things that weren’t exactly part of the job description of forging the X-Blade. He didn’t have to be so needlessly cruel to Terra, Aqua and Ventus, but he’d done it anyway and it felt good at the time. It felt really good in fact to make someone else miserable for a change and have some damn company for once. And while he knows his friends do not judge him for his past actions, that hasn’t stopped Vanitas himself from doing so now that he has a wider, safer perspective to reflect on his less than stellar past.
He wouldn’t go so far as to say that he would apologize to the wayfinder trio for any of it, but if he had a choice to go back and redo some things, he can’t say that he wouldn’t take it.
Noctis sighed through his nose, looking Vanitas over as the child gazed out the window into the bustling streets.
‘You’ve done a lot of good things, Van. In your own way.’ Noctis pointed out. ‘You’ve healed a few people, even though you knew it meant you would collapse afterwards.’
‘The only reason I did that is to get rid of that stupid itchy feeling in my chest.’ Vanitas grumbled. ‘Besides the time with Iggy, it wasn’t about them at all. I did that for me.’
‘You say so, but you still did it anyway even when there was the threat of punishment involved.’ Noctis hummed.
‘I guess.’ Vanitas shrugged, then looked to the King with interest. ‘Hey, if you’re bringing that up, does that mean I can have my paint stuff back now?’
‘Soon enough.’ Noctis looked down at his papers with a smirk.
‘You suck.’ Vanitas glared.
Despite his deflective response to that conversation, Vanitas could recognize within himself that he had the potential to change. That he now had a new body and a new status as an oracle, and that no one in this world would ever need to know of this checked past at all.
It would be very easy to start caring about others now that he was in a position where simply surviving to the next day was not an immediate concern.
Maybe he might try to give it more of an honest shot. Being a better person.
It was worth a try at least, if not for himself then for Noctis and the guys who were trying so hard to make their world a better place.
Nighttime settled in quickly after Ignis, Prompto and Gladio returned. Dinner for the night is courtesy of a new restaurant that Holly had recommended over by market street. Vanitas’s belly is full of food and his world is growing sleepy and content among the presence of his friends as they head back to the hotel.
‘So Iggy, how bout stopping for some ice cream?’ Prompto tries to cajole the mother hen of the group as they walk together at the front.
‘Honestly?’ Noctis asks, his tone highly judging. He and Vanitas are walking hand in hand, with Gladio taking up the rear. ‘How are you not stuffed already? You ate more than any of us.’
‘Oh, you know me.’ Prompto says, turning around to pat his belly as he walks backwards. ‘Just call me the human dumpster.’
‘More like the human accident waiting to happen.’ Gladio calls, unimpressed. ‘Watch where you’re going, blondie.’
Ignis only sighs and shakes his head.
‘If you wish to gorge yourself on sweets, looks like you will have to do so alone.’
‘Aw come on you guys!’ Prompto complains.
Vanitas snorts at their exchange, opening his mouth to make a quip of his own, before he pauses. All of the hairs on the back of his neck are suddenly standing on end as he senses danger close by.
It’s undeniably the same feeling as he had yesterday.
From his position in the middle of their group, however, Vanitas should be perfectly protected. Even so, his hand involuntarily twitches again, desperately wanting to summon his keyblade. The now familiar itchy feeling is suddenly back in his chest, too, and Vanitas raises an eyebrow in confusion as he looks around, quickly recognizing that he’s not the one that’s actually in danger.
Through glimpses in between the heavy crowd, Vanitas can see a child around his age running away from a stranger in an alley. From Vanitas’s lower vantage point, he can see the commotion clear as day in between the people passing by, but surely Noctis and the others wouldn’t be able to notice it in this thick crowd.
‘Hey!’ He tries to gather everyone’s attention and pulls Noctis’s hand towards the alley, meaning to alert the King to the commotion.
Noctis, though, is twice his size and stronger than he looks, so all Vanitas accomplishes is stretching their arms out awkwardly away from each other.
From there, it all happens as if in slow motion.
As Noctis and Gladio turn to him inquisitively, some passerby roughly bumps into them, knocking Vanitas’s hand right out of the King’s. Vanitas is left clutching at thin air as he’s pushed and shoved farther into the heavy nighttime crowd, with none of the adults noticing the child at their feet. He can distantly hear the sound of Noctis shouting his name, but there are suddenly so many people all around him, bumping into him, shoving and pushing him. Voices and sounds ring in Vanitas’s ears as his breathing intensifies, quickly growing disoriented to the point where he’s unable to tell who is friend or foe as he’s completely lost in the thick crowd.
