A.N.

Alrighty, this is the third installment of the series. I may do a fourth, but I'm still not certain on it. All of these are currently pre-awakening in KH3 and I will want to write more stories after we finally play that sucker we've been waiting years for. But for now, it may just reside at three. May.

There was something I found that was very interesting and subtly placed within BBS, though. It may just be me overthinking things, but in the intro cutscene, when TAV's colors (orange, blue, and green) fly down and form charms on the end of Mickey's keyblade, Terra's and Aqua's only form one shape while the last one-Ventus'-forms two: the first being a four-pointed star and the second being a crescent moon. I realize this may just be a final symbol for Mickey as they're all friends, but given the fact that Vanitas and Ventus are one in the same, it's pretty interesting to think that maybe there's more there.

I also found it interesting that at the end when Aqua creates the Chamber of Waking, the floor has a circle (also could be seen as a sun) and a crescent moon in the middle. Now if that's not depicting Ventus and Vanitas, I don't know what is. XD

Anyway, enough of me rambling. Please enjoy the story. Share your thoughts and feelings, and comment if you'd like. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Summary: Suddenly, the solid wall behind him shifted and parted, a loud, hollow creak resonating out because of it. His loss of support caused him to quickly pull out his arm to catch himself just as rays of light reached out from behind him.

The doors to the Chamber stopped just shy of halfway and Vanitas, though full of curiosity and confusion, walked inside with an air of indignity.

He knew who would be inside waiting for him.

Vanitas' head was bowed as his hands clasped the closed, double doors in front of him; standing alone in the hall of the illusionary Castle Oblivion. His eyes were thinned to threatening lengths as he seized control over his anger boiling within. His nostrils flared in response to his efforts and soon his hard breaths eased into a steadier pace.

He was so close. Sora had easily been fooled into freeing him only to get away and leave him stranded once more. If only he had been able to take back that stupid heart of his; if only Ventus hadn't have gotten in the way...

He would be free from this sleep with Ventus at his mercy.

The thought alone sent both anticipation and pure rage coursing throughout his mind and body, but his unyielding control snuffed it out as the situation deemed it useless.

His shoulders slacked and his palms slid from the doors and down to his side as he took his spot standing sideways in front of it. His visor melted away to show his black hair and golden yellow eyes; his mouth a thin line.

Down the hall, the lights had begun to go out and Vanitas watched them curiously. One by one, the darkness crept toward him as if the ceiling actually held light fixtures, and when the last patch of light resided only around him, he glanced up expectantly before his environment was plunged into complete darkness.

If only… He thought defeatedly as he reached his right hand out and touched the doors, using it as a guide for him to fall back against and slide down onto his rump.

He couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything but his own breaths. He felt the floor beneath him and the doors against his back and that was it; nothing else existed. This was indeed the darkness he knew all too well.

The bitter cold started seeping into his skin and continued to get colder the further in it went. Just as it would be when he would feel Ventus' emotions: the happy ones. It made him warm, for a time, until the connection faded away and he was left colder than ever before. It always got worse every time he would tap into said connection and it never got better. Nothing ever got better for him.

These were how things always were and from the look of it, how they will always be. He would be left alone, trapped in utter darkness, while Ventus got the cozy, ignorant life. Vanitas was the one destined to suffer while Ventus healed and he sneered at that truth, having known it since his "birth". The fact that he was trained by Xehanort just added insult to injury and until now, he hadn't really realized that. But his years with the old man had actually given him something. Despite the pain, he learned perseverance, resilience, and control and he wouldn't dare go back to change any of it.

Through the darkness, he glared at nothing and wrapped his arms around his knees. He could easily have thought of why his life was so unfair, but when was anything in life fair? He had come a long way from the hapless, crying, weak child he was back then and pondering on the blissful ignorance Ventus seemed to carry in endless amounts wasn't going to do him any good. If he was like before when he was a new heart after their split, right now, he'd be crying. But the years have taught him that crying does nothing but hold you back.

