Chapter Text
With the meeting delayed, we wandered the desert with no goal in particular. The doll grumbling and seemingly ranting. Very understandable mood, even if the words were as lost as ever.
Ansem approached after a while. He opened the portal, “I have a good feeling about today. You’ll take that beast’s head before nightfall.”
During my mad dash to finish my worthless missions, I had plenty of time to really contemplate a proper plan. But just to be safe as I did a few warm up stretches I went over it again in my head.
The Remnant nearly always opens with that barrier ability, but a quick slash will interrupt it. If it still goes off, it’s not nearly as tricky as I thought to dodge, it just requires prompt awareness of my whiff and being fast. That cross shaped beam attack hits like a truck but the range was actually quite pitiful. Left itself open to, at least enough for basic strikes. If I catch it as soon as it misses I might even be able to pull off something more extravagant. Whatever I have available, it’ll do. Thing actually doesn't seem all that healthy so every bit counts.
Not that I'm much better. I really can’t afford to get hit much at all.
Its shock-lock was no joke. Probably the biggest danger to me, a short range deceptively dark blast of light. What a little contrarian. In the past I'd been tricked by that darkness, kept making me think I could tank it, but that core of light just tears into me. Absolutely devastating but it was very punishable, if it missed I could for sure get behind and launch off a Tornado. Watching that guy tumble around like a beanie in a hurricane was amazing. I wish he didn't look like a sun bleached me.
The last thing I have to remember is counters. I like counters, it likes counters, so I just gotta remember to counter his counters with counter counters. Easy.
I’ve got this.
I approached the Remnant. I didn’t feel tense, I felt focused. With a new load out of commands equipped, dozens of attempts under my belt, and not a single thing that could randomly steal my free will, I was ready. I’ve got this. Ansem could feel it. Even my Do- apprentice could. Rattling from so much anticipation, they grabbed me and held on tight for nearly a full minute before they could stop.
Tonight, I show him how a Master fights.
As predicted, the Remnant tried immediately retreating into its barrier bullshit the moment I got close enough, but a quick goading jab forced it to backflip away before it could cast the barrier. It rushed towards me, but held my distance before sneaking in for a few strikes. With an actual game plan, I’m able to land several hits but the monochromatic moron is still stronger and faster than me.
I fake a swipe before hopping backwards, gaining some distance between us, when I feel its gaze home in on me. It’s setting up its shot lock.
Here we go.
The beam comes out, and I jump over it before air sliding behind him. Shuffling through commands I start prepping Tornado. Just as its feet touch the ground, I cast it. Sweeping it off its feet sending it spinning, dealing a massive amount of damage. It’s poor landing and even worse response let me sneak in an extra slash, then cast an extra blast of Aeroga before I had to go back on the defensive.
It’s limping.
I can hear the doll as he screeches in happiness. This is the closest I’ve ever come to beating this thing, and I’ve barely taken any serious damage!
It closed the distance with a quick thrust, much in the vein of Terra’s air slides. I side step it just barely as the Remnant zips past me and I have no time to think before it tries again. This time striking me right on the leg, sending me recoiling to the ground as it lands next to me and starts swinging. karma sinking its teeth in for the overconfidence. Instinctually I hold out a block; a mistake.
Time seemingly slows down as I feel the Remnant gaze lock on to me again. I don’t have enough time to dodge this time. I’m stuck in the point-blank range of a shot-lock.
Shit.
Shit. shit. shit.shitshitshitshit!
The beam hits and all my nerves scream out in pain. My sight goes white. Panicking I try to cartwheel to the left but I'm too close to the Remnant and my bad leg fucks it up. The Unversed just moves the beam hitting me with it again. I can feel my left arm give out and Void Gear dematerialized. If I don't do something I won’t just lose, I’ll die! Out of desperation I start gathering my own focus to possibly retaliate and start pushing through the beam hoping I endure long enough to swing at the thing again. Right before it ends, I feel myself hit my limit.
I fucked up.
I’m going to die.
The beam burns into me before a shrill sound reaches my ear and I gain a sudden second wind; like a jolt of pure adrenaline up my spine and into every nerve forcing me to tank it. I don't know where it came from but I'll survive this time.
The Remnant stops the attack and its feet hit the ground. I go to get one more jab in when I see a large black figure crash in between us.
Ansem had seen enough and sent in his Heartless, thing, pet? His pet to pull us apart.
