A/N: So Lita_Snow and I have been plugging away at this fic off and on for a few years. We'd been discussing working on a crossover together (And The Dragon and they Keyblade Wielder from Little Things was born from that.) and this is what we came up with. nearly 100k words later, here we are. The fic is completed, and we're in the middle of the final editing and such right now. We're going to post one chapter a week, and there are 13 chapters in total.

Chapter 1

Aqua climbed the spiraling steps that led up the inside of the tower to Master Yen Sid's study at the top. The elderly Keyblade Master had summoned her for an urgent mission, but his communication had not gone into details. Of course, it wasn't the first time he had done so; the years spent in the World of Darkness had given her experience far beyond what the other Masters could claim, and it showed that she could resist the influence of the Darkness for a seemingly endless amount of time. For those two reasons, she was frequently summoned when they were dealing with something unknown.

She reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the doors, and Master Yen Sid wasted no time in inviting her in. They greeted each other, one Keyblade Master to another, and as she expected, he got straight to the point.

"Master Aqua. As the most senior and experienced of the Keyblade Masters, myself and the others on the council have a special task for you. We recently received strange reports from travelers passing by a world we've never had reason to visit before now. There have never before been sightings of Heartless, Nobodies, or Unversed on that world, yet suddenly it seems the Heartless have begun to appear there. Your mission is to go there, find out what has changed, and put a stop to any Heartless invasions. We have very little information on this world other than what I've already told you. Can you do this mission?"

She didn't hesitate; he wouldn't ask if it wasn't serious. "Yes, of course. I will put a stop to the threats, sir."

"Depart as soon as you can. The reports I have been receiving concern me greatly."

She nodded; she had anticipated his request and had already packed for a long mission. She sketched a short bow out of respect for his seniority, and then she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. It wasn't long before found herself sailing her keyblade to an unknown world. The council leaders had provided coordinates to the planet, but they had no concrete information on what she was supposed to expect there. She arrived at the coordinates and a fairly dark-colored world came into sight. There was a fairly expansive town with dull buildings around the top hemisphere, while on the lower hemisphere she caught view of what looked like a castle in ruins. She stored the information away in her mind and found a landing point.

She desummoned her armor and keyblade and observed her surroundings.

OOOOOO

And what in God's name were these things? Juste thought for what seemed like the thousandth time as he swung the Vampire Killer at the strange shadowy creature in front of him. With the cracking of the whip's tip, the pure black creature with glowing yellow eyes exploded into little wisps of darkness that quickly faded away, but it was quickly replaced by another. He had never seen them before, and as far as he knew, neither had any of the Belmonts before him.

It was odd; the creatures, which came in multiple shapes and sizes, were in no doubt dangerous. They had wicked claws, nasty little teeth that made a vampire's fangs look dull in comparison, while some even had tentacles and some form of magic. Others still had weapons and armor and worked quite well as a group. They were threatening certainly, but they weren't as... aggressive as one would think. They had attacked a number of people, but all the reports agreed that they gave up quickly, as though their victim didn't have what they wanted.

The entire thing was strange, but what was even stranger was the reaction of the Vampire Killer itself. His family's ancient weapon certainly finished the job as it had with thousands of others that were spawned from the depths of Hell itself, but he could not feel the righteous anger from it that he normally felt, nor was its attack as... flashy as it normally was. With the exception of Dracula, Death, and a few others, the creatures of the night died in a purifying fire when struck by the whip, but these... things did not. It was almost as though the whip itself was as confused as him.

Juste dodged to his left as he felt a pair of claws graze his leg. The damned things were fast, that was for sure; only vampires and some of the lesser demons moved at that kind of speed. A quick glance showed him that a large group of the small black monsters had surrounded him, so he returned the whip to its hook on his belt and summoned his magic. It responded eagerly to his call, and it fizzled across his skin and clothing, outlining him with a bright blue aura as he rose into the air.

"Hydro Storm!"