The darkness was the only thing he knew, it was the only thing he was. He was the darkness of their heart and Ventus was the light; as his Master always said. It was only fitting that they got the total package.

Suddenly, the solid wall behind him shifted and parted, a loud, hollow creak resonating out because of it. His loss of support caused him to quickly pull out his arm to catch himself just as rays of light reached out from behind him. The darkness never gave up its empty expanse, but the floor and walls closest to the slightly ajar doors were now bathed in light, as was Vanitas.

His initial shock was quickly forgotten as he twisted around to peer through the expanding crack and into the room. The light was too bright for him to see inside, but he stood anyway to face the small opening presented to him. The doors stopped just shy of halfway and Vanitas, though full of curiosity and confusion, walked in with an air of indignity.

He held out his hand to shield his eyes as he went, stopping after clearing the doors. They closed as gently as they opened and Vanitas stole a peek behind him to watch them operate on their own. By now his vision had adjusted and he was met with what he expected.

The walls were as white as the rest of the Castle with Eraqus' precious symbol and chain checkered about. The light from said symbols pulsed down through the chains and stretched out across the floor before coming together as one underneath a center sun and crescent moon. And there resting in front of him, facing away, was a throne.

He narrowed his eyes, almost knowing, as he walked around the left side of it. There, resting peacefully—like he always knew he was—was Ventus. The throne was nearly three times the size of him making the blond boy seem even smaller with his slouched form and hands innocently placed on his lap.

So, this is where she left you. He thought to himself as his eyes ventured around the room before settling back on the occupant. He was quite displeased with how content Ventus seemed with all that's happened, but that didn't matter right now and he continued to do what he promised he would.

Vanitas reached out to grab a hold of Ventus' neck, but his hand fazed right through him, Vanitas' non-corporeal form protecting the later from any physical contact. Of course it was too good to be true; Vanitas sort of saw it coming, but he groaned, nonetheless, at the missed opportunity.

"Of course." He audibly whispered, stepping away while still keeping his glare.

The room was as quiet as could be, peacefully so, but also warm and comforting. At least he assumed comforting for his other half; white wasn't particularly his favorite color and the light emanating from all around them was a bit off-putting for a person of his making. Regardless, those weren't the things that called for his immediate attention. What was really strange about the Chamber was how close he felt to Ventus, yet he was still out of reach. He was there, but then he wasn't—ghost thing notwithstanding. Unlike before where he could hear his thoughts and feel his light, now all he could sense were his emotions and his light. Just as it would be if he was tapping into that connection of theirs.

Caution and confusion could be read clearly from the idiot, but the one that really stuck out the most to him was…

Sorrow.

Vanitas' eye twitched at that and he glared daggers down at the dormant—but, unfortunately, still breathing—body of his lighter half.

"If this is your way of taking pity on me, DON'T. I neither want nor need it." He warned as he crossed his arms. Ventus remained sympathetic, however, but the confusion faded and he appeared to be more at ease now, which caught Vanitas off guard.

Exactly what about the circumstance would make him feel at ease, he wondered. He was here, beside him, ready to end his stupid light-filled life if and when the opportunity presented himself.

"You realize that move of yours was a big mistake." He said, his words the first ones spoken within the room in over a decade. He was met with an air of misunderstanding again, "You know what they say, Ventus, no company is better than bad company."

Ventus' body physically smiled at that. Strange, and here Vanitas thought he was completely dormant, but it appeared his conscious mind and rejuvenated heart were receptive to what was going on around him.

But he was acting different; righteously so. It infuriated him for a second before realization struck. Could he have been able to feel his emotions as well? Was that why the door had opened? Was Ventus the operator of this "dream"?