Instinctively, Vanitas does the only thing his panicked brain can think of in that moment, and opens up a portal underneath his feet.
Vanitas is flung out of the darkness and lands harshly onto concrete, skinning his knees and palms on the cobblestone. He hisses, his little face scrunching with pain as the portal closes behind him, the darkness fizzling out and taking a great amount of his strength with it.
Vanitas shakes in place, staring at the ground and breathing harshly as he feels like he might be sick. It takes him a while to get his bearings as he takes ragged breaths in and out to calm his frazzled heart and mind, before finally he takes a look at exactly where he is.
Among the chaos back there, he had tried to think of their hotel when he had cast the portal, but that’s clearly not where he’s ended up. At least he’s still in Lestallum, though, from the looks of it. But exactly where is anyone’s guess. This city is known for its maze-like streets and back alleys, and there’s simply no way of knowing how far he’s gone off course.
Gingerly, Vanitas stands up and looks around. He can hear muffled music playing from somewhere further up the unremarkable street that he’s found himself in, as well as the sound of distant cars honking and the melody of twinkling wind chimes swaying somewhere in the breeze. There’s no one around from what he can see, though, only bright neon signs every few paces up and down the colorfully lit alleyway that doesn’t look at all any different that the hundreds of other streets in this city.
‘Okay…’ Vanitas says, trying to gauge what to do from here. He doesn’t have a phone, and even if he did, he doesn’t know any of the guy’s numbers or even the one for the hotel. Using that portal also seriously depleted his energy, which was already wearing thin as it usually does at this time of night anyway.
If he were to try it again, surely, he would just pass out on the spot.
‘Shit…’ He mumbles before gasping at the sudden startling sound of yowling cats fighting somewhere nearby. ‘Fuck!’ He curses again and wipes away the blood from his hands and knees, feeling panic distantly start to set in as he realizes he’s truly alone for the first time since his rebirth.
The deep childish part of his heart, the one that he keeps trying to pretend doesn’t exist, wants to call for the guys, yell their names at the top of his lungs until they can find him.
Vanitas scoffs, though, pushing his own childish thoughts away as he lets his remembered, hardened instincts return to him. The ones he’s spent years perfecting while surviving alone in the Keyblade Graveyard. No, crying out is dangerous, it can give away your position to not only friends, but foes as well. He knows firsthand that in times like these he can only trust himself. Only rely on himself to find his way back home.
Honestly, has he really grown so soft that only a short time of living here has had him forgetting that fact?
He frowns and shakes his head, feeling pathetic.
Vanitas doesn’t know how long he stands there brooding in the darkness of the alleyway, hiding in the shadows and trying to think of what to do. There aren’t many people around this far in the streets, and the few that he can distantly hear walking by are heading off to party in bars or enjoy other activities of the nightlife. Vanitas listens to them go, his brain working overtime.
He will find a way out of this by himself. He just has to think.
Vanitas takes in a deep breath, searching inward for some guidance as he ponders. He’s done this hundreds of times by now, but all that he finds this time, though, is that itchy feeling from before.
It’s faint, merely a tickle in his chest, but it’s still there, pulling him in some unknown direction.
Maybe… that’s where he should go?
The pull always led him to someone that needs healing, but Ignis has brought up in his latest studies about oracles that Vanitas should be fine-tuned to sense just about anyone in need of genuine help, not just those that require medical attention.
The last person he’d felt that itchy feeling toward, though, was that kid from earlier. Maybe if he went in that direction, it would lead him back to where he started, and he could run into the guys? Or some type of landmark? Anything to help him figure out where the hell he ended up.
It was as good a plan as any.
Vanitas starts wandering towards the source of the pull, keeping to the shadows. Thankfully, he is most comfortable in the dark, and while he has been less in tune with the darkness of nighttime as of late, he finds that his old tricks are not so hard to remember.
He easily takes his time slipping in and out of the shadows past any people that happen to be out and about. As he nears where he thinks the itchy feeling is coming from, though, he doesn’t find the hotel or any familiar landmarks, but instead ends up at a club. It has a big blue neon sign of a lobster out front, and a questionable looking bouncer guarding a door that has stickers and graffiti sprayed all over it. The only visible windows are painted different rhythmic colors, probably due to a strobe light or a disco ball coming from inside.
In a nutshell, it’s not really what he’s looking for, but it was probably worth a shot checking it out anyway.