Water: pure, holy, and magical began to rain down all around him in great sheets. The creatures shrieked in pain and ran for cover from the burning liquid, but there was no place for them to hide, and they quickly withered and died under the attack. Not long after, the spell came to its end, and Juste dropped lightly to his feet. He paused to take a breath and look around, and he couldn't help the frustrated groan that escaped him when more of the creatures approached him.

They did not attack him immediately; he was clearly recognized as a threat now, and there was a brief standoff, before something else intruded on their senses. Juste's own senses perked up at the very distinct feel of a magical presence nearby, and whatever it was, the creatures apparently liked it, for as one, they turned and began to move towards it quickly. Some melted into the nighttime shadows around them, while others simply flattened to the litter covered forest ground and scuttled away. Intrigued now, wondering exactly what had their attention, and fearing for whomever it may be, Juste followed them at a run, hand on the Vampire Killer and magic at the ready.

OOOOOO

Aqua took stock of the area quickly. She was in a heavily forested area, and she could see the lights of a town through the trees a short distance away. Deciding quickly that that was the place to start her investigation, she started towards it and reached it quickly. It was strangely empty; she didn't see anyone around, but there was light flickering behind closed shutters, and muffled sounds in the rooms beyond closed doors. But there seemed to be no one on the streets at night. She supposed this worked to her advantage, as she wouldn't have anyone questioning her, but it also meant she'd have to wait longer to see what manner of people lived in this world.

As she went farther into the town, she felt the darkness gathering nearby, and a large explosion of magical power as well. Thinking of her quest, she spun on her heel and set off towards the energies, summoning her keyblade. She didn't need to go far; apparently the Heartless sensed her arrival as well, for they quickly arrived before her.

As the first shadow formed from the ground, she was already swooping down on it, disposing of it immediately, a crystal heart rising from its body as it vanished. The shadows formed rapidly into more and more Heartless of different classes around her. She cartwheeled past a few as they swiped at her into a large group of them, and destroyed the lot of them with a well-placed Thundaga. She continued killing them, alternating spells and keyblade strokes, while a part of her mind wondered wildly why there were SO many of them. They must have been amassing here for quite some time.

Aqua caught a glimpse of something red and white in the corner of her eye as she brought down a Large Body with a hard cut from above, and turned to face it, pulling up an aura shield to protect her from Heartless attacks while she figured out what the new arrival was. She blinked as she realized the new figure was a man in a long red coat with long white hair. He looked rather more shocked to see her than she him, and she disregarded his presence for the meantime as her shield died and another Heartless lunged at her blade. She twisted to dodge it, and cast Blizzara on her blade as she spun, knocking out several more Heartless that had ventured too close. Hearts continued to rise and disappear as she vanquished the shadow creatures.

OOOOOO

Juste couldn't help but stare in shocked surprise at the scene in front of him. A woman was standing in the middle of the field at the edge of town, whirling and striking at the black creatures with the most bizarre weapon he'd ever seen. Upon first glance, he wanted to call it a key of some kind, but it was unlike any key he'd ever seen. What's more, she appeared to be spellcasting through it, and while he was capable of using the Vampire Killer to channel some magic, it was nowhere near the level she was doing. She dodged, jumped, weaved, and flipped around and over her targets with a speed and grace that he would be hard pressed to match. Though the crowd around her was larger than the one he had dealt with earlier, she seemed to be keeping up with them very easily.

Shaking his head to clear it – he didn't have time to stop and stare – he ran forward to help her. A thought and a shouted command sent a pinwheel of fire racing across the ground towards the nearest group. It slammed into them head on, killing a few and scattering the rest. He unhooked the Vampire Killer from his belt and sent it whistling towards the survivors, killing them instantly. Another thought followed by a shout -

"Holy Lightning!"

- sent bolts of electricity to arc out from him, honing in on any within range. The smaller creatures died instantly.

Several minutes later, the last monster fell under his companion's weapon – was that a heart coming up out of that thing? - and the area fell silent. He shook his head to dispel the fanciful thoughtT before he returned the Vampire Killer to his belt and let his magic die down, while her weapon simply vanished in a flash of light. Then without a word, they turned to look at each other.

