I collapsed on my bed, holding up my hand. I took off the glove, staring at the red-hot skin. I flinched at the wave of pain I felt, sighing.

I have no idea what I'm going to do. It seems hopeless to even try anymore. I'll have no choice but to let Xehanort take over.

"Akio," I mumbled, closing my eyes.

•••••

I opened my eyes, confused. I was laying on the ground, and it was dark. My eyes quickly adjusted, but something seemed different. I wasn't in my room. I was in Akio's.

Getting up, I dusted myself off. Looking around, I saw everything was just the way it was before. I did notice something new, though. A sleeping body was sprawled out on the bed. She mumbled something, causing me to smile.

Akio shifted, waking up. She strecthed her arms out, pulling herself up into a sitting position. She got on her hands and knees, crawling towards the edge of the bed. I walked towards her, hands in my pocket.

"Aerith? Is that...you?" Akio asked.

"Who?" I questioned. She jumped back, and I grabbed her shoulders so she wouldn't fall. She let out a yelp the second I touched her, so I loosened my grip. "Calm down, Akio. Jeez."

"Who are you?" Akio asked, not sounding as nervous.

"You don't recognize my voice?" I asked, pretending to be hurt. "Maybe you'll recognize this." I leaned forward, kissing her soft lips slowly. I pulled away before she could react.

"Vanitas," she whispered, sending a shiver down my spine. She seemed to finally see me, pulling me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her waist, not wanting to let go. I felt her heart beating fast, smiling softly.

She still hasn't changed.

"Where have you been?" Akio asked, her voice muffled. I tensed up at the question, relaxing quickly.

"Let's not worry about that now," I replied, brushing aside her question. "What matters is that I'm here now, and that we're together." She pulled away from me, and I realized I missed holding her. My arms just felt empty.

I felt empty.

I was suddenly hit in the face with something soft, knocking me over. I landed on the floor, moving over to the lamp next to her bed.

"All I've been able to do is worry about you! Don't change the subject!" Akio yelled. I turned on the lamp, wincing at how bright it got. Looking up, I saw Akio standing on the spring mattress, a pillow in her hands.

Her eyes wandered around the room before landing on me. I could tell she was checking me out, but I couldn't help but stare at her, too.

Akio's hair was wild, more of it hanging on the right side. Her shirt seemed kind of small, exposing some of her skin. Her overalls were still short, showing off her long legs. Honestly, it was cute how she was standing on the bed, holding that pillow like it was a weapon.

I smirked, causing her to glare at me. She swung the pillow at me again, but I caught it this time, pulling her down. She landed on her knees on the bed, and I leaned forward. Our faces were a few inches apart, but I could still hear her beating heart.

"So, this is how you're going to treat me after I disappear?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She frowned, turning away from me.

"Yes," she replied, sitting on the other side of the bed. She crossed her arms, and I walked in front of her.

"C'mon, Akio," I said. "Don't be like that." She refused to meet my gaze, making me feel bad. What had I done to make her act so cold?

"You left me without even explaining what you said before," Akio huffed. "Why do you want to turn on our friends? You were the one who thought of joining them in the first place!"

I flinched at her loud voice, narrowing my eyes.

"First off, they're not my friends. Second, we don't need them. They'll only slow us down." I got down on my knees, grabbing her hands. "Together, we're stronger than all of them. Joining Xehanort is our only ticket to surviving." Akio tried to pull away from me, but I had a steel grip.

"Yeah, in a world where there's only darkness!"

That's not true, but the way she was yelling at me was starting to tick me off.

"The darkness isn't so bad," I said through clenched teeth.

"It took away people's lives!"

"They were corrupted by their own darkness in their hearts."

"Darkness can't survive without Light. I know that for a fact."

Oh.

Is that so?

Because I'm standing here.

I'm surviving.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Darkness created first?

It was around before Light was even thought of.

I let go of her hands, stood up, and walked over to the wall. I leaned against it, my yellow eyes never leaving hers. She rolled her eyes, laid on the bed, and rolled over so she was facing away from me.

Where does she get all that bullshit information from? Someone's feeding her all those lies. Besides, what Xehanort is doing isn't that bad. He's creating a world where Light and Darkness are equal.

You'd think someone like Akio would love a world where everything's equal.

"Isa beat me," Akio suddenly mumbled. It took three seconds for me to process what she said, and before I knew it, I was in front of her.