Forgoing the easy way in, Vanitas avoids the bouncer and sneaks around the back. The sound of music is bumping in his small ears as he silently enters the building through an open window. The music is even more deafening inside the kitchen that he’s landed in, but he’s surprised to find that the room is empty for some reason. Not only that, but it’s completely in disarray. The stove is rusted through, and the shelves and counters are cracked and broken. There is no fridge at all, only a dirty floor and pipes sticking out of where it should be, and endless cockroaches scuttling about along the floor.
Cautiously, Vanitas ventures further into the building and pokes his head into the room where the music is coming from, only to find that the place is totally deserted. Cobwebs cover the ceiling and the strewn about broken furniture. The only sign of life in the whole place is the oddly new looking loudspeakers playing some obnoxious music and the shiny strobe lights hanging from the ceiling.
‘What the hell?’ Vanitas can’t help but whisper, feeling suspicious, but cautious.
He ignores the odd findings when he senses movement coming from downstairs, and he quietly leaves the room in favor of following the tugging at his heart. It leads him to a door with steps going down into the basement.
Keeping to the shadows, Vanitas creeps down the stairs, keeping his footsteps silent with the help of his darkness. He hides behind a crate at the bottom of the stairs, spying the kid he saw earlier in the next room. The boy is cowering while being held by the arm by some stranger. As Vanitas catches a glimpse of the guy’s face, though, he frowns, noticing immediately that this is the same guy from yesterday.
So, his hunch had been right.
‘Brought another twerp.’ The guy says as his partner examines the kid, writing something down on a clipboard. ‘Could go to that broad that’s been yapping at us lately.’
‘Nah, this kid doesn’t have blue eyes like she wants.’ Vanitas can hear the other man say.
‘I did see a little runt yesterday with blue eyes. Black hair too, but he was with a whole ass entourage.’ The guy says. ‘And get this, the King was with him.’
‘The King? He’s in town?’ The other guy asks, his face going pale.
‘Yea, I couldn’t believe it either.’ The man shakes his head, looking less than pleased about the possibility of being busted. ‘Should probably take the kids and scram before morning.’
At this notion, Vanitas perks up, a glare coming over his eyes.
‘Hm. Got a point there.’ His companion hums, looking unhappy. ‘Anyway, put this kid in the back for now, you know who will be here soon.’
Silently, Vanitas watches as the guy takes the kid to a room further in the back and locks the door. Vanitas waits there even longer still, the itch in his chest intensifying as he listens to the two men converse some more about their plans to evacuate, before they both finally leave and head upstairs to do who knows what.
With the coast clear, Vanitas quickly goes into the room they just vacated and easily finds the key. The two idiots left it behind on the table for anyone to snag.
From the other side of the door, he can hear the muffled sound of the kid sobbing. Vanitas decides to pay him no mind, though, as he unlocks the door and immediately takes stock of the area, noticing that it’s a small storage room. There is a window but it’s pretty high off the ground, much too high for either of them to reach on their own, but that’s not a problem for Vanitas.
The kid looks up from where he was crying into his hands and looks at Vanitas with confusion.
‘Who…?’ He asks, only to have Vanitas shush him rudely.
With a wave of his hand, he summons an Unversed and gives it the key, before shutting it out of the room. The flood locks the door from the outside and returns the key to its spot, buying them some time as it disappears back into its master’s heart.
‘Are you hurt?’ Vanitas asks, finally acknowledging the other boy.
His words are rushed. Who knows how much time they have to get outta here.
‘N-no.’ The kid stammers, staring at him in awe.
‘Then stand up. I don’t have all day.’ He says and summons a bruiser, causing the kid to gasp and startle.
The large Unversed ignores the child, though, and easily reaches the window. The creature pushes it open with ease, and Vanitas is relieved to notice that the window is certainly big enough for both of them to squeeze through. Vanitas goes to the bruiser, who hoists him up and through the window first. There’s thankfully no one in the alleyway outside, and Vanitas waves at the kid to follow him.
‘Come on.’ He urges impatiently.
‘B-but…’ The child says shyly, looking at the Unversed with a weary expression.
‘What? You want to stay with the kidnappers?’ Vanitas scoffs.
‘No!’ The kid finally says without stammering.
‘Then hurry the hell up.’ Vanitas sneers, eager to get this show on the road and stop the annoying itch in his chest.
The kid thankfully seems to gain a backbone in response to Vanitas’s goading, and allows the Unversed to help him through the window without a fuss.
Once they’re both through, Vanitas absorbs the bruiser and quietly shuts the window.
‘You live around here?’ He asks, looking up and down the alleyway again for any sense of direction.
