"Aqua, before you go… There's something I must tell you."
-x-X-x-
II: Onus
-x-X-x-
Day three was just another pleasant day in the middle of September. Ven rolled down the window to enjoy the morning breeze, not caring that his messy blonde hair was further ruffled by the wind. Aqua cast him an odd look as she maneuvered them out of the neighborhood.
"Aren't you cold, Ven?"
"Nu-uh. It gets stuffy in here when you leave the windows closed."
Aqua accepted that as a suitable answer. "So… Have you made any new friends yet? Well, besides Terra I mean."
"Yeah, of course!" Ven nodded and started counting people off with his fingers while reciting their names and giving each a brief description. "…Oh and don't forget Roxas too. He was just as surprised as I was when Sora introduced us. He even invited me to sign up for the track team and hang out afterschool today if that's all right with you—oh, hold on. Someone just sent me something."
Aqua observed him from the corner of her eye as he pulled out his cellphone. His thumb stretched left and right over the number pad before he stiffened and noticeably paled.
"Ven? What's wrong?" She asked him, concerned with his sudden change in demeanor.
Ven made a move to put away his phone but stopped, opting to clutch it tightly in his right hand instead. "Never… never mind about afterschool today, Aqua."
-x-X-x-
The hours that passed before he finally got the chance to meet up with the group were long and torturous despite the fact that he only knew these people for two days. However, he didn't care what the others would think if they knew how and why he was acting like this.
He practically tossed his backpack under the nearest chair where they normally met during lunch. Ventus looked around before settling in his seat, confirming that they were one person short.
"What happened?" It was all he had to say when he looked up to meet Sora's equally troubled gaze.
Sora scratched his head and looked nervously behind him towards a young man with flaming red hair. Ventus noticed he was donned in all black with a tight-fitting top and matching pair of jeans. His back was to them when he shifted his weight onto his other foot. Aside from that, he remained perfectly still as if he were patiently waiting for someone.
"Axel was the only one who was there and he's taking it harder than everyone else. We all told him that it wasn't his fault but he's still really upset about it… He won't tell us much."
Ventus looked down, biting his lip. "And Roxas…?"
His friend laid his head down against the table. "Our parents said that he's just in the hospital for a couple of broken ribs and a concussion, but he woke up… So it shouldn't be that bad right? Roxas will probably come back in a couple of days. Still…" Sora sighed dejectedly and Ventus found that concern didn't go well with his vividly blue eyes. "…Axel won't come out of his corner and talk to us. I think he blames himself for whatever happened."
"Um…" Ventus started, unsure of how to voice his question. "You don't think they… you know, got into a fight, do you?"
"A fight?" Sora blinked, bemused. He leaned his head against a hand while tapping the lunch table with his other. "Those two are totally the types to play rough with each other… But they're sort of inseparable. Everyone at this school knows that. No way Axel laid a hand on Roxas. The poor guy does seem a little banged up too now that you mention it…"
The two were quiet again as they continued to stare at the upperclassman, still concerned about his well-being—but as they waited for Riku to return with the ice cream, they accepted in silence that there wasn't much they could do for the two of them… for now anyway.
-x-X-x-
"Can't believe everyone wants to spend their time outside on a day like this."
"How can you be surprised, Selphie?" Kairi laughed, setting her bag down under the usual tree. She waved a finger playfully. "This is probably the first day in months where it hasn't been scorching hot. Shame it is getting crowded though… I hope no one takes our spot."
"I can stay here," Aqua offered, settling down to sit between two gnarled roots that served as a surprisingly comfortable resting spot. "So you girls should probably get in line before it gets too long."
"Aw, but what about your lunch?" Selphie asked, setting his bag down next to Kairi's.
Aqua shook her head and made a shooing motion with her hand. "Not hungry today. Besides, I still have some work left over from Calc'. Now hurry up and go."
