things better left forgotten (VANITAS)

[cyclone]

The little town than he'd found himself at had a quaint, pleasant feel if you could overlook the strange creatures that seemed to run around it. The buildings were squished together and there was always the faint glow of a streetlamp to light the way, and the mish-mash of different people that he'd met were all friendly enough. Apparently it was a place where people from other worlds had once taken refuge, and still stood as a place for them to go if they so desired. It was different not having to worry about people knowing he was from another world. Not as if it made such a huge difference in the long-run, but it was good to know, at least. Ventus had decided to stop and take a look around at a world near the one that he had woken up in (which had an unpleasantly familiar feel, despite looking so strange) to try and get his bearings.

It was taking a while to get used to doing normal things like walking around. Sometimes he couldn't be sure that he wasn't still dreaming, especially with some of the more whimsical effects the inhabitants of the world had put into their architecture. Nothing made sense at all to him, but it wasn't the first time. He didn't know why he was awake when the blade created out of his heart had been destroyed. He didn't know why now, he didn't know where to go; he didn't know much of anything. Which was an oddly freeing concept, but one that he chose to ignore as such. It was important that he knew things. His friends... all of them. How long had he been gone? Were they alright? He'd had strange flashes of things while he was asleep. Memories of his own life, memories of someone else's life (which, might have included this place? It had a strange sort of familiarity), but what was true and what was fake?

Ven knew he couldn't stay her for very long. He'd hoped with a population as diverse as this one that someone but have news of someone he'd known, but so far he had had no luck. He supposed his descriptions weren't the easiest, anyway. Some people had certainly looked confused as he tried to explain Terra and Aqua to them, and even more confused when he tried to ask after King Mickey. As if they could be confused with his descriptions! They had all these weird things running around!

At first sight the creatures had seemed to be something he was more familiar with. Some of them resembled the Unversed that Vanitas had sent after him, but on a closer look (as close as he could look without it attacking him, of course) he realized that they had a different mark on some of them. Some of them didn't have any mark at all, and those were the ones that sent a chill of realization through him. They were like those creatures that Master Xehanort had sent after him! Ven wasn't sure what to think of them being all over the place, but he'd decided it did not bode well and after dispatching several groups of them realized he had to leave and try to figure this out.

That is, before he got lost.

It was sort of a topsy-turvy place; some of the rooftops were short enough to walk on, window shutters kept opening and closing, and those creatures still made an appearance every now and then. Sure, there were numbered districts which were probably really, really simple, but that didn't stop him from forgetting where the entrance and exit to each of them was.

"Maybe... over here!" he announced to himself without any real conviction as he headed towards a narrow opening. Looking into the area it looked like an alleyway. There was some sort of waterway in the back, and a few balconies overlooking it. "Or not." He didn't remember taking this way to get here, but maybe it was a shortcut! A super secret shortcut that no one knew about but him, right now. He was going to take it and come out right where he wanted to be and then he would get out of here and find out everything he wanted to know.

Yeah. Exactly.

His thoughts were put on hold as he heard a strange noise towards the back. It sounded as if someone was moving around a pile of boxes at the other end of the alley, but whoever it was must have been short because he didn't see any sign of anyone. Hurrying up the pace a little, Ven approached the box, confused.

"Hello? Is there someone there? You don't have to hide-" As he came right on top of the boxes on fell over and smashed. Jumping back a little from the now broken box, Ven became even more curious, peering around the still standing ones. "Hey! Don't throw things at me-"

[Vanitas]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 20px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 20px;][atrb=background, i52.tinypic.com/2zghpbb.jpg][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,442,true][atrb=height,450,true][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] Evil tastes the tears of fear! tearing down your helpless fate Theme: Unverse Battle 2 Tagged: Vanitas, Ven Comments: This post was CRAP and I apologize. Been a while since I played Minion master. What fluttered from the boxes Vanitas had gotten near was potentially an all too familiar sight, As some small squawking and the sound of flapping wings began to echo in the alleyway. From various points came the squawk of the familiar Archraven Unversed, their wings taking them high into the sky and towards Vanitas in an attempt to strike at him with their beaks. Six in total could be counted within the alley itself, fluttering around in a small flock and moving to strike in at random. Two came in from either side, flying low to strike at the boy. The other four called above, their calls echoing into the sky. Why they called was anyone’s guess. It could have been that they were calling for help from more Unversed. Or it could have been a call to summon their master. It was anyone’s guess, and in the end, it was up to Ventus to find out and decide. For while the ravens called, it was not to summon reinforcements. It was an alarm. An alarm that their Master heard. Vanitas halted his ransacking of one of the Hotel rooms in time to hear the call, and smirked, his mask fading away to reveal the pleasure on his face. He’d traversed Five worlds now, leaving his little “Pets” to call should something happen, and to his luck, not only did they find something, but on the same world he still was located. Tossing a photograph aside with a satisfying smash of glass, Vanitas pulled back a curtain to the alley and noticed even more to his glee the bright golden hair of Ventus. So, the boy was kicking around! But… then why had Vanitas not been able to feel him? Even now, he couldn’t feel the boy’s presence. Even now, when Ventus was blocked only by a window and stood so close, he couldn’t exactly feel the boy’s heart. Something… something was wrong, and he didn’t like it. But Vanitas opted to let the curtain fall, keeping an eye on the situation only to observe, as it would be interesting to see if the boy was still strong at all. Doubtful, but maybe… maybe…