OOOOOO

Aqua took the time as the battle ended to observe her new companion while catching her breath. He was certainly not that unusual in appearance, as several of the people she'd met in Radiant Garden had a similar look to them. His magic, however, was something new. Explosive and different, with unique names and unusual effects, it was certainly interesting. She had half a mind to figure out how it was done and learn it herself, if she could.

"Thanks for the assistance. I was surprised by the sheer amount of them. I haven't seen so many in one place in a long time," she said. "Can you tell me when they first showed up, or where they appeared? Any information you have about them would be helpful." She launched right into her mission. There was no point in wasting time when the problem was so great.

Juste had to repress a start; forward and straight to the point, something that he rarely saw in a woman. Even Lydie, his darling wife of four years, was rarely so bold. At any rate, he found it a refreshing change of pace, so he addressed her as a fellow warrior and monster hunter and answered her straight away.

"They first appeared about two weeks or so ago." he said evenly. "At least, that we know of. It's nothing unusual for monsters to spawn away from people and take a while to build up enough courage to approach towns and villages, so they could have appeared much sooner and we were just unaware of it. No one is quite sure where they came from, as they seemed to appear in multiple places at once. It was thought that they were Dracula's doing, but things have been quiet in the five years since his last attempt at resurrection, and his castle is in ruins. If it is him, I do not know what he could be planning."

Of course, he thought, it wouldn't be the first time that Dracula had managed to scheme from beyond the grave. His ancestor, Trevor Belmont, and his grandfather, Simon, could attest to that, but Juste had to admit to himself that the recent goings on did not feel like Dracula. Whatever was behind these things, it wasn't him.

Aqua's brow furrowed. "Dracula?" She vaguely remembered hearing that name in a book about various creatures born of darkness she had read as an apprentice living in The Land of Departure. Are there actual vampires here? That's certainly a new one, she thought. "Hm, do you have a map of the area? That would probably be most useful, and you can show me where exactly you mean."

Juste looked at her for a moment; he had caught the brief moment of puzzlement in her eyes and heard the confusion in her voice. Perhaps she did not know of Dracula? And if that was the case, where was she from, since everyone in Wallachia and the surrounding areas knew of Dracula and the threat he possessed. Some, a dwindling few, were alive during his last two resurrections, and remembered clearly the damage he could do. So for her to not know about him, she had to be from fairly far away.

"Certainly," he said in reply to her question, "If you will follow me, my lady?" He did not offer her his arm as he would have done with any other woman. He had the strangest feeling that she would have been insulted by the gesture.

He led her out of the field and into town and straight down the main drag towards a large wood frame structure that was guaranteed to still be open despite the late hour. He opened the heavy oak door and led his companion into a warm, well lit, tavern, populated by a few locals having a late night pint. He ignored all of that, however. His attention was on the figure behind the bar, and at that moment, the bartender looked up and saw him. His face split into a wide grin, a grin that was still marred by two pointed canines from his encounter with Dracula five years before. He wasn't a vampire, but he would always have the small fangs as a painful reminder of what he had only narrowly avoided.

"Juste!" his childhood friend, Maxim Kischine, shouted. "Come up here and have a pint on the house!"

Juste shook his head in amused exasperation; Maxim would never change it seemed. He ignored the other patrons staring at him and his lady companion as he walked up to the bar and sat down. The woman joined him, and Maxim wasted no time in shoving two tankards over to them.

"Who's your pretty friend, Juste?"

Juste paused in raising the tankard to his lips to take a sip. He sat it back down on the bar and looked at his companion in a silent question.

"My name is Aqua," she said, and smiled. The man reminded her a bit of Cid from Radiant Garden, whom she'd met only a couple years ago. This man seemed to have a similar attitude. She left the ale untouched without drawing attention to it. She wasn't particularly fond of alcoholic drinks, especially when she had an important task to complete. "And what is your name, sir?" she asked the bartender politely, her smile still on her face.

Juste groaned as Maxim turned on the charm full blast. Lydie had chosen Juste and married him, so Maxim felt as though he had to find him a woman quick so to catch up with his best friend. Part of him though was amused to see that the lady – Aqua – was completely immune to Maxim's charms, though she was certainly aware of them. She remained polite as Maxim introduced himself -

"Maxim Kischine at your service, m'lady."

