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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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Power of Light Part 5 (Final Part)

Riku grinned and drank the potion, giving Sora a wink as he felt his energy returning to him. "Such a good bro Sora."

"Hey, what are best friends for?" Sora replied, clapping Riku in the shoulder. "Feel good enough to get up?" he asked, holding out a hand. "Kairi's going to be relieved to see we're both alive."

"Van!" Naminé cried, running to him. She pulled him into a fierce, hungry kiss, desperate to be by his side and to make up for the last month. "Mine," she said, pulling away. "You're mine and this is the last time someone stands between us."

Ven was at a loss. Well, he'd brought them here and had helped save the day—it was hard to believe his old master was well and truly dead—but now what was he supposed to do? Go back to the Land of Departure, I guess, he thought. Well, not before I say something first. "Hey, Vanitas? Naminé?" They looked at him and he swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

Van was elated, and it showed in his kiss to Naminé as he gave his wife as much love as he could muster while still being proper. "I knew if anyone could save me it would be you Nams. I knew I could count on you." His words were followed by another kiss to his wife's lips as he just felt so overwhelmed by everyone's support. At Ven's words, Vanitas turned and faced his lighter half, a frown twitching at the corners of his mouth. "What are you sorry for Ven?"

Ven rubbed his hair, not really liking what he had to say but he had to say it. "For being an idiot, really. I tried to stand in the way of your relationship and for that, I'm sorry." And he really didn't want to say more on the subject because honestly, he had spent enough time thinking about it.

"Can't say I blame him," Naminé muttered to Vanitas. "I mean you are pretty sexy." She stifled a laugh and looked back to the blond man. "Well, it's a start Ventus. I will accept your apology but it is up to Vanitas if he wants to do the same." As Ven nodded she glanced at Van before going over to Riku and Sora. "Can you move, Riku?" she asked, remembering that Repliku had hit him. "I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

Riku nodded and got to his feet, testing out his stability and finding that he was standing rather well. "I am fine Naminé, thanks. We can get out of here as soon as we are ready. Though..." He then looked up at where Repliku had been, wondering if his clone was okay.

"...should we go check on him?" Sora asked, also looking up. "I mean, he got us here and honestly, I haven't got a clue on how to leave."

Naminé laughed. "We have the X-Blade at our disposal; I don't think leaving will be a problem."

"I forgive you Ven." Vanitas sighed and moved to his light, gently brushing his hand along the other's cheek. "I know how you must have felt, and it's hard, especially since we are two halves of the same coin. I hold no malice against you and I really hope that maybe we can start over and be friends. What do you say?"

Ven nearly jumped when Van ran his hand against his cheek. He hadn't felt any kind of affectionate gesture in years; he could feel his body reacting all over the place because he simply didn't know what to do. But the offer of friendship was not one he was going to turn down. "Sure thing, Vanitas. Friends." And he smiled the smile he was known for. "Hey, is she really...?" He blushed slightly, not bringing himself to ask properly.

Vanitas smiled softly and pulled his hand back, feeling slightly guilty for the reaction. He spared a glance at Naminé and nodded to her before turning back to Ven. "Is Nams really pregnant you mean? Yeah... she is." Van couldn't hide the grin that was threatening to overtake his face and he really was tempted to pull Ventus into a bear hug.

Ven's eyes widened. "Well in that case I think the word is congratulations. Oh, and good luck; I think you'll need it." Tentatively, he reached over and patted Van's shoulder, not wanting to push boundaries or anything.

Riku nodded and slung Oblivion over his shoulder once more. "Sora and I will go check up on him; after all he wasn't himself, Xehanort had him under his control."

Sora and Naminé nodded seriously. She went over to the other two and Sora glanced at Riku. "So, we climb up there? I guess if he tries killing us we'll have to do the same." Although he really didn't want to do that. After all, before they arrived, Repliku had been on their side.

Naminé slipped her hand into Van's, leaning against his arm. "So?" she asked. "Have you cleared the air?"

Vanitas nodded and pulled Naminé close to him. "Yeah, things are all good over here. We are ready to go as soon as your boys fetch the clone. I am sure he is okay now that Xehanort is dead. The darkness that was controlling him should be used up by now."

"I'm sure Kairi would protest at you calling them my boys," Naminé laughed. "But I hope they come back soon... the darkness is starting to give me a headache... I don't know how it's affecting you." By it she meant the light that had given him an appearance change.

Vanitas blinked, looking down at himself and his outfit change. "Heh I didn't even notice, but now that you mention it I am feeling kinda off... A little light headed. No pun intended."

Riku sighed and began heading up the side of the cliff, the trip taking a tediously long time before they finally reached the top. Repliku was sitting where he had been, head in his hands and tears falling to the ground.

Sora glanced briefly at the dead body before focusing his attention on the clone. "Hey, Rep? You in there?" he asked, not sure of how else to determine Repliku was in his right mind.

Rep looked up at their approach, his eyes still golden but in focus and not clouded. "I am so sorry... I hurt you guys... I couldn't control his darkness. It overtook me... This is all my fault." Tidus and Auron would be so disappointed.

"I don't really see how it's all your fault," Sora said. "I mean, yeah, you could've killed Riku, but in all honesty, he was using you, and that doesn't make it your fault." But he had to ask. "Why did you have his darkness anyways?" Did he still have it? What had driven him to it?

Rep still didn't look up and he continued to stare at the ground, tears falling as Sora and Riku approached. "I don't know it just... happened. I met him after I split with... her and I just..." He couldn't even bring himself to say Elizabeth's name, the rage within him building at the mere thought of her. "He offered me a new purpose and I took it. I learned to control it I swear I did but..." He let out a low wail and curled up. "Just leave me here!"

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Sora said, glancing at Riku. "Being alone here with that dead body isn't going to do you any good." His best friend was probably going to be better at talking about this. "Riku, you had that Heartless in your heart, didn't you? Or do you still have it? Maybe you can say something because you know I don't know anything about that kind of stuff."

Riku sighed and nodded, moving so that he was kneeling next to his clone. "Sora... give us some time would you? Go tell Naminé and the others that I will join them as soon as we are finished up here. I think this requires some privacy." Riku knew this sort of thing was something that was tough to deal with, and having extra people here who did not understand wouldn't help. "I won't be long, I promise."

Sora was hesitant, but he nodded and started to climb back down. Once he reached the bottom he headed back over. "Riku's talking to Repliku. He said he's not going to be long, and I don't know if he's going to bring Rep back with him."

Naminé flinched, immediately feeling guilty that the clone was caught up in all this mess. But she had trusted him and trusted his ability to control the darkness; that was a testament to their friendship, right? "I wish I could help," she said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. I am sure he will be fine. It's just shock. That sort of darkness really hits the system hard." Vanitas sighed and sat down on a small rock, inviting Naminé to sit on his lap with him. "It's not your fault so don't feel guilty."

Naminé slid into his lap, finding the darkness easier to bear when they touched. "Tell me; do I look different? Because your eyes are blue." Might as well discuss what was happening to them.

"Your eyes are gold like mine." Van grinned and cupped her cheeks. "We switched eye colors babe. I don't know, I think it looks hot on you. I probably look a lot more like Sora now don't I?" He looked up as the others approached, kissing Naminé softly on the cheeks before standing. "All right let's bail."

"Does this mean you're going to start spouting stuff about light being found in the deepest darkness?" Naminé asked, grinning and then getting off his lap.

About five minutes later Riku appeared, Repliku trailing several feet behind him but still approaching nonetheless. Riku nodded to Sora and spoke quietly before the clone could reach them, "He just needs time, though I don't want him alone. That is when the darkness peaks."

Once Riku came back Sora listened and nodded. "He could come home to Destiny Islands with us. I think Tidus's old house is still empty. Not that I know if any of his stuff is inside..." Naminé might have done something with his things, since no one had really checked. "Or maybe he could stay at Radiant Garden or with King Mickey and Queen Minnie."

Repliku didn't speak, and instead stood behind the group with his head down. Riku took the initiative to speak for him, "Yeah, maybe the castle would be best if they would take him. At least until he feels better."

"Sounds like a plan. I wonder who we'll have to ask to make that happen," Ven mused. "So, how are we going to get out?"

"The X-Blade, do you think?" Naminé suggested, looking at Vanitas. It didn't look like Repliku would get them out at the moment.

"Um... hello? How do you think I travel?" Vanitas rolled his eyes and banished the X-Blade, as its humming power was really beginning to hurt his head. He then extended his hand and summoned a dark portal, gesturing for the others to all go through. "Ladies first."

Riku scowled at the comment yet hung back; he wanted to make sure everyone else got through first.

"Love you too dear," Naminé sassed back, tugging on his hand briefly and walking through.

Ven wondered if that was normal behavior when Sora shoved him forward. "No time like the present," the brunet declared. "The sooner we get out of this creepy place the better."

Riku and Repliku followed not far behind, with Vanitas bringing up the rear and closing up the portal. It landed them back to Radiant Garden just as the sun was beginning to go down. Vanitas nodded in approval and crossed his arms. "That worked well.”

“We’re back!” Sora exclaimed, looking around. “I wonder where Ienzo is.”

“I see him!” Naminé exclaimed, running forward, pulling on Vanitas’s hand as she did so. “Ienzo, we’re back,” she declared, smiling radiantly. Everyone was safe, and she had her husband with her at last.

The young scientist turned, shoulders sagging in relief as he saw the group approaching. "Ah thank goodness. I was incredibly worried about you all. Took a bit longer than expected." He looked over everyone, eyes lingering on Repliku before his attention turned back to Naminé. "You are well though? Didn't strain yourself?" Her eyes were still that odd golden color, but Ienzo paid that no mind, figuring that it had to do with Vanitas.

"Aside from some intense mind traveling, I'm not injured." Her hand ghosted over her abdomen, unable to keep from making sure she was telling the truth. "Although I am sure that we'll all need a visit to the doctor to make sure we're healthy. Riku suffered the worst injury, except I think Sora managed to heal most of it."

Ienzo nodded and motioned for the entire group to follow him. "Come on then, we will go see Even and make sure everyone is back up to par."

She blinked and leaned against Vanitas, the darkness in her eyes hurting. "Van, how do we reverse this?" she asked quietly. "My head is really starting to hurt and I don't know about yours."

Vanitas frowned and cupped Naminé’s face in his hands, "I'm not sure... hold on..." He closed his eyes, tendrils of darkness reaching out and touching all the dark that had leaked into Naminé. Slowly it all retracted back into him and when Vanitas opened his eyes they were back to being gold once more.

She nearly sagged into his arms, the unknown weight lifting. "Thank you," she said, righting herself and smiling up at him, her eyes blue again.

"I hate visiting the doctor," Sora complained, although he and the other three followed the rest.

"I haven't seen a doctor in ages," Ven mumbled. "So for all I know I'm dead."

"Don't be like that; if you were dead you'd be a zombie!"

Naminé found it difficult to hide her laughter at their conversation; it was such a relief to hear them be so lighthearted.

Ienzo rolled his eyes as he lead them through the castle, "You all are honestly a bunch of wimps. He probably only wants to see those who got hurt and Naminé." Even was curious, but he wouldn't extend that curiosity too far, not today at least.

Riku scoffed as he and Rep brought up the rear. The clone had been completely silent the entire time, not bothering to make a sound as they wound their way through the long halls of the castle.

"Wait... why Naminé?" Sora asked as Ven fell very quiet. "She didn't get hurt... the only ones who didn't are Ven and Naminé." If you didn't count the burns she got from the darkness. In that case, it was really just Ven.

Ventus wondered if the others would find out about Naminé right there or if she and Van would be able to sneak back to their home without anyone but him and whichever scientists knowing.

