[Kingdom Hearts AU] Someone to Watch Out for You

Home is Where the Nightmare Is

His heart led him to the island, but he had no idea as to why. It was very warm here. Something also struck Ventus as incredibly familiar too. Had he been here before? This particular islet didn't seem to have anyone else on it. Off in the distance was a larger island by the looks of it- maybe that was where all the residents were? For now, he was more than content on staying on this side of the islands. Maybe if he could find a boat, he'd head on over, but that would probably ruin whatever the rules of world order were here.

Ven idly walked his way down the shoreline. The sun was warm against his skin- at any moment he could have laid down and took a nice nap. Eventually, he paused when he noticed something yellow was brought in by the tide. As it got closer, the object in question was a fruit. Star shaped with a patch of green from the stem, Ven realized what it was after a few moments of thought. He bent down to pick it up and almost laughed.

So this was the paopu Aqua based their Wayfinders on? Maybe he'll keep it. A physical reminder on a promise to return sounded pretty serendipitous right now than to just leave it behind. Besides, if local legends were true, there was someone who he'd like to try it out on. Even though she would probably hate it, but that made it all the more better.

Figuring that this was all the world had to offer him, Ventus started to head back to his Gummi Ship.

"Naw, leaving so soon Ventus? We hardly had time to reconnect with each other."

The voice, familiar in the faintest of ways for the past half decade, made Ven freeze. The boy spun on his heel and immediately drew his attention up to the bridge connecting the main portion of the islet to the smaller one with the paopu tree.

"You're Vanitas!" Ventus exclaimed, immediately going into defense.

"So nice of you to remember me," the masked boy sneered. "We didn't have much time together all those years ago. I was almost afraid I had gotten replaced."

"Why are you here, now?" Ven then spat.

"My, how much you've grown- and you haven't aged a day. Funny how that all works. Lemme guess, you chickened out in a world where time flows slower? Lucky."

"Do you have a point to all this?"

"Of course I do." Vanitas claimed with a flick of his wrist. "Don'cha want to know where I went after nearly killing your friend? Or do you not care anymore, now that you're routinely sneaking off with that princess of yours?"

Vanitas's cruel laugh sent a chill up Ven's spine. The former took one look at the latter and laughed even more. Without warning he leapt off the bridge, landing just a hair away from Ventus.

"I can feel every emotion you can. Live through your life through the ties you feel with others." Vanitas hissed as he stepped closer to Ven. Ven kept him just out of reach with anxious half steps backwards. "The kid has too. He's been a good little hiding place- maybe even just as good as yours. His heart was pretty warm before I came along."

Ven stood straighter.

"What did you do?" he hissed at the dark entity in front of him.

"Me?" Vanitas repeated in mock offense. "What did I do? Perhaps you should be asking yourself the same thing, Ventus. How does it feel knowing you made a kid question his sexuality at the ripe age of 7?"

Ven quickly withdrew his Keyblade and tried to take a strike at Vanitas. Unfortunately, he had been anticipating this and disappeared just before the hit could connect. His snickering laughter echoed around Ven. It boiled Ven's blood so much that he immediately set out to find where Vanitas went. He scoured whatever he could reach on that little islet, but he found nothing.