[PSL] Reunited

[heartismyown]

[Through the many magics of the world, Roxas has survived being locked away within his Other self, however Sora had a big heart and he and the others were granted their freedom through a lot of trials and errors.

It's been a bit of an adjustment period, but Roxas has the choice to go anywhere and do anything and apart from seeing some of his friends, making something like a playdate with an old friend is easy and he is very receptive to it.

He made an appointment to meet with Vanitas and he appeared in Twilight Town and waited up outside the train station, hands in his pockets as he paced idly. It has been quite a long time since they last saw each other, sailing around a world.]

Comments

[vanitas_veci]

[Vanitas was surprised, but very, very grateful to be aware and himself again. He half suspected that Sora did it on accident, but whatever, he was grateful. He only expressed that once before quickly running off. He kept tabs on Sora, ready to repay that debt whenever the other boy needed help, but mostly he kept to himself, away from Ventus.

Today was going to be the first time he'd seen Roxas since they came back to awareness. He arrived in Twilight Town with his Keyblade Glider, the paths of darkness were currently closed to him, and walked over to the other boy. He felt nervous. Something was wrong with him, had been wrong with him since Sora brought him back. He felt... more than he had before. He felt positive emotions more often now. This didn't mean he was a good guy all of sudden. He could still summon the unversed, just small ones though. Almost like the world where he first met Roxas]

Hey, Roxas. You look good.

[heartismyown]

Vanitas! [He smiled brightly when the other boy came into sight and like before he wasn't afraid to give him an enthusiastic hug. Regardless of the time they'd been apart he hadn't forgotten him.]

You too! I am pretty good actually, a lot better than when I just came around but everyone's been helping me out.

[vanitas_veci]

[Vanitas returned the hug awkwardly. He let Roxas hold onto him for as long as he felt comfortable, and then he gently pushed the blond back. There was, however, a slight smile upon his lips]

Good. I'm glad.

[He knew Roxas would be taken care of. Vanitas wasn't sure about himself, that's one reason why he left so quickly. He was...scared of what Ventus would have done. Logically, Ventus wouldn't have done anything, Sora would have stopped him. Sora was... Sora. But that didn't stop the irrational feelings.]

So, show me around Twilight Town?

[heartismyown]

[It stood to reason that Roxas would be, but the downside to that was that he wasn't entirely able to stand on his own two feet, not yet anyway. Lea was much better about pushing him to do that.]

You'll love Twilight Town. It's my home, sort of.

[He spun around and pointed upwards.]

The clocktower where me and Axel have ice cream. I mean Lea. Man, I keep doing that. It's a good thing he doesn't get mad at me too much.

[vanitas_veci]

It's nicer than my home.

[Everything is nicer than The Keyblade Graveyard.]

Ice cream? I think you mentioned that before. I still haven't tried it.

[heartismyown]

[He looks mildly confused.]

Where is your home anyway? You kinda disappeared! It would have been really cool if you could have stayed with me!

[He grins and nods enthusiastically.]

Come on, I'll take you to the ice cream shop!

[vanitas_veci]

Yeah, well, Ventus wouldn't want me around.

[He shoves his hands into his pockets.] I live at the Keyblade Graveyard. It's where I was born.

[He follows along, looking around, not used to so many people and not attacking people]

[heartismyown]

[Roxas blinks.]

Why does that matter? Who cares what Ventus wants!

[The Keyblade Graveyard sounds lonely.]

I like to stay around here myself but Lea's from Radiant Garden and I'm there a lot.

[vanitas_veci]

[He does care, irrationally. He hates Ventus, and now... now he has some of that light he was missing thanks to Sora, and Ventus has his own darkness. But they're still connected. Still each others halves, but becoming less so. It's an odd situation, but Roxas is probably the only person in the all the worlds to understand that.

Still doesn't mean he's going to share that with him. Yet. He will one day.]

How is your boyfriend, anyways?

[He keeps looking around. It is nice here.]

[heartismyown]

[It's a strange thing to be apart, as much as it is for Vanitas it is for Roxas. Before he hadn't been entirely whole, although he'd been much more balanced than Vanitas, still leaning towards darkness.

Roxas still has his moments. He has a temper that no one could match or control. The call of the darkness is strong and sometimes he struggles to remember he shouldn't reach for it. He's kept it to himself as well, quietly bearing it.

He smiles at the question.]

Lea's pretty good! He's got a lot to do, studying the whole keyblade thing. He's kind of glad I have places to go even though I don't really know anyone here either. It's kind of weird to rebuild my life.

