Familiarity [Roxas/Vanitas]

The Kingdom Key dissipated from his physical grasp, leaving nothing for his hand to hold on to, so he wound up making a fist with his right hand, taking in a deep breath. The wave of heartless had finally ceased to exist, and even though doing all of this work around the worlds and trying his best to keep everything in check all in his own was very tiresome and was causing him to put more in his mouth than he could probably chew, it was still rewarding and satisfying knowing that nobody was getting hurt. The more he traveled throughout this world, however, the more he had to suppress a growing headache that was really beginning to make itself known. Whenever memories arose that didn't belong to him, the pain always found a way to seep through, making him a whole new level of uncomfortable. 

The blond boy made his way out of the bailey, looking around with azure eyes as he proceeded through the wreckage that had been called Hollow Bastion - he remembered it as such when he was previously in the Organization, though it had undergone some sort of name change back to its original title, which was a little comforting. The blond didn't know much, but he did know that this was where a lot of Organization members came from, including the Superior - of course he hadn't a clue about Axel, however. Radiant Garden held certain qualities, making it a very important world to protect. It was full of answers that were waiting to be discovered, though Roxas had to admit that he was more concerned on keeping the inhabitants of the world safe than finding out the meaning behind it all. 

He had stopped caring about things like when he came back this time - or at lest.. That's what he tried to tell himself. 

The boy entered the marketplace, seeing the lively hustle and bustle that came with the area, smiling as he could hear light-hearted conversations about the days people were having and people making bargains on sales and things of the like. Roxas found himself stopped at one of the stands, looking at the items that were for sale and having to stop himself from digging into his pocket and bringing out some munny to throw away on something as useless as an accessory he didn't need. Roxas knew he already had what he needed, and he didn't need to further that list from need to items he wanted. 

The small male continued to walk around, making sure that there were no heartless walking around in the midst of all of the people, causing a threat that he would need to take care of, but thankfully, it looked as though things were going smoothly here. He had defeated a wide array of them here already (there was always a multitude of them here), so hopefully the darkness fluctuations would stay low for a while and he wouldn't have to worry about it. That, of course, was what we call Wishful Thinking. One more sweep, and he would be able to head to the next world and inspect it. 

He walked up the set of cobblestone stairs, Scrooge's ice cream shop being right to his left and although it was tempting, he simply said a hello and walked on by, making his way towards Merlin's home. He had already been here, but he might as well make sure that he was finished. 

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Radiant Garden wasn't so radiant anymore, Vanitas was happy to find as he emerged near the old castle. It had once been so beautiful hear, filled with light and indeed a radiance that had shined even through the void of space. But now? Now it was broken and there was barely a trace of anything Ventus had loved about it left. It filled him with giddiness to know that there was nothing left for Ventus to find, or at least as far as he knew. Friends? Gone. Home? Gone! What more could he ask for? And he hadn't had to lift a finger to cause it. 

He made his way from the castle back toward the town, what had been rebuilt from what had once thrived. Stirrings of darkness caught his attention, darkness that wasn't his own for that matter. It drew his curiosity, and yet he didn't really want to run in with those creatures. He could remember them through Ventus' eyes and the time he spent training with Xehanort, they were strong and he still wasn't at 100% he was lucky if he was at 50. 

Vanitas continued on his way through the Bailey, hardly looking at the broken castle in the distance, it had once held a great darkness, he could feel it, but it no longer did, and so it doesn't. He does pause near the wizard's house, he can feel another Darkness approaching but this is... different. Very different. And he's unsure of what to do. The Void Gear hovers close in his mind, ready to be summoned if he rounds the corner to a threat. 

He started to walk again, rounding the corner to the small alley way to come face to face with Ventus? 

"You." He snarls and then immediatley regrets it as he looks again and realizes that this mirror image is that Darkness he sensed," Who are you? And why do you have that face?" Distaste drips from his tone, clearly displeased with how he looks like Ventus, but Ven kept his hair just a little longer, and though that vacant expression could have fit on Ventus' face, it didn't anymore. 

You.

He had rounded a corner and before he had even processed there was someone there waiting for him, he had been sneered at in a demanding tone, leaving him confused and dumbfounded, his blue eyes left to only stare at the teen before him. The face was too familiar, the face of the somebody he had met just a few days prior, but the hair was different, and those eyes. The golden depths were powerful, defiant, and very mischievous. Everything about this person gave Roxas a serious migraine, but he attempted his best to keep his composure. He could literally feel the anger, rage, frustration and hatred radiating off of this carbon-copy of his other half, and all he could do was sit and stare like an infant until the other was done speaking. There was no change in his expression whatsoever other than confusion.