So, he thinks it's not fitting for us to have the total package… He thought and right afterward, Ventus' whole frame started to glow. Vanitas blinked at him and took a step back just as the light was somehow transferred into him. He cringed from the forced entry and nearly lost his balance, stumbling back further as his vision blurred. The walls of the Chamber bled away to darkness as a memory they both shared sped into view.

It was their dive to the heart, right at the end of their battle where he had been defeated. As he fell, he quickly tried to reclaim the X-blade, but exhaustion took over and his desperation faded into defeat as he descended.

It was his hope, his only salvation out of the pain of his existence. He wanted to reunite with him to end his suffering. He didn't care about "saving the world", as Xehanort put it, he didn't care about the power it came with—although he did find himself getting wrapped up in it and enjoying every second—and he most certainly didn't care about helping Xehanort. His master offered him something that he couldn't refuse: salvation. And that salvation was only achievable if he and Ventus reunited; the X-blade was the only method offered to him. But Ventus had denied him that, and…

Looking up at him now, he looked different than from what he could remember. He remembered Ventus finally being at peace before his heart left. Now he was just watching him with a new-found understanding and was sorry for what happened. He was at peace for his actions but still felt sorry for him.

Pity…

Vanitas began to seethe and was on the verge of shouting at Ventus to stop before the memory faded away to reveal the walls of the Chamber once again. He opened his eyes with his anger following suit. His fingers slowly—shakenly—squeezed into fists as he lifted his eyes to peer up at Ventus.

"This is your way of taking pity on me." He whispered to himself. There was always something about Ventus that made him instinctively hate and want to kill him and proximity always made it worse.

"You think pulling me from the darkness and saying you're sorry will fix everything?!" He growled at him, his body tense. "You think that's going to change what's happened?! I'm just suddenly going to turn over a new leaf because you've finally opened your eyes to what you've been blind to your whole life?!"

He couldn't get a read from him.

"You still haven't learned anything, Ventus! Because if there is one thing I hate more than you and pity, it's you showing me pity!" As he spat this, his keyblade was summoned into his hand.

Now he was met with confusion and concern from his counterpart and it only fueled his ever-growing anger.

"You're confused? You're confu—you want to know why I'm so angry, Ventus?" He seethed through clenched teeth, his name alone adding more to the fire. A dark aurora began to emanate off of him as he took slow easy steps towards the sleeping form.

"I'm angry because I'm stuck in this oblivion—" He vocalized his words clearly, venom dripping off of each and every one of them. His grip on his keyblade increased, "—I'm angry because Sora, of all people, is my one and only chance of getting out of here—" he hissed as he approached his sleeping half. His face was now right in front of Ven's. "I'm angry AT YOU because everything that's happened, to both you and me, is YOUR FAULT!" He yelled with a pointed finger.

All he got in return was sympathy and that straw was what broke the camel's back.

"I HATE THAT EMOTION!" Vanitas screamed and swung his keyblade around, its head fazing through Ventus' torso and hitting the armrest of his throne, a metallic clink sounding off of it. The fact that he couldn't hit him only made him angrier and he swiped at Ventus again.

His aim had his keyblade slicing through his head, through his neck, across his chest… anywhere it would yield the most damage and pain. And with each attack came that clanking sound of his keyblade only smacking off of the chair.

Darkness now poured out of him at the mockery of his wasted efforts. His last swing was instantly halted above his shoulders as Vanitas clenched his eyes shut. His white-knuckle grip on his keyblade made his hands and arms shake as he took deep, steady breaths to try and calm himself down. But with Ventus still resting there, unharmed, unfazed, unaffected, his attempts became useless. His anger had been building up within him for too long and with one final roar he slammed his keyblade down upon the seat of Ventus' throne and a loud break echoed throughout the Chamber.

The stem of his keyblade cracked and broke in two, the head flying off to the side of them while Vanitas still clenched the hilt. His breaths were hollow now as a sharp pain struck his heart that caused him to stagger back and fall onto his knees. He knelt there hunched over with one hand clutching his chest as the other let go of his keyblade. It too crashed onto the floor, the sound also echoing throughout the room before slowly, ever so slowly, fading away. And then it and its broken piece vanished within a blue and purple light.