‘Um, kind of.’ The kid replies.
‘Kind of?’ Vanitas raises an eyebrow.
‘My mom and I are staying here for a little while…’ The kid starts shyly. ‘We were shopping, and then that guy came and…’ He pauses, sniffling and looking down at the ground as he holds his shirt tightly.
Vanitas, sensing that waterworks are on the way, quickly changes the subject.
‘Listen kid, you know how to get to the Leville hotel?’ He asks plainly. ‘You know, the place with the fountain out front?’
The kid looks at Vanitas, before also casting a glance up and down the alley.
‘I think so.’ He slowly nods, recognition coming over his eyes about where exactly they are.
‘Then let’s get going.’ Vanitas impatiently waves him on to lead the way.
‘Okay, um, it’s this way!’ The kid points in the opposite direction from where Vanitas originally came from, and the two boys take off running.
It’s a lot harder to sneak around with another person, especially when you’re fatigued enough already, there’s an outrageously annoying itchy feeling in your chest and the person you’re with is so traumatized and afraid that they jump at every shadow they come across. Vanitas tries to give the kid credit though, show some sympathy, but he’s never been patient with people, especially ones that are slow.
‘Have you ever heard of being quiet?’ Vanitas complains, feeling a headache coming on as the kid stumbles into some empty cans lying in the street.
‘Sorry!’ The kid apologizes, taking Vanitas’s snarky attitude in stride without complaint or crying. He looks to Vanitas often, sticking close by as if Vanitas is the only lifeline he has in the whole world.
Vanitas doesn’t know how to feel about that, to be depended on so heavily. So he decides not to think about it, like he does with all the other annoying things he’s not sure how to deal with.
Once or twice, they hear the sounds of footsteps following after them, and they hide in the shadows as strangers run past with flashlights. The kidnappers are clearly looking for them, but Vanitas’s instincts are as sharp as ever, even with the ailment of fatigue fogging his childish brain so late into the night. He is easily able to hide the two of them in dark shadows whenever anyone comes close by, not willing to take the chance to see if they are friend or foe.
‘So um, what’s your name?’ The kid eventually asks when they stop for Vanitas to catch a breather behind some pipes.
‘Vanitas.’ He replies while keeping a lookout and resting his tired head against a wall.
Both of them are absolutely exhausted, not to mention very filthy at this point from dirt, sweat and debris. Vanitas now has a gash on his forearm from when they squeezed themselves into a tight spot near a ventilation shaft and a shard of metal had caught him the wrong way. That combined with the injuries on his knees and hands are killing him, and Vanitas is starting to grow impatient by now as he keeps looking up at the high moon in the sky.
At this point, they must have been gone for a few hours and he can only imagine how the guys are faring right now. If this time is anything like that incident when he fell asleep in the throne room, then they’re all going to be very cross with him when he gets back.
‘My name’s August.’ The kid says, giving Vanitas a small smile.
‘August?’ Vanitas makes a face. ‘That’s not a name, that’s a month.’
‘It’s short for Augustine.’ The kid replies, making the same face.
When he realizes that they both are mirroring each other, he laughs. Vanitas doesn’t join him, but he does relax his shoulders.
‘Could think of worse names.’ Vanitas mumbles.
Being called ‘empty creature’ was not any better after all.
‘I like yours though. It’s pretty.’ August says with a grin, causing Vanitas to blink with surprise.
That’s a first. Someone complimenting his name.
‘I’m really glad you found me!’ The boy continues. ‘I don’t know what coulda happened if-’
‘Yea whatever.’ Vanitas cuts him off, not wanting to engage in mushy stuff right now and instead opting for regaining focus on the mission at hand. ‘Just keep it to yourself til we get to the hotel.’
They’re not out of the woods yet, after all.
Slowly, the two of them cross the spacious city, weary of anyone that comes near. Through their stolen talks in the quiet of the night, Vanitas learns that August is five years old, and that he and his mother are originally from Old Lestallum. They moved back up here for a while for a job opportunity to earn enough gil to make a moving trip to Insomnia, where his mother hopes to enroll him in school in the fall.
Vanitas himself deigns to keep quiet about his own circumstances, unwilling to share anything other than the fact that he’s here with friends on a trip.
‘I bet they’re real worried about you.’ August says when they stop to rest for what could be the final time. At this point, they’ve long since lost those bozo kidnappers and have practically crossed through the whole city on foot. The journey wouldn’t seem like much to an adult, but when you’re only about three feet tall with small legs and an even smaller amount of stamina so late into the night, it feels like they’ve just completed a goddamn marathon.
