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Hi That Guy. My name is Loxare.

HoT, don't be that guy.

Good news! This one isn't violent! Ah, that's always nice to hear. A few swears, like last chapter, but the site automatically filters those.

EDIT

Site does not filter those! Ahaha. Not this one anyways. Well, if the site thinks it's ok to leave it there, who am I to argue? If anyone gets upset though, I'll replace a letter with an asterisk.

Spoiler: Chapter 23 - ...Comes the Dawn

Jason gasped, his chest suddenly tight. Eyes flicking open, he caught sight of the last traces of darkness flaking off of his skin. Pulling off his sunglasses, he whipped his head around, vaguely panicked. Where was…?

Sitting next to him, the darkness leaving his skin more slowly, Dick sat, unmoving. He didn’t have any injuries that Jason could see. Raising his free hand – the other one was being crushed in Dick’s fingers – he felt at his throat, checking his brother’s pulse. A little slow, but present. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he looked out into the rest of the room.

It was only dimly lit by a lamp on the desk. The windows, which before had let in diffuse light, had curtains drawn over them. Sora and Riku were sleeping in a pile on top of Dick and Jason’s legs, which really couldn’t be comfortable. Yen Sid was sitting at his desk, staring at Jason. He was holding a pen as if he had been writing something.

“Welcome back,” the old man rumbled. “It would appear you were successful in your endeavors. Congratulations.”

Jason opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a wordless rasp. Clearing his throat, he tried again, “Dick…?”

“He was defeated by Xehanort’s darkness?” At Jason’s nod, the Master continued, “He will be fine. The darkness will clear up with no lingering effects.”

But what about…? “The darkness… it used my memories as weapons. We could feel the emotions that I felt in the memory, and at the end, injuries I got in the memory showed up on us.”

Yen Sid’s eyes widened, and he stood up, walking around the desk. “Go on.”

“A few years ago… I died. Got beaten bloody with a crowbar and blown up. It used that memory on Dick.” He looked worriedly at Dick again. “Will he be alright?”

Yen Sid tilted Dick’s head up. “I do not know. Physically, he will be. But considering the trauma you went through then, and the trauma he suffered as a result, he will most likely have mental scars which won’t be easy to heal.” Tucking his hands into his sleeves, he turned to regard Jason. “It will help that you know exactly what he went through. You can guide him through this.” He extended his arm, resting it on Jason’s forehead. “You have been through an ordeal young man. Sleep.”

There was something about that last word, something powerful. Suddenly, Jason found his eyes were incredibly heavy. His head dropped to his chest as the world dissolved into darkness again.

~*~​

When Dick opened his eyes, he was surprised that the only soreness he had was the kind he got from sitting in one position for too long. His legs were numb – probably from the silver-haired teenager sprawled across them – his spine was kinked and his hand was stiff from being clenched in a fist for what felt like hours. No, wait, not a fist. He had a death grip on Jason’s hand, the latter actually turning slightly purple from the pressure. Quickly opening his fingers, he started rubbing the digits, trying to restore blood flow, while at the same time raking his eyes up and down Jason’s body, looking for injuries. To his never-ending relief, Jason was simply asleep, head tilted towards his chest, which was rising and falling steadily. His sunglasses were off, which was more welcoming than Dick had thought possible.

Abruptly, the memory of what happened in the dream world assaulted him. His chest grew tight, his breathing became strained, he started sweating and shaking and… He recognized the panic attack, but couldn’t stop it. His hand tightened on Jason’s yet again.

A hand came up, curling around his shoulders. Jason’s head rested on his shoulder, still breathing steadily. With all the willpower he had, Dick forced his breathing to match Jason’s. Slowly he relaxed into his brother’s half-hug. They sat like this as light gradually seeped into the room.

Eventually, Sora twitched. He sat up, yawned and stretched and then flopped back down over Jason’s legs. The landing jolted Jason out of his sleep, hand falling off of Dick’s shoulder to scrabble for a gun that was not holstered at his hip. As it went, it smacked Riku in the head, startling him awake as well. Suddenly the room was full of noise as the Keyblade Wielders started asking Dick and Jason if they were ok, what had happened, if they won, et cetera. Jason simply moved one hand to cover Sora’s mouth. After a meaningful look from Jason – his other hand was still under Dick’s and Dick didn’t want to let go yet – he raised his own free hand and popped it over Riku’s mouth.

“We’re fine, we beat the crap out of an ass, if we hadn’t won, we wouldn’t be here. Or we would be, but darker. Now shush. It’s too early for this crap.” Jason ended his little rant with a glare that promised repercussions if they continued talking and not-so-gently kicked Sora off of his legs. Wincing – his legs were so asleep by this point they were basically comatose – he nudged Riku off of Dick and pulled him up. “Come on Goldie, let’s head to the ship and find some coffee.” The two teens made to follow them, but Jason called back, “I swear, if you don’t give us at least ten minutes of quiet, I’m poisoning your next meal!”

