I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney

Ending

In the shadow of the white castle, under the night's veil, two figures walked together. One was noticeably taller than the other, and possessed a slight limp; the other hunched slightly, like a prowling wolf.

"Terra would be furious if he heard you were here," Aqua whispered.

Vanitas chuckled. "Then don't tell him. Besides, I'll be out of here soon. I've found a new place to stay, on another world. It's pretty far from here, but you never know where your Master's missions will carry you."

She looked into his unmasked face, saw the hope in his eyes, and regretted what she had to do next. But there was no use in encouraging something that couldn't be done.

"Master's cancelled all missions," she told him. "We're restricted to this world until Xehanort's been dealt with. Even after that, I don't think he, or Terra, will let me go out alone . . ."

"Not while I'm still out there." Vanitas sighed.

She smiled weakly. "They'll have to, eventually."

Vanitas' shoulders slumped. "But you're not an apprentice, they can't stop . . . There's no use asking you to come with me, is there?"

"No," she said softly, "there isn't." Despite everything the two of them had shared, Aqua knew her heart would always belong to Terra and Ven first. She wouldn't leave the Land of Departure while they were living here.

"Just as well." Vanitas smiled crookedly. "If I took you away, those two would spend the rest of their lives trying to kill me."

She winced at the thought, fingers brushing the bandages wrapped around her waist.

Vanitas quickly stepped forwards and across, blocking her path. Purposefully, he faced her, seemingly unaffected by the emotions that threatened to sweep her off her feet.

"Then this is it," he said. "This is the end."

She shook her head. "No, this doesn't have to be our ending. It's just another beginning."

She stepped forwards, keeping his gaze as she pressed the charm into his hands. Vanitas blinked, before breaking their mutual stare, staring down at the Wayfinder she gave him. She stood back as he held it up by the chain, letting the red Wayfinder rotate slowly and cast an array of dim light on their feet.

"Somewhere," she began, "there's this tree with star-shaped fruit, and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. I did the best with what I have, but . . ."

He held up a hand to quiet her, and hung the Wayfinder around his neck. "Don't you dare apologize, or I'll think you didn't mean it."

She smiled. "I'll see you around."

He smirked. "Someday."

They said goodbye, one last time, and then Aqua watched as he stepped onto his glider. He took off into the sky, becoming nothing more than a dot of light amidst the stars. She watched him until her eyes failed her, then, with one final glance, returned to the castle.

Someday, under the stars, they'd meet again . . .

Her heart knew it.

It's been one hundred days and now this fic is officially done. Here's a big thank-you to everyone that's followed the story to the end. I hope the ending meets your standards.

And with that, I'm signing off for Christmas. Once again, thank you all for staying with me this far. And Merry Christmas!