In the Shadows (Vanitas's Story)

The Girl

Note: This is part 2 in my KH series! Be sure to check out Trapped in Forgotten Memories first!
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"Ah, you're here."

Xehanort smiled wickedly at me. He had summoned me to come and see something important.

"Yes, I'm here. What is it?" I answered. We were in a bright room, and a large pod was in it as well. Of course, he had used his time travel power to get me here. I guess it's better than fighting Ventus for eternity.

Xehanort was supposed to make it so I wouldn't have to keep going back to that timeline in the past, but he hasn't transferred his abilities to me yet. So, I have to keep reliving the past until he needs me for something, which isn't often.

He has many vessels he can use to visit the future. Most of them are just half of him. So, I'm only used for tasks in the future where no one will recognize me.

"I have astonishing news," Xehanort said. "Do you know where we are right now?"

"No," I replied, growing bored of this old man's game. He loves to ask where we are in time, just to rub his "amazing" power in my face.

"We are in Castle Oblivion. This is where Xemnas has sent his traitors."

"Good to know."

"Do you know why I have brought you here?"

"No."

"I have found someone of great importance. Do you remember my old friend, Eraqus?"

"Sure."

"When we started training under our master together, a woman appeared. She also wielded a Keyblade. We all trained together for many years, and I found myself drawn to this woman. But, so was Eraqus. Of course, when she first arrived, we had a truce to not pursue her.

"But, Eraqus got to her first. She returned his feelings, and she soon became pregnant. But, we were dealing with another crisis. More Keyblade wielders turned rouge. It was up to us three to end it, but blood had already been shed. Kingdom Hearts had suddenly appeared before us, and she was the one to sacrifice herself. She would let the spirit of Kingdom Hearts enter her heart.

"By then, I was filled with hatred for both of them. So, I killed her. But, I also wanted Eraqus to feel the same pain as me. Most importantly, I knew I couldn't let Kingdom Hearts hide. I needed it to stay at it's true form, so once I received the X-blade, I could finally make a new world, where Light and Darkness is equal.

"But, the world is still mostly Light. So, you'd think killing her would make Kingdom Hearts go back, right?"

"Right?" I guessed.

"Wrong! The spirit of Kingdom Hearts has seemed to enter the body of the unborn child!"

"And what makes you say that?" I asked, getting a little interested.

"This," he said, looking at the large pod in the center of the room. He tapped a few buttons on a control pad, and the pod opened up.

A little girl was floating inside the pod. Her skin was a hint darker than olive. She had long, dark hair that was floating around her. She was wearing a plain, white dress and was barefoot. Her eyes were closed, and her chest was rising up and down with each breath.

"How long has she been in there?" I asked.

"Precisely three years. She was in the Keyblade Graveyard, close to death's doorstep. Here, she has been growing, her body recovering from lack of nourishment."

"How did she survive?"

"That, I do not know. I suspect the spirit of Kingdom Hearts has something to do with it, along with how she is alive. She wasn't born with a heart, so Kingdom Hearts must be acting as her heart," Xehanort concluded.

"Well," I said, "that was a great story, but what does that have to do with me being here?"

"You're the perfect delivery boy," Xehanort said.

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused.

"I want you to return her to her father. She will alter the future, and I just might have a chance to change my fate."

"How am I going to return her to the past?"

"By using your new power, of course," Xehanort said, smiling. I grinned back, looking up at the young child before me.

"Okay," I said. I walked up to the open pod, pulling the girl into my arms. I felt her fingers clutch strands of my dark hair. She snuggled deeper in my arms, and I smiled.

Adorable.

"Don't get too comfortable," Xehanort said. "She'll be raised by those who believe in the Light, but once things play out and the worlds are filled with Darkness, we must bring her back. She'll have to be trained, for she has a greater purpose. I want her to be my next vessel."

I stopped smiling after I heard that.

"She's just a young child," I said. "And, Kingdom Hearts will reject you, if what you say is true."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Xehanort answered, brushing my concern away. He touched my shoulder, staring into my eyes. "I trust you. Go, now."

I felt my body surge with a new power, and realized he had given me his abilities.

To the past we go.