I've seen some of the guys from the Organization, they're from Radiant Garden too. They seem okay.

[vanitas_veci]

That runt's a keyblade wielder now?

[Though, he wasn't a runt now, he towered over them. He never had any direct contact with Lea, but had watched jealously as he and Ventus played

He doesn't know how to respond about he Organization. He didn't know them, didn't care about them, so he said, nothing, just let Roxas talk about them.]

Rebuild? I thought you were with the Organization since your creation. How'd you have a life here?

[heartismyown]

Yeah that's what he's working on. He's training with Yen Sid a lot.

[He scratched his head a little and shifted uncomfortably.]

Well, um, it's kind of complicated. Part of me really feels like I lived here before. I had friends and everything. Everyone knew me but I know it wasn't real.

[He sighs.]

Nothing I've done has been real I guess. I don't really know how to make it real. Lea can only help so much I guess. Even the sailing time feels like a dream.

[vanitas_veci]

That doesn't answer my question. Why did you think that you did?

[He gave Roxas his 'what the hell' look.]

The sailing time does feel weird. Ventus was there, and so many people from worlds we still haven't come across.

But anyways. You're real. This is real.

[heartismyown]

I don't know. Sometimes I get confused!

[He frowned a little bit.]

It was like a computer program and they put me in it and kind of reprogrammed me.

[He scratched his head.]

And made me think I had a whole life and the people here were there and I don't know, it's confusing. I feel so weird here sometimes. Sorry, forget all that. [Roxas waved his hand idly. Despite the improvements from their separation, some parts of him were still struggling.]

[vanitas_veci]

[That? That pissed Vanitas off he took Roxas by the shoulder and looked hin the eyes]

Who did that? Tell me so I can rip out their throat.

[Vanitas had had a horrible life, but he had hoped that Roxas' life had been better than his. If only because it had been shorter. But this... this manipulation? that was disgusting, even to him. He vaguely wondered if it was because he had light in his heart now, despite it being so small, or if he had some standards of behavior. He had never been one for subterfuge.]

[heartismyown]

[He's a little surprised at the response. Didn't he tell Vanitas the story before? He tried to recall, but actually didn't think so.]

Riku and DiZ. I mean, Ansem, right?

[Roxas frowned a little, it was all so confusing but then again that was just the way it was with the side of the light. They'd seen him as nothing, a tool to be used.]

I thought I told you this story before, but I don't think I did. It was just before I went to go sailing with everyone. I remember I fought Riku and I was winning because let's face it, I'm better. [He smiled slightly, boasting.]

But then he cheated. He did something weird and changed and then he knocked me out and I know they put me in the virtual Twilight Town and I thought I always lived there. I had a place to live, everyone knew my name, I had three friends to play with and we did all kinds of fun things together.

All of that was a lie though.

[He had to repeat it so he would remember.]

[vanitas_veci]

I'll kill them.

[Well, maybe not Riku. Killing Riku would make Sora very unhappy. And he owed Sora. He would just... send unversed to ruin things for him for a long time. Ansem he would kill.]

I remember you telling me about Riku cheating. But I don't remember about the virtual world. I'll kill Ansem for doing that to you. That's something Xehanort would do.

[heartismyown]

Lea would help you. It still really pisses him off that they took all my memories away and replaced them. I got them back on my own, by accident. I don't think they ever intended for me to do that. I think they thought they'd be able to just get me to walk back to Sora...

[Roxas was lost in thought for a moment and shook his head to clear his mind. It bothered him a lot. The whole thing bothered him and it made things weird. One would think he'd avoid Twilight Town, but the real memories were very powerful.]

I only talked to him once and he said nothing mattered because I wasn't meant to be. I was nothing. A Nobody.

[He sighed again, the memories were so bitter after the long agonizing wait inside Sora, inside that lonely awful place.]

[vanitas_veci]

[Vanitas did the first thing that came to mind and hugged Roxas to him fiercely]

Screw them. You're not a nobody. I mean, you were, but that didn't make you less.

And now you have your own heart, so screw them. Lea and I will fix them good.

[heartismyown]

[He was surprised since Vanitas didn't normally hug him first but he wrapped his arms around him willingly, nodding a little.]

Screw them. [Roxas said agreeably.]

I made my own heart, all by myself. That means something, doesn't it?

[He nodded a little, they could do whatever they wanted to Ansem, Ansem was a total jerk. Even Riku, he was so conflicted about him.]

I'm really really glad we're friends Vanitas. [He smiled.] I didn't think you'd get upset. Sorry. I mean...I know I'm upset, but..