"I-.." He trailed off, his mouth gaped in an attempt to speak, but of course, nothing came at first. He was a Casanova with words, as anyone who knew him would totally agree. How was he supposed to handle this, exactly? What he did know, however, was that the Kingdom Key was already on its way into existence, and his body automatically complied with its call. It appeared in his right hand, and he leaped backwards to put some distance between the two of them. Whatever he sensed from this entity, it wasn't good...

"I could ask you the same thing!" He retorted, though he sounded anything but tough. His voice matched Ventus' perfectly, though the way he used it was much different and showed that the two were not in fact the same person at all. Roxas had his differences not only from Ventus, but from Sora as well, and yet the poor thing was still convinced that he was having to work to become his own human being. It was kind of sad how much Xemnas' preaching got to him. "I'm Roxas." That wasn't going to be enough - just a little more.

"I'm.. Sora's Nobody." Well, this guy obviously had to know who Sora was, it only made sense, unless.. Unless what this guy was saying about him having "that face" was true, and Roxas was even worse off than he thought. He wasn't particularly angry, just playing it safe on the defensive side as he reared back into a battle-ready position, narrowing his vision to focus on only the golden-eyed demon before him.

"What do you want?!"

He heard the start of a stumbled response, and then saw the Keyblade in his hand and snarled with an animal baring of his teeth, the Void Gear in his right hand in an instant. He points with the weapon nudging at his cheek in a mostly harmless gesture as he spoke," Roxas.... you even sound like him..." He touched his own face with a frown as he was asked," My face was stolen. You must know who I borrowed it from."

Vanitas sneered at the blonde and nudged him with the keyblade again, doing his best to be carefully non-combatant for someone who was brandishing a weapon in someone's face, literally. 

"Nobody? What is a Nobody?" He started to walk around the other, flipping his Keyblade to rest on his shoulder for now," You're made of Darkness, I can tell that much." 

He started to lean closer to 'Roxas' taking in his scent more carefully, though he smelled mostly of Darkness he could also detect Light in him, just not in the same way it was in other people. It was strange and perplexing to say the least, and it interested him. 

"What do I want?" He smirked, the Keyblade in his hand vanishing in whisps of Darkness," Is for you to answer my questions. You look exactly like someone I once knew, but he was fueled by nothing but Light," the word is spat with distaste," But you... you're like me, I want to know how and why." 

The curiosity ran deeper than just what he was telling the other, however, if there were more beings of pure Darkness around did that mean that Xehanort was still kicking around pulling this for kicks? If so he would need to seek the other out faster than he thought. Of course, he was probably already forgotten if he was the source, and a pang of sadness ran through him at that, somewhere in this world, Unversed would appear now, not that he had any control over that now. 

A keyblade was brought into the scene that wasn't his own, but there was something gluing him.. To the ground. He could have turned and run at that very instant, and maybe he could have even figured out a way to lose him. Go through a multitude of dark corridors and maybe he wouldn't have left a trace for this demonic entity to track. But.. But he couldn't move. The metal was cool against his cheek, his blue eyes set ablaze with something other than anger and confusion - almost a sense of being able to relate to this hellion.

You're made of Darkness, I can tell that much.

For some reason, that statement stung him deeper than he ever would have imagined. Although his main element used in battle was light, he hadn't ever been able to get much of a handle on it. It usually only came whenever his emotions permitted it to happen - allowing the element to flow out of him on command was something he had yet to master.

"Fueled by light... What?" He asked as though he didn't understand; his mind had automatically fixated itself upon Sora. A boy filled with nothing but light that had proven to be the champion that would serve the white-washed realm till the end. He didn't suit the darkness so much that the stuff avoided him at all costs - or rather.. Simply couldn't touch him. Roxas was made from that person, but was meant to be no more than a shadow destined to fade back into the darkness from whence he came. Namine put it like that to him, and ever since then, the thought had haunted his mind.

The Void Gear was out of his face, leaving him with an exasperated expression, one that showed just how exhausting all of this was. It probably would be for anyone in this position. This puzzle that he thought he was nearing the completion of just proved itself to be so much bigger than he could have ever even begun to imagine...

