Chapter Text
"What do you think is out there?" The youngest asked.
"No idea, and we won't know by just staying here!" The third oldest chuckled.
"But, how far could a raft take us?" The second oldest questioned.
"Who knows?" The oldest shrugged, "If we have to, we'll think of something else." He reassured.
"Right! I can't wait to see what's all out there!"
"We're going to see everything!"
"Just wait until we try the food!"
"That's all you can think about?"
"Shut up!"
The four laughed that day, they ran around their island, just as they did everyday, with big dreams and big plans.
And by the end of the day, they all fell asleep next to one another.
Each had a dream that night.
A dream of destiny.
***
"Vanitas, be careful!"
"I'm fine, Ventus- W-WOAH!"
"VANI!"
Vanitas laughed, legs and knees hooking around the branch as he hung upside down, "Just kidding!"
The blonde glared, puffing out his cheeks, "Not funny!"
"It's a little funny!"
Vanitas was the oldest out of the quadruplets, born with brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a short sleeved black and silver jacket with red accents, a black shirt underneath it. He also wore black shorts that cuffed just below his knees, held up by a golden belt tied tightly around his waist. On his hands, he wore black gloves that had red and silver accents around the fingers. He also wore red shoes with silver accents to tie it all together. Finally, around his neck rested a silver chain with a gear charm.
Ventus was the third oldest, born with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a short sleeved jacket that was half white, half black over a grey shirt. He had grey pants that cuffed at his ankles with a loose silver belt around his waist. On his right wrist, he had a black and white checkered wrist band with a white glove over his left hand, his shoes grey with golden accents. Lastly, around his neck rested a silver chain with a heart charm.
"Vani! Ven!"
That startled the brunette and he lost his grip, falling off the tree, letting out a groan.
"Ha! Karma!" Ventus snickered.
"Sorry!" The other blonde apologized as he jogged over, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Roxas." Vanitas sat up, rubbing the back of his head.
Roxas, the youngest. He looked exactly like Ventus, if not for the clothes. He wore a white short sleeved jacket that had checkered patterns around the edges and sleeves over a black shirt. He had black pants that cuffed at his ankles, held up by a white belt tied tightly around his waist. Opposite of Ventus, his left wrist had a black and white checkered wrist band while a black glove was over his right hand, his shoes black with red accents. Of course, around his neck rested a silver chain with a X-shaped charm.
"It's just sand." Vanitas reassured before he held up a satchel full of fruit, "Besides, we finished collecting fruit! How's the drinking water going?"
Roxas smiled, "It's all done! Sora's just finishing up the raft now!"
"Race you there!" Ventus yelled, running off, Roxas quick to follow.
"Last one there is a rotten egg!"
"H-Hey! Cheaters!" Vanitas called after them with a laugh as he scrambled up, catching up to them as fast as he could.
They made it to the beach together, all collectively shouting, "Sora!" as they approached.
Said boy turned, smiling and waving, "Hey! I'm almost done!"
Sora was the second oldest and shared the same brown hair and blue eyes Vanitas had. He wore a black and white short sleeved jacket over a red shirt, matching red shorts that cuffed just below his knees. A black belt was wrapped loosely around his waist, white gloves that had silver and blue designs around his fingers, and bright yellow shoes with blue accents. As always, around his neck rested a silver chain with a crown charm.
They each had the silver chain as a reminder.
"It looks great! Good job!" Vanitas encouraged, placing the fruit down.
Sora smiled at the praise, "Thank you very much~! Now, let's see, we got food, we got water, Ven and I gathered extra wood before he joined you... Is there anything else we might need?"
"I don't think so. Sounds pretty good to me!" Ventus exclaimed.
"What do you think we'll find?" Roxas asked, staring out into the water.
"Who knows? We gotta see it for ourselves!"
"I wonder if they're out there."
The other three widened their eyes.
"I mean... I have so many questions for them, so I hope so." Roxas continued, lost in thought, "Like, why did they leave us? Put us on an island all alone? Why this island? Did they..." He trailed off, looking down.
"Chin up, Rox, we'll have plenty of time to ask once we get off shore!" Sora encouraged.
"Actually, Rox, I'm glad you brought that up!" Vanitas said, opening the bag of fruit. He took out a star shaped fruit, holding it up to the others, "I read in one of the books, it's called a Paopu Fruit! Legend has it that if two people share one, then their destinies and hearts will be connected and intertwined!"
"Woaaaaah, that sounds so cool!" Ventus exclaimed.
Vanitas broke the fruit into four equal parts (well, as equal as he could get them), "Some say you should only share these with, like, a romantic partner, but I think that's dumb." He put one in each of his brothers' hands, "After all, families grow apart, too. Family can just as easily turn their backs on you. We all know this."