“Butt out old man!” I scream. “He’s mine this time!”
Calm as ever. “No. You have lost again, Vanitas.”
“I’m still standing!!” I bitterly seethe. My leg feels ready to give out and I could barely hold myself together, but I refuse to drop, I won't show weakness! Victory’s too close at hand! But with how weak my leg is I could feel the weight of something on that side of my belt. Glancing down a spot of green catches my eye. Clipped to my side, I see a weird little green and gold charm hanging off of it. “What the-?”
“Had it not been for the accessory the unfortunate one had attached to you, you would be dead. Now come along, we’re leaving.”
Ansem had begun to make his way towards me when it happened.
Ansem's Pet fell for the Remnant’s trick.
Appearing behind the large dark figure the Remnant brought down its keyblade, the Heartless’s Servant narrowly slid forward almost completely avoiding the attack. The shadow itself was unharmed but the chains that had been wrapped around it were struck. With loud crack they shattered. Turns out the bitch’s keyblade was a real mint.
Ansem’s hover ended midflight causing him to eat shit, a look of confusion was washed away as to reveal a look of horror as he realized what had happened. All Expressions I never thought the master possible.
Suddenly the Servant appeared before Ansem and grabbed him, lifting him into the air.
‘Zz e heeh noo rtt!’
Ansem broke free of the Heartless grip but I could tell it was sloppy as he fell to the ground again. Before reaching towards me with his hand.
“Vanitas! As the Heartless of Master Xehanort, I authorize your use of dark corridors, take the boy and flee!”
Like hell I am! This is my chance! My Remnant was only a few strikes away from defeat and now it’s distracted by Ansem and his stupid unleashed pet. When will I have a better opportunity?! I can do this! I can hear the sound of my heart in my ears, one wrong move and it’s all over, but I HAVE this. I grit my teeth.
Maximum effort.
No mistakes, just victory.
I charge the Remnant.
I don’t even get close before the Servant seemingly out of nowhere appears before me grabbing my helmet with one hand and slamming me into the ground. This close, even as a Heartless, I could finally recognize it when it tried to speak to me.
“Va ni Tus!”
Ansem’s thing he’s been using to pull me out of the fire, the Heartless the master of Heartless dragged around like a sick joke of a pet was… Terra?
Terra.
MOTHERFUCKER KEPT TERRA!?
Ansem tackled TERRA THE HEARTLESS before grabbing me with some magic and shaking me like Master used to.
“DO YOU NOT FOLLOW ORDERS?! I TOLD YOU TO RUN!”
I pulled myself together and screamed back, “YOU HAD TERRA’S HEARTLESS THIS ENTIRE TIME?! WHY WOULD YOU KEEP HIM AROUND; HE’S A GODDAMN NUKE?!” There were a lot of other questions like ‘how does this pureblood got a heart’ but there’s bigger worries. Like dying.
“Aw sum!! b hnd u!” The doll tried to let out a warning but it only distracted the two of us as we got lost trying to parse that nonsense.
The Remnant took this opportunity to cleave deep into Ansem’s back, forcing him to let go of me. Before Terra’s Heartless tried to grab him again. “Curses!” he said while pulling what looked like a large bottle filled with green goo and stars. He tossed the bottle into the air as the wounds he and I had suffered stitched themselves together. I hissed a curse but… the Remnant wasn’t healing itself?
“Vanitas, I will deal with my other half, you keep yours busy until I can pull you two out, and you, unfortunate one…”
The doll pulled from a cloud of static what might have at one point been a shield with the royal symbol engraved on it.
“Good you’re ahead of me.” Ansem praised the doll like he could do anything with that dinky thing. He was no Goofy. I’m sure of it, I live with the stupid thing and checked.
“Now begin!”
Ansem charged Terra, and the Doll meandered in the Remnants' general direction. The Remnant however was getting indecisive. Head glancing between the three targets. Wobbling a bit and leaning harder on its left side. Perfect.
There was a time limit. I had to win before Ansem got Terra under control again. I’ll have to get risky, but this is it.
I rush the Remnant; I can hear the flopping of the doll behind me but I try to keep my focus on the fight. The Remnant was definitely interested in striking something behind me, the flops never stopped so it was probably the Terra thing or Ansem.
The Unversed dove into its barrier before I could reach it, unleashing its army of shadowy clones. Most of which were targeted at me but some of them flew past to the others, making it so much simpler to dodge. Should have been using the doll as my meat shield sooner.