template by synchronicity

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Abilities:
Master of the Unversed - Summons 3 Lesser Unversed per person in thread. Each Lesser Unversed has 5 HP [cooldown: 3 Posts while in Combat]

[cyclone]

Of all the things Ven might have guessed being behind the boxes, this was not one of them. With a surprised "AH!" he stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over the remains of the boxes previously smashed. His heart was pounding, and not just from being jumped at; the actual creatures themselves were a huge cause of concern for the boy who now had a million thoughts rushing through his head and a very short time to process them.

First things were first, however. Keyblade appearing with a flash of light, Ven flipped it around in his hand and threw it into the air, crying "Wind!" as the two Unversed flew at him. A whirlwind started up around him, making his clothing and hair fly around him as the Aerora spell began, picking up some of the shards of wood on the ground as it did so. Hopefully this would be enough to keep the creatures' beaks away from him for the moment, maybe even getting some damage in as it did so.

Deciding in a second which on to go for, Ven tightened his grip on his keyblade and leapt towards the Archraven to his right, slashing and jumping back and forth to try to dispatch it as quickly as possible. There was another on beside him, after all, and then the ones in the sky-

The screeching made by the Unversed sent a strange chill down Ven's spine. Whatever they were doing, it didn't sound good and he doubted it would be anything that would make him happy. More Unversed would certainly be a nuisance, but there was something else nagging at him. The Unversed shouldn't exist anymore. They were from Vanitas, as he'd discovered shortly before their last battle. They were a part of him, he'd seen that in person. So then why were they still around...?

Ven was hardly the sharpest tool in the shed, but these were pieces that he didn't want to put together. Something had happened, something had allowed Ven to wake up even when he had willingly face destruction... Was it so farfetched to think that perhaps he wasn't "fixed?" Was he still only a fractured heart, walking around on the grace of another? And if he was, where was the rest? Even if he was "whole"... was it too much to believe that-

"No, no, no!" Frustrated, Ven turned on the spot and threw his keyblade at the other attacking Unversed, trying to squash the rogue thoughts that were flying through his head and focus on the task at hand. He really had to get at the ones in the sky that were screaming their beaks off, although he supposed it was already too late for whatever they were caling. It didn't help his mood, however, that he was starting to feel the awkward sensation of being watched.

---aerora: 2 posts
---strike raid: 1 post

[Vanitas]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 20px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 20px;][atrb=background, i52.tinypic.com/2zghpbb.jpg][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,442,true][atrb=height,450,true][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] Evil tastes the tears of fear! tearing down your helpless fate Theme: The Key Of Darkness Tagged: Vani, VenVen Comments: Still kinda meh, but better than the last. Vanitas smirked as he watched from the shadows of the hotel room, the smirk rising into a grin as he spotted the boy bringing up an Aerora spell to defend himself. It was an offensive version, and it showed something at least to Vanitas: That the boy had gotten smart. Flying foes, use the wind to your advantage. It was a simple tactic, but one he didn’t think the blondie would ever have thought of. But if he was already thinking of such a tactic, perhaps there was some hope after all. Of course, being smart and being strong were two different things. Aqua had been smart, and it helped her, but Vanitas would need Ventus to be strong, not smart. Perhaps smart as well, but strong, able to go toe to toe with the Dark keybearer. Would he be able to, like he did all those years ago? The two Unversed that had flown in were blown back as soon as the spell was active, cought off guard by the chaing in the air and wind. They squawked angrily at Ventus, even as one was smacked by a piece of wood from the broken box. The other, the one on his right, couldn’t move quick enough to dodge the Strike Raid, getting smacked by the Strike raid and thrown back slightly, cawing at the boy in anger and frustration. Vanitas smirked as he watched his little Unversed deal with the boy, testing his strength. “Come on now, let’s see what you really got going for you.” he mused to himself within the hotel room, waching the boy free of his own mask, his yellow tainted eyes staring out into the hall in the back of the building. Of the other four Archravens, three left the area, flying off into other parts of Traverse Town. Whether to infect the world or to continue their search, it was anyone’s guess, but Vanitas only smirked further behind the curtain as the third ArchRaven began a dive bomb from above towards Ventus to try and strike the boy.