There was a silent agreement among the four.
"Well, guess what?" Vanitas took a bite of his fruit, "You three are going to be stuck with me forever! Whether you like it or not! No matter what happens, we'll always be close!" He held out his free hand expectantly.
Sora smiled, biting his fruit and putting his hand on top of Vanitas, "Even if we never find them, I'll be happy, because we'll always be connected!"
Ventus bit his and put his hand on top of the other two, chuckling, "We'll always be there for each other, no matter what destiny or fate says!"
Roxas nodded, biting his fruit and putting his hand on top, "They can try to pull us apart, but we never will be! Our hearts will always be connected!"
The four cheered and finished their fruit. They decided they would watch the sunset one last time on the beach, enjoy this one blissful night, before they set sail for a new world.
Oh, but it would be anything but a blissful night.
***
The four shared a bed, all curled and cuddled up, as if scared to loose one another even in their dreams.
However, a crash of thunder made Vanitas sit up with a start. On the island, there were never any storms, so why was he hearing thunder? He looked down and the other three were sleeping peacefully. He smiled, happy they weren't scared awake like he was. He looked out the window, expecting just to see rain.
Instead, he saw something that caused his blood to run cold.
"WAKE UP!" Vanitas screamed, shaking Roxas, who was laying beside him, "ROX, VEN, SOR! WAKE UP, WAKE UP!"
"Huh, wha-" Roxas said as he stirred, the other two groaning.
"WAKE UP! FIRE!"
"F-FIRE?!"
That made Roxas sit up, look out the window, and screech, causing Ventus and Sora to wake the rest of the way up. The four looked out the window and saw smoke and fire cackling outside. Vanitas ran to the attic trapdoor, looking down and seeing fire coming up towards them. He shut the door and ran to the window, seeing the fire outside was burning the trees, slowly coming towards them.
"COME ON!" Vanitas screamed, grabbing Sora's hand and pulling them towards the window, "WE GOTTA JUMP!"
"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY-"
"DO YOU WANT TO BURN ALIVE?!"
"NOPE! NOT ME!"
"VEN, WAIT-"
Ventus climbed on the windowsill before jumping out without a second thought. He rolled on the sand to ease his fall before he looked up, urging the others to jump out. Roxas jumped next, landing on his feet and immediately crouching to ease the tension before getting out of the way. Sora, terrified it of his mind, reluctantly jumped. He hesitated, looking at Vanitas.
"It's okay, Sor." Vanitas reassured, "Rox and Ven will be there."
Sora took a deep breath and jumped. However, he landed wrong and cried out, stumbling forward.
"SOR!" Roxas grabbed him, helping him get out of the way so Vanitas could jump.
Vanitas jumped and landed fine, looking at his brothers. Roxas had Sora sit down as Ventus looked over his foot, Vanitas looking around them.
"Must've sprained it!" Ventus said.
"W-What do we do?!" Roxas asked, "We can't put out these flames!"
"Even if we did, it wouldn't matter." Vanitas muttered.
The three looked at him before looking at what he was staring at.
It wasn't just their house that was on fire.
Everything was.
The trees and wooden structures were engulfed in flames, their raft completely destroyed. Smoke rose from every crook and crevice of the island. Rain and wind flew around them, doing little to put out the flames. Thunder continued to cackle, lightening striking in random areas, as if taunting the boys.
"G-Guys, what's that?!"
They turned to where Sora was pointing, seeing little black creatures with glowing yellow eyes rising from the ground. They looked at the boys and began to walk towards them, large claws on the ends of their hands.
"I don't know, but they don't look friendly!" Roxas hissed.
"The cove!" Ventus pointed towards it. It wasn't on fire (yet), "M-Maybe we can climb up to the zip line? Get high and loose them?"
"We don't have much of a choice!" Vanitas looked around and grabbed two large sticks, handing one to Ventus, "Rox, carry Sora! We'll protect you two!"
"O-Okay!" Roxas nodded.
He had Sora get on his back before the four began making their way to the zip line, the creatures following them, letting out little hisses and whispers. When they got too close, Vanitas and Ventus swung their sticks like swords, keeping them at bay for the most part. Once they were at the ladder to the zipline, Roxas boosted Sora up, the brunette climbing up as fast as he could. Once he was up, Roxas climbed after him, Sora pulling him up the last few bits.
"Ven, go!"
"But-"
"GO!"
Ventus was reluctant but put the stick in his pants and climbed up the ladder.
However, with only one person now trying to keep these things away, they began to close in, surrounding the boy.