"He what?" I growled, trying to stay calm.

"He kicked me, and punched me, and choked me-"

"When?"

"After you tried to warn me about Xehanort."

I was silent, my blood boiling.

"He knows, doesn't he?" Akio whispered, clutching the pillow she was laying on.

"I'll kill him."

"Who?"

"I'll kill the bastard."

"Vanitas, who?" Akio was sitting up now.

"He told me he wouldn't hurt you," I muttered, thinking back. "He fucking told me he wouldn't hurt you!"

"Vanitas!"

"What?!"

I finally looked up at Akio to see her staring at me with fear in her eyes. I realized how crazy I looked. My fists were clenched and my body was trembling with rage. She seemed...scared.

Of...me?

I softened my gaze, cupping her face in my gloved hands.

"Why didn't you tell me he hurt you?" I asked, my voice just above a whisper. Tears sprung in her gray eyes, but she quickly blinked them away.

"I never see you anymore," Akio replied. I looked down at her soft lips, a heavy weight on me.

She really was worried about me.

"I don't want you to get hurt by Xehanort. He'll kill you, and you warned me anyways," Akio continued, letting out a small breath. "You're here now, and if he knows I'm still against him, he'll kill me, too."

"So, what do we do?" I asked, sighing and closing my eyes. I leaned my forehead against hers, feeling hopeless.

"We'll stick together. We'll work with Sora and Mickey to defeat Xehanort. I know there must be other Keybkade wielders out there who can help us defeat him. Like Lea! And, maybe even Terra, Aqua, and Ventus!"

I suddenly flinched as I felt pain exploded in my back. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the back with a knife.

"Time is up, Vanitas."

No. No, please, I'm not ready.

"I know where one of them is," I said. Realizing that he was controlling me, I tried to fight against it.

"You do?" Akio asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah."

No.

"Which one? Where? How long have they been there?"

"Terra. He's in Hollow Bastion," I said, hating myself. But, why is he lying?

"I was just there! I was just there!" Akio exclaimed, jumping up and down on the bed. "Omigosh! Where is he? How do you know? You have to take me there!" Her joy made me smile a bit, and I knew that I still had some control over myself. I felt the pain disappear, sighing in relief.

I think he just needed me to say that. Hopefully, that's the last time.

"Okay, okay," I said, causing her to look at me with bright eyes. "What's my reward?" She bounced off the bed, grabbing her pillow. She held it out to me with a smile on her face.

"Free hit!" Akio exclaimed, bouncing on her toes.

"Can I have something else?"

"Nope!"

"Fine. You asked for it," I said, grinning. Grabbing the pillow, I swung it at her, making her fall onto the bed. She just giggled, jumping right back up.

"Let's go," she said, pulling me towards the window.

"Wait, Akio. You need to know something first."

"What?"

"This is a dream."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not."

Akio groaned, letting go of my arm and collapsing on her bed.

"Well, I need to wake up! I need to save Terra! Wait, you're real, right?"

"Yeah."

"Pinch me!"

"Akio, as much as I would love to, I don't want to leave you. Not yet," I confessed, laughing a little. She sat up, tilting her head at me.

"What do you mean? Won't I see you when I wake up?" Akio asked.

"No," I said, sighing. "I'm only allowed to see you in your dreams so I can convince you to be the Thirteenth Vessel or something." Not a total lie, but not the whole truth, either.

"Well, I'm here," Akio said, crossing her legs.

"Yeah, you are," I replied, pulling off my gloves. I looked up at her with a smirk, and her face became pink.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Getting comfortable," I answered, taking off my shoes and jacket. I turned down the blankets, grabbed the pillow, and scooted over. "C'mon."

"We're not gonna do anything, right?" Akio asked, crawling over to me. She got under the blanket, and I turned off the lamp.

"Sure," I replied, wrapping my arms around her body. She snuggled deeper into my embrace, and I looked deep into her eyes.

Even in the deepest darkness, she's my light.

Huh.

Guess she was right.

"Just keep this little visit between us, okay?" I asked.

"Okay," Akio replied. Smiling, I started messing with her hair, accidentally brushing my fingers against her face. "When will I see you again?"

"Soon. Hopefully, when I'm not dead."

"Yeah," she said, sighing. "Good night, Vanitas."

Oh, I hope so.