Set Nowhere in Particular, a World of You Choice, and the Land of Departure.

Okay, so I have a confession to make. I finished these last five themes several months ago (nearly a year, I think).
I honestly thought I'd already uploaded these and that I just didn't get any Reviews or PMs for them because they weren't that great.
I'm so sorry; I really don't know what happened...
And I actually noticed this oversight a few days ago but I decided to wait until April 2nd before updating.
I'm sure you can guess why. Hahaha!

Please Note:
The final prompt, End, is the continuation of three previous prompts: Stars, Stranger, and Light.
(Chapters 15, 24, and 34)
I've actually been asked to make a longer version of those three and upload it as a separate story but I don't think I can manage that.
Instead, I decided I'll at least give it an ending.

Oh and, incidentally, my favorite theme from this set is 100: End.

Thank you to everyone who have read the previous chapters, and who have had the patience to stay up to this point.
I cannot believe I published this here in 2011. And only finished four years later! That's... insane.
Please forgive me for keeping you all waiting.

Again, thank you. And enjoy.

DISCLAIMER [I do not own Kingdom Hearts] DISCLAIMER

WHAT IFS AND WHY NOTS

What if I was different? Why could you not change?

Ninety-Six
Unicorn [8]

Aqua must be a mythical creature, too perfect to be a mere mortal. She was a star made flesh and blood, a unicorn personified. So pure. Untouchable.

And that was precisely why Vanitas desired her.

If she was a mythical creature of light, then he was her shadow, her demon. His hands itched to graze her skin, his soul longed to possess her very being.

Aqua would never understand, but Vanitas did. It was a tale as old as time. Light craving Darkness, Darkness craving Light. It was their nature. She could never escape. And he would never give up.

Ninety-Seven
Wonderland [7]

Vanitas noticed that Aqua looked at the universe as a wonderland of light and color. He though perhaps they saw things differently, those with hearts of light.

He wished he could show her what he saw. In his eyes, the universe was a carnival of horrors. Beautiful, in a twisted way.

Maybe if she could see from his perspective, she would understand why he did the things he did. She would see that the world wasn't perfect. She would know that there was reason to his madness.

And, maybe, she'd see that she had always been on the wrong side.

Ninety-Eight
Who are you? [5]

"Why won't you tell me?" Aqua half-screamed.

Vanitas simply stared at her.

"Who are you?" she breathed. "Please…" What do you want from me? Why do you leave me alive? Why are you following me?

Aqua believed she owed him, he could tell. She wanted to understand, he knew. She was easy for him to read. So easy, that he knew he must never tell her who he is, where he came from, what he was created to do. Never.

He slipped slowly into a dark corridor.

"Vanitas! Wait!" He saw Aqua reach for him.

Then all was darkness again.

Ninety-Nine
Doll [10]

There was a doll in Aqua's bedroom.

Vanitas couldn't say why he suddenly remembered. Why now, when he had more pressing concerns? The X-Blade, for example, shattering before him. He grabbed at it but his mind was elsewhere.

The doll was dusty, faded – like it had sat there forever. Then, one day, he saw Aqua take it down, clean it up, embrace it fondly. After waiting so long, wishing for her touch… Finally.

Suddenly, it wasn't the X-Blade he was reaching for. It was never the X-Blade. Vanitas choked, eyes stinging, knowing that for him the waiting would never end.

One Hundred
End [1]

"You promised to tell her!" the voice shouted, loud in his heart.

Sora suddenly sat upright, wide awake He leapt out of bed, dashed down the hall, and burst into her room, forgetting that it was past midnight.

"Aqua!" he yelled, the dream fresh in his mind.

She woke, startled. "Sora? What's wrong?"

"I remember!"

"What…?"

He told her of an afternoon at the beach. A masked boy. And a promise. Aqua was quiet until he finished. Then, slowly, she smiled, futilely trying to hide a deep pain…

"I know," she whispered. "At the end, I realized… I'd always known."

A/N Before uploading this final set, I reread every Review sent so far for each chapter. I must say that, even now, I still felt so touched and so grateful to receive your feedback, your comments, your thoughts. Thank you very much.

Also, I realized that this story had over fifty unique reviewers, and possibly more readers than I initially hoped there would be. I'm surprised by how many fans Vanitas has. Hahaha! I remember that around the time I started this, I still felt some apprehension regarding how well or how badly Vanitas and Aqua were being received as a pairing. I've had to endure quite a bit of hate for liking them so I am so pleased that there seems to be many who share my feelings.

Anyway, now that this project is finally completed, I just want to thank everyone again for sticking around and for continuing to share your thoughts with me. I hope to see you in the next adventure that I'll put these two through, if ever there may be.

END

Thank You

Special Thanks
Achalys / AnHeiressofaSOLDIER / AnimatedRosie / Ars Silentium
BG-13 / Chained Fighter / CyberHorse
Dusty Bones / Enlyien / FrozenClear
hakuna177 / Hero of the Hazard / Jamarcus Davis
KagomeAngel91 / Kiryn / Koneko156 / korovee
Lacy-booth-otaku-number-9001 / LightBloom / Lilac Phoenix
lingerings / Lita Snow / Lord Razer
MonMonCandie / Musical Sage / neko-neko-aishizu / Nnix Ame
oblivionkeeper23 / Patriot-of-USA / Princess of Rose
Radiant Silver Star / Reader / Reiko x 3 / RikuSora / Rndd
SchattenSoldat08 / Shadowed Shikyo / Shiori Yomu
Skitty 2004 / Starry Requiem
TeeHunter13 / the dark side of our world
/ Vivitix
we-are-not-soldiers / whiskedaway / WishingDreamer5
xxHPxxGWxx / xXPrincessMXx / xXxGothicButterflySpiritxXx
Ybs / Yue Asuka
Zanza Flux

~Alacquiene~