Updates for other stories are on the way. I'm just taking a little break from them to relax my mind. I've been spending the past several days planning and writing and pretty much focusing all of my free time on my stories and I'm taking the weekend off. I know you've been waiting for updates to some of them and I apologize for making you wait longer, but I'd rather wait for a good chapter than read a really short and crappy one.

As for this story, it's actually a sequel to a one-shot I wrote a while back called "Saving Me" this story was requested by veronicatoon7 I hope you enjoy this story as much as the first one. ^^ Now, updates for this story will come slowly, as my main focus will be my three main projects, "Saving the Lost", "Present From The Past", and "Fool's Checkmate". I will say it's a welcome relief to write for a more cheerful Sora. I love StL, but I don't enjoy making Sora suffer like that. :(

Anyways, I'm rambling on and you're probably thinking: "Just shut up and get on the the story already, jeez!" lol, alrighty, I won't hold you up any longer. xD

Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix.

Light Is For Everyone

"Are you crazy?!"

"Sora, he's a bad guy!"

"He is not!"

"But, he tried to kill you!"

"Well,...he's not now,"

"He still can't be trusted! I can't believe you brought him here!"

"What is going on?!"

Master Yen Sid and King Mickey had entered the master's head chamber only to be greeted by a very strange sight.

Goofy was worried, Donald was furious and held his mage's staff at the ready, the tip glowing with an ice spell which he was ready to fire at any moment, and Sora was staring him down, with an injured boy leaning against the wall behind the key bearer. Sora seemed to be protecting the boy from Donald. The three friends turned to the door when the master demanded an explanation.

"Sora brought that monster here!" Donald declared, seething. Goofy wasn't mad, but he wasn't sure what to do. He knew how bad this kid was from the stories he's heard.

Mickey looked over at the boy with the same hair style as Sora, only darker.

"Sora," he asked, "is that...?" He had a good guess, but he didn't want to believe it.

There was a sad look in Sora's eyes as he nodded. "He's changed. He doesn't want to be evil anymore."

Master Yen Sid shook his head, "Sora, I know your intentions were good, but he cannot stay here. A great darkness still lives within him and he cannot change who he is."

Vanitas glared at the sorcerer, something that didn't escape the king's notice.

"Then I'll change him."

Mickey looked up at Sora in shock. "Sora, you realize that he was created from darkness itself, the darkness from Ventus' own heart. It's not as simple as you might think."

"I'll find a way," Sora smiled. "I always do."

"He has a point," added Goofy.

Donald turned to glare at his friend. "Goofy!"

Sora smiled at his friend. Vanitas suddenly shuddered and slid down from where he had been leaning against the wall. He coughed violently and the group noticed a dark red liquid that stained the floor.

"Vanitas!" Sora tried to cast Cure, but his magic still hadn't replenished itself. He looked over to Donald who snubbed his beak in the air and turned away.

"Donald!" Sora called, a hint of anger in his voice, but Donald didn't budge.

A green flower appeared over the dark-haired teen's head before the petals fell and healed him. Sora looked over at saw the King holding his Keyblade.

"I can't ignore someone in need, even if they belong to the darkness."

"Thanks, your majesty," Sora replied.

"Let's get him to a room where he can properly rest and then we'll discuss his fate." Advised Yen Sid as Goofy and Sora gently picked Vanitas up between them and carried him down to the guest rooms.

Donald followed, but only to make sure the master of the Unversed didn't try anything funny. Mickey looked up at his old mentor who was deep in thought.

"Do you think he's up to something?"

The master kept his focus on the staircase where the group had descended. "I don't know, but I fear the threat of the great darkness has not yet passed."

"Sora seems to think he can be trusted."

"Yes, but not even Sora is immune to the darkness."

"Should we summon Master Riku, just to be safe?" asked the king.

Yen Sid nodded. "Yes, I believe we may need him if the worse should happen. For what it's worth, I hope Sora is right."

"You think Vanitas can change?" The king sounded hopeful, but his voice was laced with worry.

