'Ello, 'ello, 'ello, ; long time, no see. As some of you may have inferred, my other story, Neon Genesis Evangelion-Nocturne, is presently on hiatus. I do intend to get back to that story eventually and continue from where it last left off-in fact, the second and third chapters are floating around, partially complete, in my hardrive somewhere-but unfortunately, between adjusting to university life and a number of other factors, my inspiration for that front has fled.

Fortunately, I have found a new muse; after watching some of the new content in Birth By Sleep Final Mix, the inspiration for a tale leapt unbidden into my mind. This story begins as an adaptation of both the ending of Final Episode from Aqua's point of view, as well as the new Secret Episode, and will continue on to chronicle her long and lonely sojourn through the Realm of Darkness. Along the way, she may meet some faces and see some sights that you won't expect; you'll just have to read on to find out.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the tale I've crafted; feel free to leave any comments and opinions you may have after reading. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the show to begin!

Obligatory legal disclaimer: I own every game in the Kingdom Hearts series save Birth by Sleep, Re:coded, and the various Final Mixes. The series itself and all its subsidiary rights, of course, is jointly owned by the House of Mouse and the man in Japan with a thing for zippers and belts.

Kingdom Hearts Obscuritas

Prologus

Darkness. It was everywhere. It pressed in on her from all sides, smothering what little light she could conjure. It obscured the path ahead and the path behind, leaving her blind save for what little distance she could see directly ahead, and every now and then strange shapes, enormous polyps of a gray spongy matter limned with faintly glowing stripes of ghostly blue, reared out of the shadows as she walked past before vanishing just as quickly as they came.

Aqua was by no means claustrophobic, and her training under Master Eraqus had well prepared her for the dangers of the dark, so she was not afraid. She had endured hardships far greater than stumbling blind through the darkness in the last few weeks, and since Vanitas' defeat at her hands, the Unversed had vanished as if they had never existed; the dark held no fear for the blue-haired Keyblade Master.

Even so, the young woman had been down here for quite some time—days, weeks, who could tell with any certainty?—and the monotony of her daily existence had begun to grate. More than once on her trek to find a way out of the Realm of Darkness, Aqua's mind had begun to play tricks on her, and more than once she had caught herself jumping at shadows. Further, while the lightless desolation she wandered appeared empty and lifeless, at times she found herself wondering if she was truly as alone as she presumed; in moments of fatigue, she heard snatches of what might have been the soft pitter-patter of tiny feet, and seen tiny, momentary glimmers that might have been golden eyes peering out at her from within the darkness whenever she went to sleep.

She was not afraid of the dark, but Aqua couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Maybe it was just fatigue: the elegant young keybearer had not eaten or drank so much as a single crumb or a droplet of water in she didn't even know how long, so maybe those yellow eyes were just spots swimming before her vision, her body's way of letting her know that she needed rest. It wasn't exactly a pretty solution—if anything, it meant that she really needed to get some nourishment, and fast—but it was better than the alternative.

The thought of gold eyes brought a momentary pang to her heart, and the memory of her last encounter with Terra surged unbidden to the fore. Their battle had been frantic and awful in its savagery, and it pained her to know what had become of her friend after they got separated at the Keyblade Graveyard. The silver-haired, gold-eyed monster which Terra had become may have been confused and amnesic, but there was no mistaking that diabolical grey blade, no denying that the evil in his eyes had been that of Master Xehanort; how he had come to possess her friend and fellow apprentice, the blue-haired girl could not say. Reluctantly, she had concluded that no matter how much he appeared to be Terra, he was still a great threat; and so, with no other option and for the good of all, she had summoned Bright Crest and crossed blades with the renegade Keyblade Master.

During the battle, however, it had become apparent that some part of Terra still existed within this new menace; she had had her doubts at points, but her suspicions had only been confirmed when 'Xehanort' had seized up as though locked in an internal struggle. She had urged Terra to fight him off and break free, to remember who he was, but before he could do so Xehanort had stabbed himself with his Keyblade and lost consciousness; what other effects this had had on his heart—on Terra's heart—were not clear, but the blade itself had disintegrated before Aqua's very eyes and Terra fell, insensate, into a dark portal, dragged down by the very guardian which had been assisting him not a minute earlier. Even in her horror, however, Aqua had realized that not all hope was lost; there was still a chance, however remote, that her friend could still be saved.

And so, without any thought to her own safety, the blue-haired Keyblade Master had leapt into the abyss after Terra, determined to save him at all cost.

Alas, he had fallen too far, sunk too deep; the brunet apprentice had almost been out of reach when Aqua finally caught him, and the distance was too great for her glider to traverse before the rapidly-shrinking portal to the Realm of Light closed, leaving them stranded here. There had only been one possible solution, only one road that would not have left them trapped in the infinite darkness for all eternity; Aqua had shed her armour, though it was her only defence against the darkness and returned her Keyblade to its original form. Then, using her magic, she had impelled Rainfell and the armour back to the surface, streaking through the portal like a shooting star, an unconscious Terra in hand, just before the portal collapsed.