"Because of how the darkness may have affected her." Ienzo spoke without missing a beat, knowing all too well that this was a secret that had to be kept. "You saw her eyes did you not? We just want to make sure that she is doing all right." They had arrived at the labs and Ienzo stood aside so that the others could get through. "All right then, just step inside. I will go find Even so you guys can get out of here as soon as possible."

"He's not called the Schemer for nothing," Naminé muttered under her breath, her shoulders relaxing.

Sora, meanwhile, was rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. "I... I don't think I noticed Naminé's eyes..."

"Thank you, Ienzo," Naminé said over Sora. "We appreciate it."

Ienzo winked, his eyes darkening for the briefest of moments with his own darkness, catching the double meaning of Naminé’s gratitude and not having missed her mumbling. "Of course, I do hope you come see us again sometime." And with that he was gone.

"Bye Ienzo!" Ven called cheerfully, waving. Sora also waved but plopped to the floor when everyone decided to sit.

Riku sighed and sat down, Vanitas doing the same and pulling Naminé into his lap. "You really are feeling okay?"

Naminé smiled and allowed herself to be pulled into Van's lap. "I feel fine, especially now that you're here," she assured him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She leaned close to his ear, hoping no one else could hear, "Maybe, if we're lucky, we could ask Even if we can see the baby..."

Van flushed the tiniest bit, unable to hide the grin on his face. "I would like that very much."

Riku looked down at Sora, giving his best friend a funny look. "Sora, what the hell are you doing on the floor?"

Before the other had a chance to answer Even walked in with a flourish, green eyes scanning the room and its occupants. His gaze paused on his creation and Repliku visibly stiffened. "Well, well, look at this motley crew."

"Hi again Even," Naminé sighed. He'd been rather irritating in trying to control her actions and studying her the last month. "I think that Riku and Sora are the ones you'll want to see first." Anything to avoid being poked and prodded and asked ridiculous questions.

Sora looked at her like he'd been betrayed. Apparently he really hated doctor visits.

Even's gaze immediately focused on Sora and a creepy grinned crossed his face. Nothing like a bit of revenge. "Ah Sora yes. Long time no see boy." He advanced on the young hero with a slightly predatory gait. "So tell me, where are your injuries?"

"M-mostly just my arms," Sora answered, sounding terrified. "It's just bruises, really!" At least Vanitas hadn't stabbed him in the stomach or something. "It's Riku that was hurt the worst; he got stabbed in the back." He prayed that his best friend would forgive him but he did not want Even to hurt him.

Riku looked at Sora with a murderous gaze. "Yeah but Sora used his healing potion on me, so I am feeling good as new." A lie, but not too much of one; he definitely was feeling better and he did not like that Even's poison green gaze was now on him.

"Well maybe I should see for myself. Both of you take off your shirts."

Sora was unable to keep from squeaking slightly but did as he was told. Kairi would kill him (and Riku) if they were not as good as new.

Naminé looked away from the males taking off their shirts. "Just you wait," she whispered to Vanitas. "I can't wait to have you in bed again." She smirked, trailing one hand down his chest.

Ven sat in a chair, feeling rather awkward about the whole situation. Why were they going through a pseudo-checkup while everyone else was in the room?

Even couldn't believe they were actually going through with it. Really he was just going to give the boys some potions and send them on their way but this was really too good to pass up. "Oh my, my, Sora, look at that!" He grinned and moved in quickly, grabbing Sora's arm as Riku reluctantly removed his shirt. "This does not look good at all!"

Van purred softly, burying his face in Naminé’s neck and inhaling her scent. "Mmm you can't wait? I want you to take me right here and now and I don't care who is watching."

She licked her lips, shivering slightly when he buried his face in her neck. "I don't think we want to traumatize Sora or Ventus," she sighed. "Although trust me; if those two were not here I would probably take you up on that." A month without him had been awful for multiple reasons and she could hardly control herself now.

Sora, on the other hand, froze when Even grabbed his arm. "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed. "It's just a bruise!"

"Oh no, it is much more than that! I might have to amputate!" Even cackled lightly and Riku quickly threw his shirt back on.

"Heh well, I think I am feeling much better now! Thanks Even!"

Sora's mouth dropped and he wrenched his arm out of Even's grip. "I think I want a second opinion before I let you operate!" he said very quickly, pulling his shirt to his chest. He knew there was a reason he hated doctors.

Vanitas hummed, though he knew Naminé was right. "Mmm fine, but only because you say so. I would traumatize a room full of children if it meant I got to be with you."

"Just let me think of all the ways I can make it enjoyable later," Naminé purred, unable to hide her smirk. "And besides, we have to practice holding back. Remember?"

Even laughed and rolled his eyes, giving the terrified young man a look of exasperation. "You are too easy to mess with. Just take a potion and you will all be fine. I really only want to talk to Naminé." He turned towards Naminé and her lover, sighing heavily.

Before he had a chance to reprimand them however, the door to the labs burst open and a very bouncy blond came in with a bag full of take-out. "Oh Zexy-channnn I brought us fooood!"

Even's eye twitched visibly and he tried not to lash out. "For the love of GOD Myde if I told you once I told you a THOUSAND times!"

Stopping in the middle of the room, the former nocturne blinked and looked around, realizing his boyfriend was not among the group, "...oops."

Naminé laughed. "Hi Demyx," she called, waving. "I'm sorry, but Ienzo left a while ago." She somehow managed to keep her smile as she continued, "Right now it's my turn for a checkup so I would appreciate it if every male in the room besides my husband and Even left." Her head tilted slightly towards the newcomer, "I promise to talk to you before I go home Demyx."

Myde grinned and waved at Naminé, his cheerful expression back on full display, "Yeah well you better! It's been a long time! I have SO much to—HEY!"

The young male squeaked as Even began pushing him out of the room. "You heard the lady, she said out, so get out. All of you. Go on... except for you Rep... stay in the castle if you would." The clone had been trying to squeeze out unnoticed, but when that failed he sighed and nodded his head.

"We'll stay too," Sora said quickly to Rep. "Besides, I wanna see Naminé and Van before they go home."

Ven wasn't sure he should stay or not, but... he didn't see any reason not to. "Yeah, I'll stick around for a bit, too," he added to Sora's words as they all left the room.

Naminé sighed and got off Van's lap, although she stayed close. "All right, let's get this over with."

“I see that you managed to make it without visibly injuring yourself, Naminé,” Even said as she sat where Riku had been minutes before.

“Please make this quick Even,” Naminé requested, lying down. “We want to go home.”

The older man chuckled and moved around some machinery that had been in the corner of the room. “We’ll see if you’re both as healthy as you appear.”

A few minutes later and Even had an image on the screen. “It looks like you two will have a son.”

Naminé felt tears come to her eyes. “Thank you, son,” she whispered. Vanitas was silent next to her, grasping her hand tightly. If their son didn't exist, she didn't know what would have happened.

“Well, everything seems to be fine,” the blond scientist continued. He was about to analyze the results when he noticed Naminé glaring at him. “You can go now, if you wish.”

After several hours, the pair finally entered their home. “Home,” Vanitas sighed. “I never thought I’d see it again.”

“I never thought I’d see you again,” Naminé replied. “But now you’re here, safe, with me.” She leaned against his chest, once again feeling glad that he was alive.

He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. “That won’t happen again, I swear it. Our son will be happy and protected.”

“I love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone.” She looked up at him, hoping that he believed her.

“Naminé… I love you too.” The words were hard to say this time, but she would understand.

She nodded. “Cain,” she murmured. “We should call him Cain.”

“Cain,” he said, testing it. He grinned. “I like that.”

#vannami #namivan #vanitas #namine #drabble

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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Power of Light Part 4

Naminé was deep in her mind, her fingers burning as she ran along to where Vanitas was supposed to be. "Vanitas, can you hear me?" she kept calling, hoping he would answer. "Van, please answer me!"

High above, almost out of sight, Xehanort was indeed watching them fight. He chuckled when the silver-haired man shouted at him. "That's rich, coming from him," he muttered. "After all, he let my heartless control him." Instead of entering the fight he continued to observe and speak through his puppet, since Vanitas was refusing to speak and it was difficult enough to force him to obey.

Repliku sneered and backed up as Riku advanced, trying to lead his original to a better fighting spot where he would have an advantage.

Vanitas on the other hand stayed silent but attacked viciously, pushing Sora away from the group. He was completely numb, unable to hear Naminé or feel their bond. He finally did say something though as a swing of Sora's came dangerously close to nailing him in the head. "Why don't you ever learn? The dark cannot be saved!"

"If that were true, then Riku wouldn't be here!" Sora huffed, shoving his lookalike away. "Come on Vanitas, even you should know that." A quick glance and Riku seemed to be all right—not great, but holding his ground, and Ven guarding Naminé, who stood unseeing.

Instead of reaching his heart, where the end should have been, Naminé came to an impasse. After a while she managed to draw open a door, although it was heavy and didn't stay open for very long. "Vanitas?" Her voice was quiet, frightened. It was dark here, and her light felt muted.

There was the sound of someone drawing in a shaky breath, and Vanitas' voice pierced the darkness, "You shouldn't be here." He sounded both relieved and completely hostile, as if he couldn't decide which one he wanted to be more.

"As if I'm going to listen to that," Naminé answered. "I shouldn't have been anywhere near you, I shouldn't have dated you, I shouldn't have married you." She looked for the source of his voice, feeling around in the dark. "But I didn't listen. I didn't listen to Tidus or Kairi or anyone else." Where was he?

Vanitas, or rather his mind-form, moved forward. He was unmasked in here, dark suit tattered and ripped in several places. His eyes were wide and sunken in, giving the impression that he hadn't slept for days. "I couldn't stop him...." It was almost as if he wasn't really hearing her.

"Stop him from what?" The tone of his voice unnerved her. "Van, you're hurt," she said, her breath catching in her throat. Naminé tried to reach for him. "What has he done to you?"

Vanitas stumbled back, shaking his head. "No... don't touch me! He's got me in his hold can't you see?! He's got me in thrall! I can't break free! I lost my independence. I lost you!" Van let out a strangled cry, sounding completely delirious.

"I'm right here, Vanitas! I came for you. You haven't lost me." This was almost like his nightmares, except he couldn't seem to wake up. "I'm here," she repeated, stepping closer. "Van, please, listen to me."

Van shook his head, staring at Naminé but not really seeing her. "You aren't real. You are just a dream. The only part of you left that he allows me to have." Van reached out weakly, holding his hand centimeters from her cheek before letting it fall to his side. "Pretty soon I won't even have this."

Tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm here. Right here." This time she did reach over and brush his cheek. "Vanitas, I have news," she began, trying to keep her voice even. This was not how she had wanted to tell him at all, but maybe... maybe he would listen. So she pretended that they were at home, perhaps in the kitchen. She focused on his face; it was easier to pretend this way. "You're going to be a father. I'm pregnant, Van. I came all this way so our child would have a father."

Vanitas slowly blinked, and he first looked to Naminé’s hand on his cheek, a disbelieving look crossing his face. She never touched him in his dreams, and if she did he never felt it. This time though... the touch was there and Naminé’s hand was so warm. It was then that her words sank in and Vanitas swallowed hard, turning his head to look at his wife's face, "...a father?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice catching again. "Six more months and we'll be parents. Please wake up Van, I need you. I can't raise a child by myself." Here she let her tears fall more freely, as she had been afraid for an entire month that she would never find him alive, leaving her alone to take care of their child. "I know you didn't think you were ready but now you have to try. Our baby needs you."

At the words 'our baby', something seemed to happen within Vanitas. His eyes cleared and focused, meeting Naminé’s for the first time since she entered his mind. He took in a deep breath and looked down at her stomach. Suddenly the shadows began retreating and her light spread throughout the small area they were in. Without a word Vanitas reached forward and gently brushed his hand against the barely visible baby bump. He smiled and suddenly they were both slammed back into reality.