‘Probably.’ Vanitas says with a frown.
He can only imagine how pissed off they’ll be. Noctis in particular is probably going to be furious with Vanitas for getting himself separated from the guys again.
He’s not looking forward to that conversation.
‘That just means they’ll be real happy to see you, though!’ August says with a smile, causing Vanitas to tilt his head. ‘Cuz then they’ll know that you’re okay.’
Vanitas pauses for a moment, thinking over the other boy’s words.
‘You think so?’ Vanitas raises an eyebrow, causing August to nod in response.
‘Yea, I know so!’ He hums.
Vanitas frowns, retreating into his own thoughts.
They certainly were happy with Vanitas when they found him again after his rebirth. But this time feels different. This separation was his fault, and he knows it. Remembered lectures from Ignis, disappointed stares from Gladio and Prompto, and scoldings from Noctis run through his head.
Vanitas is hard pressed to imagine that there wouldn’t be another form of punishment in store once they’re reunited.
The last actual punishment that had happened since something like this was that stupid new door to the suite. It’s always just ominously looming there, with its magic and multiple locks reminding him of just how much he had screwed up that day. A silent guard keeping him locked in and safe from any danger at night. Like any good child should be.
A bitter feeling settles in his heart in response as he thinks about it.
By the time the moon is high in the sky, the two of them finally turn a corner into familiar territory. Vanitas is practically dead on his feet by now and the sight of the hotel fountain innocently bubbling its rustling water is a welcome one after the harsh, dangerous noises and sights of the back alleys they’ve grown accustomed to.
The hotel’s lights are on, as they always are, but unlike the quiet solitude that usually accompanies the hotel at night, now there is a plethora of adults outside. A few men and women are in Crownsguard uniforms, most of them talking through phones or radios while others are trying to calm down a hysterical looking woman over by the entrance.
A woman that August instantly recognizes.
His little face scrunches up with tears before he suddenly takes off past Vanitas towards her.
‘Mama!!’
The woman, who had been crying and arguing with a few members of the Crownsguard, turns towards the sound. Her expression melts into overwhelming relief as she runs and gathers her son up into her arms.
‘August!! My baby!’ She cries, collapsing onto the ground and cradling him to her as she kisses his face. ‘My little boy! Oh, thank the astrals!’
Vanitas watches the two of them, now left alone by the fountain. That annoying itch in his chest is now gone, leaving only a gnawing, empty feeling that scrapes at his heart when he looks around, finding no sign of Noctis or the others.
He looks up though, as a guard approaches him.
Vanitas takes a step back as the man leans down onto his knee to speak with him face to face.
‘Hey kiddo.’ He starts, tone gentle and friendly. ‘Would your name happen to be Vanitas?’
‘Who’s asking?’ Vanitas sneers, taking another step back.
‘His Majesty.’ The man easily answers, and Vanitas’s expression immediately shifts as he anxiously looks around.
‘Where is he? Where’s Noct?’ He asks.
The man doesn’t answer him, instead standing up and reaching for his radio.
‘We’ve found him… Yea, at the hotel fountain.’
Vanitas is sat down onto the edge of the fountain, now nursing a juice box and some crackers. A Crownsguard medic had given them to him, stating that he should get his fluids up for now after all that he’s been through tonight. She already looked over his injuries, too, and had just finished applying bandages to his skinned knees when Vanitas hears them.
That thundering sound of footsteps hurtling down the alleyway could only mean one thing.
The child is barely able to look up before he hears the telltale sound and takes in the familiar smell of Noctis’s warping ability, before suddenly the King is right there, scooping Vanitas up into his arms and uncaring about any onlookers as he holds the child tight.
‘Van! Where the hell have you been?’ Noctis pulls back to look at a surprised Vanitas with a serious gaze, before letting out a shaky breath and pulling Vanitas back into a hug. ‘Astrals, I’m just glad you’re safe.’
‘We were quite worried about you.’ Ignis says, finally catching up to the pair and looking Vanitas over with a critical eye, more than likely noting his injuries and unkempt appearance and trying to decipher what happened.
‘Been looking for you everywhere!’ Prompto concurs, looking just as relieved as the King.
‘Yea, you’ve been gone for hours.’ Gladio says. ‘What happened?’
Vanitas looks over each of them in turn, surprised to see that while there is anger on each of their faces, happiness and relief is the most prominent, just as August predicted.
‘It was an accident…’ Is all Vanitas can think to say in this moment.
Noctis is silent for a few moments before he lets out a relieved breath.