Aqua had fallen into the cold, yawning darkness just after witnessing their escape, though she had done so with a smile; Terra was safe. And yet, her victory was bittersweet; even though she had successfully rescued one friend, she had failed to fulfill her promise to another, and as the last glimmer of light from Radiant Garden had faded into oblivion, she had asked Ven's forgiveness for not being able to return.

This, of course, had led directly to her present circumstances. After some time—it might have been days, or minutes—spent unconscious, the blue-haired young woman had come to in a strange place; she had been lying in the middle of a cold stone path, just barely wide enough for three people to walk abreast, that fell away precipitously on either side and terminated in a large, smooth cliff face that seemed to stretch on and on in all directions. Bereft of any other options, Aqua had opted to follow the path and see where it led; perhaps she might find some means of escape along the way.

Thus had her sojourn through the realm of darkness begun. She had walked the path for an unknowable span of time, its twisting, serpentine trail never forking or deviating, and stopped only to rest. Her sole companion on this long trek had been the howling wind, an inconstant presence that came whenever it pleased and gave the dark realm a touch of foreboding, a tinge of melancholy. At first, Aqua had walked with the late Master Eraqus' Keyblade in hand, but the Master Keeper felt strange and alien in her hands; she felt as though the simplistic skeleton key of a Keyblade was scrutinizing her, demanding to know who she was to be wielding so noble and powerful a weapon; and though she had long ago attained the rank of Keyblade Master and had inherited the land and blade of her mentor, it was not uncommon for the young woman to find herself in concord with the blade's seeming doubt. In the end, she had chosen not to carry the venerable Keyblade unless it was absolutely necessary.

The more time passed, the more she began to wonder what was happening in the Realm of Light in her absence. What had happened to Terra after she had rescued him? Was he safe? Did he remember who he was? Had Mickey and Master Yen Sid managed to find him? And was Ventus still alright, ensconced within the new world Aqua had made from the remains of the Land of Departure? She had no way to know, and as her sojourn continued she began to despair of ever finding answers to these questions, along with ever finding a way out.

"How long have I been down here?" she wondered aloud, if only to hear herself talk. The sound of her own voice was a salve against the increasingly grim mood which had fallen over her, a reminder to the Keyblade Master that she still existed and that her interminable journey was not merely the dying dream of a madwoman. Small comfort, though—if these events were real, then she wouldn't be able to just wake up and end the nightmare.

Ahead of her, the path had started to widen; from what little Aqua could see in the perpetual gloom, the winding track now seemed to be at least fifteen feet across, if not more; a decent spot to rest, with no risk of accidentally rolling off into the abyss should she turn over in her sleep, as had almost happened once already. And the idea of rest was very, very appealing to the blue-haired warrior mage; already she had walked until her feet felt as though they would fall off, and a deep fatigue had settled into her bones and her soul.

With that thought in her mind, Aqua had just begun to slow down when the first monster appeared.

It had started so simply at first; a faint and innocuous sound, like a stream bubbling at pressure through a narrow gap, had emanated from somewhere ahead and to her left. Aqua frowned at this new, unfamiliar noise, wondering what had caused it as she fixed her azure gaze in the direction of its origin. Some sort of vapour—a thick gas, or maybe a miasma of some kind—swirled in the abyss a short distance away, curling more rapidly and with greater agitation as the sound intensified, and then something enormous arose from the gulf, starting large and only getting larger as it reared up to its full height.

Aqua gasped and drew back a pace as the titanic beast loomed overhead, summoning Master Keeper to her hand as she did so. It was monolithic in size, and vaguely humanoid, featuring a pair of long, muscular arms attached to a torso and a head. A vast, gaping hole in the shape of a heart yawned form its groin to the underside of its ribs, allowing the Keyblade Master an unobstructed view of the darkness on the other side, and a pair of disproportionately small, seemingly vestigial wings fluttered faintly from just behind the creature's shoulders. Strange tendrils that might have been hair or something else entirely flicked and lashed like striking vipers, and of its face—assuming it had one—only a pair of baleful yellow orbs could be seen. Aqua fought to suppress a shiver as she met the dark giant's gaze—there was no intellect, no reason, no sapience to be found in those cruel amber eyes; there was only animal cunning and a raw, insatiable hunger that was the sole driving force of the beast's horrid existence. It stank of the dark, of cruelty and malice, and as it loomed over her like the demons of a child's nightmares Aqua realized that this beast was a predator, and she its prey.

Is it an Unversed? she wondered silently, the words for a spell already forming in her mind. The dark colossus would be a difficult opponent, that much was beyond question; but the blue-haired mage was reasonably confident that she would be able to beat this monster, if not necessarily without harm.

Before she could swing her Keyblade and begin the battle, however, Aqua heard the same sound bubbling from somewhere behind her. Shock and fear washed over the girl as she turned around, hoping against hope that it was just her imagination, that the noise might have been something else.

In this, she was to be disappointed. A second giant, identical to the first in all ways, arose from the shadows in a cloud of dark vapour to tower silently over her on the opposite side of the path.