"A Nobody is.. When.. When someone is turned into a Heartless, and the heart was strong enough to leave something behind." The explanation was one he had drilled into his head time and time again, and now, here he was, having to explain it to someone else. It was strange, someone not knowing the concept of a Nobody; he had never met an individual who had no recollection of their existence such as this, and to figure, the one he had encountered looked too much like Sora for it to be even so much as coincidental. With that in mind, in a strange, round-about way, it was as though he was staring into some sort of deformed mirror that displayed things like a broken tv-screen.

"It's a person without a heart." Roxas concluded with a wavering tone, allowing the Kingdom Key to diffuse from its physical existence and go back to he realm from whence it came, leaving him utterly defenseless for the time being, but something told him that he wasn't about to get hurt. He hoped that he was listening to the correct instinct as he stared into the golden depths that were trying to tell him too much. "I don't know why either. U-Uh - What's your name?"

The mention of Heartless brought the taste of bile into his mouth, he remembered them. Neoshadows that Ventus had refused to fight had led to his birth after all. But he doubted that Roxas was Ventus' nobody for some reason. Quite possibly the sleeping body that he'd seen in Chamber of Waking when he'd made his little escape was it. Just maybe. 

Slowly he started to prowl back and forth, just short of pacing in the space available as thoughts began to race in his mind. If there was one of these beings, maybe there were more of them. The way he spoke it certainly sounded like it. But not all of them could be as strong as Roxas, right? And most entities of Darkness weren't like him and coherent enough to hold a form like his. They were like his Unversed and the Heartless. Mindless and obedient. What else was there hovering in the Dark these days? It was starting to dawn on him just how much things had changed in his years asleep inside of Ventus. 

"Vanitas." 

He finally gave the blonde a substantial answer about what his name was. It couldn't hurt now, and from his hesitation he doubted that there would be a real fight here now. When golden orbs took the time to look at him again he found the Keblade dispelled like his own, his instincts were still somewhat sharp then. Good. 

"Why are you here?" 

Okay, there had been plenty of instances where Roxas had been confused and things had gone over his head, but this was taking that to a whole new plane of existence. He gulped down a heap of his saliva nervously, azure eyes tracing the other carefully as he began to thoughtfully pace back and forth. It was disturbing to see someone like this - someone who resembled Sora so much - act so dreadfully unlike that bundle of sunshine. Roxas had his fair share of envy when it came to his other half, but... Instead of envy, when he was in the presence of this entity, there was a pang of pity that was undeniable deep inside of his empty chest.

Roxas couldn't find a way to understand it to save his life. This wasn't the first time he had been in a situation he didn't know how to handle, so this should.. Should be a breeze. Why wasn't it coming to him? Why wasn't he able to muddle his way through like he was normally able to do? He looked like no more than a lost puppy for a few seconds before taking in a deep breath in a failed attempt to regain any sort of composure.

"Vanitas," The young blond boy said the name aloud as though it was in a sense of affirmation, though he wasn't quite sure what he was affirming in the first place. The Nobody took another swallow of his own saliva produced due to nervousness and anxiety.

Why are you here?

There were so many things that could have meant; why was he here in this time-frame or why he was here in Radiant Garden today at this very moment? Why was he here since Vanitas was here, or why he was even existing whatsoever. If he could even call this existing. Roxas felt as though there was so much more that he could have been doing or could have done in his previous attempt at life.. Sometimes, the poor thing felt as though he amounted to no more than a failure. Not only to himself, but to those who were close to him.

"I.. I don't really know." All he knew to do was be honest at this point. Lying to his embodiment of darkness would definitely take him down a road unwanted. Although he knew that he should have been extraordinarily fearful of this "Vanitas," he was finding himself to be rather.. intrigued, instead. Of course, don't misunderstand, the fear was still there, but he wasn't overtaken by it. Curiosity was able to shine through his "emotions," and it could be seen within his soulful, blue gateways.

"Sora had gotten turned into a Heartless at some point.. And I was born." Some explanation. How much more in-depth could he go with it, though? That was.. Honestly, all there was to it. The missing pieces were out of his reign of knowledge and comprehension.

"I was taken into this group of Nobody called Organization XIII, but Sora and his friends destroyed it. I had to rejoin with him after a year.. But now I'm back - like this." He motioned to his body. "Were you... Brought back..? From somewhere?"

