In the Shadows (Vanitas's Story)

The Castle That Never Was

Please excuse the use of strong language, Vanitas is mad in this chapter XD

*****

"You're back early," Braig said, startling me. I was walking down a random hallway in The Castle That Never Was, trying to calm down. It wasn't easy, though.

"They're here," I muttered.

"Really? That's unexpected," he said, walking in step with me. "Hey, you okay?"

"No," I snapped. A few Unversed appeared before quickly disappearing into the world.

"You can tell Uncle Braig what happened," he said, patting my back. "Let's head to my office."

"What office?" I asked, following after him. I guess I do need to vent about my problems.

***

"Now, what seems to be bothering you?" Braig asked, adjusting his fake glasses. His "office" was really just his room. I was laying on my back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, while he was sitting in a chair, holding a clipboard and a pen.

"Riku, that's who," I said. I heard him writing something down.

"And what has he done to make you so aggravated?"

"He flirts with the girl, sees her in nothing but a bath towel, and kisses her! That should be me!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up.

"Hm, hm," Braig said, tapping his chin. "And how does that make you feel?"

"It makes me mad. I feel all these negative emotions- well, more than usual- and I just want to choke him to death." More writing.

"Well, I know what you have," Braig said, removing his glasses. "You have a bad case of jealousy."

"So, what can I do about it?"

"First off, you have to get out of your slump! Pump yourself up! What's something good about you?"

"Well, I am sexy as fuck," I mumbled.

"Okay, that's good, I guess? What else?"

"I'm powerful. I'm charming. And I'm way cooler than Riku, that son of a bitch."

"See? You're better than him! Now, go prove that to her!"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm gonna show her I'm the one she should be kissing." I jumped up, a new surge of confidence in my body. I walked towards the door, about to leave, when I turned around. "Thanks, Braig. You're not so bad," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Hey, I look out for my people," he said, smiling back. "Go get 'em, Tiger!"

*****

As soon as I saw Akio over Riku's back, I immediately lost my energy. They had somehow made it into the castle, and now this is the first thing I see. That's when I realized Akio was an evil genius.

For a second, I thought she was trying to touch his butt or something, but I saw her hammer in his back pocket. She kept reaching forward to grab it, but Riku put her down before she could pull it out.

Why the hell was it in his possession anyways?

I noticed a Dusk slink towards Riku, sticking a "Kick Me" sign on his back. The Nobody stared at me for a moment before moving out of the way of Riku's Keyblade. I smiled.

Braig, you clever little sneak.

Snipers appeared, all of them aiming at Riku. While he fended them off, I kept staring at Akio. She kept out of the way, but I took notice to how graceful she was. She should be turning sixteen sometime soon. I wonder if she even knows how old she is?

A scene flashed in my mind.

She walked towards me, her red, silky dress swaying at her feet. Her heels clicked on the floor as she approached me, her red lips smiling at me. I bowed, kissing her hand softly. She blushed as I pulled her closer to me, placing my other hand on her waist. She put her other hand on my shoulder, and the music started.

We moved in sync. We never missed a beat, keeping our eyes locked on each other. I spun her around before bringing her into a dip. She leaned back, her head almost touching the polished marble floor. Pulling her back up, I lifted her into the air. Spinning her, the crowd cheered in amazement at the grace we had. Lowering her back down, I pulled her into a kiss as the music ended. The sound of the audience going wild filled my ears, but all my attention was focused on those big, beautiful eyes....

Blinking, I realized that they had kept going. Man, this is one serious crush if I'm making up scenarios in my head.

I headed up the elevator, running up a staircase to see that they were already past this point. I headed into the Hall of Empty Melodies to see Riku walking around.

"Haku! Haku!" he yelled, worried. Great. Where did this girl go now? I was about to start searching for her myself when I suddenly saw her in a tight ball in the middle of the room. She was shaking, tears streaming down her face. Riku ran forward, wrapping her in his arms and stroking her head. She just continued to sob.

Riku picked her up, heading outside on Naught's Skyway, the path leading up onto the higher platform of this area. He walked into another room, and I appeared in there as well.

Proof of Existence. Who doesn't love a graveyard for dead Nobodies?

Akio got out of Riku's arms, wiping away her tears. She walked in front of the only blue tombstone.

Roxas, was it?

"Haku? Haku, where did you go?" Riku asked, confused. Akio turned around, her eyes a little red. Seeing her that sad made me vow to never hurt her. I swear on my life.

"What? You were the one to disappear!" Akio exclaimed. "I had to fight Xigbar and Heartless and.... I wielded a Keyblade!"

"Xigbar? He's dead! Sora defeated him!"

Geez, this is extra complicated. Maybe I'll just let them sort this out before coming back.

*Sometime Later*

I had gone back to talk to Braig, who had pumped me up again. This time, I wouldn't let Riku faze me.

That's when I saw Akio laying on the ground in the Addled Impasse, the place where Saix, Isa's Nobody, had fought Sora. I picked her up bridal style, carrying her to the Altar of Naught. Who knows where the hell Riku was?

Placing her back on the ground, I stood back as she rolled over on her back. She grimaced in pain before sitting up. Looking down at her arms, she rubbed the back of her head. Akio tried to stand, but her legs seemed weak, so they buckled underneath her.

"Riku?" Akio called out, wrapping her arms around herself. I wanted to comfort her and give her some warmth, but I couldn't. My legs didn't seem to want to work.

Suddenly, a girl appeared, hugging Akio. It was Golden Girl. She didn't seem to be in human form, but more of a transparent figure. They exchanged words, smiling at each other, before they both stood up, holding hands.

They said a few more things, and Akio blushed slightly after mumbling something. Akio's eyes widened, and she let go of Golden Girl. She disappeared, but the girl made of darkness suddenly appeared as Akio held onto her hands. She was transparent as well.

Looking serious, Akio asked her a question, causing the dark girl to laugh haughtily. She quickly said something else, trying to calm down an annoyed Akio.

"Can someone just explain to me why Riku kissed me?" Akio asked loudly, huffing. She crossed her arms, and I smirked. She can pretty hot-headed when she wants to be, huh?

Cute.

That's when I noticed Riku walking towards her, eyebrows raised. Her face became red and she started stuttering as he got closer.

Way too close for my liking.

He smiled, an inch away from her face. I clenched my fists, but my legs still wouldn't move. They just stared at each other, and I realized Akio was getting mad at him. She suddenly leaned in, kissing him full force. His eyes widened in surprise, and she pulled away.

A thousand knives stabbed into my heart as I watched him kiss her again and again and again...