[vanitas_veci]

[Normally, Vanitas wouldn't have gotten upset. But... even before having light in his heart, Roxas had had a special place in it. They were so similar, their lives dominated by Xehanort in one carnation or another. It was hard not to sympathize with him.]

I'm glad too.

[He pulled back, embarrassed.] I just... I just thought, hoped, that your life was better than mine. But it really wasn't. It sucked just as much, just differently.

[heartismyown]

...Yeah.

[All Roxas could do was agree because he just didn't have an argument for it. His very short life had sucked a lot.]

Nevermind all that. Now we're both free and we can go get ice cream, just because we can!

[He tried an optimistic smile.]

[vanitas_veci]

[Vanitas tried to return the smile. It was awkward, and looked like a grimace. He was only good at smiling if he was about to kill something. Whoops.]

Yeah, let's get ice cream.

[heartismyown]

[That was alright, Vanitas would practice and someday he could have warm smiles like Roxas. Roxas took his hand and pulled him the rest of the way. He stopped and ordered the ice creams and let go of him to offer the sea salt treat with a wide grin.]

This is really good, you're going to like it.

[vanitas_veci]

[Nodding, Vanitas raised the the treat to his mouth and took a small bite. It was cold. Really cold. He recoiled from it.]

Cold!

[A blush spread across his face. It was obvious this was the first time he tried ice cream, and some older ladies were looking at him with smiles that made him... feel small

He took a tentative lick]

It's okay.

[Translation: It's good]

[heartismyown]

I know!

[It was childish excitement and Roxas wasn't the least bit ashamed of it. He was pleased Vanitas liked it. He loved sea salt ice cream after all. Nothing but pleasant memories attached.]

Come on, I wanna show you the clock tower. It's my favourite place. Lea and I always used to eat ice cream there when we were in the Organization even though I'm sure it wasn't actually allowed.

[vanitas_veci]

[Nodding Vanitas fell into step with Roxas, following him to the clock tower.]

The Organization sucked.

[For multiple reasons. He looked up at the clock tower when the reached it.]

So, do we climb something, or use our powers to get up there.

[heartismyown]

Yeah it did. He tricked everyone.

[Roxas sighed a little and shook his head.]

Everyone is out for Xehanort. They should be, he's the worst.

[Roxas held out a hand and opened a portal. Heart or not, he still had darkness within him. Much more than Sora.]

We could climb but this is faster.

[vanitas_veci]

You still have the paths available to you?

[Vanitas could do it for short spurts, but for between worlds he had to learn to turn his keyblade into a glider.

He stepped into the portal, into that familiar darkness, and then stepped out, looking out on Twilight Town.]

It's a nice view.

[heartismyown]

[Roxas nodded.]

I've always had access to the darkness. Probably Sora could have used it. Lea has them too. Riku thinks we're stupid if we use them but it's been okay so far.

[He grinned and took a seat.]

Yeah, I know. We always used to watch the sunset.

[vanitas_veci]

Riku's dumb. He has to cheat to win what does he know?

[He sat down next to Roxas and took another lick of his ice cream]

They're closed to me. I can use it on worlds, but to go between worlds I have to use other means.

[heartismyown]

Nothing.

[Roxas laughed at that, nodding.]

I can take you anywhere you want to go. It'll be fun! Although we don't really go adventuring anymore. What kind of adventure can we have now?

[vanitas_veci]

I dunno.

[The ice cream was starting to melt, so Vanitas licked at it faster]

I've just been hanging out in the Badlands. If I've wanted to go someplace I turn my Keyblade into a glider. That was tough to learn.

[He missed using the darkness as much though. Maybe he just needed to relearn how to use it]

[heartismyown]

Maybe we can think of something. Sora got to have a big adventure.

[And for him there was no family waiting for him to come back like Sora had.]

Well I did too, but sailing was a long time ago, we need to do something else.

[He gave him a slow blink.]

A...glider?

[vanitas_veci]

[That sounded fun actually.]

Yeah, I'd be all for that. And no sailing. I'm tired of ships.

[He got to his feet and summoned his keyblade.]

I'll show you.

[He stuck the ice cream between his teeth and then threw Void Gear into the air. When it came back down it looked like a board, similar to how Ventus' looked, but with a gear theme going on.]

This is how I go between the worlds now.

[heartismyown]

[Roxas laughed a little and nodded.]

Yeah no more ships. Sailing is kinda boring and I'm not really allowed to do anything but clean. Boring!

[He looked interested in it and made an awed noise.]

That's pretty cool!