Vanitas gasped and fell to his hands and knees, his mask shattering and dark suit taking on a different color. Instead of black and red it was now black and white, and in his hand the X-Blade shone brilliantly, fully formed and complete.

Naminé fell back as well, lying prone on the ground. The bars of light shimmered out of existence as Ven rushed to her side, shaking her. "Naminé, hey, are you okay?" he asked, somewhat frantic. He didn't think that was supposed to happen, but then again, it felt like none of what was going on was supposed to happen.

She opened her eyes and he gasped, leaning away. Instead of their usual blue they were gold—like Van's. "Help me up," she commanded, and her voice sounded... odd. Like Van's tone had slipped into it. Ven did as he was told, feeling rather nervous. She was made of light, wasn't she? Why did her eyes turn golden then? What had happened when she did whatever she did? He hoped it wasn’t permanent.

Sora, who had been fighting off Vanitas and felt rather worse for wear, stared in shock as Van suddenly fell to the ground and changed. He backed away, returning to Riku's side since Repliku was still beating down on him.

Riku was beginning to wear down, as Repliku was fighting with a seemingly relentless strength. It was as if Xehanort was feeding the clone energy and fueling him on into battle. Riku gave Sora a questioning look, but didn't have time for an explanation as Rep came down upon them both.

Meanwhile Vanitas got to his feet, looking down at the X-Blade in awe, his eyes shining a bright sky blue. He grinned lazily and looked forward to Naminé, feeling their bond repair itself almost immediately. He would take care of Xehanort, but first thing was first. Instantly he ran over to his wife, gently grasping her face and giving her a loving kiss. "Nams... you did it."

She embraced him tightly; glad to feel his arms around her again. This time when his darkness brushed over her she felt comforted, her light twirling with it and rubbing up against him like a pet. "More like you did," she teased, finding humor in the moment. Her expression softened and she kissed him again. "I love you. More than you know."

Ventus watched as Van came over, eyes blue and completely focused on the female next to him. Normally he didn't feel Van's emotions, since they were negative and it was his that got moved over to his darker half, but this time he could practically touch the love he had for Naminé. Ven could barely bring himself to feel any hurt; instead becoming more of an impartial observer to what felt like a very private moment. Maybe, he thought, maybe they belong together. Now that he was standing next to them and watching them interact, he was somewhat ashamed that he had refused to see it.

Meanwhile, Xehanort was as confused as those down below when Vanitas suddenly stopped and broke down, his appearance changing. He tried to direct his attacks back to Sora, but the boy was completely unresponsive. It was as if... as if they had somehow exorcised the pieces of his heart from Vanitas. His eyes narrowed and he summoned his keyblade, preparing to go down himself.

"I love you too Nams, and I love our child." He smiled then and touched her stomach, a disbelieving look crossing his face though it was also tinged with excitement. It was then that he noticed the X-Blade in his hand was fully formed and giving off a radiant glow. "Look..." He gently held the blade out and Repliku turned for a moment to look, eyes widening in shock before he whipped his head to glance up at Xehanort, "Master look!"

Ventus whipped his head so fast he heard his neck crack. "Child?!" he exclaimed in a low voice, staring at them. Had she knowingly come to this place while pregnant? She must have, for Van to say something about it. One more thing he didn't understand about the situation. It was then that Ven realized that he really wished Terra and Aqua were with him to help make sense of the situation.

"Later, Ventus," Naminé replied, staring at the X-Blade. It wasn't as menacing as it sounded, all those years ago when Vanitas had first mentioned it. She reached over to touch it; the blade was warm under her hand, recognizing her as someone who had helped to create it. "Do what you must; but no matter what, you must return to me," she told Vanitas, sharing a look with him.

From a distance, Sora and Riku had moved away from Repliku and noticed the keyblade in Vanitas's hand. "That has got to be the biggest keyblade I've ever seen," Sora muttered. "Can he even use it?" he asked Riku out of the corner of his mouth.

Xehanort smiled, pleased that this part had gone right. That was the whole point, after all; one way or another Vanitas would forge the X-Blade. "At last, the X-Blade is complete. With it the true Kingdom Hearts can be opened!"

Riku's eyes fixated on the blade, never having seen anything like it before. "Well, I guess we are going to find out aren't—" Suddenly Riku let out a cry of pain as Rep came from behind, slamming Soul Obliterator into the keyblade master's back. Riku let out a cry of shock and pain, falling into Sora and taking them both to the ground. Repliku sneered, turning then to Naminé and Vanitas, eyes wild. "Now Vanitas, finish what we started! Come, let us go and complete our master's bidding!"

Vanitas let out a low growl, swinging the X-Blade around as if it weighed nothing, though he did not attack. Something seemed to be holding him back as he turned to look at Naminé. "Don't worry Nams... I will always return to you." The statement was barely a whisper, and he moved away from her, lowering the blade and appearing to submit. "Yes, I am coming."

"Riku!" Sora shouted as his best friend fell on top of him. He pushed Riku up and slid out from under him as fast as he could, crouching as he cast healing spells to try keeping the wound from killing him. Kairi would kill him if Riku came back dead or badly injured because she had made them both promise to come back in one piece.

"Van?" Ventus asked, confused as the darker man walked forward. Naminé held him back before he could chase after Vanitas. She tugged him back towards Riku and Sora. Ven supposed she believed she would be safer in larger numbers. Oh man if Xehanort finds out about—his thoughts dropped off for a moment before continuing—that… then we're in even worse trouble than before. And then he had to stop and think about the fact that Vanitas and Naminé were having a baby. He almost put his head in his hands just thinking about it.

"Excellent," Xehanort said, smirking. "Come here, both of you."

Vanitas nodded to Repliku and the two of them scaled their way up the side of the sheer rock face to join Xehanort at the top. Vanitas swallowed hard, clutching the X-Blade tightly as Repliku moved to kneel before their 'master'. Van moved to stand in front of Xehanort, waiting for his perfect opportunity to strike. "I have completed the blade just as you asked of me."

Meanwhile down below, Riku was clutching his side, lying on the hard sand as he tried desperately to catch his breath, "Fucking hell he got me good." Maybe if Van hadn't miraculously summoned the X-Blade like it was nothing he wouldn't have been so easily distracted.

"I'm glad to see you're alive enough to make those kinds of remarks," Sora said, sounding relieved.

"Can anyone else see what's going on up there?" Ventus asked, staring up above. It was sort of hard to see them... what was Van doing? He'd seemed to come to his senses but he went anyways. He looked at Naminé, who was silent, watching the scene above with a blank expression. The golden eyes still unnerved him, because she turned her head slightly and caught his gaze, making him shudder involuntarily.

"What we can see is enough," she said simply, her voice still sounding weird.

"Good job, Vanitas. You will be rewarded once we open the true Kingdom Hearts, and you may describe to me how you came to complete it." Because at heart, Xehanort was a curious man and here was a chance he could learn to summon it himself.

Vanitas nodded, licking his lips nervously. His suit was still emblazoned with white details and his eyes were a stunning shade of blue but he was playing it cool. He could not let Xehanort know his plan. Repliku let out a low breath which sounded like jealous frustration. "And what about me? I took down my original, the newest keyblade master and possibly one of the biggest threats to us." Except that he knew Vanitas was Xehanort's pet and the man would reward him accordingly.

"Of course, you as well Wanderer. I had not forgotten you. Now, Vanitas, with the X-Blade, open Kingdom Hearts." His eyes burned with excitement. Kingdom Hearts was so close... and all of his plans could come to fruition. The children down below could be taken care of later.

Riku nodded to Sora, content to stay on the ground. The injury may not have been deadly now, but it still hurt rather badly. "We need to trust Vanitas, even if we don't want to."

"I have complete faith in him," Naminé stated. "Once this is over we can go back to Radiant Garden, and then go home." Home, back to the mansion and privacy. Ienzo had been right about Even asking lots of questions; it felt like everything about her pregnancy had been recorded by the scientist and she could not wait to go home with her husband.

"Well, if you say so," Ven and Sora said uncertainly. They blinked and looked at each other for a moment before Sora turned back to Riku. "Hey, do you need a potion or something? I brought some with me." If they needed to fight for whatever reason, Riku needed to be capable of defending himself.

"Yeah I am going to need it." Riku didn't even attempt to sit up and instead lay back against the ground while Sora got him a potion ready. "I just hope this all turns out the way we want it to."

Sora reached into a pocket and pulled out a potion. For a moment he was unsure if Riku would sit up and drink it himself or if he needed help. Deciding that if Riku wanted to be stubborn he could, Sora slipped his hand under his head and put the potion to Riku's mouth.

Ventus, however, was watching the scene up above and Naminé, wondering about her blank reaction to the situation when the X-Blade began to glow even brighter than before. With a quick look he realized she was somehow feeding power into the weapon since she was glowing as well. How does she know to do that? he thought, surprised. Was it some sort of instinct? Ven hoped she didn’t put too much energy into it because he wasn’t sure what would happen if she did.

Repliku grinned and nodded, feeling a bit more accomplished with his task now that his master had acknowledged him, and he got back to his feet as Vanitas turned towards the sky. Taking in a deep breath, Vanitas raised the X-Blade and the clouds parted to reveal the true Kingdom Hearts. Before it could fully appear though, Vanitas whipped around without any hesitation and slammed the end of the X-Blade directly through his former master's chest. "I would rather die than submit to you again!"

Xehanort was shocked. His creation had dared to stab him? He thought he had the boy under control. It was then that he truly noticed the changes in Vanitas's appearance. At first he had thought it an effect of the weapon in his hands, but more than likely it was also the girl he had married. The X-Blade was extremely painful and when it started glowing brighter it shook, bringing agony and almost making him scream. His voice was cut off at a choke. "You... would dare... to stab your master?" he wheezed, blood dripping out of his mouth as he almost frantically tried thinking of a way to retreat. Clearly he had underestimated the influence of the girl and the independence Vanitas had.

"You are not my master! Not anymore! I am free now of all outside influence! I am my own person and there is nothing you can do about it." Vanitas hissed and yanked the X-Blade violently from Xehanort's chest, feeling an immense amount of satisfaction as he watched the older man fall to the ground, bleeding out as he clutched his chest. "Fuck you, you prick!" Vanitas laughed and quickly used a corridor to get back to Naminé on the ground.

There was no chance of it now; his body was already dead and his mind only had yet to catch up. As he lay dying, Xehanort cursed the fact that he had overlooked such a simple emotion as love.

#vannami #namivan #namine #vanitas #drabble

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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Power of Light Part 3

He was alone. Every day, all day, years on end. Somehow he felt it was his fault. Terra and Aqua were gone, but even when that had happened the first time, he'd had Vanitas to rely on. Heck, he had almost managed to convince Naminé to live with him and to bring her boyfriend with her.

But that had all crumbled when, without his noticing, Naminé and Vanitas were dating. And Ventus had thought, hey, maybe it's just a fling or a rebound for her and Van is going along with it. But then Van had come to him and told him he was marrying her. That caused Ventus to explode and even now it hurt to think about, but that had been why he was alone. He still held out hope that Aqua and Terra would come back, but even Ventus knew it wouldn’t be likely.

Therefore, when Ienzo (a grown up, adult Ienzo!) had found him training in one of the various areas the Land of Departure had, asking for his assistance in tracking down Xehanort and rescuing Vanitas, he nearly said yes right away. Ven had gotten used to being alone, but he wanted to see his other half again. But... Van wasn't his anymore, if he ever had been. So he'd said he'd think about it. A look flashed through Ienzo's eyes, but he had nodded and left.