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Abilities:
Master of the Unversed - Vnitas summons three lesser Unversed per person in thread. [2/2 cooldown]
Three Unversed have been dispersed. Three are left.

[cyclone]

The Aerora was more effective than Ven had hoped, thanks to the Unversed helping with their own destruction by breaking things. Their squawking and familiar attack patterns surprisingly helped to calm the panic that he had felt at their appearance; he might as well have been back in the worlds he travelled when he first left home all those years ago, chasing after Terra because of vague threats. Those were simpler times. As opposed to now when he was chasing his friends down because of blatant threats.

Being faced with the strange creatures of darkness had been unnerving (what had happened while he was not... around?) but the Unversed were enemies that he could deal with. Of course he was alarmed at facing them again, but he could try to figure out where they had come from after he destroyed them. Attack first, question later. Aqua would be so ashamed. A hitch in this plan appeared, however, when three of them decided to "fly the coop."

"Wait, no, come back, I have to stop you!" He yelled at the flying Unversed uselessly as they departed, waving a hand at them. Ven made to try and follow them (whatever they were going to do could not be good, and he still had their strange call stuck in the back of his mind) but was impeded by the sound of something falling towards him. Glancing up just in time to see that he was about to get a faceful of Archraven, Ven hopped to the side, his arm grazed by its sharp beak. After taking an intake of breathe Ven responded by slashing at it with his keyblade, an idea forming in his head. He should finish this quickly so that he could try to track down the others, try to figure out what was happening.

"Come and get me, then!" He told the creature, taking a step backwards before charging towards the other two. Quickly running circles around the Unversed, he attempted to draw them into eachother, ducking and trying to dodge their beaks. Finally he took a sudden stop and smiled, thrusting his keyblade into the air. "Light!"

Ven felt a rush of energy fill him, and the graze on his arm from the Unversed's beak seemed to disappear. The keyblade let off a short glow and pillows of white light surrounded the boy, covering the cramped alley with it and brightening up even the smallest corners. They shone for a moment, letting off a surge of light magic before spreading out and flickering away, leaving the alley much darker looking than it had first appeared. Hopefully that had been enough to put an end to these blasts from the past and let him go after the others, but still wary Ven gripped his keyblade tighter and turned around, preparing himself for any survivors.

---aerora: 1 post
---strike raid: good!
---faith: 3 posts

[Vanitas]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 20px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 20px;][atrb=background, i52.tinypic.com/2zghpbb.jpg][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,442,true][atrb=height,450,true][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] Evil tastes the tears of fear! tearing down your helpless fate Theme: The Key Of Darkness Tagged: Vani, VenVen Comments: We will compete for worst posts! It was odd, atually enjoying watching the kid. Chances are Vanitas had picked that up from Xehanort when he had been apprentice to him, and it was enjoyable to be watching someone actually try and fight off enemies. It gave clues to their fighting style, hints at their weaknesses and fualts, but also the tricks to avoid. In the case of Ventus, it was important to be watching him, as it showed the boy hadn’t changed in fighting style since they last fought. He still had his old tricks, though he did also have a few interesting new quirks as well. For example, the fact the boy had gotten smarter about using his attacks and techniques. He still tried calling out for the other Unversed to try and stay though, and that wasn’t gonna happen. Vanitas had given his orders strictly, find Ventus, Aqua, Terra, or Xehanort. If found, alert him, then continue the search for the others. By now, word was probably even spreading across worlds. It was the funny thing about all Unversed being linked to Vanitas. Even across worlds he could feel them, and they could feel each other. Born from emotions, they could feel the pain when one of their own fell. Which was why many across the worlds probably cried out when Ventus used Faith, attacking them with a strong attack such as that. It surely did in the Three Unversed as it should, or so Vani thought. When the light had faded, he peaked back around to see one of od his Unversed still there, flapping weakly in the sky from the attack. Interesting, but only in the strength of his Unversed. Time to end the barrage of minions and show Ventus their master still lived. Opening the door to the hotel slowly and quietly as Ventus would no doubt take care of the final Archraven, one it was dispatched Vanitas began clapping slowly, unmasked and standing upon the balcony ledge looking down. He aid nothing, he didn’t need to say anything. His smirk alone on his face would say enough. He finally found him, the other half to his heart, but he was disturbed. He hadn’t felt Ventus. That meant either trouble, or something more… interesting.