"S-Stay back!" Vanitas slashed at one.
The creature, tired of the stick, caught it in its mouth and bit down. Vanitas let go as the wood splintered in his hand.
But that didn't stop him.
"I said back!" He yelled, kicking at it.
In returned, it used its claws and slashed at him. He screamed, falling to the ground, earning three large gashes in his leg as his back hit the ladder. Blood poured from the wound, staining his clothes and the sand.
"VANI!" The other three yelled.
Ventus threw his stick, hitting the creature's head and forcing it to stumble back. However, they continued to close in, getting more annoyed and upset.
"I said-" Vanitas held out his hands, "-BACK OFF!"
His hands began to warm up and, suddenly, from his palms, fireballs shot out of them, hitting the creatures. Not only did it hit the creatures, it destroyed them. The other creatures, seeing this, immediately sunk into the shadows and slithered away, letting out little growls and hisses.
Once they were gone, the fireballs stopped and Vanitas was in shock, looking at his hands.
"Vani!" Sora called.
The oldest snapped out of it and climbed up the ladder, hissing in pain, the three pulling him up the last little bit as soon as they could.
"Vani, your leg!" Ventus removed his jacket, wrapping it around the wound.
"Aaaugh-!" He groaned in pain, tensing up.
"Y-You... You used magic!" Sora exclaimed.
"How did you do that?!" Roxas added.
"I-I don't know!" Vanitas admitted, "I-I just... I knew I needed to protect you three and I-I was scared, but was willing to do anything!" He looked at his hands, "How... how did I...?"
"Able to wield magic at such a young age. And a heart full of light. How divine."
The four screamed and turned around, seeing a man in a black coat.
Vanitas, despite his injury, held his arms in front of his brothers, protectively, "Who are you?! Are you the one who did this?! Stay away from them!"
"Oh, silly child, I have no use for a couple of half pints."
Vanitas was about to retort before he felt himself being lifted up by the throat. He choked, kicking his feet, clawing at the hand holding him.
"VANI!" The other three screamed.
They got up and went to run at the man.
"Down, boys."
They yelled out as a gust of wind pushed them down, their backs hitting the edge of the wooden framing, causing the structure to shake.
Vanitas continued to struggling, glaring daggers at the man, undeterred.
"Do you know how easy it is to break someone like you?"
Vanitas watched as purple shadows began to wisp around the man, his eyes widening.
"Allow me to show you."
The shadows launched themselves into Vanitas's mouth and nose, the boy feeling them go into his throat. He felt his eyes roll back, his body going limp as he began to choke more.
"VANI!" Roxas and Ventus cried.
Sora shakily stood up, glaring daggers at the man, hand shaking, "Let. Him. Go." He demanded.
"Or what?" The hooded man snickered.
"LET HIM GO!" Sora held his hand out, reaching for... something. He didn't know what, he just knew he needed something and was relying on instinct.
A blade.
A blade answered his call.
A blade in the shape of a key appeared in his hand, the boy aiming it at the hooded figure.
"A... Keyblade?" The hooded figure was in awe, "But-"
"Hey."
The man faced Ventus and Roxas.
Ventus held a black blade that looked as though it was designed to be used in reverse.
Roxas held a silver Keyblade with golden accents, a star like design at the tip.
"Put him down." The blondes demanded in unison.
"Three... Keyblades. But-"
"H-Hey-"
He looked at Vanitas, surprised he was able to speak. He could see darkness seeping out of his mouth and nose, clearly still in his body. The darkness has even shrouded one of his eyes, but the other glared directly at him.
The boy lifted his hand, summoning a black blade with a red gear like tip.
He smirked as best as he could, "F-Fire."
The man screamed, dropping Vanitas as he stumbled back, holding his chest where he was hit with the fireball. He dusted himself off and looked up-
"TAKE THIS!" Roxas kicked the man out of the structure.
He watched as the man stumbled back and fell. Instead of hitting the ground, he fell through a black and purple shadowy portal, gone.
"VANI!"
He turned around, seeing Ventus and Sora hovering over the oldest who sat on his knees, continuing to cough and choke, clawing at his own throat. Before he could run over, the structure cracked and wobbled. The wood below them folded in on itself, everyone screaming as it fell around them. The wood beneath their feet crumbled as they all fell with the tower. Everyone ground in pain as they landed on the sand, the wood luckily falling around them rather than on top of them.
However, Vanitas was lying on the ground, tears streaming down his face, clutching his throat and stomach.
Sora crawled over to him, pulling Vanitas to lay on his back. The other had black shadows surrounding his mouth and nose, his lips, tip of his nose, veins in his face, and one of his eyes black. He gasped and sputtered, desperate for air as tears ran down his left eye, which was slowly turning black.