How…?

A sudden gasp escaped his lips, two more after that and continuing, as he tightened his grip against the pain. His breaths came in spasms as he worked to regain his composure. Little progress seemed to have been made as time passed on. The darkness was overwhelming and all consuming. The Chamber began to enclose in around him, suffocating him. The white walls turned black and soon he couldn't see anything again.

Why? His thoughts whispered. The pain wouldn't let up and soon a cold, numbing sensation stretched out from the pain in his chest. It encompassed his body and snaked down his limbs; his head began to feel fuzzy.

This is it... this is the end for me…

His body grew heavy and so did his eyes. He heard sleep call to him, and he knew he wouldn't be able to wake from it. He felt…

Scared…

Terrified…

Paralyzed…

Cold…

Soon he felt nothing… and then…

All of the sudden the nothingness vanished and the connection between he and Ventus was re-established, but it wasn't made by him.

Ventus' light poured out from the emptiness and enveloped him, driving back the darkness and dousing the fire. The cold painful grip on his heart instantly fled and sleep ran from him leaving in its wake a warm sense of tranquility. Life returned to his body and his hand fell from his chest, his muscles relaxing from their strain. His breaths evened out and his figure visibly slouched a whole inch.

The walls of the Chamber of Waking returned and the floor became white again. He still remained on his knees, though, as the light—his light—continued to wash over him.

This was what he always felt when he connected to Ventus, or when his emotions bled through to him. Warmth, happiness, laughter, peace; it was the only time he ever could feel such things and…

Soon it would be gone, the darkness returning to reclaim him and make him colder than before like it always did.

But it didn't. The light was still there, still driving his death away. Because if Ventus was alive, then so it would be for Vanitas.

He lifted his head to peer up at him; still asleep in his chair, still as stagnant as ever.

The floor beneath them began to glow and bubbles of light rushed from the ends of the room to the middle, coming together. A bright flash emitted forth and Vanitas' keyblade rematerialized before him, whole. He looked utterly surprised, his mouth opening as if to say something, but ultimately only closing without words spoken.

He looked up at Ventus, his light still there, the connection still holding and not letting go. And even though he kind of felt happy right now, he remained solemn and prideful. Showing Ventus gratitude—even though somewhere inside of him he felt it—didn't sit well with him. It wasn't who he was.

Vanitas sighed before standing and unsummoned his keyblade. He remained there, staring at the ground as he sorted through his emotions.

Finally, he walked over to Ven.

He lifted himself up onto the left armrest of Ven's throne, his right foot planted on it as his left leg dangled off the side. He draped his arm over his knee and stared ahead, away from Ventus. He remained quiet for some time before finally speaking.

"I don't care to know why you did what you did," He said without glancing over at Ven, "So, don't expect an apology from me… or a thank you." Even though nothing was said, Vanitas could feel he agreed to this understanding.

He allowed more time to pass before speaking again, this time changing the subject.

A deep sigh left his lungs, "So, how long will that idiot friend of yours take? Is he even competent enough to figure out how to save us?" He asked while stealing a peek down at Ven; he only smiled back. "Hmph, I rather not rely on him, or you, but I guess my hands are tied."

A small chuckle broke his frown, "Come to think of it, your friends would probably bound me up and throw me in a prison before bothering to help. Well… that is to say, if they could defeat me first." He continued to smile as he thought about everything and pondered on what might happen in the near future.

"I guess it's not bad, all things considered. If it comes down to it, I could just use you to force them to let me go. And it'd work out for you because you'd still be helping me." He laughed at that. He felt Ventus get irritated and it only made his smile grow.

"Either way," he concluded, "as soon as they free you, Ventus," He glanced down at him before returning his gaze skyward. "They'll free me too."

"It's only a matter of time."