Ventus spent an entire month thinking about it. He could find Van. No matter what, Van was his other half. If Naminé, for whatever reason, could not find Vanitas, then that was her problem. But he could. Ven had spent many days imagining different scenarios if he went to rescue Van. And he was unashamed to admit that he daydreamed of Van saying he'd realized he'd rather be with him than Naminé, who Ven still wasn't sure how to feel about. It wasn't her fault that Van was irresistible, but she knew how Ven felt about him so what had she been thinking? She had lots of boys who liked her, didn’t she? Why did she have to have Vanitas?

And after a month, Ven decided that he was being selfish. He and Van had never been in any kind of relationship, and clearly Naminé was special to Vanitas if his dark half had chosen to marry her. Ven didn't think Van would ever love someone enough (well, he'd hoped, but he wasn't confident in it).

So here he was, standing in the Castle of Radiant Garden, just outside a meeting room a familiar man had shown him to when he announced his purpose. He was going to help find Vanitas, but he still didn't know how to feel about the people involved at all. Ventus breathed several times and then knocked on the door three times to announce his presence.

"Come in." Ienzo was perched on a chair, sitting in the middle of a small group that was going to go in and rescue Van. He had gone and retrieved Sora, Riku and Repliku, unable to get a definitive answer from Ventus. They could not wait on the blond though, so the group had gathered and began training and forming a plan of action.

"All right, so let's go over the plan again since we really have no idea where to find Vanitas." All attempts to sense his presence had not worked and all they needed to do now was figure out where to go.

Even Repliku, whose heart was connected to Xehanort, had been unable to locate the man leading to nothing but a sense of frustration. "If only we knew where to find them..."

"I could find them, probably," Ven said quietly, entering the room. Everyone looked up and suddenly he had all eyes on him.

"Ventus," Naminé said in disbelief, staring at him. It was starting to make him uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's Ven!" Sora exclaimed, getting up and practically running over. "Glad you decided to join us Ven!" He slapped the blond on the back and pulled him over to the group.

"Heh, yeah, sorry it took so long," Ven replied, rubbing the back of his head. "You were saying something about a plan?"

Ienzo looked up, a small smile spreading across his face. "Ah Ventus, so good of you to join us. Yes we were just talking about a plan to bring Vanitas back to dear Naminé. Did you come to join us?”

Riku and Repliku looked up at the same time, giving off a weird mirror effect.

Ienzo waved for Ventus to come in, moving over so the blond had room to sit. "So, you said you can help us find them?"

"Yeah." Ventus wasn't sure how to go about explaining it, but since everyone in here had experienced weird things, he forged ahead. "Vanitas is half of my heart. Two halves of a whole like that, we can tell where the other one is. It's faint right now, but if I were in the same world as him, I could find him."

Naminé watched him, detecting a tone in his voice... was he bragging? She hoped she was imagining things because she did not want to deal with a secret power struggle over her husband. "So, where is he then? Whether Xehanort is with him or not, his location is more important at the moment." Her hands rested in her lap, trying to calm down. A lead, finally, after a month!

"Have you guys ever heard of the Keyblade Graveyard?" Ven asked. "Because a long time ago that's where I kept seeing him and it's the only place I can think of that you guys might not know about."

"That is a creepy name for a place," Sora commented, glancing at Riku to see if he thought the same. "It implies dead things."

Riku slowly turned and gave Sora a flat look, cocking a single eyebrow, "...Really now Sora? What part of Keyblade Graveyard makes you think about dead things?" Honestly, his best friend was a complete moron at times.

"I've been there." It was Rep who spoke up, his golden eyes scanning the group before landing on Ven's standing form. "I know where it is..." He didn't want to say why, as his involvement with Xehanort was kept mainly a secret.

"A graveyard," Naminé repeated, eyes widening as she ignored Sora stick his tongue out at Riku and make some comment. "Rows upon rows of keys... a battle, a frozen body, a giant heart floating above..." She'd seen it in Van's memories. "But how do we get there? We can't just go wandering around in the darkness, looking for a way in. Xehanort would find us then."

"Do we need to sneak in? I mean we could use gummi ship," Sora suggested.

"It's a world that must be carefully traveled to... I can take us there when we are ready." Repliku stood up and looked at the group, looking a bit nervous but ready all the same. "It would take a lot of energy; someone else who has been there would have to help me." Rep turned and gave Ventus an expectant look, knowing the other boy was the only one of them to have been there before.

"I don't know how to give you the energy necessary, but I could try," Ventus said, unsure of how to do this. He still wasn't sure how to feel about all of this, except that now he knew he did the right thing. The last thing he wanted was Van back under Xehanort's control. "Who's all going?" he asked, looking at them.

"Everyone here except Ienzo," Sora answered. "Right? You're staying here?" he asked, looking at the scientist.

Ienzo nodded, though it was solemn. "...Yeah... it is for the best." He sighed heavily and looked away from the group. He had been a huge part of their planning and now he couldn't even go along. Even would throw an absolute fit.

Riku frowned, rubbing his fingers through his hair. "Well... we could always use the extra set of hands... isn't that right Naminé?"

"...No, it would be far too many people. I really couldn't impose." Ienzo forced a smile and stood, waving at the group. "You shouldn't waste any more time now."

Naminé grasped Ienzo's hands, squeezing them for a moment. "Thank you, Ienzo. We'll come back here and you'll be the first I'll ask for. I promise to be careful." They had kept her condition a secret from the other males; it wouldn't do to have to fight for her right to find her husband.

"Let's do this then," Sora declared, looking at Repliku and Ventus expectantly.

"Whoa hey I have no idea what we're doing when we get there and we meet up with Xehanort. Do you guys know how hard it was to fight him the last time?" Ventus asked. "Not that I'm saying we should wait but I just got here and I want to know at least what I'm expected to do."

Ienzo nodded at Naminé, still feeling reluctant about the whole thing. He wanted to go along so badly, but having too many people there would be more of a hindrance than help and the young prodigy did not want to hurt their chances of saving Vanitas. "It's okay; I will be waiting here eagerly for your return. If you need my help I am sure you will be able to reach me."

Repliku nodded and summoned the portal, looking around the room expectantly, "Don't worry, we can take him. We just need to get Vanitas out of there as quickly as possible."

"Okay, lead the way," Sora told Repliku, summoning his keyblade. The others followed suit.

Naminé gave one last nod to Ienzo before they ran through, the group subconsciously putting her in the center. She'd spent an entire month trying to fix the chain to Vanitas, but something was preventing its completion; she hoped it was only because they were so far apart.

"What's the layout of the Keyblade Graveyard?" Sora asked, breaking into everyone's thoughts. "I think Riku and I are the only ones who have never seen it, either first or second hand."

"It's nothing but a barren wasteland with keyblades stuck into the ground everywhere. There are tall cliffs lining the thing and knowing Xehanort he will have the high ground." Rep summoned Soul Obliterator, holding the blade tightly as they all came out of the portal.

Riku summoned Oblivion and looked around, muscles tense and body strained, showing how wary he was about this whole situation. "I don't like this...we should get Vanitas and get out of here pronto."

"Agreed," Naminé and Ventus said at the same time.

Ven tried not to look at her, instead focusing on the tug towards the other half to his heart. "That way," he said, pointing. It looked like Van was somewhere near where he had fought against Xehanort years ago.

Something ran across the ground, causing some of the group to jump. "What's that thing?" Sora asked, staring at the blue creature that eyed the group.

"An Unversed," Ven answered. "Come on, let's go. That thing is a part of Van; hitting it will do us no good since it goes straight back to him."

The small Unversed twitched, looking at Naminé with an almost sad gaze. It let out a small squeak, backing away from the group slowly, as if it were afraid of them. "It's scared of us." Riku frowned and shouldered Oblivion. "Isn't that unusual?"

Repliku moved closer to the small creature and it let out another frightened squeak before running off through the masses of keyblades. "Something doesn't seem right about this you guys."

"Come back!" Naminé cried, almost chasing after the Unversed. "One touch," she stated, coming to a stop. "One touch and that's all I needed for the chain to fix itself. That, or a close enough radius." If the creature really was a part of Vanitas then it might have worked.

"I've never seen Unversed frightened before," Ven said, when another ran past in the same direction.

"Well come on then! They went that way, and you said Van is that way," Sora prodded, getting the group to start moving again.

Riku nodded and began lightly jogging, following the small Unversed as it weaved and dodged around the various keyblades. Repliku followed after, bringing up the rear to make sure no one got to Naminé or anyone else in the group from behind. Several more unversed ran past them, all looking frightened and incredibly skittish. The whole thing just felt wrong, and the shadows began to curl and twist on the ground. Suddenly Riku stopped, head tilted up as he sniffed the air. "You smell that?"

"Darkness." The clone replied, nose to the air as well. "It's saturating the air."

Naminé shivered, the darkness brushing up against her. It wasn't anything like the way Vanitas usually did it, which was comforting and incredibly pleasurable. This was... this was what made her skin crawl.

"Do you think Van is doing that?" Sora asked in a low voice, looking around.

"I don't think," Ven answered. "I know." He stared out in front of them, feeling his darker half approaching.

Sure enough out of the shadows Vanitas appeared, dressed fully in his dark suit and with his helmet firmly in place. He said nothing, instead approaching the group until he was a short distance away but still outside of fighting range.

Repliku swallowed, feeling his chest constrict and mind fog. "Nnn... no." He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts, but the darkness began to swirl around his body.

Riku swung Oblivion off his shoulder and into his fighting stance, glaring at Vanitas. "Well... what are we just standing here for?"

"Van!" Naminé called, relieved to see him. "Van, it's us!" Although something did not feel right, she chose to ignore that in favor of letting herself be happy to see him. She touched the chain that was supposed to connect them, being in a near enough distance for it to fix itself. It was reconnected, but the moment she touched it, darkness burned up her arms and she screamed, letting it go quickly.

"I don't think that's supposed to happen," Sora said somewhat fearfully. "Does anyone understand what's going on?"

Ventus didn't understand what was happening either, except that Van hadn't been silent like that in a long time. Usually he said something, even if it was along the lines of "I will kill your friends" or "Join together with me."

Repliku suddenly let out a loud cry, falling to the ground and clutching his head as darkness swirled up around his body, his own dark suit forming. Riku jumped back, eyes widening in shock as his clone went into dark form seemingly against his will. "...What is going on?"

"You all walked right into my trap." The words came from Repliku, but they were not his own as he slowly stood, golden eyes falling directly on Naminé. "I knew you would come to save your precious husband, but it is too late. He is mine now, and so is this one who foolishly accepted my heart when we first met. Now you will all pay for their mistakes."

Vanitas summoned the unfinished X-Blade, crouching down into a defensive stance while Repliku mirrored him.

Sora shoved Naminé behind him and Riku, backing up away from Van and Repliku. Ven stayed behind her, not wanting someone to sneak up on them.

"Of course I came to save him!" Naminé shouted. "He's my husband and he'd do the same for me!"

"Naminé, if the Unversed are scared, then something's really wrong with this," Ventus whispered rapidly. "When I fought Xehanort and Van the Unversed didn't act scared at all."

"Well I can't touch the chain without getting burned," she answered, sounding frightened. The darkness had left marks on her arms; what would happen if it got to the rest of her body? The baby could get hurt.

"I know the darkness hurts but you're the one who said he's your husband. If you can't make your connection work properly then maybe you shouldn't have married him."

"Can you two fight over Vanitas later?" Sora asked, butting in before Naminé could retort. "We're kinda in a situation here!"

Riku rolled his eyes and looked at the two behind him. "Yeah, listen to Sora for once, we sort of have a situation on our hands." He looked back to their two opponents, Repliku beginning to circle around and Vanitas moved closer, still not saying a word.

Rep gave a chilling laugh, twirling Soul Obliterator around with ease before slashing at Riku, making his original stumble back and bump against Sora. "Well too bad; you are too late. Vanitas belongs to me again and he will not break free. Instead he is going to help me forge the X-Blade, as I have two very viable options for its completion right before me!"