Selphie left and Kairi was about to follow before hesitating. She withdrew a messily folded sheet of paper and handed it to Aqua who accepted it, mildly bewildered. "It's from Namine," Kairi explained, sounding just as confused as she was. "She wanted me to give it to you after class. Don't worry, I didn't peek at it!" With that, the redhead ran off to join her friend in line.
"A note?" Aqua wondered allowed, beginning to unfold the thick paper. "No… it's drawing paper—ah." Her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to discern the mess of brown and red on the surface of the paper. Crayon shavings still clung to some of the strokes and Aqua gently brushed them away. It appeared that the drawing was rushed, or just deliberately put together poorly. Either way, it took Aqua several minutes to realize she was looking at some sort or wolf or dog… or maybe it was a bull because it had horns. Big horns. Surrounding the horned wolf/bull/beast thing were rigid scribbles of red, orange, and yellow which Aqua guessed was fire.
Maybe Kairi made a mistake. Why would that girl give me this? I've never even spoken to her before…
"Nice picture, you draw that yourself?" Came a snide voice from above. Aqua gasped and quickly folded the paper back in half. She looked up, wondering who in the world would be spying on her from a tree branch.
She narrowed her eyes, finding no one except a rather large black raven perched on one of the branches that hung directly above her. It did nothing but shuffle its wings and preen its feathers; that was when Aqua noticed the narrow red eyes leering down at her. Next came the unmistakable scent of darkness leaking from the creature itself and right in front of—
"I'm right here, smart one," sneered the same voice. Aqua scowled at the teenage boy who now stood before her, leering at her with unnervingly yellow eyes and a sharp grin to match.
"I'm sorry," Aqua said coldly, not feeling very sorry at all. "Do you need something from me?"
"From you? Psh, yeah right." He suddenly slammed a hand against the trunk of the tree but Aqua refused to let herself be swayed by this person. The strange boy towered over her as she brushed pieces of bark off the top of her head, unperturbed. "But I think you might have an idea why I'm here."
What's this guy's problem? "First off, I don't even know you and I don't plan to change that. Second, I'm not in the mood for this so leave me alone."
The dark-haired boy leaned back, moaning in mock sorrow. "Aw, are you worried about your little bro and his friend?"
It was Aqua's turn to cast her shadow over the other when she suddenly stood up, stepping forward to glare down at the boy. "What do you know?" She demanded quietly.
A wider grin proved that he wasn't intimidated by the threatening air the young woman suddenly assumed. "Even though you're close to the light, you can still sense it, can't you?"
Aqua's eyes widened as she stepped away from the boy. The surprise on her face vanished as quickly as it came, only to be replaced by fresh anger and suspicion. "I don't know what you're talking about but whatever put Ventus's friend in the hospital last night—you know something about it, don't you?"
"Maybe," he replied carelessly, picking out the dirt from under his fingernails. "Of course I can tell you what you want to know if I feel like it—" He grabbed her by the wrist before she even had a second to react. "—but I think I'd rather not. Information doesn't come free; I hope you understand." He squeezed and Aqua went rigid as a strange fear and feeling of helplessness coursed throughout her entire being, eating at her thoughts and vision. Fear dominated her senses as well as her initial confusion. The only thought that remained in her mind told her she needed to get away, and fast.
"L-let go—!" She gasped, finding it hard to breath all of a sudden.
Yellow orbs drilled gaping black holes in her vision as she struggled to remain steady. They dug deeper and deeper until—
"Let go of her!" A brief moment of surprise split the boy's smug expression as he was seized back by the shoulder and brutally thrown to the side. He growled and turned around, only to face a very pissed-off Terra.
The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes in annoyance before his mouth split into another arrogant grin. "What's wrong? Wanna try and come at me in front of everyone?"
Aqua could sense the anger radiate off her companion but something told her that there was more that fueled the hatred in his eyes than the encounter she just had with the stranger. For a moment, Aqua understood why some one would find this person intimidating when she thought back on what Kairi said.