Mindful of their numb legs, they climbed down the infinite steps of the Tower. After one or two eternities, they made it to the front door and onto the ship. Jason sat Dick down in the captain’s seat and grabbed his shoulders. “You ok Dickiebird?”

“Um… Yeah, fine.” Dick was avoiding his gaze though, looking somewhere over his left shoulder.

One hand slapped Dick lightly on the back of the head before resuming its position on his cheek. “You’re a crap liar Dick.”

Sighing, Dick met his eyes. “I… in the dream world… the last memory the darkness showed me was…”

“My death,” Jason interrupted. “I know.”

Dick looked startled. “How…?”

“The injuries Wingnut. You got them from the memory, the same ones I had to live through. Now. Are. You. Ok?”

“Jason, I- ” A tear slipped down his cheek. “You died. I watched you die. I felt you die!” Dick’s voice increased in urgency until Jason gently dropped his hand over his mouth.

He gathered his brother into a hug, feeling Dick stiffen with surprise before relaxing into it. “I’m here now Dickie. I’m here and alive. What you saw, what you felt, that was in the past. I’m ok.” Jason gave his brother a moment to cry into his shoulder. Then he pulled away and put his hands back on Dick’s face. “But you haven’t answered my question. Are you ok Dickiebird?”

Dick swiped a hand under his nose and gave a small smile. “I’ll be ok Little Wing. Thank you.” And he lunged forward, grabbing Jason’s shoulders in another hug. Jason endured it for a moment, then pushed his brother off. He was pretty sure Dick was lying, at least partially, but he’d keep an eye on him. For now, they needed coffee, stat.

When Sora and Riku came down a few minutes later, Dick was sitting at the table with a steaming mug cradled in his hands and Jason was flipping pancakes. “If Yen Sid wants to see us, can it wait until after breakfast? I’ll even bring up some food for him, but after that fight, I’m starving like you wouldn’t believe.” Without looking, he flipped a pancake onto one of the five plates waiting on the table. Each of them now had three pancakes a piece, as well as some hashbrowns left over from yesterday’s breakfast, reheated in the frying pan. There was bacon in another pan, and some tomatoes in another.

Soon enough, every plate was full and covered with foil for the long trip back up the stairs. Jason carried two plates, Dick and Riku each carried a plate and two mugs, and Sora carried one of each. Jason placed Yen Sid’s plate on the desk when they reached the study, and Riku put one of the mugs next to it. Yen Sid conjured some chairs while Jason reclaimed his mug from Dick and they all sat down to eat, and to find out how to save Gotham.

To Jason’s chagrin, it became apparent after a few minutes of conversation that returning to Gotham and saving it would be no easy task. In fact, the more they discussed the possible locations the world was at or the methods of simply getting there, the more Jason couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened. He sat, quietly listening for a change, as he ate. It seemed Riku and Yen Sid were onto something. This was definitely more their expertise, so Jason was content to wait and see what kind of plan they would conjure up.

“The question is,” Riku was saying, pausing to take a long drink of coffee, “will defeating Xehanort free the world, like it did in the case of Ansem, or is there a more sure-fire method?”

Yen Sid bent his head, apparently deep in thought. After a few moments he looked up and replied, “There is another way which I believe is a reliable method of freeing a world. But achieving it shall be extremely dangerous. I do not know how easy it will be to accomplish finding Gotham, because this method is merely testing a theory. “

Despite his warning, the other four at the table leaned forward, their interest’s piquing.

“Well then,” Sora said, since Riku had an incredible amount of food in his mouth at the moment, “what's the idea Master Yen Sid?”

Jason nodded. “It doesn't really matter how dangerous it is. As long as it's possible me and Dick are up for it.”

The old man leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “To save Gotham, you will need to enter into the Realm of Darkness.”

Sora and Riku both gasped, while Jason raised his eyebrows and Dick frowned at the Keyblade Wielders’ reactions.

“And this... Realm of Darkness is?” Dick asked.

“It's a sort of, well, it's what it sounds like.” Sora said a hand placed on his chin as he thought. “It's a dimension, made out of darkness. It's like the Heartless's home. You find all sorts of powerful monsters in there. And it's said it slowly corrupts you over time. A person can only be in a world of pure darkness for so long without their hearts being affected.”

Dick looked appalled. “And you think we should go marching into the home of all the Heartless?” He asked the room at large.

Yen Sid, who was now finished his meal, folded his hands patiently in his lap. “I do. Think Dick. Your world was completely engulfed in darkness, so it makes sense you would find it in a dimension of darkness, does it not?”