"He's MINE you bastard! I fought against everyone for my right to love him and you CAN'T and WON'T take him from me!" Naminé screamed, her magic beginning to waver. She was sorely tempted to stab Xehanort in the heart, if she could find him. "I'll be fine, just focus on fending them off. There has to be a way to free them both," she declared, her light forming a semicircle of rods around her. It would be a line of defense while she tried purifying their bond.

Sora swiped at Repliku, pushing him away from Riku long enough for his best friend to steady himself. "How should we do this Riku? We don't really want to mortally injure them but they don't seem to have any problem with killing us!"

Riku frowned, trying to watch both Vanitas and Repliku since the two of them were keen on circling like a pair of hungry sharks. "I will take Rep, you take Vanitas. Our plan is to keep them back. Ventus, you watch Naminé while she tries to repair the bond and be our second line of defense if one of these two gets past." Riku scowled and looked up as if he would see Xehanort watching the fight unfold, "WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT US YOURSELF YOU BASTARD?!"

"Gotcha," Sora said, nodding and holding his keyblade defensively, keeping his eyes on Vanitas.

Ven also nodded, getting into a crouch and looking around for anyone who might slip past. He wasn’t much of a fighter, as that had always been Terra and Aqua, but he could hold his own long enough for the others to regroup if necessary.

#vannami #namivan #namine #vanitas #drabble

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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Power of Light Part 2

Naminé stared with disbelief when Vanitas disappeared. She tried desperately to find him through their connection; it had never been so difficult before. She managed to determine that he was very far away before suddenly it snapped and she was in pain. She screamed and cried for what felt like hours, slipping out of consciousness after exhaustion took over.

She awoke on the ground sometime that evening, just beyond the open door. "Vanitas?" she whispered, her throat dry and painful. Naminé tried to find their bond, but it was still broken and it hurt to touch it. "I've got to find him," she decided, scrambling to her feet. She had just enough energy to take her to a world, but it had to be close by. "Radiant Garden," she decided, opening one and running through it. There they might have information on Xehanort's recent whereabouts; she'd seen him with her own eyes.

Once she arrived she felt dizzy and faint, almost as if she needed to go back to Kairi again. Except this was different. The pain, the breaking of the chain, the lack of food she could keep down, were all wearing on her and almost as soon as she stepped out of the corridor she collapsed to the ground in a heap. Before Naminé passed out she heard two very familiar voices. "Oh dear Ienzo, look what we have here, an old friend."

"Well don't just stand there Even. Aeleus pick her up and bring her to the castle!"

When Naminé awoke, she saw Ienzo leaning over her with a small smile on his face. "Ah, you are finally waking up. We were beginning to worry about you." Naminé was lying on a soft bed in what appeared to be some sort of medical facility, medical machinery and all.

Her eyes opened, unshed tears spilling out as she looked up to see Ienzo. "Zexion?" she asked. "No... that's not your name anymore, is it?" She coughed, her throat still feeling as if it had sand coating it. A glass of water was handed to her and she eagerly drank it. "Thank you. I'm sorry to cause trouble again..." She glanced at the machines apprehensively, wary of unknown devices.

"It's fine, you can call me Zexion. And really it is no trouble at all." Ienzo took the empty glass from her and set it on the nearby bedside table. "It has been a long time since I last saw you. I never expected to see you again let alone in Radiant Garden." The young prodigy then stood, looking to the door as if he were expecting someone to join them before looking back to Naminé. "So what brings you here Naminé?"

She failed at fighting back tears. "Vanitas... he was kidnapped. Right in front of me! By Xehanort. I—I couldn't just stay home. I needed to see if anyone knew where I could find them." Naminé wiped her eyes, although the tears kept coming. "I don't know what happened, but our bond, our chain, it broke. It hurt so much."

She felt sick, and she clamped her hands over her mouth. It wouldn't do to vomit all over the bed. This is the worst time to have a stomach bug, she thought, trying to breathe evenly through her nose.

Ienzo quickly grabbed a small garbage pail and handed it to her, "Ah, Vanitas? I am not sure I am familiar with that name." He turned his back to her just in case she did indeed throw up. That was not something Ienzo wanted to see. "You shouldn't be traveling anyways... it causes a lot of stress on your body and in your condition..." He trailed off, figuring she knew what he meant.

Swallowing hard, she managed to suppress the gag reflex. After a moment she withdrew her hands, shaking from the internal effort. "First of all, Vanitas is my husband," she said softly, rubbing her ring. "Do you know who Ventus is? Vanitas is half of his heart... he was born as the darkness of Ventus's heart. I'm not sure if you've ever met." Vanitas might have seen a younger Ienzo, but he hadn't approached—only the Unversed had.

"Condition?" she asked, confused. "I know I'm sick, but that doesn't just stop people from going to work. And I can't just leave him! He's my husband. He wouldn't leave me alone somewhere if he were sick."

"Ah, I see; right, of course." After being sure that Naminé wasn't going to puke, Ienzo allowed himself to turn and face her once more. "Oh... Well I thought you would be aware that... oh dear." Ienzo sighed and rubbed his temples, wondering why he had to be the one doing this when Even was the one in charge. "Well Naminé you see... you are expecting..."

Naminé blinked. Expecting. Her mind could barely wrap around it. A baby. Their baby. "Are you sure?" she asked, staring up at him, clutching the pail in her hands. "How—how long?" A child was the cause of her inability to eat much, not a passing illness. She could imagine the look on Vanitas's face when she told him... if she'd ever get a chance. No! she thought adamantly. I will find him. I have to find him.

Ienzo smiled softly, knowing that this news had to be shocking for her. "You are just about a full two months along. Not too far, but enough to be showing symptoms of morning sickness. I just assumed you would know... I... wish to offer my congratulations, though I am sure now is not exactly the time." The young scientist swallowed and walked over to his friend, patting her hand comfortingly.

"Thank you, Zexion," she murmured, trying once more not to cry. "But you understand, right? I have to find him. So what must I do to find where he is? Terra and Aqua haven't been seen in years, and Ventus won't speak to us. They're the last who might have known where they could be... maybe. I know they fought against him." Naminé rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache come on. "Although... maybe it would be smarter if I tried to recover a little..."

"I do understand but yes, you need to rest first. That and you cannot go on this little expedition alone. Xehanort is a dangerous man and you will need to go with backup. For example, I would be more than happy to assist you once you have recovered a bit from the journey. I am sure we can find several others who would agree to go with us as well."

"Thank you. I can think of a few who will be glad to help." Sora and Kairi for sure, perhaps Roxas if she could find him, and Rep. Naminé wasn't sure if Riku would want to help her, per se, but he would probably go anyways to make sure Sora and Kairi didn't get into too much trouble. "Where should I stay? I don't have money on me." Red bloomed on her face; she couldn't pay them for their medical care and she was almost blatantly asking for lodging.

"Don't worry about it. Friends are always welcome here at the Castle." Ienzo chuckled and stood going to refill Naminé’s water. He seemed rather subdued and strained, though also relieved to see a familiar face. "But for now, please lay back down. Master Ansem would be upset if he knew I was letting you stress yourself more under our care."

Naminé drank the water obediently, handing it back and laying down. "I hope that Master Ansem does not expect me to do anything for him," she mumbled. She could still remember the order to have her disposed of. "Is everything okay with you?' she asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “I haven't seen you in a while..."

"Do not fear, he won't hurt you. He allowed me to stay as an orphan after all. That and he has had a lot of time to think while in the realm of darkness." Ienzo took the cup and set it aside before taking a seat in the chair next to Naminé’s bed. "A lot has gone on since we last saw one another. A lot of work." Ienzo laughed lightly and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's okay though. It's good to see you again."

"I can see that," she murmured, relieved that Ansem wasn't going to kill her. "For instance, you're wearing a lab coat." Naminé smiled. "I wish I had thought to visit sooner. Then we'd have more time to talk." Every minute Vanitas spent with Xehanort was one minute too long. Of course, thinking of her husband led her to think that—that she was pregnant. At least the baby had survived the pain she had experienced when the bond broke.

Giving a mental shake of the head, telling herself she could think about that later, she cautiously rolled to her side so she could see Zexion easier. "You're not the only one who isn't a Nobody anymore, are you?"

Ienzo shook his head, bright blue eyes meeting Naminé’s gaze, "We are all back. Vexen, Lexaeus and Xaldin. Axel and Saïx and... Demyx." Ienzo's cheeks flushed a bit at the last name as he remembered their reunion quite vividly. "Just as you and Vanitas have become your own selves, so have all the others who were once Nobodies. It's not an easy explanation, but the proof is laying here before us."

"I see you're still together," she teased. "I suppose this would explain why you have not given me any orders at all. Will I be seeing any of them?" Naminé was unsure if she wanted to or not. Some of them she had no desire to see ever again, but seeing Lexaeus or Demyx would be nice. "I'm glad to see you whole, Zexion."

Ienzo held his hand to his chest and smiled, "I am glad to be whole again as well Naminé. And yes, most likely you will be seeing Vexen, Lexaeus or Demyx, and it wouldn't surprise me if you saw all three today. Of course they prefer going by their given names. Even and Aeleus. I don't think Demyx minds either way. They tolerate me doing it because I have been calling them by those names since I was eight." Ienzo grinned, leaning back into his chair to rest his shoulder.

Naminé bit her tongue in order to resist a math joke and nodded. "Then... your name would be Ienzo again, right?" She wondered what his mindscape looked like, if the little boy was still there or not. Now was not the time, however, to go on an escapade. They were wary of messing with each other’s minds, especially after the accident she'd had while training.

Ienzo nodded in confirmation. "Yes that is right. Though I have a bad habit of not responding to it when people call me. It will take a while to get used to again I suppose." His tone was a little tense, as if reading on Naminé’s thoughts. His leg actually still bothered him, though it was more a memory pain than actual injury now. As if to break the slightly awkward silence, the door to their little room opened up and in walked Even, nose buried in a clipboard held in his hands.

He glanced up at Naminé and smiled warmly. "Ah, Ienzo, you didn't tell me our patient had awoken."

Ienzo tensed the slightest bit, though the smile on his face was genuine. "I wanted to give her a break before you decided to question her to death."

"Hello to you too, Even," Naminé greeted quietly, carefully making sure to say his name and not his Nobody's. "I guess you have questions for me?" She was still unused to any kind of medical appointment; she supposed it was because she was relatively young and still did not know what to expect. I hope nothing's wrong with me, she thought suddenly, almost irrationally. "Are you a doctor?"

Even chuckled, his demeanor much more relaxed and easy-going than Vexen's giving a much more comforting air. "Ah actually I am, and no worries I am not here to poke and prod. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling well, maybe getting you something to eat?" Even cocked his head to the side, tossing his clipboard to Ienzo, the younger prodigy giving his mentor a glare.

"If I manage to keep it down, then food would be nice." She almost laughed at that; if she didn't "get better" then she was supposed to visit Twilight Town's doctor to find out what was wrong. At least she didn't have to do that anymore. Naminé had to fight down the urge to reach for Vanitas again—the chain would still be broken and painful to the touch. "Ask away, I suppose."

Even nodded and looked to his assistant. "Ienzo, go and get the girl some food would you?" Ienzo gave Even an unreadable look, an expression matching one of Zexion's darker looks flashing across his face for a brief moment before he stood and left mumbling, 'yes professor'. Even sighed, not having missed the look but choosing instead to ignore it. "So I take it Ienzo told you the news? What sort of symptoms are you experiencing?"

Naminé's eyebrows rose, watching the pair. It seemed that Ienzo did not take kindly to being a subordinate again. "He did... Aside from vomiting nearly every day and hardly being able to keep much food down, I'm fine, in that respect at least." One of her hands rubbed her chest almost absentmindedly. It seemed that if done on purpose, a breaking of a bond was incredibly painful. And this isn't the first time either, she thought, attempting to keep a clear replay of that particular memory from happening. Thankfully she managed to stop that from occurring. "I hope I'm not sick. I mean, I know I'm pregnant, but aside from that..."