- but he interrupted his friend before he could do something that would get him hurt. Despite getting his ass handed to him by Juste's little sister on multiple occasions (Belmonts had trained their girls too since Desmond Belmont and his sisters, Zoe and Delores, to the horror of the town's residents.) he still had trouble picking up on the ones capable of stomping him without much effort.

He set his tankard down. "Maxim, we need to borrow one of your private rooms, and we need your map." The Belmonts had one as well, but his home was a short distance out of town, and he had the feeling that Aqua was in a hurry.

Maxim waggled his eyebrows, but Juste leveled a glare at him and shut him up before he could speak. "We're in a hurry, Maxim."

Aqua hid a smirk at Maxim's obvious attempt at charm and Juste's reaction to it. It was blatantly clear to her that these two were long-time friends. Maxim shook his head and stepped out from the bar. He gestured for them to follow him, and he led them into a small room for private meals and meetings, and he disappeared for a brief moment and reappeared with the map, which he laid out on the small circular table.

She accompanied the men to the back room and glanced about it to note her surroundings before turning her attention to the map. As she looked it over, she had to work very hard to hide her expression. This world was huge! If the map was anything to go by, they were in just a small section of this place, and it was clear that the land extended farther out than even this map showed, as this was primarily focused on the near region. She hadn't ever been in a world much larger than a city surrounded by wasteland, like Radiant Garden, before. This was just insane in proportions.

Despite her shock, she forced herself to pay close attention as Juste began to speak.

He pointed to their location on the map. "We are here in the town of Warakiya in Wallachia. North of us is the Carpathian Mountains, where Dracula's castle can be found. I do not know if the new monsters have appeared there yet since I haven't gone to check on things there. I intend to soon though. They appeared around every town and village nearly at the same time. We do not know their source."

Aqua frowned in thought."If they appeared everywhere at about the same time, then I'd have to assume someone is controlling them. Heartless don't hit everywhere at once on their own. They're not that smart. It's usually easy to track where they started from, unless they're following orders from someone. If you believe the castle is likely suspicious and related to their appearance, we should check it out soon. The longer we wait, the more damage they can do and people will be hurt." Normally she would insist that she do this sort of job on her own. However, she didn't know the area at all, and Juste could clearly handle himself. She might as well make use of him if he was planning to head the same place she was.

Juste raised an eyebrow in question, and he caught Maxim doing the same from where he was standing by the door. Heartless? Apparently, Aqua knew something of these monsters, but whatever it was, she wasn't telling at the moment. He would have to get some answers from her as soon as possible; he was responsible for the people's safety, and he took that duty seriously, even though it had been nearly 700 years since the Belmonts had ruled over the land as a Barony.

"I agree." he said as he rolled up the map and handed it back to Maxim. "We shall head out in the morning. You, Miss Aqua, should get some rest. I will return home and ready things for our journey tomorrow. Maxim, I know I can count on you to keep watch over Lydie and Alexandra for me while I'm away." His friend nodded and gestured for Aqua to follow him out of the room, speaking to her about getting her a hot meal and a room for the night. A young lady staying on her own at an inn would raise a few eyebrows around town, but not near as many as her staying at the Belmont house, so the inn was the best for now.

With that, Juste bade Maxim and Aqua goodnight and departed for home. He had a family to spend some time with and preparations to make.

Aqua smiled politely as usual and accepted the idea of staying for the night, grateful that munny transfers over to the currency of each world visited, or else she'd be very uncomfortable if she had to rely on charity to get her by. Yet another useful commodity of being an interworld traveller. She preferred being able to pay her own way. She ate a quick, simple meal and departed from the common room to a small bedroom for the night. She wasn't exactly all that tired, as she'd set out only a handful of hours prior from her home world, but she recognized that it was quite late in this world, and she was beginning to feel the exhaustion of the earlier drawn-out battle setting in, so she decided to just call it a night anyway. She'd be able to start out tomorrow fully recovered. She took a quick inventory of her items before stowing everything carefully away and climbing into bed.