Dick froze for a moment, comprehension flooding his features. He looked fearfully over at Jason, who was still silent and attentive at this point.

“But Master Yen Sid,” Riku said, placing his cutlery on his now empty plate. “How are we even going to get into the Realm of Darkness? And how will we find Gotham once we get there?”

“Ah. Both good questions. But I believe I have the answers. You shall be traveling to the Realm of Darkness through a Corridor I shall create for you. Similar, though not exactly like the ones Organization XIII was using.”

“You can do that!?” Riku exclaimed amazed. As far as he knew, only Nobodies or those who had surrendered to the darkness in their hearts had that power.

“I have before explained the balance between light and darkness to you and Sora. It is only natural that I understand how to control it.”

Riku blinked, amazed, but he shook himself out of it, and in a few moments, more questions were buzzing around in his head. “But, that darkness in the portal and in the Realm of Darkness could corrupt us!” Riku stammered. “How can we withstand its effects? Especially me and Jason.”

He would never straight out admit it, but Riku was definitely not thrilled about the prospect of re-entering that place.

In response to Riku's question, Yen Sid raised his hand, and the next moment, black fabric appeared from thin air and fluttered onto each of the travelers’ heads. There was a bit of pandemonium that followed as both Jason and Dick leapt from their chairs, believing this was some sort of sneak attack or kidnapping attempt. Sora, confused by the commotion, managed to fall out of his chair, which once Riku had pulled the material off his head and saw it, caused the boy to burst out in hysterical laughter. It was a good minute before everyone was calmed down and seated once again around the table. Yen Sid, to their amazement, was frowning less than before.

“As I was going to say,” the old man rumbled with a voice that was half annoyed and half amused, “after studying the cloaks used by the members of Organization XIII, and with the help of DiZ, I was able to create clothes with similar properties. These garments should act as shields against the darkness, as they do for the Nobodies.”

Jason looked down at the thick smooth material. It was jet black, and seemed to be at closer inspection a cloak with a hood and a silver fastening. It was close enough to a cape that he didn't think he would mind it. He’d worn capes before. But he marveled at the idea that this could actually keep darkness away from somebody.

“As for the matter of how to find Gotham in the Realm,” Yen Sid continued, “this is a simple case of testing a theory as I said earlier. However, because it is Gotham specifically, I believe that Dick and Jason will be drawn to their home world, and shall therefore be able to guide your party to the proper destination.”

Dick was nodding his head as if what Yen Sid had said actually made sense, and Jason decided it was time to break his silence.

“No offense,” he started skeptically, “But we have never even been to this Realm of Darkness place. How do you expect us to know where we're going?”

“The heart can accomplish amazing feats. One just has to give it the chance. You and Dick are connected to those in Gotham through strong bonds. Your hearts should pick up on the connections quickly if you merely listen to them.”

Jason rolled his eyes at that unhelpful explanation, and then again at Dick’s humongous grin.
“So the plan,” Sora said slowly, “is that you're gonna create a corridor to the Realm of Darkness, and then we have to fight our way to Dick and Jason's world, which they should be able to find instinctively?”

Yen Sid nodded.

At that Jason stood up and swung his new cloak over his shoulders. “Alright then, I want to get this over with as soon as possible. I hate the idea of my family trapped in the darkness for any longer than they have to be.”

“Before you go Jason, it may be wise to check in on your darkness. I assume you have made a decision regarding it?”

Jason froze. He’d almost forgotten… “Yeah. It doesn’t want to hurt me. Besides, if it ever turns on me, Dickface here will probably kick it out.” The last bit had Dick throwing a quick smirk his way.

“Can I come with? I want to meet it.”

Jason thought a moment. “Can you come? I mean, it’s my heart space thing. I know we went to the dream world together, but I think this is different.” He turned to Yen Sid, who nodded.

“It is indeed very different. Under normal circumstances, no one should be able to enter your heart but you. However,” a twinkle sparked in the older man’s eye, “I should be able to work something out.” Without waiting for them to prepare, he waved his hand and Dick and Jason crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

~*~​

Dick opened his eyes. It took a moment for his brain to process what he was actually seeing, but eventually, after standing and pinching himself, he had to accept that it was for real. He was standing on a stained glass window, probably one of the most beautiful he had ever seen, featuring Jason. Jason himself was staring at a bit of it, a vaguely confused expression on his face. “That wasn’t there before.”

“That” was a circle containing Gotham’s skyline in black with a small Batsymbol glowing above it. Actually, it was eerily similar to how Gotham had looked in the dream world.

The glass changes as you experience life. The voice had both vigilantes whirling, hands going to weapons that weren’t there.

Dick stared at the dark figure warily. Add a few yellow lines, and it would look exactly like the monster they had faced yesterday. But Jason visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I was a bit worried. No more Xehanort’s darkness running around in here?”

It is completely eradicated.