If Vanitas was honest, this wasn't too different than dealing with Ventus... mostly. He was almost as vacant as Ventus was for a while, definitely as easily nerve wracked if the emotions he was reading off of this strange being with no heart were correct. They felt a lot for creatures that were meant to be as heartless as he was, but that wasn't really what was at the forefront of his mind right now. He was more focused on Roxas' replies and in general him, despite all of his whipping back and forth like a madman. 

People getting turned into Heartless was new though. Sure they had knocked Ventus for a loop but he'd never witnessed them stealing hearts. That... couldn't be good but they couldn't take a heart from a being that didn't have one. He would have to worry about Ventus if he ever woke up instead. 

He mulled over the other information the other was very forthcoming with with narrowed eyes, finally standing still enough to clare at the cobblestones before he looked up at the other. "Were any of those people you worked for named Xehanort?" His words were curt, he had to know if the old geezer was still around, or if his plan had worked properly. He needed to be looking for him if he was still hanging around, he assumed anyway that maybe his presence had been missed. Not that Xehanort had ever shown him any care what-so-ever. 

For a moment he contemplated snarling at the other and telling him it was none of his business but they were two broken beings after all and Vanitas felt some kinship with this Nobody despite his likeness to the only person he really, truly hated. Except, again, maybe Xehanort. 

"I wasn't brought back.... I was woken up. I woke up in a bizarre castle next to my other half you could say. I was born from the Darkness in his heart, ripped out of it really." He didn't imply it hurt him to be apart, but if this Roxas knew anything of incompleteness then he would know of the feelings it left him with. "He is a being of pure Light. And I am his Darkness." 

It was.. Weird. Talking to Vanitas was almost like looking in a mirror, although there was some keen differences obvious between the two of them. The golden-eyed hellion was obviously an embodiment of negativity just by the way he was acting, but there were some similarities that screamed out to the blond that he couldn't explain verbally to save his life. It was like.. They shared the same pain, somehow. They both understood what it was like to be broken in half, to be.. Disjointed. It was a painful thing to experience, and to try and have someone else comprehend it when not having experienced it firsthand.. It was a feat considered impossible.

It was obvious that Vanitas, despite being aware of it or not, was attempting to intimidate him - in a way, it was working, but... He couldn't bring himself to move. Everything was telling him to run, to get out of this situation and head back to the safety of the castle and be with his best friend, however.. Why? Why were his feet glued to the ground like this? Why wasn't he able to turn away from this infuriated heathen? Because he was hurting... And Roxas couldn't have that.

That's what he was seeing in there.

"Ahh - I get it." The boy nodded, a gentle smile appearing on his face. His stomach was twisting in a bit of a nervous way, and his palms were beginning to sweat due to anxiety, but he tried his damn best to keep his outward composure in tact; the last thing he needed was to be teased by this stranger. Stranger or not, however, the connection that the two of them had was undeniable. It was like he was talking to someone he had always known, though he was absolutely positive this was the first time he had ever run into this "Vanitas."

"I guess we're kind of in the same situation then, huh?" Roxas brought one of his hands to the back of his head to scratch at his scalp. "Both stuck in the shadows of something greater." His hand then fell to his sigh, a strange pang of sadness becoming relevant on his features. Nothing more than a shadow.. A shadow that could never bask in the glory that the better half did. It created envy within his small form, but at the same time, there was a heap of understanding that he wished he could shove away. Although he was consistently told that he was becoming his own person now that he was given a second chance, he... He would never be able to shake that mentality after thinking if for so long. Roxas would never be as great as Sora, and unfortunately, he was actually starting to accept that as his fate. And he begrudgingly embraced that. Doesn't mean he can't have a little pity-party every once in a while, though.

"But, hey, it's alright. Guess that just gives us an excuse to stick together, huh?" His smile was kind, friendly, warm and enticingly welcoming. He didn't understand just how much that would affect the other in ways that the husk simply didn't understand.

Vanitas started to bare his teeth into a snarl. He didn't think he was in anyone's shadow, he just was a shadow. He would never be as good as Ventus to anyone... or at least that's what he thought. Gold eyes still narrowed on him in a dangerous way. He could feel the Nobody's nerves, and it caused him to grin just as toothily. It was nice to have someone around that knew to fear his temper. Ventus hadn't heeded it, and where was he now? Of course it wasn't directly by his doing, no instead it was by his own stupid virtues that he had shattered his own heart and doomed them both to sleep. 