‘Well, the important thing is you’re back safe.’ Noctis says, dispelling the tension between all of them in an instant as he holds the child close and combs a hand through Vanitas’s dirty hair.
‘My, what an affectionate father.’ Both Noctis and Vanitas look up to see the woman from earlier. August is still in her arms, and she’s looking at the two of them with a fond expression.
‘Uh…’ Vanitas stutters, looking between her and Noctis.
The King doesn’t object to her assumption, only standing up and holding Vanitas closer.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry to interrupt.’ The woman apologizes. ‘But August told me what happened. Your son found him after he was taken away by that awful man, and the two of them found their way back here all on their own.’
Noctis looks at the woman in confusion, before turning to Vanitas.
‘Is that true?’
‘Yep!’ August answers in his new friend’s stead. ‘Vanitas was really strong. He wasn’t scared at all!’
‘You’re exaggerating.’ Vanitas huffs, rolling his eyes.
‘Still, I would like to thank you.’ The woman insists, holding her son close with relieved tears in her eyes. ‘Thank you so much for bringing him back to me.’
‘Um… you’re welcome.’ Is all Vanitas can say, looking away and unknowing what to do in the face of such genuine gratitude.
‘Van if you found the kid, did you happen to catch where the guy brought him?’ Gladio pointedly asks.
He’s got a stern look about his face. In fact, both Ignis and Prompto do as well. They each have expressions that clearly show a resolve for revenge, and Vanitas can only imagine how worried and pissed off they all were during the time he was gone.
Surely, they’d want some form of payback by putting that guy and his accomplices behind bars.
Now that’s a revenge story he can get behind.
‘You got a map?’ Vanitas asks with a mischievous expression, more than happy to cause some chaos for those who clearly deserve it.
It’s nearly midnight when all is said and done. Vanitas is now freshly showered and just about ready for bed while Ignis is wrapping the wounds on his elbows. Noctis has not let Vanitas out of his sight for even a moment, though he is currently speaking on the phone with Gladio and Prompto.
Apparently, they were easily able to find the club that Vanitas had described and worked together alongside the local Crownsguard to completely shut the place down. There were a total of six other children trapped in the basement of that place, and quite a few criminals were apprehended, with the promise of more still yet to be seen.
Vanitas couldn’t help the odd sense of relief when he heard the news, knowing firsthand just how close those criminals were to getting away forever. The old him wouldn’t have cared either way, but somehow, that news meant a lot to him now for some reason.
‘There we are.’ Ignis says while affixing a bandage to the cut on Vanitas’s arm. ‘No worse for wear, should recover quite easily I’d say.’
‘Thanks Iggy.’ Vanitas says, touching the bandage as Ignis smiles at him fondly.
‘Try to get some rest.’ Ignis says and tucks Vanitas into bed. ‘You’ve had quite the day.’
‘You could say that again.’ Vanitas grumbles just as Noctis finishes his phone call.
‘Prom and Gladio are on their way back.’ Noctis jerks his thumb behind him. ‘The local guard’s got it covered from here with the kids.’
‘I’ll meet them halfway.’ Ignis says, standing up and heading towards the door. ‘I’d like to check in with the Crownsguard before they hand in their written reports.’
‘Can’t wait til tomorrow, huh?’ Noctis chuckles.
‘You should know firsthand how long we have been looking for any leads on the ring of child traffickers here in Lestallum.’ Ignis says while adjusting his glasses. ‘I believe the information that Vanitas has unearthed today could lead to more discoveries.’
‘Let’s hope so.’ Noctis nods, before shutting the door behind Ignis as the advisor takes his leave.
Now left alone, Noctis looks toward Vanitas, who was watching their exchange from the bed. Vanitas has already spilled the beans about everything that had happened thus far; how he saw August being chased, found himself in a far-off alleyway and somehow managed to both save August and make it all the way back here.
While Prompto, Gladio and Ignis were placated by the explanation and Vanitas’s following apology for the accident, Noctis still seemed unsettled, and Vanitas couldn’t figure out why.
‘How are you feeling, Van?’ Noctis asks as he takes a seat on the bed.
‘Okay.’ Vanitas shrugs, tensing as the air in the room seems to change now that they’re alone. ‘Hey, so what’s been eating you?’
Noctis sighs, looking over Vanitas before turning towards the balcony. There’s a soft breeze coming in through the open shutter doors, fluttering the curtains to and fro as Noctis clasps his hands together and hunches over a bit, clearly trying to gather his words.
‘I was very worried about you today.’ He admits after a few moments.