template by synchronicity

[cyclone]

The final Unversed flapping it's wings pitifully finally caught Ven's eye, and while slightly surprised he moved quickly to defeat it, giving one final strike with his keyblade. With that finally finished, he let out a low breath. That was that, then. Now he just had to find the others that had escaped, and try to figure out what was-

The sound of clapping reached his ears immediately, and it didn't take long for his head to snap in the direction of the balcony it was coming from. His eyes were still not quite used to the darkness after the light show that had taken place, but the balcony was lit enough and he had a feeling he'd recognize that person if he was blind. A strangled noise of surprise escaped his mouth as he subconsciously took a step backwards.

"You-" Me, "Why are you-" Why are we- Taking a second to get his bearings, Ven surveyed the figure of Vanitas above him with widened eyes, heart pounding with shock.

This could not be happening. It wasn't happening, he was sure of it. Maybe he was still dreaming. Maybe he was dead after all. Maybe they were both dead! Maybe this was some sort of place-where-dead-people-went. But if that were the case, shouldn't they be one? Shouldn't they be one in the first place? They had merged... Well, not completely. But Ven had felt it. He'd put a stop to it by defeating Vanitas and the X-Blade made of their heart had been destroyed. Ven knew it would hurt both of them; he'd accepted it and even embraced it with the knowledge that it would stop Vanitas from hurting his friends, and the X-Blade from being formed and causing war and destruction. But here Vanitas was. Here Ventus was. Separate. Alive. At odds once again.

Was everything... for nothing?

"What are you doing here?! Gaining his voice, Ven reclaimed the step forward he had lost, the surprise in his eyes taking a backseat to a glare full of anger and indignation. "You were done for... You can't be real." His voice rose in volume as he continued to speak, but he kept a firm grip on his keyblade. He wasn't afraid of Vanitas. He'd stopped him once; if it really was Vanitas and not some sort of illusion in front of him he would put a stop to him again before anything could happen to Aqua and Terra, if they were even out there (of course they were, though. Nothing could stop them!). He had to. He couldn't let this happen again, regardless of the consequences.

---aerora: good!
---faith: 2 posts



(NEVER for i shall claim the prize!!)

[Vanitas]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 20px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 20px;][atrb=background, i52.tinypic.com/2zghpbb.jpg][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,442,true][atrb=height,450,true][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] Evil tastes the tears of fear! tearing down your helpless fate Theme: The Key Of Darkness Tagged: Vani, VenVen Comments: Nope! Winning! The kid was still excellent at speech, that was sure. Oh, hey, sarcasm. Vanitas crossed his arms and watched Ventus as he gathered his bearings and tried to reclaim his voice, obviously startled by the appearance of his other half. Truth be told, Vanitas was just as startled to see Ventus here, but only in the sense that he couldn’t feel him anymore. Something had happened during their merger, surely, and as he listened to the boy speak, all Vanitas could do was let loose a tch. Asking him questions? Like he knew the answer. With a quick movement, Vanitas was down on level ground, looking at Ventus as he stood on the same cobblestone steps. He watched the boy’s fist tighten, readying himself to face Vanitas. Like he’d win. He may have done so before, but he was still weak. Here he was, standing in front of Ventus, ready to do what should have been done ages ago. One simple movement and he could end this boys life, whether it meant ending himself or not. He could merge with him once more, take control and win this time. No Aqua, No Terra, no Xehanort, no Mickey. All there would be was Ventus and Vanitas, and the X-Blade. He’d win, surely. He’d defeat the boy, surely. Yet even as here he stood, all the Unmasked boy could do was… “Cool it loser. I’m just as lost as you are.” admit the truth. He couldn’t find the same urge he had to strike the boy down. Oh, it was still there, but it was… suppressed. He wanted to attack Ventus, but he wanted ANSWERS more. He even held his arms up, sighing in a jester of no wish for conflict. “I don’t have any clue what you or me are doing here. We should be dead, both of us. Yet we’re not. A little odd, huh?” it may have sounded similar to when Vanitas first contacted Ventus, but this time it was even more of a truth than when he told Ventus Terra was being manipulated. “I want the same answers as you”

template by synchronicity

[cyclone]

Vanitas leaping to the ground in front of him made Ventus tense up, waiting, preparing for the attack that he knew was coming. This was it, then. He'd been back for such a short time, and here it was going to end again. He hadn't even been able to see Terra and Aqua again, and maybe he never would. Maybe it would have been better if he'd never woken up at all, if he was going to have to go through this again so soon. Ven prepared to leap into action, thinking a silent apology to Aqua and Terra and Mickey and everyone else he was going to let down, when-

Nothing. No attack came. No hordes of Unversed to hold him down, no keyblade flying at him. Vanitas had raised his hands but... it was almost as if he didn't want to fight, at least at this second. Ven blinked at the boy in front of him, the other half of him that had done nothing but cause destruction and grief in his life since they'd separated so long ago.