“And you’re sure?” Dick knew he was being overly suspicious, but after what happened to Jason, he felt he had a right to be.

Jason’s darkness nodded at the same time Jason answered, “Yeah. It feels less bleak in here.” He turned to his darkness. “I’m glad you’re okay. I just wanted to bring Dick around to meet you. Well, no, that’s not quite true. He wanted to meet you and then Yen Sid tossed us both in here without asking.”

Dick laughed. If he didn’t know better, he would almost call the look on Jason’s face a pout. But he did know better. He knew that if he did call it that, Jason would break his face. Turning to the darkness, he held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.” The darkness grabbed his hand and Dick clapped his other hand on its shoulder. “I just wanted to say that if you do anything to hurt my brother, I will personally destroy you. Also, I wanted to hug Jason, sooo…”

To Dick’s surprise, the darkness only laughed at his threat. Worry not. Hurting Jason will only hurt me. All beings have darkness. Jason is simply… more accepting of his. As for hugging your brother...

It paused, cocking its head to one side as if considering something.

Jason shifted from foot to foot. “Aren’t we already healed of that... problem. We already hugged on the ship and nothing happened.”

Those circumstances were different, the darkness stated. At the time he was not a danger to me. Dick needs light in his heart to push me away. In that moment there were very few thoughts that could harm me.

Jason looked over at Dick, disappointed. “Oh.”

Being in that sad dark state was extremely rare for Dick. The guy was just an explosion of optimism. It was impossible to ask him to turn that bright happy part of him off.

The darkness then looked up, his thoughtful demeanor broken. I believe there is a way.

“Yes?” Dick asked instantly, staring at the figure in front of him with hopeful eyes.

The dark yellow eyes of Jason's darkness met Dick’s. You must allow me to touch your heart as well.

Both Jason and Dick started. “W-what do you mean!?” Dick asked. “You don't mean corrupt me like Xehanort’s darkness did to Jason?”

No. The dark figure replied, sounding alarmed. The only heart I am interested in is Jason's.

"Damn straight!” Jason piped in.

I do not wish to harm you. Nor do I wish to enter your heart. The process of which I speak is different. You can drive me out of Jason because the light in his heart is connected with yours. But I am not connected to your darkness. If you allow me to establish a connection...

The darkness trailed off, though it didn't need to say more. They understood that if Dick opened his heart to Jason's darkness and allowed it to connect to his own, the overwhelming effects of Dick’s light would be subdued.

Dick losing his one weapon against the darkness was not a reassuring thought. But he had faith in Jason's decision to trust it. And he could always enter the dream world and kick the thing’s butt if it ever messed with his little brother. Besides, the thought of being unable to hug Jay was eating away at Dick. His decision was easy, really.

“Alright,” he said, taking a hesitant step forward. Jason looked over at his brother, slightly surprised at how quick Dick had agreed.

The darkness moved to stand directly in front of Dick. It raised its hand and said, You must not fight back against me.

Dick nodded slowly before closing his eyes. He felt a cold hand press against his chest, and instantly fought back the urge to draw away. A chilling sensation seeped its way through his veins, though it was not altogether unpleasant. More just... uncomfortable. He could tell that if he willed it, he could throw this foreign presence out of his heart. But he didn't fight. He let it reach him, his heart. Just as a feeling of acceptance and peace washed over Dick, Jason's darkness drew its hand away. It was only then that Dick realized the cold sensation from earlier had become warm, almost comforting. He looked up and smiled at the figure in front of him.

“That wasn't so bad. So, are we good?”

The darkness nodded. You can no longer harm me that way again.

“Good!” Dick laughed and leapt at Jason, taking him by surprise and engulfing him in a bear hug in celebration of the occasion.

Jason growled and shoved Dick roughly off. “Just because you can hug me, doesn't mean I'll let you!” But he was smiling all the same.

Dick too was grinning ear to ear and jumping up and down on the balls of his feet. “So we ready to go? How do we get out of here anyways?”

“I’ll take you out.” Jason grabbed Dick’s elbow and waved. “See you later.”

Jason’s darkness gave a small wave of his own. Farewell Jason. Farewell Wingnut. I will be here if you require assistance.

Dick waved as well as the stained glass blurred and they woke up.

I've broken it about six times now. I still haven't won.

I BROKE IT AGAIN

I'M SORRY

WE'LL NEVER HIT 5000 AT THIS POINT

Don't be silly HoT. We have to get to at least 5001. It won't be the same otherwise.

How long have you been waiting to post that one?

I love it when the main characters are lovable idiots. Actual intelligence not-withstanding. It just makes me so happy.

Good pain or bad pain?

And unfortunately, it's the funny filler that always ends up on the internet in the form of gifs, which then draws new people to the show thinking it's a comedy.

Those poor people.