Oh, no…

Aqua had not even had time to begin contemplating how she would get out of this mess when the sound of the running stream split the silence twice more, and as the third and fourth colossi reared up on either side of the trail, effectively trapping her in their midst, she realized that this was the end. Even if she was strong and agile enough to defeat one of the ink-skinned behemoths, the other three would be able to pick her off with ease. There would be no close shaves, no miraculous escapes this time; this place would be her grave.

Even though she was horrified by this turn of events and teetering on the brink of despair, the realization that she was about to die brought a weary smile to her lips; if nothing else, the end of her life would also put an end to her nightmare. Even so, satisfaction warred with regret in her mind; it looked like she wouldn't be able to keep her promise to Ven after all…

The four giants continued to loom over her, their hair-pseudopodia twitching silently like the tentacles of a brood of enormous octopi, and Aqua realized that they had not attacked yet because they did not consider her a threat. They wanted to play with their food.

Well, she wasn't about to give them that satisfaction. She lowered Master Keeper to her side, allowing the magic which she had been about to sling the first's monster's way to dissipate harmlessly into nothing, and then dismissed the venerable Keyblade to the other realm; no sense letting the last trace of her late master's legacy die along with her, after all.

"Maybe I should fade into the darkness here," she muttered, accepting her fate with quiet dignity and grace.

Slowly, ponderously, the first of the dark titans curled the taloned fingers of its right hand into a massive fist, and it drew back its arm in preparation to unleash a killing blow. Aqua sighed and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the coming pain; at the very least, judging by the size of its mighty hand and the strength which infused her killer's muscular limbs, she could take solace in the fact that her death would be quick.

Because of this, she did not witness what happened next.

A faint chime rang out, and in the distance two specks of light suddenly flared to life. They streaked towards the path, fireflies on a crusade of the greatest import, tinkling softly and trailing sparkles that glittered faintly in the omnipresent darkness.

The first giant, so fixated on crushing the Keybearer before it, had no time to react; just as it threw the punch which would have turned Aqua into a fine pink smear on the path, one of the specks flew through the gaping hole in its lower torso. A bright flash of light erupted from within the heart-shaped gap, and the beast staggered as if it had been struck in the back, its glowing yellow eyes widening faintly in surprise as it dissolved into a cloud of black vapour.

Startled by the sudden noise, Aqua looked up just in time to witness the giant disappear altogether. The blue-haired Keyblade Master looked up at the specks of light in confusion as they streaked overheard, whirling to continue tracking them. What in—

As if responding to her unspoken question, the specks dimmed faintly, allowing her to see what lay at the core of their light. To her shock, she realized that it was a pair of Keyblades—and not just any Keyblades, either; she knew the brass shaft, teal hand guard and hammerlike teeth of Earthshaker almost as well as she knew its wielder, and the distinctive off-center shaft and reversed teeth of Wayward Wind were immediately recognizable to the young mage.

She watched, astonished, as the two keys flew through the air under their own power like angels of salvation, smiting first one monster, then the next. All three of the remaining giants had been felled by the time the first had fully dissipated, and then her friends' Keyblades flew off into the dark, where they quickly vanished from sight.

Aqua stared after the retreating keys, too stunned to speak for a moment. What did…how did…is that even…

Her incoherent ramblings quickly gave way to relief, and then happiness, and a joyful laugh escaped her lips. Even if they were scattered across the worlds, her friends were still looking out for her just as she looked out for them.

The blue-haired girl gasped then, as she realized that for the first time in a long time she was smiling. She brought her fingers up to her mouth, feeling the contours of her lips as if to confirm that the expression was real.

"I guess it's been so long," she mused, "that I almost forgot how to smile."

Fairly grinning now, Aqua reached down to retrieve her wayfinder. The star-shaped charm was still intact, kept safe throughout all the turmoil of her recent quest, and as she fondly regarded its cerulean petals the young Keyblade Master imagined that she could see her friends at her side. There was Terra, giving her his trademark goofy smile; Ven, standing with his hands resting on the back of his head and a grin on his face; Master Eraqus, nodding at her with pride and approval; Mickey, so bright and eager to prove himself; Cinderella, Jaq and the other denizens of the Castle of Dreams; Snow White, the seven dwarfs and her prince; Prince Phillip, Aurora and the three good fairies; the wise old Merlin and Scrooge McDuck; Queen Minnie, Horace Horsecollar and the other cheerful residents of Disney Town; Phil, Herc and Zack, all ready for another adventure; Experiment 626, happily cradling his makeshift wayfinder; Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, floating in the air and having a good time; the stern Master Yen Sid, and two others whom she didn't recognize; that young girl from Radiant Garden, Kairi, bright and cheerful as the flowers in her hands; the boy, Riku, trying to look tough with his hands cocked on his hips and a smirk on his lips; and finally Sora, resting his head in his hands as he flashed her a cheesy and heartfelt grin.

Aqua chuckled to herself as the vision dissipated, staring out into the darkness and tracing the path ahead with a new hope in her azure eyes.

"There is always a way."

And cut. Cue Simple and Clean.

That's a wrap for now, folks; there's more to come, though, so stay tuned!