Lost? Him?

"Now I know I'm dreaming," Ven said, more to himself than anything as his gaze stayed locked on Vanitas, waiting for the second he was going to attack, laughing at Ven for not paying attention and falling for it. Vividly he recalled Vanitas' sneak attack on Aqua and how it had almost killed her. He didn't always "play fair," but... he seemed like he would rather talk, at least for now. A voice in his ear (that sounded a bit like Aqua and Master Eraqus mixed together) was telling him to run or attack or something, anything, but Ven's curiosity got the better of him.

"...Yeah. A little odd." Agreeing with Vanitas was not something Ven was used to, but there it was. A part of him wanted so hard to believe that Vanitas was telling the truth, that he didn't have any idea what was happening either because if Ven was going to be left in the dark here at least someone else was, too (no pun intended). He was so used to Vanitas knowing more than him that he might have laughed at their similar position if he wasn't so confused.

Everything was happening so fast. Suddenly he was back in the Realm of Light after who-knew-how-long, with all of these different worlds and different creatures and he had no idea where anyone was or what he was doing here and- well, it was a bit much for the boy to handle at the moment. And now, it appeared that the only person who might be capable of being in the same situation was Vanitas.

Of course it was.

"The X-Blade was from our hearts- uhh, heart. So when it was destroyed we should have been." He spoke slowly, thinking it over. He knew part of why he had survived, at least. Upon learning the truth from Master Xehanort and Vanitas himself Ventus had regained some of his lost memory. Part of it involved a strange, dream-like meeting with a boy that turned out to happen again after his battle with Vanitas. It was a surreal state, if he remembered. He'd... followed a light and found a warm place where he was told he could stay... so that he wouldn't be sad anymore.

But that still didn't explain why he had woken up now of all times.

Head dully aching at these thoughts, Ven's eyes snapped back to Vanitas. "I don't have any answers, either." He admitted honestly, the Aqua-Eraqus voice telling him to shut up but his curiosity telling him to keep talking. "I don't know why we're here, or separate. I don't have any answers for you. I don't even have any for me!" A frown flickered across his face momentarily, the lingering anger at seeing Vanitas overshadowed for a mere second by confusion. "Do you... do you remember anything? Anything from afterwards, but before we were... like this again?" using his free hand (his right still adamantly holding onto his keyblade) he gestured between the two of them, referring to their current forms.

He wasn't very optimistic that Vanitas was going to answer anything (if he even knew the answers himself; maybe he wasn't lying... well, maybe), but then part of him still thought he couldn't be real in the first place, so it was worth a shot.

---faith: 1 post

[Vanitas]

χ-blade

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 20px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 20px;][atrb=background, i52.tinypic.com/2zghpbb.jpg][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,442,true][atrb=height,450,true][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] Evil tastes the tears of fear! tearing down your helpless fate Theme: Just Like You Tagged: Vani, VenVen Comments: Last post before bed! While he couldn’t sense Ventus like he could, he could still smell his fear, smell the all encompassing dread of knowing his end had come. Any other time and those feelings would have been justified. The kid could tell himself he’d become strong, that he was powerful, that he could defeat Vanitas, but it was all a ruse in the end. Vanitas was and always would be the stronger of the two. Darkness was stronger, because Darkness relied on no one, only on inner strength and power. Self-sufficiency was always much better than relying on others in the end. It was how he’d survived to get so strong, how Vanitas had survived until the end. So why had the end not come? “Laugh it up,” Vanitas said, slightly irritated at Ven’s comment about him dreaming. It didn’t take long though for the boy to admit some agreeance with Vanitas, and truth be told, he was probably just as taken aback as Ven was to agree with him. Seriously, both of these boys were left in the dark. Vanitas no longer had Xehanort, Ventus presumably didn’t have Terra and Aqua if he was this confused and jibber-jabbering this much. The rightful conclusion might have been that they had gained their own hearts, full and complete… but was it right? Or were they just so fractured now that they were as lost as a pair of Nobodies? Like Ven, Vanitas too could feel the disjoint and crazy nature of everything. He’d been in darkness, darkness not like the corridors but lifeless darkness, and then suddenly he was alive again, pulling himself to his key blade, and transporting himself across the worlds. So much was new and had changed… But he couldn’t place everything that had changed. “Should, but we’re not.” Ventus might start making conclusions from their own existence, including the possibility the χ-blade still existed. Truth be told, that was the most sound conclusion, but it couldn’t be. There was no way it could be… just no way at all. “Seems like we could both do with a dose of answers and truth in all this puzzle.” Vanitas said, leaning against the cuation sign for the stream and sighing his eyes closing for the moment. “Last thing I remember Ve…. Loser, is Aqua destroying the χ-blade outside out mind, and it shattering into bunch of little lights and darks. Next thing I know I’m in the Keyblade Graveyard after floating in darkness I didn’t even recognize, and finding out that worlds have changed, and things have gone even crazier.” Vanitas reopened his eyes and frowned, glaring at Ven. “Don’t think this is a permanent truce by the way. I’m just looking for the same answers you are.”