‘I know.’ Vanitas sits up. ‘Gladio said you were a complete wreck.’ He sighs. ‘Listen, I didn’t mean for any of that to happen.’
‘I know.’ Noctis hums, pinching his brow. ‘I get it was an accident. You weren’t trying to get yourself lost. But…’ Noctis sighs and stands up. Vanitas waits him out, knowing that Noctis has never been good with expressing himself at times like these. ‘You have literally no idea how worried I was.’
‘It was that bad, huh?’ Vanitas grimaces. ‘Didn’t know you cared that much I guess…’
He clearly knows this is a lie, but he can’t stop himself from saying it. It comes out like word vomit, as a large part of him is still completely unwilling to acknowledge the truth of just how much Noctis cares about him.
It was scary, to know that someone cared about him that much. He still doesn’t know how to handle it.
Noctis looks at him with a startled expression, appearing as if he’s just been slapped across the face.
‘What? How can you even say that, Van?’ Noctis asks, his tone angered.
‘Listen, you don’t have to worry so much.’ Vanitas pulls his legs up to his chest and hugs them, feeling very uncomfortable with this conversation all of a sudden. ‘I can take care of myself. Been doing it my whole life.’
‘That was when you were a teenager, Van.’ Noctis points out. ‘And no offence, but that mindset didn’t work out so well back then either, remember?’
Now it’s Vanitas’s turn to look offended, and his face twists into a glare.
‘I’m not trying to pick a fight with you.’ Noctis says, his expression deflated. ‘Just, try to understand where I’m coming from. It’s not just today. It’s when you use your powers without a care and pass out for hours on end, and how you went missing that night in the throne room, or how sometimes you’ll just vanish without any warning. How many times are things like this gonna happen until we can’t find you again? Or until you really end up hurting yourself?’
‘Listen, if you wanted a little kid who’s going to sit around and be protected all the time, then I don’t know what to tell you.’ Vanitas scoffs, angry at feeling put in a corner. ‘That’s not who I am.’
Noctis only looks at him, and the unsaid words of judgement Vanitas can hear but Noctis won’t say has him even angrier.
‘It’s not!’ Vanitas insists. ‘And unless you wanna leash me to your wrist like a dog, it’s not gonna change! I don’t need to be babied by you, alright? I don’t need anyone!’
Noctis frowns, letting out an exasperated breath through his nose as Vanitas’s words linger in the room.
After a few moments, Noctis gets up from the bed.
‘It’s late. You should get some rest.’ Noctis says quietly, causing Vanitas to frown. ‘I should go down and check in with Prom and Gladio anyway.’
Vanitas pauses.
Somehow… somehow it feels like something just broke between them.
‘Sure. Cuz it’s way past my bedtime anyway, right?’ Vanitas can’t help but snark in response, his words pushing Noctis further away before something else has the chance to break.
‘Right…’ Noctis sighs.
There’s nothing else to be said, but Noctis does give Vanitas one final glance before heading out the door and turning off the light.
Once left alone, Vanitas angrily glares into the darkness of the room. As Noctis’s steps retreat further away, though, and the distance between them increases, Vanitas’s anger turns into something else entirely, and his little face scrunches up with hurt as he gets off the bed.
Wordlessly, Vanitas collects the spare blankets kept in the closet and pushes a large fern out from the corner of the room. He wedges himself into the plant’s place in between the wall and the nightstand, and drapes a blanket over it and the table. After a moment of thought, he retrieves the pink chocobo plush from near their travel bags before crawling into the space to hide, clutching the stuffed animal tightly as he takes in a shuddering breath.
Bonus Scene:
‘Van?! Van!!’ Noctis shouts among the crowd as Vanitas’s hand is suddenly knocked from his. The shouting of their King has Gladio, Ignis and Prompto immediately on alert and turning towards him, but Noctis’s gaze is stuck on where he last saw the child disappear into the crowd. ‘Vanitas!!’
With a desperation Noctis is unaware he ever had; he rudely pushes through the crowd in search of Vanitas. Through the mass, the King spots the dark-haired child, but there’s too many people in the way, and before he knows it something dark catches his vision and suddenly Vanitas is gone.
A hand catches his shoulder and Noctis jerks it away, turning around violently to find Ignis standing there.
‘What happened?’ Ignis asks calmly even as Noctis takes in deep haggard breaths.
‘He used a portal.’ Noctis says, turning back to where he last saw Vanitas.
By now the crowd has given them some space, though not without some odd looks. Noctis can hear at least a few of them mention the word ‘king’ and he grits his teeth with frustration.