He shifted and moved closer to Roxas, and though his movements were just as fluid and inhuman as ever there was little malice in his actions, and the Void Gear stayed out of his grasp. "I guess we are a little alike.... but I don't stick around anyone for long. I learned a long time ago that that's no good for me.... but maybe I'll come visit you again." He could find Roxas now, he could find his Darkness. And if he was honest with himself he didn't really want to be alone all of the time and he was a greedy creature, Roxas was clearly a kind soul despite his Darkness and momentarily it reminded him that he wasn't always a monster. 

It was good that he was too weak to generate Unversed yet, turmoil was building in him quickly. The want for friends like Ven had him rethinking his attitude. Did he really have to go back to Xehanort? Roxas had practically ignored his question about him, so maybe he wasn't around... and if he wasn't... then Vanitas was free to do whatever he wanted. For now it was better to take things slow, find out where he stood after all this time. And Roxas could be used to help him do that, and he wouldn't have to be alone, either.

This was.. this was downright terrifying? Why wasn't he running again? Right - the figurative glue that was firmly in place, pasting him to the ground. He was plastered to his specific spot, those golden gateways studying him to the point where he felt as though he were a piece of paper, only existing to be taken in by someone else. He gulped down a heap of his own saliva, feeling it slither uncomfortably and heavily down his throat. This was a little... Unnerving, to say the least. But the connection he felt to this guys couldn't be denied, and the want to help him was there as well. He was almost to the point of trembling as soon as that intimidating voice sounded, booming in his ears mercilessly.

"Uh.. Y-Yeah!" He piped up as soon as Vanitas was finished speaking, realizing that what had been said to him actually wasn't.. Something to be feared at all. He would be visiting him again; of course the word "maybe" was thrown in there, but the tone it was spoken in told Roxas that word might as well been left out of the conversation. Already, he was feeling as though destiny, or fate, or whatever was beginning to play out some sort of story that Roxas had no control in whatsoever. For some odd reason, however, he was fine with willingly going along with whatever it decided to throw in his direction. He was really just kind of flying blind with this one...

But that was okay.

"And about that Xehanort guy, I haven't ever heard of him before - sorry..." He sounded as though he was truly upset that he couldn't have been more help on the matter, but the blond tried his best to push it out of his mind the moment he brought it back up.

"So that person, who you said was fueled by light," He caught Vanitas before he walked away, the question having roused in his mind and bringing forth the Nobody's child-like curiosity that he could never rid himself of. "Is that.. Your other half? The person I look like?"

Vanitas had begun his retreat when Roxas spoke up again and he looked away. Of course he hadn't heard of the old geezer, if he was lucky he either took Terra's body and ran or was dead. He honestly hoped for dead at this point, he wanted that freedom that he'd always been teased with. He could leave Ventus behind, he didn't have to meld with him again if he didn't want to. And why would he after that fiasco? He didn't want to end up sleeping another ten years away.



He gazed at Roxas for a moment, contemplating his answer to his question.



"His name is Ventus. He just looks like you. You act nothing alike."



Ventus would have been full of brash remarks and attempted tough guy persona, trying to act too much like Terra who at least had the muscles to back it up for such an innocent and kind man.



"Why?"

His name is Ventus. He looks just like you. You act nothing alike.

"Oh.."

Was he wanting a different response? As far as he knew, when he had asked the question, he had felt.. Pretty indifferent. Why did he feel like he had been let down? The disappointment was evident in his expression, the way his shoulders slightly slumped and his eyes averted to the ground before he took in a deep breath, that gentle smile of his returning.

"I.. don't really know." He laughed somewhat nervously, bringing his hand to the back of his head to scratch anxiously, soon letting it fall back to his side. Roxas was obviously a bit of an awkward person that didn't quite comprehend how to handle speaking with others and holding a decent conversation, but with someone like Vanitas, there wasn't much to be worried about. The two of them were both relatively clueless with socialization. Roxas knew what he knew because of Axel, but no everyone as as lucky as he was and didn't have that mentor-like best friend figure. "I - uh - guess I'll be seeing you around then, Van?" The nickname popped out of his mouth without much of a realization from the speaker.

"Come find me at a place called the world that never was! I always go there after I'm done patrolling." Holding up his hand, the Nobody summoned a dark corridor, the rift opening up seamlessly. "See ya." The blond gave a small wave to his new acquaintance, and then walked through the doorway, the passage closing immediately behind him.

[End]