"Don't worry dear you aren't sick. Just a little morning sickness, nothing I would be too concerned about. No everything is going to be fine." Even smiled, looking rather pleased with the whole situation. "So, it was a surprise to see you here in Radiant Garden. I won't ask because you probably told Ienzo everything and the last thing you probably want to do is rehash the whole thing to me. I can just ask him about it later on."

"That's good," she said, unsure of what else to say. "I suppose it would be a bit of a surprise to see me... I haven't come here in a long time." She had come with Kairi a couple of times, before restricting her world travels to just between Twilight Town and Destiny Islands. She and Vanitas were happy with their situation and saw no reason to leave except if they wanted some place interesting for a date.

Should she try asking if he knew anything about Xehanort? It was possible that he knew something Ienzo did not, but if she revealed her purpose too soon then he might not say anything at all, or make her stay longer than absolutely necessary.

Just then Ienzo walked back into the room holding a tray of chicken noodle soup and some orange juice. Even smiled and nodded, watching as Ienzo approached, "Well good then. Take as much time as you like to rest and if there are any problems just let Ienzo know and he will come find me. I will see you later Naminé."

Even turned and left, missing Ienzo's deep scowl and bitter expression. "I hope soup is okay..."

Naminé nodded as Even left before taking the tray in Ienzo's hands. "I hope so too. It should be fine, though; soup's been one of the things I can eat." She stared at the bowl, gathering her courage before looking back up at him. "Have something against Even?" she asked as casually as she could manage.

Ienzo sighed and sat back in the seat he had occupied earlier. "...Don't get me wrong here but... Ever since we got our hearts back Even has been... well he's been himself, still bossing me around as if I were a child again. I try to bring it up but he just dismisses me. I don't even bother anymore..." The young prodigy wrung his hands, obviously uncomfortable saying anything about it.

"Toss him into an illusion and make him see," Naminé suggested before grinning. "Well, don't do that. But eventually he'll see you're not a child anymore. I mean you don't even look like one." She ate some of the soup, its warmth spreading from her center and comforting her. "It took time for the people in Twilight Town to stop thinking I'm a ghost; he'll see you’re not a child at some point. Maybe it's his way of recovering."

"I suppose... I don't know. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I am not who I used to be. I am more like Zexion than I will ever be like Ienzo." He sounded distressed, as if that fact bothered him. "I lived more of my life as a Nobody than not and I just... sometimes I want to go back... if you know what I mean. Anyways, you don't want to hear about that." Ienzo laughed and gestured towards her soup, "Eat up!"

Naminé wanted to protest, but decided it was probably better to listen to him. After all, she wasn't feeding only herself now. "Yes, Superior," she joked, and turned back to her soup. At least Ienzo had found her; she didn't know what would have happened if she had found by citizens. "Have you seen Kairi?" she asked after a while.

"I have not. Just you. I happened to be out on a break when I saw you passing out. It was lucky that Even and I found you and not someone else." Ienzo watched her eat with satisfaction, letting out a small chuckle at her calling him superior. "I haven't seen anyone else other than the castle residents and the occasional Lea and Isa."

"Goodness, you have been busy. Well, I'm sure you'll see her sooner rather than later... she drops by here every now and then." But that would depend upon whether or not Ienzo was out of the castle, since Naminé doubted Kairi would just be allowed entrance. "I appreciate what you have done for me, Ienzo. From the past until now."

"Of course... we are friends aren't we? I don't want to say more just in case I start sounding like Sora." Ienzo laughed and watched as Naminé ate her soup, "I would like to see Kairi again... she was a good companion for me when I was little." That was until he had lost his heart and Radiant Garden became Hollow Bastion. A twinge of guilt settled in Ienzo's chest and the former Nobody frowned at the unwanted emotion.

Naminé finished off the soup and the orange juice and gave him back the tray. "If... if you could look for me... where I might find them... any lead..." She knew it was a lot to ask, since he was surely very busy already, but she didn't think she could rest very well if no one was doing anything. Even if he could only look for five minutes, that would be enough. "I'm sorry, it's a lot to ask and I know you're busy, but breaking a bond is not exactly easy and it was done on purpose. I think it was to keep me from finding him, and... I'm scared." Ienzo was probably not the person to talk about feelings with, but even so, she didn't want to tell Even and who else would she talk to?

"I can see what I can do, but you have to promise me that you will rest okay?" Ienzo stood and began heading towards the door, "I do my best to find Vanitas for you, and is there anything else you want? Maybe I can try and contact some of your friends as well so we can gather a force to go save your husband."

"Sora, Kairi, and maybe Riku. Roxas, if you can find him, and Rep. The replica from Castle Oblivion, remember? I think they'd be the most willing to help." She bit her lip, before adding, "And... maybe if you find him, Ventus. He's probably hanging around the Land of Departure..." Naminé trailed off, wondering if he would be willing to help. "I promise to rest. Thanks again, Ienzo."

Ienzo nodded and left, sighing as he tried to figure out how exactly he was going to accomplish all that he wanted to do for Naminé in the short amount of time that they had to work with. He shut the door as he left, allowing Naminé to get the rest that she needed.

#namivan #vannami #namine #vanitas #roleplay

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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Power of Light Part 1

Not again, not another nightmare. Though Vanitas wasn't entirely aware that it was a nightmare. All he knew was that Xehanort was back, haunting his dreams and subconscious, whispering in the man’s ear and telling him things that Vanitas feared the most. Among some of his creator's favorites were telling Van that Naminé did not really love him and that all he was, was a despicable creature of darkness. At this moment Vanitas was in Twilight Town, stumbling around in the mansion trying to think positively.

"Vanitas? Vanitas, what's wrong?" Naminé watched anxiously as her husband stumbled into the kitchen. He'd been suffering lately, she could tell, but he wouldn't say what it was. She could feel him moving in his sleep, his face twisted in a grimace of pain that she did not like seeing. After watching him slump into a chair, she quietly asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine Naminé." So it really had been just another nightmare. This was real though. Naminé never appeared in his dreams anymore and the fact that she was here made this real and very comforting. He could never tell her what was going on though, so Vanitas tried to move the subject on to something else. "So... what's for breakfast?" Van put on a forced smile, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Whatever you want to eat," she said, smiling for him, although she could not mask the worry in her eyes. Trying to cheer him up, she added, "Except me. I'm not for breakfast today."

"Vanitas, you can't hide it from her. She can see right through you; she pities you. How could she love what could kill her?" Xehanort's voice whispered in the dark-haired man's ear. "You are poison to her and you know it, don't you?"

Vanitas took in a shuddering breath, closing his eyes and trying hard to block out his old master's voice. "No..." His voice was barely a whisper, expression turning pained. You could tell something was up when Vanitas didn't react to a joking sexual remark, and the dark-haired man was definitely dealing with some demons; or rather, one very troubling one in particular. It seemed Xehanort was now moving from his dreams into everyday life and Vanitas felt like he was going crazy.

"Van?" Naminé's voice colored with worry and she moved closer to him, taking his hands. "Dear, please, you look in pain." She lifted one hand to touch his bangs. "What's going on?" Why wouldn't he tell her anything? Didn't he trust her? They'd been together for nearly six years.

"It's nothing... just bad dreams is all. Nothing you need to worry about." But it really was something to worry about, but Vanitas wasn't exactly aware of it yet. He thought it was just some sort of hallucination or resurfacing of memories. It couldn't be anything too bad right? "Just... some bacon and eggs would be great Nams."

"If that's what you desire," she replied, and set about cooking them both breakfast. Usually they ate the same thing, but today all she wanted was toast since she had been having a bit of an upset stomach lately. Naminé bit her lip and hoped eventually whatever was troubling him would go away, or that he'd tell her.

Later that night, when only Vanitas was awake, he stepped into the room. "Playing domestic, are we, Vanitas? You surprise me." The old man leaned against the wall as approaching the bed would be stupid. "But I know you. I know your heart. You want it. Her light. Your base instincts want it so desperately." He smirked. "It makes sense; after all, you aren't much more than a creature of darkness."

"Shut up! You don't know shit old man. Go back into whatever hole it is you crawled out of." Vanitas didn't even want to acknowledge him, but somehow he knew that Xehanort would not be so easily dissuaded. "I am busy here trying to live a normal existence no thanks to you."

"Normal?" He laughed at the very thought. "You cannot be normal. You are not even human; she is more human than you and she is a kind of Nobody." Xehanort took a step closer to the bed, but only a step. "Why try denying what you are? You used to be so proud of yourself. And rightly so, because the darkness is the key."

His eyes flashed suddenly and he lifted a hand in warning. "Don't forget, Vanitas, who created you, named you, practically raised you. I am your Master and I always will be." Smirking, he spoke once more. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious light, would you?"

Vanitas snarled and turned on Xehanort, golden eyes flashing dangerously. "You touch her and you die you monster! There is nothing to be had from me anymore! So you just leave!" Vanitas summoned Void Gear, pointing it threateningly at his master's form. "I don't need to take crap from you. I am human enough for Naminé and as far as I am concerned she is the only one that matters here!"

He tsked, still smirking. "Why, you believe I would touch the girl. I mean, it's very possible that I would, if it suited me, but I was talking about you. How can you be sure that your control won't... slip?" Xehanort glanced at the sleeping blonde for a second before returning his gaze to Vanitas.

Naminé rolled over, grasping her husband's waist tightly and burrowing her head under his arm. "Van," she breathed, sounding scared. "Van, it hurts." Then her voice drifted into incoherent mumbles.

"Seems you're not the only one having haunted dreams," the old man noted, looking on. "Perhaps she is dreaming about that boy, Tidus? Or maybe you are hurting her in her dream?"

Vanitas snarled again, tempted to get out of bed and attack the intruder. "I would never hurt Naminé and I have plenty of control to make sure that never happens! I don't know why you are wasting your breath by coming here and taunting me. It is not going to work and I will never let you do anything to me or Nams!" Vanitas was trying not to shout and wake Naminé, but his anger was beginning to become difficult to contain.

Naminé awoke with a gasp and jerked at the sound of loud voices. "Vanitas?" she asked, untangling herself from him and sitting up. "Why are you awake?" She rubbed her eyes and noticed the key in his hand. Almost immediately she became alert and brought out her own; he'd only have it if there was an intruder. Her eyes darted around the room. Upon seeing no one, she relaxed and released her key, letting it disappear.

"Are your nightmares becoming so bad they're making your body react?" she asked softly, laying back down next to him and wrapping her arm around his waist again.

Vanitas blinked, Xehanort immediately disappearing from view as Naminé woke up. Maybe he really was going crazy. "...Oh erm... yeah... just another bad nightmare... sorry I woke you up Nams... Maybe I should start sleeping on the couch or something from now on." Or check himself into a mental institution and save them all the trouble. "Go on back to sleep." He banished Void Gear from sight, letting out a heavy sigh. "I am going to take a hot shower."

"No, I want you in our bed at night," she insisted. "I can handle bad dreams. Besides, if we ever have children, we'll be waking up at all hours of the night anyways." She watched him get up and move towards the bathroom. Just before he shut the door, she added, "I really wish you would tell me what the nightmares are about... maybe I could help." Naminé didn't like seeing him like this and not knowing what to do. What could be so bad to bring out his keyblade?

"I don't want to upset you. Plus it's just stupid nightmare Nams, don't worry about it okay?" With that Vanitas shut his door and took the hottest shower he could take, staying in there until he could barely breathe from the steam. Once he was satisfied, Van got his boxers back on and walked back to the bed, crawling in slowly so that he did not wake Naminé again.

"If you insist," she acknowledged, allowing herself to go back to sleep to the soothing sound of the shower.