He doesn’t have time for this.
‘If he used a portal then maybe he went back to the hotel.’ Prompto offers hopefully.
‘Could be worth a look.’ Ignis hums, placing a guiding hand onto Noctis’s shoulder.
Gladio moves to stand in front his King protectively, daring anyone to approach them.
‘Well if we’re gonna head back then let’s get a move on.’ He gruffs impatiently.
Noctis is not budging, though. A frown is on his face and adrenaline is coursing through his veins as he keeps staring at the last spot he saw Vanitas.
Even so, with careful coaxing, he turns away with his retinue to head back to the hotel, his hand feeling incredibly empty all of a sudden.
Vanitas is not there when they arrive at the Leville hotel, and he’s not anywhere else in the city that they can think to look, so Ignis calls in the local Crownsguard for assistance. Seconds turn into minutes, and minutes turn into hours as all the while Noctis can feel his adrenaline spiking higher and higher the longer he is apart from Vanitas, much higher than it ever had before.
He begins snapping at his retinue and the Crownsguard, asking repeatedly for them to look harder, to try something else, to find Vanitas faster.
Anything! Anything it takes to find him!
In the end, it’s Gladio that gets him to calm down.
‘Listen princess, shouting at the guys aint gonna help anything.’ Gladio says, his face hard but understanding as he places a hand onto Noctis’s shoulder. ‘Look, we’re doing everything we can here. You gotta calm down.’
‘How can I calm down!?’ Noctis all but growls. ‘You weren’t there yesterday. I felt something, someone was targeting him, and now he’s who knows where!’
‘Give shorty some credit.’ Gladio says, his voice calm and confident in the littlest member of their group. ‘I know we rag on him but he’s smarter than he looks.’
‘I know that. But…!’ Noctis hesitates, sitting down on a vacant bench near the power plant to rake a hand through his hair in frustration. By now it’s gotten very dark, and they’ve been searching for Vanitas for hours with still no sign of him anywhere.
Gladio sits next to him, the two of them silent for a moment.
‘I got like this once.’ He admits quietly. ‘When I lost Poppy in a department store. She ran away and I couldn’t find her for a while. Remember?’
‘Yea.’ Noctis says, wondering where this is going. ‘You called us, completely panicking. You were a wreck until we found her.’
Poppy had turned out to have been in the gardening section of the store the whole time, playing with some dirt and flowers. She had looked so confused when her father practically collapsed with relief once they were reunited.
‘I would have found her a lot faster if I just calmed the hell down. She loves gardening with Jaida, it was so obvious looking back on it now.’ Gladio says nonchalantly. ‘But it’s the paternal instinct. It makes your brain implode on itself whenever something like this happens.’
Noctis goes to reply, but presses his mouth into a thin line instead, knowing he’s been caught.
‘Don’t think I didn’t pick up on what you said in the Insignia after we left Hammerhead.’ Gladio says, his tone light but still accusing. ‘Van’s not my kid, but you sure as hell act like he’s yours.’
Noctis only sighs, willing his body and mind to relax.
‘Look, I’m not saying anything one way or the other.’ Gladio says. ‘Only that you won’t do anyone any good when you’re all fired up like this, especially not Van. Trust me.’
‘…You’re right.’ Noctis takes deep breaths, the two of them staying like that for some time before resuming the search.
When Noctis finally does get the long-awaited call that he’s been praying for, the adrenaline is back tenfold, and he’s off running towards the hotel like his life depends on it, his retinue running ever at his side.
Bonus Bonus Scene:
The hotel room is dark when Ignis arrives back first. Prompto has already gone to his own hotel room by now while Gladio and Noctis are still downstairs, having gotten caught up in a conversation with the leader of the local Crownsguard in the hotel lobby.
In the moonlit darkness, Ignis’s trained ears can pick up on the sound of Vanitas’s steady breathing, but the advisor is surprised when he notices that there is no child sized outline in the bed. Curiously, Ignis follows the sound of Vanitas’s breathing in the darkness and pulls back the blankets to find the child in a hiding spot in the corner of the room by the balcony.
While Ignis’s vision has since been restored to what it once was, he has found out rather quickly that his sight in the darkness is much stronger than that of a normal person’s. All those years being accustomed to the dark will do that to you, he supposes, and that gift now allows him to clearly see the barely visible tear track that stains one of Vanitas’s small cheeks.
With a deep, contemplative frown, Ignis stands up silently, returning the blanket to its rightful place and hiding Vanitas from view once more.
Dream Eater Allyphant Creations 
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