"His aura is still dark, but not as much as before, it's beginning to grey. For now, I shall take that as a good sign, but we shall see."

. . .

Sora and Goofy helped Vanitas into a bed in one of the guest rooms on the lower floors. With Lea and Kairi staying here, training to become keyblade masters themselves there were a few more rooms added to the place to accommodate them.

Vanitas leaned against the back wall, not bothering to lay down. "This is stupid. It's clear that no one wants me here."

"Ya got that right!" snapped Donald.

The dark-haired teen glared at the duck before resting his head against the wall.

"Just dump me off at the nearest back water world. I'll manage on my own."

"That's not gonna happen," replied Sora. "We're friends, and friends don't give up on each other."

Vanitas laughed at that. "You really think I know how to treat a friend? In case you haven't noticed hero, there aren't many friends in the dark."

Sora smiled. "That's why you bring a flashlight."

Vanitas blinked in confusion at his look-a-like before closing his eyes with a smirk. "You're an idiot."

"Maybe, but at least I remembered what you said when I got you out of that castle."

"I was delirious in pain, you really think I meant what I said? I just wanted to survive and you fell for it like the stupid idiot you are," Vanitas' golden eyes were glaring malice into Sora's and Donald once again charged up an ice spell.

"I knew it! He won't change!"

Sora only continued to smile. "Well, idiot or not, I always keep my promises."

"You didn't promise me anything," Vanitas replied.

"I promised myself. I said that I'd look after you and that's just what I'm gonna do. Face it, you're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

Donald and Goofy were stunned by the lengths their friend was willing to go to help this kid.

"But, Sora, what if he goes back to Xehanort?" asked Goofy.

"Good question, what's to stop me from handing you over to my old mentor?" Vanitas was smirking with an evil glare as if the idea hadn't occurred to him, but he liked the sound of it.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to try extra hard to bring you into the light." the brunette replied with a carefree shrug.

Vaniatas burst out laughing, which he regretted as he clutched his broken ribs. "The light, don't make me laugh. I don't belong with the light."

Sora smiled at Vanitas' reaction and headed out the door with Goofy and Donald followed behind him. The teen stopped at the door. "The light is for everyone."

"I'll be keeping an eye on you," warned Donald as the trio left the room.

Once out of the room Donald let his full wrath fly. "What has gotten into you, Sora?! How could you do this?"

The key bearer just shrugged. "He wouldn't died if I hadn't saved him. What was I suppose to do?"

"But, out of all the bad guys, he's one of the worst!" added Goofy.

"I wasn't going to leave him like that. Pinned down, slowly being crushed? That's...it'd be too painful."

"It's just what he deserves," replied the duck.

"Donald, how can you be so cruel?" asked Sora, he sounded more than a bit hurt.

"Because of what he did and almost did. I heard from the king what he had done years ago. I don't want to see him try it again."

"But, I can change him. I know I can."

"Sora, we know you mean well, but what if he's still under Xehanort's control?" asked Goofy.

"I...don't know. But, you guys didn't give up on me when I was almost lost to the darkness, I want to try and help him fight his own darkness."

Vanitas listened to the voices retreating down the hall. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but he figured Sora's buddies were giving him a hard time about his choice. Taking this chance to get some much needed rest, Vanitas laid down and looked up at the ceiling. Could he really trust Sora? Or was he just going to be used like always. Someone promising him great things only to stab him from behind when they've gotten what they wanted or no longer needed him.

He turned over and faced the wall. Was what Sora said back at the castle true? Did he really want to be his friend? Vanitas felt something appear behind him and he turned to glare at the creature who was sitting at the foot of his bed. It was an unversed. About the size of a kitten. Vanitas glared at it.

"Who asked you to show up? Get lost!"

The creature, seemed to ignore his orders -which surprised him as they never disobeyed him- and curled up into a more comfortable spot next to him and went to sleep. Vanitas glared at it and thought about destroying it, but he stopped when he realized what emotion sparked the birth of this creature. Against his better judgement, he left it alone and got settled, content with the little bit of hope he now had.

Am I the only one who thinks the base form of the Unversed is cute?