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[cyclone]

Slightly put off by Vanitas' willingness to talk to him suddenly, after a history full of him doing nothing but manipulating and fighting, Ven let out a small laugh.

"But, even if you did have answers, you wouldn't tell me anyway!" This he was fairly certain was true. Well, maybe he would tell him some things. Enough to get Ven to do what he wanted, but nothing that would actually help the boy. Vanitas had the distinction of being a person that Ven would be suspicious of. He'd been taught since he was taken under Eraqus' care that darkness was an awful thing, and Vanitas was only darkness. But even ignoring that (because what did that even mean, really) he had to look no further than his past actions to remember why he'd had to fight him in the first place. "How do I know you're not lying?"

How did he know he wasn't just saying these things? Was Vanitas just trying to get him to... do something? Ven couldn't fathom what it was, other than a repeat attempt at the X-Blade. But would he even bother with Ven for that? Since it hadn't worked so well last time? He'd assumed that was why he was here, but... Vanitas truly didn't seem to know anything about their situation. Would it even work? Of course, this didn't stop him from continuing to ask things.

These were things that Ventus had hardly understood the first time around, so thinking too much on them now was not likely to be any help. Again, he felt helpless; why was he always the last to know things about himself?

At the mention of Aqua Ven surprised even himself by smiling. "Really? Aqua destroyed it?" Of course she had. Aqua would never let something like that weapon exist. He probably wouldn't have made a difference in his battle with Vanitas if it hadn't been for her. She was... a good friend. He hadn't seen her destroy it, or any of the "lights" that Vanitas spoke of considering Vanitas had had control over his body at the time. The memory of the feeling was a little unpleasant, so he decided to ignore it for the time being.

Apparently, they were just as separate as before. Wouldn't they have the same memories, if they had truly been joined at all? Ven certainly didn't have any memory of Vanitas' doing, and there appeared to be things Vanitas didn't know, either. Confused, Ven lowered his head, thinking and surveying the ground. "Even crazier? Isn't that what you wanted?" He raised his eyes back to Vanitas, curious. The whole, cause destruction and chaos thing had seemed something Vanitas wanted. Wouldn't this strangeness be good, for him?

Ven didn't understand anything.

However, at Vanitas' glare Ven felt something strange. Why did it seem so foreign? Sure, most of the time that he had known the boy as a separate being he had worn a mask. But he'd seen it off before. So why was the appearance of a glare on his face so odd? "Huh?" Ven raised his free hand to his head confused, before shaking it and snapping out of it.

"It doesn't matter if this is temporary or not, I'm still going to stop you if you try anything." That was, if he was trying anything. As it seemed, he was just as confused as Ven was. It was... fitting, almost. "I don't know if you are trying anything, but why? I don't even know if Master Xehanort is still... around." At the thought, Ven's eyes strayed to the entrance to the alley, beyond where the rest of the town lie. It was full of dark creatures that he had seen before... when Master Xehanort had summoned them.

Suddenly alarmed, Ven waved his hand towards where he had been looking. "Those things! Those shadows all over the place! Do you know what they are? Did he ever tell you? Because there are so many of them, and-" he cut himself off before he went on too long about it, hand falling to his side limply as the memory hit him. Xehanort had summoned those things. Was this some sort of proof that something he tried had worked? Or just a coincidence?

---faith: good!