I tried to stay focused on the Remnant but with all the extra targets and it’s wildly changing aggression I'd constantly get clipped by thing’s not meant for me as I whittled away at it. Sometimes it would swoop back to me directly and I'd take several blows that frankly I didn't need to take. Before I knew it, I had gotten my ass re-handed to me, piecemeal style.
Calm down idiot. The Remnant was weakened already and rushing clearly fucking failed. It was time to fight smart again. The Remnant seemed ready to fall apart. The doll called out confirming what I had already thought.
“On maorrrrrr!”
One more (probably). All I needed was one more hit. It was time for the counter-counter.
I rolled to the right, slipped into a dark corridor while at the same time setting an illusion of me to act as bait. My illusion made an obvious fake swing and missed by a comical amount. As I thought, the Remnant tried to capitalize on the whiff and swung at the illusion. But my illusion caught him with a fast jab. Void Gear effortlessly passed through its illusion as the real one appeared above me before its Void Gear cleaved through my illusion. IT FELL FOR IT!
With the ringing in my heart loud in my ears I almost screamed as I leapt out of the darkness. Bringing my blade down to finish this asshole for good.
“GOTCHA!”
My confidence immediately shattered as I received no feedback from Void Gear as it made contact with what should have been the Remnant. Is it an illusion?
Oh.
Oh no.
Time once again seemed to slow down as I turned to see the Remnant above me bringing its keyblade down upon me.
Was this really it? My mind was racing for a solution but none came. Am I really going to die to…myself that already died? Before I could contemplate too hard on how stupid that sounded, a flash of black, a quick thumbs up, and the doll with his shield stood between me and the monster.
I think it was trying to block the attack with the shield, but as previously stated: he’s not Goofy.
God, I wish he was Goofy.
Instead of deflecting the attack the idiot just took it for me, likely unable to coordinate something that simple. Plus, the way the Remnant was swinging the doll got launched into me, both of us seeing stars as our heads bounced off the rocky plateau.
Utterly dazed, the doll clutched its head. I had to push it, “Dammit get off me!”
The doll kicked me while trying to roll off of me, then it saw one of the Remnant’s shadows dart for it. It made an effort to smash it with the shield and instead the shadow flickered out of the way leaving the doll to smack ME with all that force.
“Gam sore ey!!” Panicked to the core, without a second of thought just Do, it babbled before the son of a bitch cast Curaga on me! Causing the Remnant to heal itself in turn!
All that work.
All that effort, wasted.
My best attempt after hours, after DAYS, RUINED!
A tooth bounces off my arm. Blood drips off my hands. A jagged breath brings the churning in my head down. There’s laughter and prayers. Void Gear is weightless, it’s slashing effortlessly through a meat filled husk.
It deserves it. It’s killed us all.
Panic chokes the air, boiling over in a symphony of fear, accompaniment brought by regrets. It tastes of sand and iron. Confusion, betrayal, familiarity, regret, endless pooling regret, all to drink and drown in. I laugh. I’m strong. Crush it beneath my heel. I keep laughing. I am powerful. I am the Master I must kick and break and defile twist it into power anew. Again and against. It actually thinks it deserves it.
Live long enough to break and break till nothing remains of your truth.
The power Xehanort lorded over my head, I take my fill. Refreshing. Return to the fight with a mere pivot. Victory is inevitable; why It can hardly focus with that fear blinding it! There isn’t any sound but the soft wet gurgles in the wind.
Block, dodge, slash, step, step, step, the dance is easy, it’s clear, I will win, step step, slash, slash, slash. It’s afraid, it languished it leaps back it-
It feels acceptance! It knows it’s gunna die. A smile creeps onto my face, it almost hurts how easy this is gunna be!!
StepSlashDodgeSlashStepStepStep- the acceptance suddenly cuts off. All of the emotions are gone. But it’s still alive?
I couldn't finish my next thought, let alone my next strike, before a searing pain digs into my back. The Terra Heartless grabs and drags me across the rocky floor before smashing me right into the canyon wall. The glass on my helm annihilated.
Reality returns back in sharp focus. With a blink and a cough, I vomit up Unversed. A ton of Unversed. A metric fuck ton of Unversed. Terra darts away from some attack.