"Leave her alone. Leave all of us alone."
The boy tilted his head, false regret crossing his face. "Oh, did I hurt you, Aqua? I had no idea you were so delicate…" He gave a bow as sincere as his expression. "I'll offer you this for an apology: you can't hide behind your friends forever, and neither can Ventus." He gave her one last smile before turning away, leaving the two alone. Those who noticed the scene and decided to stare quickly returned to their own business when they caught sight of the fuming Terra.
Aqua rubbed her wrist, thinking deeply. How does he know my name? How does he know Ventus?
"You okay, Aqua?" Terra was now beside her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Why did he grab you like that?"
She shrugged, feeling numb after experiencing such a sudden burst in emotion. "I'm… yeah I'm okay."
"How do you know him?"
Aqua frowned and looked towards where he just left. "I don't… Who is that kid?"
"Vanitas," Terra replied, muttering the name with ill-disguised contempt. "I was just passing by and well… Are you sure you're fine?"
"Thank you, Terra. I'm fine, and you didn't have to step in like that… But thank you anyway." Aqua sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed. Had it been anyone else who dared to lay a hand on her, him or her would've found themselves face-down on the ground in a matter of seconds. However, something stopped Aqua from responding appropriately and whatever it was almost… almost scared her.
She looked up. The oversized raven from before was gone and so was the scent of raw darkness.
That fear… where did it come from?
-x-X-x-
Aqua set down her third mug of coffee for the day with a distinctive clink. She sighed and rubbed her eye with the front of her hand as she struggled to fabricate a satisfactory thesis about human motivation and aspirations for Professor Ansem's latest assignment. She briefly reconsidered taking a less demanding elective, but the subject matter caught her interest and that was enough for her to commit to the class despite the workload.
Ven was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, flipping through his assigned novel for one last time before shutting it and stuffing it back into his backpack.
"Careful," Aqua hummed meekly without taking her eyes off her Humanities textbook. "No one likes to read a book with its pages all bent." As if to accentuate her point, she flipped a page rather gracefully—if page-flipping can ever be described as graceful—without pinching its corner.
Ven grumbled in response and Aqua didn't expect him to scoot closer to her and plop his blonde mess of a head onto her lap. "Do you have to be absolutely perfect at everything you do?"
"Nope," she answered without much thought, trying to switch her brain back to Humanities mode. "…And you know I'm not perfect anyway. Did you finish all your homework, Ven?"
"Yeah… What are you reading?" He leaned up to take a peek at her book and she squirmed when his elbows dug into her. "Oops, sorry, Aqua." He appeared horrified when he came face-to-face with a wall of text. "Oh, ew… never mind; I don't want to know. Why are you taking all the hard and boring classes?"
"Because there's value to hard work." She raised an eyebrow, finally turning her head to look down at him. "You're not worrying still, are you?"
"It's just…" He grumbled again as he turned over, frowning deeply. "Why can't you just take it easy on yourself for once? I feel overloaded myself just looking at you."
She ruffled his hair dismissively and he growled. "I promised Mom and Dad that I would do my best in school no matter what. I need to challenge myself, Ven. It's the least I can do for them, after… you know…"
Ventus appeared to droop a little bit and Aqua began to regret mentioning their parents. Suddenly, he asked, "You like Terra… don't you, Aqua?"
That question truly caught her off guard. She tilted her head as she shut her textbook, deciding that that was enough brainstorming for the night. "He's been a good friend to me, why?"
"Then why—?" Ven buried half his face behind folded arms, looking strangely forlorn and distant. "We were talking today and he told me… He told me what you said about Mom and Dad—that they're the ones who made us move here." He gazed up at her with woefully glazed eyes and Aqua felt her chest clench guiltily. Ven didn't need to ask about her sudden discomfort—no questions were needed.
"I… We only just met and I didn't know what else to say. Maybe—" she smiled mirthlessly, "—it's just something I wish were true."