[Vanitas]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 20px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 20px;][atrb=background, i52.tinypic.com/2zghpbb.jpg][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,442,true][atrb=height,450,true][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] Evil tastes the tears of fear! tearing down your helpless fate Theme: Xehanort Tagged: Vani, Ven Comments: Bah, words! The first new words out of Ventus’ mouth didn’t really surprise Vanitas that much. Ventus had a right to suspect that, and any other normal circumstance, he would have been right. Vanitas wouldn’t tell Ventus the answers if he had them, but he didn’t. “You don’t.” Vanitas said plainly when Ventus questioned him, but he kept his expression flat, showing nothing. The boy had been used to staring at a mask, but this… this required a face to face confrontation. It was time some things go out in the open. “And normally I wouldn’t, but I’m just in the dark as you are.” The double meaning in that case might have been intentional, though Vanitas gave no show of it. Vanitas nodded to Ventus question of if Aqua had destroyed the χ-blade. It was right to assume the boy hadn’t seen it, since he had been preoccupied with the battle on that tower in the darkness, the tower that bore their likeness. Vanitas, however, remembered it clearly. While they battled in the mind, Vanitas had seen Aqua block the χ-blade, the formed χ-blade, full and powerful, and then watch it turn into the broken χ-blade from within the mind, thanks to Ven’s doing, followed by the destruction of it by Aqua with the help of that annoying King Mickey. It wasn’t pleasant, and it made Vanitas wince just a bit, causing him to look away from Ven for a moment. He hated this. Why was he talking to Ven? Why wasn’t he attacking him? He hated his other half! He was weak, pathetic, relied to much on his friends… yet he needed answers. They both did. And he still needed Ven in… in some form. What form that was Vanitas didn’t know. He couldn’t sense the boy, even as he stood in front of him, and it angered him greatly. He glanced sidelong to the blondie when he spoke about Vanitas wanting it to be this crazy, and truth be told he did. He liked it. The worlds were in chaos and… connected somehow. He liked knowing the worlds were in chaos… but he didn’t like being left in the dark. He needed some sort of direction, some answers, and it was clear Ventus wasn’t going to give it. “Heartless,” Vanitas said, standing up straight again and looking at Ventus. “They’re called heartless, or so that’s what I’ve been hearing. They look for hearts to feed on, and are drawn to the darkness in a heart or something. Funny tat you’ve been encountering them.” Vanitas sighed and shook his head. “Look, I’m just looking to recollect my bearings, and find some answers about why I, now we, are here. I don’t like being kept in the dark. Dark’s where I live and roam, but to have the answers out of my reach is not something I seek. I’ve not heard heads or tails about the crotchety old man, or your weakling friends. Closest I’ve heard about a keyblader was some kid known as Sora.”

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[cyclone]

Vanitas' reply was hardly reassuring. But then, he was hardly a reassuring person. Still looking as confused as he felt, Ven found that he simply could not process the idea that Vanitas wanted something from him that didn't involve fighting to create a terrible weapon. Even stranger when it continued despite Ven's apparent lack of knowledge on, well, anything.

As Vanitas turned away Ventus was left wondering what else had happened. Ven's memory of the Realm of Light ended when Vanitas and he merged; apparently, Aqua had destroyed the blade there and he in their heart. That made sense... if he ignored the fact that he was apparently walking around right now. Another thought gripped him, however, and he spoke without thinking.

"And Terra?" Immediately he regretted saying it at all. Did he really want to find out what had become of Terra from Vanitas? It was unlikely to even be the truth, but even if it was the truth... he just had a feeling Vanitas would put it in a way that would make it sound worse than it was. And who was to say it was bad, after all? He had to believe in his friends, right?

Apparently Vanitas didn't have the answer, either. No word of Terra or Aqua, or anyone it seemed. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or worried, so instead settled on a combination of both. The explanation about the shadows was actually... a bit helpful, though, so he jumped on that. "Well, yeah! Why wouldn't I? I keep walking in on them, sometimes they're attacking people, sometimes they're-" He trailed off, a look of realization hitting his face. "Oh." Of course, he'd meant that because Ven didn't have any darkness in his heart, they wouldn't be drawn to him. Well, he did have darkness. It was just... standing in front of him. Which made him suddenly worried that there weren't any around them at this moment. Did they follow Vanitas around all the time?

"But people can control them! Or... summon them or something. I've seen it. Like how you do with the Unversed." Ven raised a hand to scratch his head in confusion. Were there such monsters? Drawn to the darkness in people's hearts... Where did they come from?

Listening to Vanitas speak about his goals to simply learn and understand things better, Ven shook his head. "They're not weaklings! And I don't think I believe you. You tried to use Terra in whatever it was you two were planning, and then you almost... almost killed Aqua!" As if a lightbulb had been lit in his head, Ven took a step closer to Vanitas, but stopped suddenly at hearing another name.