Oh, what the fuck just happened? I grip my head desperately to hold it together. Punch drunk is one thing but then there’s this! The world’s spinning and that piece of garbage is still alive. Damnation, I wriggle out of the wall and check my injuries; not all that bad. The fight must be going well cause i'm in better shape than the Unversed stealing my look.
I rolled my shoulders and popped them. No matter. Free of all emotions, rather refreshed all things considered, I better clean up before this idiot kills someone.
The Remnants attention has returned squarely to me, deciding the other two will likely kill each other before it can pick off the weaker one. I can’t sense the doll right away, the coward must have finally run.
My arms felt light as I let the Remnant come to me. I was in the zone now. Dancing around the fools attacks I felt of all things, a bit nostalgic of the first time I fought Ventus. What they have in common…
Weaklings. His moves were easy to read once you stopped overthinking. I wasn’t able to land more than a few hits at a time, but this was a battle of stamina and I was winning. The Remnant had been limping and now could barely use that leg. I had neither been hit or used any commands.
Out of the corner of my eye swinging Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, by his ankle, was Terra. I almost forgot they were even here. I burst out laughing. Going to get punished for that for sure, but it was worth it.
My side began hurting. Then my face began hurting, the Remnant took my laughing fit as an opportunity and struck me hard sending me flying.
Thankfully it tossed me into something that softened the fall. Scrambling to my feet that hit must have hurt me more than I thought cause I'm covered in blood, nearly slipping over the dolls shield. Where is that thing anyways? It almost feels like they're not even here- I spot the body. Did I kill it? I know what a puddle of gore Void Gear makes looks like. NO; the Remnant must have. Why would I do that? No time to think, I have to roll out of the way of another cross beam. It collides with the doll and sends the body flying- ignore it. There's a fight.
The Remnant retreated into its barrier and shot its weird clones, half at me, half towards the cor- doll’s body. It’s not dead. It’s faint, but the heart is still there.
…
It was always faint. Always. Stop wasting time.
To counter the Remnant’s charge I launched a Dark Firaga at it which it avoided with no trouble, countering with another blasted cross-slash. I cartwheeled out of the way, why did I even pack Dark Firaga? Panic blind I can’t remember. It fired yet another beam, but I heard it connect with the doll. At that moment, the dull gray cut out.
My shitty heart decided to start panicking. Why do I even bother?! You always knew this was going to happen! My mind was flooded with thoughts but I forced them out as a Shoe Gazer squeezed itself out of my chest.
With no time to think the Remnant had closed the distance between us and started swinging.
When suddenly catches on fire.
Eh?
My senses are shot; sensing a heart that isn't there anymore. To the side I see it, the doll, hovering in the air. Somethings wrong with its shield, the emblem gone, the black now an actual void. Its body is floating, what is-?! Ignore. You’re Fighting! The Remnant nearly takes my head off for the distraction!
It’s only a few more wild swings and dodges before I see in my peripheral that the doll is definitely doing something. Glowing a little bit, something's ripping out of its coat, armor?-what the hell is coming out of the shield a DOG?- VANITAS IGNORE! FIGHT!
It seems I wasn't the only one distracted, the Remnant too stared. I knocked it down with a shot lock and earned myself a moment to breathe… Then another to hurl Void Gear at it as hard as I could.
“Why?” An unexpectedly soft, elegant feminine voice came out of the blue. I turn to my left, expecting a woman, and instead face the tri eyed bestial head that came out of the shield. “Why waste upon a Volatile Moment?” Clearly a Heartless, but I've never seen a Heartless look so…pensive. “Why must you continue this? It believes grace as only a charade.” It was talking to itself. The Remnant, seemingly enraged, charged up and hit the blasted thing with a point-blank shot lock.
A complete no sell. The ground around the beast was burnt to glass but the shot might as well have been a flashlight for all it did to the creature. It ignored the Unversed’s attacks with little more than an unimpressed snort. Cold colored fire was spat from its jaws and immolated the Unversed again. Staggering back, it seemed to be afflicted with something nasty, clutching its head in agony. Poisoning? No, that wouldn’t make sense, it was visually atrophying.
I summoned back my keyblade, setting off a Tornado as quickly as I could, sweeping up the terrible reflection. Its health went from standing to shredded in only the span of a minute.
Ansem was getting distracted from the developments, taking unneeded hits and scattering confusion all over the air. Especially when the doll, in a small dusty explosion, appeared beside the tumbling Remnant to punch it savagely. Hard enough I could hear the crunch over the wind. My tornado raged on. It didn’t even nudge the doll, normally a flyweight. They just kept punching.
