Scattered and Far-Off
Ventus felt warm. That was nice. He also felt weightless. That was… unusual. More curious as opposed to alarmed, he opened his eyes – and found himself floating horizontally in a body of water. The sea, he thought, and somehow knew that he was right. As he automatically righted himself, the rational part of his brain remembered that he should be panicking about not being able to breathe; and yet that was the least of Ven's concerns in that moment. What he was more concerned with was the 'why' of his situation.
He turned his head left and right to see if there was anything or anyone else here with him. Nope – just a vast expanse of crystalline blue as far as his eye could see. It was a similar colour to Aqua's hair he thought with a smile. She'd like it here, all this space, the peace and quiet, nothing to worry over. When he next saw her – For some reason the thought made his heart ache. Images of his friend flipped quickly in and out of view, too fast and too blurred for him to be able to make any sense out of them. Had they fallen out? Wait – fallen out with Aqua? No, of course not! She was always there for him (except now, it seemed).
Saddened by the direction his thoughts had taken, Ven sighed, dropping his chin to his chest… and found himself staring down into the dark, inky depths of the ocean. For a long time he hung there in revered awe, thoughts wandering as he considered what might be lurking down there (or what wasn't). Was this how Terra saw darkness? Something fascinating and mysterious, just waiting to be explored, beckoning a person down to seek out its secrets. It looked cold though. Did Terra ever say it was cold? Perhaps not, but he was warm at the moment, and that was preferable to feeling cold; and anyway, Terra would be disappointed if he turned to darkness here. In fact, as he squinted, Ven imagined he could make out the shape of his friend way off in the dark… was that possible?
Suddenly tipping back his head, the darkness leaving his vision for good, Ven kicked his legs and directed his body up towards the surface, which shimmered with a soft, ethereal glow. He closed his eyes as his head broke the water line, feeling a pleasantly cool breeze greet his skin that made him smile, but when he opened them again that smile disappeared. It was dark. The only light came from high above his head, and barely caressed the dim beach in the distance. The moon? Flashes of something else sprung up in his mind's eye, something that looked like a moon but couldn't be because it was the wrong shape. Ven frowned. Back underwater, it had obviously been day time. Where was he? What was going on?
Something was tugging at his mind as he floated on the spot – something familiar, telling him he should go to that far-off beach and find whatever was waiting for him. Because he knew that there was, just as he'd known he was in the sea. But Ven was tired, so incredibly tired. The beach made him uneasy, but back underwater in the middle of the sea had been glorious, no worries, no fears, just him and his memories of his friends, the dreams he had for them all. So he made a deal with himself: he'd go back underwater for a little while, then he'd go and see who or what was waiting for him on the beach. Getting there might take a while, but it would be worth it in the end. Terra, Aqua and me – we'll be together again soon. Although he couldn't quite say why they were apart to begin with.