Aqua floated weightlessly. She wasn't sure which way was up. She wasn't sure she cared.

Now I can be…one with the darkness…

The wayfinder slipped out of her open fingers. A moment later, someone took her hand.

"Aqua…it really is you…"

Aqua's eyes opened to see a face. She couldn't bring it into focus. The hand pulled her to the side and set her down on the nearest solid ground. She stood and looked closer at the face.

"Ignus? How did…" Aqua started "Terra! Ven!"

"Talk later." Ignus quickly recited the Oath of Spark as a swirling column of dark creatures burst from the ground.

"Dwellers of darkness…"

"They're called the Heartless." Ignus shrugged. "If that helps."

(Fight Scene song: When It Falls)

The Heartless spiraled up to the ceiling.

"Probably better to not push our luck." Ignus said, letting Spark disappear. "I never thought that you'd be here. What happened to you?"

"Have you seen Terra or Ven?" Aqua asked.

"No. Ventus is still in the Chamber of Waking."

"He hasn't woken up?" Aqua's eyes burned. She shoved Ignus back against the rock wall. "And you just left him there!"

She pulled her hand back and punched Ignus in the face. She began to cry, beating her fists against his chest as she screamed.

"You said you would protect him! You said you'd take care of him! That you'd be there when he woke up! How could you leave him?" She collapsed against Ignus's chest, her anger evaporating and her voice dropping to a whisper.

"How could you just abandon him like that?"

Ignus put an arm gently around her shoulders. He didn't say anything. Aqua stepped back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry. The darkness in this place, it's getting to me."

"That doesn't mean you were wrong." Ignus sighed and stretched, sitting against the wall. "A while after you left, I felt your heart vanish. I couldn't sense it anymore. I came to look for you. And once I did, well…"

"You couldn't get back."

"No, I couldn't find you. I searched everywhere I could for any sense of your heart. I never thought to check the realm of darkness. I came close to giving up on finding you. But once I got here, I felt your heart. How did you get here?"

"First tell me: How long's it been in the realm of light?"

Ignus sighed. "Ten years. Give or take."

"Interesting. After we last spoke, I went after Terra." Aqua stepped away a bit. "But Terra was about to fall to darkness, so I had one choice. I stayed here in hopes of giving him a chance."

"And you've been here all this time."

Aqua turned back around and walked over to sit beside Ignus. "If you weren't looking for me…what brought you here? Has something happened in the realm of light?"

"Those things we fought, the Heartless. They've been attacking worlds, stealing their hearts. Eventually, the entire world vanishes into darkness. There should be a door between the two realms, light and dark. If we can lock it from both sides, we can protect the balance of the worlds. So I came here to find the key on this side. It wasn't easy getting here, and the crossing points are wildly unstable, they only appear in the realms between when a world is consumed. I went to a falling world…and I waited. When the world fell into darkness, I fell right in with it. That's when I felt your heart."

Ignus chuckled "I honestly didn't believe it, after so long. But there was a strong light beside it. I figured if there was that much light down here, I should take a look." He reached into his pocket and passed Aqua her wayfinder. "I found you beside it."

"The charm…" Aqua whispered. "So they were helping. Terra and Ven brought you and I back together again."

"Seems that way."

"But the worlds are still in danger…"Aqua mused. "Terra. Did he make it back to the realm of light?"

"I feel bits of his heart from time to time, scattered all over the place. Nothing I can follow. We haven't found him anywhere."

"I see." Aqua stood. "Well, wherever he is, he's fighting. He'll beat his darkness. And I know he wants me to fight too."

Ignus stood. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's a keyblade wielder. He's tough."

"He always has been. But what about Ven? He won't wake up unless I'm there with him. I have to go. I have to find a way back to the realm of light."

"Then let's find that key and go wake him up together."

"You have an exit then?"

"Well, I did. Like I said, they're really unstable, and I don't think it's open anymore. So I guess we'll have to find a new one." Ignus stretched. "May our hearts be our guiding key."

"There's a phrase no one's used in ages."

"Used to be a big thing between keyblade wielders. Times being what they are, I figured it could do everyone some good to remember the strength of the past."

Aqua stared at Ignus for a moment. "You got older."

Ignus gave her a sad smile back. "You didn't."

Notes:

When It Falls: watch?v=Abf8CQ_dxzc