The Master’s Heartless knocked Terra aside for a moment, before shouting at the doll, “What manner of creature are you?! What have you done to the unfortunate one?” Suddenly summoning some type of double-sided Great sword. His emotions were a strange mix of intrigue, concern, and of all things for a piece of the Master…fear?
The shield the doll held turned to face him, the dog face scoffing. With no heart it couldn't actually have contempt for me to detect but it made impressive use of body language, had it pupils I could imagine it rolling them in disgust, before tossing another fire at the trailing Terra who was somehow frozen. I repeat Fire made Terra Freeze. It vanishes in a puff of smoke again. My tornado ends. Ansem’s feelings are overwritten at the opportunity to get Terra back under control, quickly summoning new chains.
In my ear I hear a whisper, “Your trespass shalt be answered for. Dare again, and I will do more than rob you of victory.” My eyes dart around, adrenaline raging; where the hell had that-
Out of the corner of my eye I saw it. Somehow the Remnant dropped to its knees and collapsed, little flames slowly burning it to cinders.
It’s over.
I'm shaking. Is it over? It can't be I'm not- I didn't kill it-!
I can’t hear anything but my pounding heart and something like a shattering bomb. The Terra thing swoops past my vision, and he darts off into the desert.
After a minute of nothing but buzzing I heard Ansem shout in the background. About what, I don’t know, I don't care, I can hazard a guess.
My head hurts. Everything hurts.
An explosion of dust happens right in my face. When it clears, the shield and its puppet stand before me.
The Heartless form of master- why is he pulling off his shirt- ignore, points his bladed weapon right at the neck of the beast. It remained unmoved. He hissed, “Explain yourself.”
“No. I have no reason to. This is no concern of yours, this is between me and Nothing." In a harsh rolling growl, "You unbold enough to walk in flesh ought to get out of my way.”
Ansem’s composure almost broke. “So, you are a Heartless. Or at least a Heartless shaped entity.”
“Twice ignoble birth.” Ansem looked disgusted, and it just snorted. “Your judgment means nothing. You are just as unbearable as the traitorous Ava.” Leaving a weirdly devastated Ansem and turning to face me, its milky yellow eyes bore a hole to my core. Jabbing the doll's little finger into my chest, “Dig into the child again and my namesake shall be your destiny.”
“...What?” Was all I could force past my lips.
“It is threatening you.” says Ansem. His composure: destroyed.
“Yeah, I got that part!”
Without another word the shield in a brief glow returned to its previous form and the armor around the doll's body vanished in a glitter of light similar to something Ventus would have. The doll itself collapsed into the sand, and with a tired groan looked around dazed, rubbing its head.
Its heart had returned, it was properly there. Dim, gray, and full of holes. It’s body somehow intact again. The desert winds carried what was left of the Remnants ashes away. That Shoegazer hobbles up and helps the doll to its feet.
It’s over. I think.
Fuck I’m tried. I lumber on to my feet, when did I even fall, and stare out to the distance. Terra. Do we have to deal with that now? That's going to be so much worse…
I witheringly looked at Ansem who shrugged and seemed just as lost.
We started to walk away but then I turned to Ansem and pointed my thumb at the doll, in a near scream “What was that?”
The Heartless looked lost, “I wish I could tell you but I have no idea. I’ve never seen a being undergo such changes.” He dropped a bit lower to look the Malaise Malefactor in the eye, Shoegazer hissing, “Who was that? Who was in control when you were unconscious?”
The doll looked horrified, “uwuh wehe WHAT?”
“You were seemingly possessed.”
From the terror it was clear it didn’t know either. At least the added confusion that fueled it made me think it wasn’t actively trying to hide something.
Today sucked. I rubbed my head, “Tell Vexen?”
“Tell Vexen.” Ansem nodded. “Alright. Who’s ready to leave and…” He pitched his brow, “Deal with that other unleashed terror.”
The doll grabbed his coat and pulled a bit, muttering, “me mmme bbing.”
“Shit. Bureaucracy. I will never forgive Xemnas for this.” Ansem waved his hands, “Care to do the honors? You’ve earned the right.”
Did I really? Sighing, I opened up a corridor. We took our positions and waited. Mission complete. I guess…
I don’t feel any stronger.