And so it continued, again and again, until one day Xehanort appeared in the back courtyard in clear daylight. Naminé did not see him, but she could feel something wrong in their surroundings. Her skin prickled and she felt as if the shadows by her feet were crawling up her legs; a glance and there was nothing. "Can you feel anything, Van?" she asked, nervous.

Van frowned and lifted his head, sensing the presence strongly. It was close whatever it was. "...Yes... I feel it too." Though he didn't want Naminé getting herself involved in anything rash. "Stay here; I am going to go check it out." Van stood and summoned Void Gear, making his way through the mansion and out the back door to the courtyard.

"There you are," he said calmly. "I'm pleased that you didn't keep me waiting very long. I think it's time to enact what I should have done when you were created instead of foolishly thinking you and Ventus could create the X-blade." Swiftly, much swifter than one would suspect for a man his age, he appeared behind Vanitas, hitting him in the neck and knocking him out.

Naminé had followed Van to the glass doors leading out, hoping he would discover what it was. Seeing Xehanort made her gasp and open the door, but she didn't pull it open in time to stop him from hitting Vanitas. "Stop!" she cried, although it wasn't enough. Xehanort didn't even spare her a glance as he disappeared into a dark corridor with Vanitas under his arm.

The first thing Vanitas became aware of was how much his head was hurting. Letting out a light groan, Van tried sitting up, though his entire body felt as if it were being held down by lead. The last thing he remembered was going out in the courtyard to see what the source of the strange darkness was and then... Gasping Vanitas did manage to sit up, letting out a small cry, "Naminé!"

"She's not here," Xehanort replied. "You remember this place, don't you?" He gestured around them to the rows upon rows of keys surrounding them. They were at the Keyblade Graveyard, far from where they had battled with Terra, Ven, and Aqua. "I don't know how much longer it will be before she attempts to find you; it depends upon how much she'll miss you. If she's smart, she should be relieved that you're gone. As I've told you before, you're no good for her at all."

"Shut up!" Vanitas stumbled to his feet, concentrating as best he could and barely managing to summon Void Gear. "You... you aren't actually here! This is just another one of my nightmares and I will wake up at home in bed next to Naminé like I always do. I won't let you freak me out this time you fucking bastard!" Vanitas would never admit it, but he was frightened and had no idea what was going on.

"Actually, I was always there. I am always there. I just didn't let your precious wife—really, Vanitas? You had to marry her?—see me." He stepped closer until he was just beyond reach of Void Gear. "We have work to do and she won't be allowed to interfere. Not with that dangerous ability of hers." Xehanort snapped his fingers, and a black chain appeared in it, trailing from Vanitas's chest. "Can't have her finding you too quickly, can I?" With a jerk the chain snapped, the end leading away to Naminé disappearing.

"NOO!" Vanitas screamed and lunged at Xehanort, though he quickly fell to the ground, chest feeling as if it were on fire. "NAMINÉ!" He tried reaching for her, but the signal never made it out, their connection having been broken. "You fucking BASTARD! I am going TO KILL YOU!" Van stumbled back to his feet, taking a clumsy swing at Xehanort that missed by a mile. "Fucking... hell..."

Xehanort jerked the chain still in his hand violently, throwing Vanitas to the ground. "I never left you. I've been biding my time, regaining strength... I'm only telling you this so that you may understand that you can't escape me." He gripped the chain hard, darkness blazing up it like fire towards Van's heart. "I am your Master, Vanitas; you WILL submit to my commands."

"N... NO!" Van growled, his own darkness racing up the chain to meet Xehanort's. The two powers clashing violently. "I won't let you brainwash me! I am not your pet anymore Xehanort!" Van hissed and pushed his darkness harder, the silky black tendrils hitting Xehanort's power as fast as it could.

If he were anyone else, he would have rolled his eyes. "Except that you can't escape me." His other hand clenched, activating the pieces of his heart he had left in Vanitas. "I told you I never left you; you should be flattered I left a part of myself in a creature such as you." Poor ignorant thing; clearly he didn't understand that Xehanort had been controlling the darkness for far longer than he had been alive. The old man pushed away Vanitas's darkness, not with ease, but he did it all the same.

Van gasped, his chest constricting painfully before his darkness fell back, Xehanort's own surrounding his body and coating Vanitas. Falling to the ground, Van let out a pained cried, feeling the dark seep into his skin. "You are going to lose. Whatever you are planning... it won't work." Slowly Vanitas' dark suit formed on his skin, becoming tight and restrictive against him. "And I will fight you."

"We shall see, Vanitas. For now you will remain here. I have need of you." What he wasn't telling the young man before him was that he didn't want him to remain with Naminé. They were the first of their kind and also the first pair of light and dark creatures to be joined together. He could feel her residue magic upon Vanitas; it wove in and out of the boy's darkness, although his darkness was restricting them both. Soon enough he would figure out a way to pull her magic out completely, freeing any remaining help in Vanitas's resistance to his control.

"As soon as I get my strength back I will leave. Don't think just because you have part of yourself harbored within me that you have complete control! I will fight you at every opportunity and Naminé will come find me. She won't be alone either! She will have Sora." At the very least she would have Sora, hopefully more. Xehanort would not win this round, as he never had won in the past.

"So you think," Xehanort stated indulgently. "I am not so easily swayed. Besides, if those three hadn't been able to stand against me, what makes you think that Sora and Naminé will? They are much weaker than the others." Stupid boy, giving in to hope. "You will see; she will not find you." It did make him curious though; how had a creature born capable of feeling only the negative emotions come to experience such a thing?

"You will see... you are wrong..." The last words were whispered as Van lay against the ground, Xehanort's darkness swirling up around him and swallowing his body, bringing Vanitas further and further into his control as he passed out.

#namivan #vannami #namine #vanitas #roleplay

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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I don't know, dear, are you?

Of course I am. I wouldn't give that place up for anything.

#namivan #vannami #namine #vanitas

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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Cain is rather serious for being seven. He's also quiet... and he tries to tell Kaito and Elaine how to do things but sometimes they can't quite understand. Cain and Kaito are very close; they go pretty much everywhere together.

Kaito is... he is my unexpected surprise. He may look different but he is every bit a part of this family as the rest of us. He is kind and sweet, and he knows how to make me smile even on the worst days. He is a great sibling and is always helping his brother and sister out. He's just... a great kid.

Oh, and despite being four years old, Elaine has picked up a penchant for drawing, just like me! Although... she likes to draw on pretty much everything so now we have to teach her restraint.

#vannami #namivan #vanitas #namine #cain #kaito #elaine

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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When Kaito was born, Naminé and Vanitas didn’t know how to act around him. His mere existence brought up old worries that neither wanted to admit to; for Naminé it was what could have been, had Tidus stayed. For Vanitas, it was what could be, if Tidus came back. For the first ten years of their marriage, Vanitas was afraid that Tidus would come back and take Naminé away, possibly their children as well—and the fear was amplified when he looked at his second son.

Until he was three, Kaito was easier to interact with. As a baby he hadn’t grown much hair, and as a small toddler he didn’t get into too much trouble. But then he was suddenly three with a slightly different skin color than his family and blond hair that did not grow the same way as anyone else. His blue eyes were nearly the same as they had been; they were the same shade although now they were starting to grow into the shape Tidus’s had been. And Naminé became paralyzed around the boy. Although, to give her credit, she never called him Tidus.

When he first held Kaito, Vanitas wondered who would be the one to act more awkwardly around him. Would it be him, because he hated Tidus and having a constant reminder might just be transferred to his son? Or would it be Naminé, because her son looked like her first love and she still had difficulty letting go of that love? It turned out to be the latter. Van thought it might be because he could forget and she could not.

But either way, he noticed his son grow as a child. Kaito would see his brother and sister’s dark hair and tug on it (and get in trouble for it), pulling on his own to compare the colors. Sometimes he would crawl up the chair his father was in to do the same. The boy always got this look in his eyes when he realized his hair was still blonde and it was still not the same color as his siblings’. There were also the times that his son would run up to Naminé and tug at the hem of her dress. When he did this, she would look at him for a long moment (well, longer than necessary), and then stroke his head—Vanitas knew that was not what Kaito wanted when he did this to his mother because of the way his face would fall.

What really made Vanitas change his mind about an observant approach to Kaito was when at the age of four Kaito had nightmares more often than not and when he and Naminé came to calm him down for the fifth night in one week (she tended to hover above while Van held him), he would cry about being lonely and scared. It made Van understand; his son didn’t feel loved and he was suffering. And Vanitas decided he couldn’t let his son grow up thinking he wasn’t loved. No matter how much he hated Tidus, this was his son. If Naminé couldn’t handle the appearance of their child, then he would have to.

It was a bit awkward at first, since Vanitas did not know how to be affectionate, the fatherly type in particular. But he saw ways to look past Tidus’s face on Kaito; for instance, Kaito would tilt his head from side to side when he was confused, and he was very good at tricking his siblings into doing what he wanted the way his mother did all the time. He was also intelligent, able to pick up on more complicated patterns than a normal boy his age and it showed in his manner of expressing himself (his father supposed it was because he and Cain really liked Ienzo from Radiant Garden and followed him around whenever they visited). Yes, he did dive into action without thinking and he did have a penchant for water activity, but Kaito was more different than Tidus than his mother realized.

But his father did. By doing so, he found it easier to love Kaito. Being referred to as “Dad” actually became a good thing to hear after a while, and Vanitas knew it was because of his willingness to be a father to someone, Kaito especially.

#vanitas #kaito #drabble

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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The door to their bedroom opened and both their eyes popped open. They waited for a second—“Daddy? Momma?” A sigh and they relaxed; no one was attempting to intrude upon their house, as it was only Kaito.

It was easier to talk to him in the dark, because his voice was not the same as his. “What is it Kaito?” Naminé asked quietly as she and Vanitas sat up. She checked the clock—midnight. Not too terribly late.

The six-year old sniffled, a warning sign before he started crying. Van didn’t even look at Naminé, knowing that she struggled to properly interact with their second child. He got out of bed and approached his son, picking him up and balancing him on his hip. “Go back to sleep, Nams. I’ll look after him.”

She nodded and made a noise of confirmation, allowing him to leave with Kaito crying into his neck. It was a warm evening, so Van went outside to the porch. He sat down and placed Kaito in his lap, waiting for his son to speak. As he did so he stroked his son’s hair, once again noting everything that made Kaito stand out in the family: the texture, color, and growth of his hair; his skin color, which had always been more tanned than the rest of them; the shape of his nose, eyes, and cheekbones… even his mouth. And, of course, the thing that always threw Naminé off were the color of his eyes. Vanitas had seen Tidus few times, but he knew that Kaito had inherited that particular shade of blue.

Kaito calmed down long enough to start talking. “Daddy, I had a nightmare."

That’s what he figured it was, but Van did not say that. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Everyone was laughing ‘cause I look different,” Kaito mumbled. “And then they said I was adopted!”

“Now where did you learn what that means?” Van asked, surprised.

“Someone in my class is adopted and he said that’s why he doesn’t look like anyone in his family. Daddy, I’m not adopted, am I?” His big blue eyes caught hold of his father’s golden ones, and Vanitas’s heart went out to his son. He knew what it was like, to stand out.

“No, son. You’re not adopted. I was there when you were born, six years ago. You’re my son, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“Are you sure?” Kaito asked, biting his lip worriedly.

Van chuckled. “Of course I’m sure. I can still feel your mother nearly breaking my hand.” He wiggled it, tickling his child and was rewarded with laughter. “Now I think someone needs to go back to bed,” he said in his best fatherly voice.

“Okay, Daddy,” Kaito replied, yawning. Apparently he had been assured enough and so worry gave way to sleepiness. Van took that as a sign to take the boy back to his room and picked him up again, walking back into the house. Kaito was fast asleep by the time Van placed him back into his bed.

