Pull me from my chains
Help me walk this line
Hold my hand until tomorrow
Until we light the sky

Set Me in the Sun by Blue Stone

AN: Finally the ending! Yay! I hope you enjoyed this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.

Life was back to normal for the most part. The Land of Departures felt empty without Eraqus, but now Vanitas was there as if a replacement. Though, Terra and Aqua were still weary of him, they had accepted his presence. They treated him kindly, though not overly friendly. This didn't seem to matter to Vanitas anyway. Though friendship would have been ideal, Ven knew that as long as Vanitas had support, that was good enough.

Telling them of their relationship had been difficult. Not only were they flabbergasted that he would have that sort of relationship with his own self, he had done so while he had treated him horribly, and behind their backs. Still, they couldn't stay angry at him for long, seeing as everything had turned out alright.

Vanitas had been given his own room, but Ven managed to sneak in every night. Vanitas pretended to be annoyed, but he knew that he secretly enjoyed the company. When they were together they were complete. Complete, yet separate at the same time. To Ven that was perfection.

Vanitas' negative emotions still troubled him, but slowly they were improving. Unversed no longer spawned from his emotions, and he managed to even smile sometimes. Ven attributed it to his own influence, though the one time he said so, Vanitas had knocked him across the room calling him stupid. Oh, well. One victory at a time.

The first time they had sex again, it had been harsh. Vanitas still seemed to be overwhelmingly lustful, but over time it died down to a manageable buzz. Agonizingly slow, their lustful tangles evolved into embraceful dances.

Finally, after one most tender exchange, Ven worked up the courage to tell him he loved him. Vanitas remained silent for a long time, but eventually he tightened his hold on him. Ven was content with this was about to fall asleep when, Vanitas replied. The words were barely a whisper, so quiet that Ven wondered if he imagined them. "I love you." To Ven it didn't matter if they had been audible or imagined, for he knew that, regardless, they were true. They were bonded after all, and deep within his soul, he felt it.