As if fate wanted to laugh at their misery, more shadow creatures appeared.
"Those things-!" Ventus yelled, "C-Can't we get a break?!"
"Those blades! Use them!" Sora called.
Roxas and Ventus looked at each other and nodded.
Sora interlocked his hands together before putting them on Vanitas's chest, beginning to press down. He began to give him CPR, "Vanitas, Vani, stay with me! I'm right here, stay with me!"
Vanitas's left eye slowly looked at Sora, black tears rolling down his cheek. He tried to speak, tried to scream, but only choked and gurgled on the shadows more.
"I-I don't know what he did to you, but it'll be okay!" Sora put a smile on his face, tears in his eyes, "R-Rox, Ven, and I are here! We're not leaving you, we're brothers!"
Vanitas stared at him, his body tensing and contracting, letting out small hiccups. His eye began to turn more black, sputtering.
"Just stay with me, Vani! It's gonna be fine!" Tears rolled down Sora's cheeks, but he continued to smile, trying to ease the fear in both of them.
Vanitas's eyes fluttered a bit, letting out another gurgle.
"W-We ate that fruit! W-What was it?! P-Paopu Fruit!"
The oldest eyes shot open, widening, as if that was the first thing he has heard in a long time.
"Y-Yeah, remember?! We're all connected!" Sora let out a few small hiccups, "S-So you can't give up! W-We'll always be there for one another!"
Ventus and Roxas came running over, having finished off the shadow creatures. They each knelt on either side of Vanitas, tears streaming down their faces. Yet, they also smiled, each grabbing one of Vanitas's hands, squeezing it.
"W-We're right here, Vani!" Roxas called, "W-We always will be!"
"Y-You're stuck with us, w-whether you like it or not!" Ventus teased.
Vanitas's lips curved into the smallest smile, squeezing his brothers' hands, before he... stopped. His body tensed and seized, then just stopped as his eyes fluttered closed.
"Vani?" Sora said.
His chest stopped moving, he stopped breathing.
Sora continued giving him CPR, "N-No, no, Vani, Vanitas, w-we're here!"
"V-Vanitas, w-wake up! Come on!" "You c-can't do t-t-this, Vani! O-Open your eyes!" The three screamed overtop each other.
The three stopped screaming when they saw the blackness leave Vanitas's face. His skin became the normal tan color he had from living on this once beachy-island. But his hair began to get... darker? Yeah, it slowly went from a caramel brown to pitch black, starting at the ends and going upwards.
Once his hair had turned black, his eyes shot open. He took a big gulp of air before he rolled onto his side, throwing up. He seemed to vomit up all the purple and black shadows that had been forced inside him.
"V-Vani, Vani, hey-!" Sora rubbed his back as Vanitas sobbed and shook through it.
The shadows that escaped his body were muddy, looking like black paste, little specs of yellow here and there, as if they were trying to form those creatures but didn't get the chance to. Once he finished throwing up, the shadows bubbled before disappearing, sinking into the sand to hopefully never be seen again. Sora pulled Vanitas's head into his lap, his eyes blue once more. They stared up at his three brothers, letting out a few small coughs, taking shaky breaths as more tears rolled down his cheeks.
"H-Hey, hey, it's okay-!" Sora cooed, trying his best to soothe him. He ran his fingers through his hair, exactly like Vanitas liked it, as Roxas wiped his mouth of the remaining shadows, Ventus holding his hand and squeezing it reassuringly, "Shhh, shhh, you're safe now! W-We're all safe, now!"
Vanitas's eyes fluttered once more, choking out, "H-Heartless..."
"What?" They questioned.
"T-Those... things..." Vanitas's eyes rolled back, "Heartless....." He fell unconscious.
"Crap, I got here way too late!"
The three turned, all of them holding up their blades, Sora hugging Vanitas closer as a woman approached.
"Woah, woah, easy!" She held up her hands in a surrender motion, "It's okay, I'm a friend!"
"Y-Yeah right!" Ventus hissed, "Y-You're probably working for that black coat guy!"
"Who hurt our brother!" Roxas added, "B-Back off, or we-"
"I promise, I am a friend. Because look." The person in front of them held out her hand and the three awed as she held one of those blades too, "I have a Keyblade, too."
They stared at her.
"And this one can heal you boys."
They looked at one another.
She offered her hand, "Please, come with me."
The boys had a choice to make in that moment.
Stay on their island as it crumbled to darkness.
Or go with a stranger who claimed to want to show them light.
The three stared at one another, having a silent conversation.
They chose light.