"Sora?" The name sounded familiar on his lips despite him never really saying it before. Sora the name had never really been needed, although he was familiar with the heart of Sora, if indeed that was something that could be felt. Vanitas really didn't seem to know anything about Sora's connection to them, his helping hand in Ven's (and Vanitas' as well, apparently) survival. If this was the same Sora, that is, but Ven had a feeling. Perhaps his dream's of another's life weren't always just dreams.

Suddenly looking a bit sheepish (because Ven was an awful, awful liar. To be honest he never really felt the need to lie, and this wasn't lying so much as not telling the whole truth and saying that he too might know of this Sora... right?) Ven glanced at the ground. "What have you heard about him?" Hopefully Vanitas' "generous" mood wouldn't run out just yet.

[Vanitas]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 20px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 20px;][atrb=background, i52.tinypic.com/2zghpbb.jpg][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,442,true][atrb=height,450,true][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] Evil tastes the tears of fear! tearing down your helpless fate Theme: N/A Tagged: Vani Ven Comments:Crap post is crap! The asking about Terra prompted little response from Vanitas besides a Shrug. He had known Xehanort’s plans for the boy long ago, but he didn’t know if those plans worked or had fallen through. Xehanort could very well have succeeded, or he could have possibly failed like the idea of how Ventus and Vanitas had somehow… no, they didn’t fail, did they? They succeeded, others just interfered. That was it, they were not the failure. HE was not the failure, Ventus and his friends were! Not him! Not him! Not him… Vanitas had to smirk when Ventus finally realized why it was odd to see him encountering any of the heartless. “Not sure much else beyond them, other than that they’re everywhere, along with these things known as Nobodies or something. Only heard the name, nothing more.” And that was what was really ticking Ventus off. Unversed had been his plague, but now there was Heartless and Nobodies? Yeah, Xehanort had summoned them before, but beyond that? He’d not seen them in great lengths like others seem to have, and they certainly weren’t overpopulating the world or anything. So why was he so unsure of everything then? [coloer=8b1a1a]“So What?!”

[/color] The barrage by Ventus was beginning to bore and annoy him. Why had he ever stuck around. “So I almost killed her! You said it yourself, ALMOST! I didn’t, which means she might be alive now!” He knew what happened when his emotions rose… knew what happened well,a nd they were rising deep. He could feel himself getting coated in the darkness, and feel the emotions ebbing out.

“All I know is that he’s some punk with a key blade. Nothing else beyond that except he goes around with some duck and a dog or something.”[/div][/td][/tr][/table]

template by synchronicity

[/center]

[cyclone]

"Okay. Great." Hearing what Vanitas knew about Sora caused the blonde boy to nod his head absentmindedly, glancing to the entrance to the alleyway once more. If that was really all he knew... then that was okay. For now. But as it was, Ven owed a great deal to Sora... and he understood at least that it would be better if Vanitas stayed ignorant on the matter. The least he could do was try to keep someone like Vanitas away from Sora. If what he'd "dreamt" had any inkling of truth in it... Then he had enough to be worrying about.

Apparently Ven was starting to grate on the other boy's nerves. He wasn't surprised, only that it had taken so long. They'd never had so long a conversation without fighting involved, and it was starting to seem like it wouldn't go much further. "So what?!" Taken aback for a moment, Ven's gaze hardened into a glare once more, jaw set. "So she's my friend! And if she and Terra are still out there, I'm not gonna let you hurt them again! Or anyone!"

He'd had enough of this. Talking to Vanitas had only confused him more. He didn't know what he'd hoped to get from this; well, if he was honest he'd rather it turned out Vanitas really was some sort of illusion and he was imagining all of this (even if that might not be a good thing for him, it was still a better explanation in his opinion). "I don't know what you want from me. I don't have your answers, I don't know anything and even if I did," he steadied himself with a deep breath. "I'm done being used for your plans."

Now the choice remained; what did he do? Did he try to fight Vanitas and maybe lose, maybe win but with the lingering threat of the X-Blade being created again? Or did he run away and leave Vanitas to do who knew what? The problem was that there was something different about the dark haired boy; something a bit strange even compared to the last time they'd met. Was there something strange about him to Vanitas, too? Was that why he was bothering to stay here? Or was it some sort of trap? He didn't know, and he was tired of thinking about it. All he knew was Vanitas had proven he didn't care who he hurt in the process of anything he wanted to do, and he had as much said that he didn't mind the current state of the worlds. Ven knew very little, but he knew this wasn't good.