Van sighed as he gazed down at his son. “I’m sorry, Kaito,” he whispered. “I wish you didn’t look like him either.” He leaned down and kissed the boy’s forehead before going back to his own room.

#vanitas #kaito #drabble

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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Vanitas could never get over how small babies were, even though this wasn't the first child he had, and most likely wouldn't be the last. Sighing softly, he looked over at a passed out Naminé, his wife looking absolutely exhausted. Of course this would take a lot out of her, but there was something different about this birth...

Slowly Van looked down at the small child in his arms. He looked so much like... him that it was unnerving, though Vanitas knew that Naminé wouldn't have cheated on him... no, she would never do that to him. “Right?" Van worried his lower lip, trying not to lose his cool. This certainly had not been what he expected.

Naminé lost concept of time, but once she finally woke up, she noticed Vanitas standing away from her with his back to her, holding their son. "Let me hold him," she asked quietly, holding out her arms, trying not to move the tubes they had attached to her. He slowly turned to face her and carefully handed their son to her, the look in his eyes confusing her. She would have to ask him what was wrong...

She looked down at their son, smiling at him. "Kaito, it's your mother," she cooed softly. He opened his eyes and she froze. Naminé knew those eyes, but she had only ever glimpsed them on such a small face once. Her own eyes moved to meet Vanitas's gaze. Now I know what's wrong, she managed to think.

Vanitas didn't say anything, just stared at Naminé with this questioning and almost apprehensive look to his eyes. He really didn't trust himself to say anything, so instead he stayed rather silent as Naminé looked over their son once more. "...Some eyes huh Nams?" Van still didn't move from his spot, and it felt like his feet were cemented to the floor. "Almost looks familiar..." He was tempted to say more, but he didn't want to come off as cruel.

"I haven't seen Tidus since we were seventeen," Naminé mumbled, taking Kaito's hand in her fingers. She couldn't bring herself to look at his eyes either. "I've only ever felt him in my heart... the one we share. He's yours, Vanitas. Both our sons are yours." She looked back up at him. "I've only ever had sex with someone else once and I already told you about that time; don't you remember? That was before we started dating." A blush rose to her cheeks for being so open about it. "I don't... I don't know why he looks like him. I could guess, but I can't be sure."

Vanitas hummed in irritation, pacing the floor beside Naminé's bed with an irritated expression on his face. If there was one thing Vanitas could not stand, it was things that couldn't be explained. Not to mention this took the cake. His child looked like Tidus; Naminé's first love, and the man she would always love. If that asshole ever came back, Vanitas knew he would lose out and Naminé would run back to him with open arms, despite everything that they had now. That was what hurt the most. "Then please... guess."

"I still have Tidus's sword in me, for one. My arms were made with his magic. And last, maybe most important... my heart. I had to be loved enough to be granted one, and then it became one we share." She could feel herself shaking. "I suppose Kaito has his eyes because... because he might have inherited that sword and that magic." The connection forged between her and their son was a rope, a bronze-colored rope.

Naminé closed her eyes, almost willing him to look different when she opened them—but no, he still had that nose and those eyes.

Vanitas clenched his fist, having to turn and look away from Naminé and his son so he didn't worry her any more. "I see... I guess that makes sense." Though it didn't make things any easier to accept. Sighing softly, Van laid his hands against the wall and let out a long breath. He was letting this bother him a lot more than it should have, though just because he realized it didn't mean it hurt any less. "Something we will just have to deal with..."

"Vanitas... come here..." she said in a tired voice, holding out a hand. It took him a while, but he did make it over to her. He grasped her hand and she squeezed it. "I love you, Vanitas." Although she had said it before, she never thought it carried as much meaning as it did now.

Vanitas slowly sat down on the bed space beside Naminé and leaned down to bury his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder. He shuddered lightly and Naminé could feel the hot tears slowly trickling down his cheeks. He was quiet for the longest time before finally speaking, "...I love you too Nams..." His voice cracked slightly, and it was obvious that he needed that reinforcement.

Naminé sighed and molded her head against his. After a while she spoke. "We've managed to pull through before." It had been one battle after another to get to this point; their friends had been unsure about their relationship and a few had vehemently protested their marriage. But they had refused to bow down and stayed with one another.

"True." Van let out another sigh and lifted his head to look at Naminé. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers affectionately before turning to look at the newest addition to their family. "I guess he is cute..." Vanitas snickered and brushed the tips of his fingers gently against Kaito's cheeks.

She was relieved he seemed to not only believe her but take it well. "You said the exact same thing with Cain," Naminé teased, smiling. She averted her eyes from looking at her son's, but her fingers still played with his tiny ones. Her eyelids began to flutter—she was still rather exhausted. "I wonder what you'll say if we ever have a daughter."

“Thinking about another kid already? Nams you just gave birth.” What was she thinking, exactly? She couldn’t really be considering another child, not when this pregnancy and especially the labor seemed to be worse than when Cain was born.

“You know me and my curiosity. I wasn’t suggesting we have another one so soon.” She smiled weakly and gave Kaito back to him. Vanitas cradled their newborn carefully, holding him against his chest protectively.

What they didn't know was how Kaito's appearance would affect their family dynamic, and how this innocent action of handing Kaito to Vanitas would be a sign of what their future would be with their son.

#namivan #vannami #vanitas #namine #kaito #roleplay

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ask-vanitas-and-namine-blog · 11 years

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Ventus has a Reaction - Part 2

He was alone. It had been years since he had seen Terra and Aqua; he hoped they were okay and not dead. Ventus never left the Land of Departure, in the hope they would come back. But it wasn’t all bad; sometimes Van came to see him. Sometimes being once or twice a year. They couldn’t really do more than that… Ven hadn’t left since the day he found out about Naminé and Vanitas dating and they both found it extremely awkward and uncomfortable to be around each other longer than twenty minutes.

He was in the courtyard, thinking, when he heard a dark portal open up. Ven turned around to see Van walking toward him, grinning like he’d just won the grand prize. “Van!” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “Haven’t seen you in a while… Something happen?”

“More than something Ven!” the darker man answered. Ven found it odd to find him so cheerful. “I have great news and I thought I should tell you first.”

Ven honestly tried to think of something that would equate to ‘great news’ for Vanitas. But he came up blank. “Aren’t you going to tell me what it is?” he asked, grinning a bit. Van’s cheerfulness was rubbing off on him—apparently their weird bond of shared feelings went both ways, sometimes.

“I asked Naminé to marry me,” Van said excitedly. “And she said yes.”

Ventus stared at him. “You—you’re getting married?” he asked in a low, disbelieving voice. “I didn’t think you were capable of marriage.”

Vanitas blinked and then frowned. “Of course I am,” he protested. “I love her, and she loves me.”

Ven shook his head, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. “You… you feeling love is… is ridiculous! There is no way you can love anyone, but especially her!” He wanted to say that Vanitas couldn’t love anyone but him, but that would make it too obvious.

Van looked as if Ven had punched him in the gut. “That’s not true! You can’t tell me what to feel! Just because I don’t love you romantically doesn’t mean that I can’t love anyone else!”

“But you can’t! You’re not even human! How could you, a—a thing, know what love feels like?” He almost regretted saying it when Van’s expression twisted into doubt and near-physical pain. Almost. “Well, you can’t,” he continued, anger and hurt fueling his words. “I bet she doesn’t love you either; not only are you both not human, she forgets nothing. Why would she love you, when you hurt her in the past? She’s probably waiting for Tidus to reappear and she’s using you to make herself feel better—”

“Stop.” Van’s voice was thick, but it was cold and low and it stopped Ven’s words from continuing to spew from his mouth. “I thought you would be happy for me, Ventus. Finally, after all of the years of my existence, I am happy and I have someone who makes me happy, who loves me.”

Ven shook his head again, still not wanting to hear what he was listening to. “Why should I be happy?” His face contorted into rage. “You’re being taken away from me!”

“I was never yours!” Vanitas finally shouted. “I will admit, we were attracted to one another, but Ventus, didn’t you ever think that was because we are two halves of the same whole? We were never together; we never even talked about those feelings!”

“You’re the one who told me that your darkness and her light were like magnets! How do you know it’s not just some weird attraction there? How can you tell that it’s different?” Ven was almost hysterical. Vanitas had noticed but he hadn’t said anything; it still made Ven upset to think about.

“Because I love her and not just her light or how her light makes me feel. Naminé is the one I love, not her light. There is a huge difference Ven.”

“You… you never said anything… You didn’t even give me a chance.” Ventus could feel tears coming to his eyes and he didn’t like it. He was twenty-one already; he needed to act like the adults Terra and Aqua had been.

“I tried to give you a chance, Ven; but by the time I was ready to discuss those feelings with you, I was already strongly attracted to her. I’m not going to say I was in love with her because I wasn’t, but I knew that I wanted to be with Naminé. And honestly, I didn’t think I’d get to, since at the time she seemed practically married to Tidus.”

Hearing her name made Ven angry. It was all her fault. If she had just stayed on the Islands where she belonged then this situation wouldn’t be happening! “Well clearly you didn’t try hard enough,” he spat bitterly. Van opened his mouth but Ven cut him off. “Just… just go. I don’t think you have anything else to say.”

Vanitas’s mouth clamped firmly shut into a thin line, and he nodded. Ventus managed to keep the tears at bay long enough for Vanitas to disappear through a corridor and for him to run up to his room. Nothing was going right at all and this took the cake.

----

They were supposed to be happy. They were in love and they were getting married; why did everyone have to stand in their way? Van hadn’t moved from her bed in weeks and Naminé was very worried about him. Not being exactly human, he didn’t need to eat or sleep, but he was weak. How had he survived, the time shortly after he’d been born? No wonder he had turned so bitter. “Vanitas?” she asked quietly, stepping lightly towards the bed. His body shuddered but he made no noise otherwise. The darkness spread out of him almost wildly and Naminé noticed that his skin was starting to turn black. “Van!” she exclaimed, climbing onto the bed next to him so that she could get a better look at him.

She gasped when he looked at her. His face had no definite features besides glowing golden eyes. “Van, what’s happening to you?” she cried, burying her face into his neck and squeezing him tightly to keep the tears from overcoming her.

“Naminé…” he whispered, his voice sounding very wrong.

“If I had known Ventus would react this badly, I would have gone with you,” she swore. She could feel his face forming into its usual human appearance and she relaxed slightly. At least he wasn’t completely losing his human face.

“It wouldn’t make a difference,” he muttered. “He would still be angry.” He let out a pained cry and dug his hands into her, making her wince.

“Vanitas, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Maybe… Maybe we shouldn’t get married.” It nearly broke her to say it, but she couldn’t let her fiancé suffer any more because of her.

“You can’t say that,” he insisted, his voice shocked.

“I can’t let you be in pain because I agreed to marry you,” she said quietly. “I can’t, in good conscious, marry you while you suffer.”

“I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t sure!” he yelled, moving so that they were looking at one another. “Naminé, please; I love you.” He sounded desperate and pleading, like he couldn’t bear it if she followed through with her words.

“But, Van…”

“Please, please don’t break up with me,” he begged in a small voice. “I want to marry you. It’s not your fault or my fault that Ventus is upset.” He winced but continued. “We both knew he wouldn’t be happy, but we both agreed that he needed to be told.”

“Vanitas, you’ve been like this for weeks. Our wedding is in six months. What if you still feel like this? I know we can postpone it but… but I’m worried you’ll never feel better.”

“Stay with me,” he pleaded. “I feel better with you.”

Naminé gazed at him for a long moment. At last, she nodded, tears in her eyes. “Oh, Van, I love you!” she exclaimed, proceeding to bring their bodies closer together and her light burrowing into his darkness. They would be just fine.

#namivan #vannami #namine #vanitas #drabble

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