"I get it," Ven said. "But you lied to Terra when he's been so nice—you're Aqua! And Aqua never lies, not to anyone."
Aqua draped one arm over him, pulling him close in a sisterly hug. "It was stupid of me; I'm sorry."
"Nuh," he sniffled into her chest, clinging to her front. "But I miss them, Aqua… I miss Mom and Dad."
Aqua buried her fingers into his hair, staring on. "I know, Ventus; I do too."
"I didn't tell him… Terra, I mean… I didn't tell him about what happened. I didn't want him to misunderstand because I knew you must've had a reason," Ven explained, his voice muffled. "You always have a reason." Aqua said nothing, only nodded.
After a lugubrious moment of silence, Ven slowly pulled away and the older sibling could tell he was trying to compose himself. "You have work tonight?" He asked quietly, already aware of what her answer was.
Aqua nodded again and made a move to get up, taking that as her cue to get ready. However, a hand reached up and grabbed her by the sleeve to keep her from rising completely.
"…It scares me half to death when I think… when I think about losing you too. I can't help but worry." Ven averted his eyes, biting his lip for a moment. "Everyone says strange stuff happens at night, Aqua. What if that's true?"
Aqua bent forward, laying a hand on his head. Ven let go, if a bit reluctantly. "Ven, think about the most capable but careful person you know. Now let's rethink this—do you really believe I would let anything happen to myself? After all, who would be around to keep you out of trouble and deal with your shenanigans?"
Ven couldn't help but grin a little despite himself. "…Yeah."
Aqua was satisfied. "There we go."
-x-X-x-
"Now remember, don't answer the door for strangers and don't ever invite anyone in unless I'm home."
"I know, I know; you tell me a million times a day."
"Once a day," Aqua corrected him. Ven only rolled his eyes before pulling the covers over himself.
"Stay safe, sis."
Aqua quietly shut the door behind her, locking it from the outside. However, the young woman wasn't finished. Holding up her right palm an inch away from the wood, she murmured a stream of extrinsic words.
"Fulcio obex—Reprobo res obscurum—"
A faint glow enveloped her hand before spreading over the door like a shimmering veil. Aqua knew the protection spell wasn't fool-proof no matter what her magical capabilities were. A simple invitation, whether it be verbal or physical, was enough to bypass the protection against beings branded by the influence of darkness. However, it was the most efficient fabrication she could think of—this was the most she could manage without draining her energy to uphold the constant barrier.
The glow faded and she turned away when her work was done, slipping the key safely into her pocket. From the same pocket, she pulled out a peculiar keychain that dangled in her grasp. Hanging from the links was a silver teardrop with a single, sparkling sapphire set in its middle. Aqua closed her eyes as she clutched the charm tightly to her chest, feeling the hidden energy swirl within it like a bout of ocean waves.
Ven… I'm sorry.
-x-X-x-
"Aqua, before you go… There's something I must tell you."
"What is it, Master?"
"There is a reason why you and Ven were brought together. There is a reason why you were chosen to wield the Keyblade. Never forget these words, Aqua—"
A/N: I wonder what that reason is? I guess there's only one way to find that out : ) kekeke.
The elements of this AU will be explained throughout the early chapters. I just want to say that my latin is probably incorrect because I used an online translator. If you're wondering why the incantation wasn't in English like in the games, well... you'll see why soon enough. I'll just say that magic and language are closely linked and that the nature of this AU explores the nature of magic more deeply than what you see in canon. As a reminder, this is a supernatural AU, so expect a lot xD
Sorry there's no action yet Dx I planned to add in more like last chapter but I found that it was probably a good idea to break here to avoid spending forever on this chapter, Please bear with me.
Thanks to my beta reader for helping me improve this. Last but not least, thank you, TalkativeWriter4, Terra ForceXIII, MonMonCandie, Regen Mitternacht, and Karura Hime for your feedback :) Once again, please review if you're interested in this story so far, they're very much appreciated!
