Take the Pieces - Build them Skywards
Chapter II
Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney nor Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.
Forewarning for spoilers and speculation theories based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.
You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).
::Open Minds – Open Hearts::
Through the dark realm, Sora and Aqua walked side by side.
"Trying to find the exit… has never been so tiring." Sora whined, becoming more and more irritated with each second that passed. He recalled being able to find the door to light the first time… But the chances of being able to find it again so easily seemed slim. Aqua smiled, giving him a reassuring pat on the head.
"It can't be too much longer… It's here, don't worry." But her optimistic take on the whole scenario made Sora wonder.
"… If it's here, why didn't you try to leave sooner?" The question caught her by surprise, though she didn't show it physically. Instead, she turned to face him, both hands placed on his shoulders with a firm gentleness.
"Within these years, I haven't seen the light. I could have despaired never seeing it again… But I didn't lose hope." And with that, she let off his shoulders and took his hands into hers. "And now look, Sora. You've made it down here. A bright, shining light shredding the darkness as we speak." She smiled, his eyes blinking as she spoke.
"As long as there's light, there's hope. And as long as there's no darkness, there's nothing to despair…" Sora muttered, thinking about it a moment. But Aqua's smile furrowed at his avowal.
"Sora…" she began, his attention grabbed by her tone almost immediately. "Light and darkness… they coexist." She continued. "One cannot exist without the other. If one allows for darkness to overpower their hearts, then they will indeed be swept away by such force." A brief pause, giving Sora a moment to take it all in. "However… even the light can act in such a way."
"… The light?" He questioned, not quite understanding what she meant.
"… There are those who exist… with too much light."
"Too much?" He paused. But before he could continue, she broke back in conversation.
"Those who believe that light is the ultimate source of power… they seek it. They cherish it… even if it means taking all necessary measures to achieve it. Those who live for such control… aren't as pure as one would perceive them to be."
Still, Sora failed to understand her logic.
"Where's all that coming from?"
"Huh?"
"All that… about light and darkness… so you're saying there is no right side to take?" Clearly, he missed the entire point of her lecture. She just stared at him a good couple of seconds, before giggling and fully clasping his hands together in hers.
"As a keybearer, you can never learn too much." Suddenly through the thick haze, a vertical beam of light formed before them. Giving a hearty laugh, Sora smiled proudly and Aqua let his hands go free.
"Well, there's our exit!" He announced, holding a hand out to his new-old acquaintance. "You ready to get out of here?"
For a moment, the reality of finally being able to leave this place didn't hit her.
Smiling, she took his hand and they both walked through the light.
-----
Having made it back to the Castle, the duo remained quiet. Upon entering the main gates, Sora was greeted once again by the barrage of his two buddies, Donald and Goofy. Aqua was left untouched, though they did take notice to her right away. And it was Goofy who made the first recognition.
"Hey! Well, whaddya know? It's Master Aqua!"
"Whack!?" Donald turned his head, giving the blue-haired woman a stare. But before he could react, the King had entered the hall to join them. The second he and Aqua noticed one another, a distinct silence filled the hall… suddenly broken, and rather quickly.
"Aqua!?"
"Mickey?"
"Goofy!"
"Sora!"
The intervention of the third and fourth party voices caused Donald to thwack his taller comrades in the backs of their heads.
"Aqua! It is you!" the King exclaimed, running up to the other, joy and excitement in every bounce. Aqua smiled sincerely, kneeling down to meet him at eye level.
"It's great to see you again, too," then from her position, she stood and took a gracious bow, "Your Majesty". Mickey smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Gosh… you don't have to be like that. Drop the formalities." Mickey smiled, turning to Sora. "We go way back. Long before I even became King of Disney Castle."
"Wow…" Sora thought aloud, looking between the two, giving them a wide grin. "So, look! I've found the first person!"
"Two, actually."
"Two?" Sora tilted his head slightly at the King's remark. Mickey nodded.
"Aqua… and Ventus."
"Ohh…" Sora snapped his fingers. "Right!"
"… Actually…" Mickey continued, noticing Aqua's blatant expression from where he stood. "Make that one and a half."
"… A half?" This only made Sora more confused. "How come?"
"You hold his heart, Sora… not his body." Mickey sighed, shaking his head. Donald and Goofy were also at a loss for what to say.
"And that's why it's only half…" Sora thought aloud, tapping his foot, arms crossed. For a minute or two, no one spoke. It didn't last much longer than that, however, when Sora came up with a "brilliant" idea. "We should get his body back! I can offer up the piece of his heart inside of me, and then he can return to normal!" The reaction Sora received for his plan was not what he intended.
"Sora… No one knows where his body is," Mickey responded, in result, destroying his enthusiasm. "It's been years… who knows where his body lay now?"
"…" Aqua then stepped forward. "His body… is in the reformed world of the Land of Departure…" All eyes were now on her.
"The Land… of Departure?" Sora questioned, though a slight warmth emitted from heart at the repeating of the name. Aqua nodded.
"Back then… His body had been sealed in a room… where no one could find him."
"No one except the one who created it." Sora determined, silence being the only response from the blue-haired woman.
"But who could have done that…" Goofy wondered, Donald doing the same.
"… No one really knows." Aqua piped in. No one seemed to notice that her eyes angled down toward the floor, avoiding most eye contact with the others.
"Then we just gotta figure it out, huh?" Sora declared, Donald and Goofy nodding in response.
"Right!"
"I just wish we knew where the Land of Departure was…" At that thought, all the anticipation died again. Mickey looked between the three, then back at Aqua.
"Aqua…"
"… Yes?"
"… You know where it is, don't you." The King's allegation caused the three to perk up. Sora especially.
"You know? How come it seemed like you didn't know?"
"…" Her eyes began to lose contact with the group once more. But her discretion only frustrated Sora more.
"C'mon, Aqua! I'm sure we can set things back to how they're supposed to be!" Sora asked, her gaze still avoiding his. "They're probably waiting to see you again!" Still, no reply. "… Don't you want to see them again?" But at the instant where he tried to tap her shoulder, she immediately pulled back, hastily leaving the room. Blinking, the young wielder turned to face the King. "… What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing, Sora. It's nothing you should take personally." Mickey assured, hearing Aqua's light footsteps down the hall. "It's been close to eleven years since she had seen the light. Eleven years since she's seen her friends. I'm sure all of this is far too overwhelming for her to handle right now." Sora nodded, understanding the circumstances.
"… What can I do to help?"
"Let her be," the King explained. "She's in need of time to think all of this through." Sora was at a loss what to do until then. "… Don't worry. She'll pull through with her decision eventually. Time is all it takes."
Let the pieces fall in their proper places…
Fate will decide what paths they choose to take.
::
It was the next morning. Sora had fallen asleep in the library of the Castle. He opened his eyes, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. Donald and Goofy slept a few feet away from him; neither of them seemed to stir as he continued to wake himself. As he tip-toed toward the room's exit, he took one last look at the image of Aqua in the journal. "Aqua… Don't you worry, we'll make things right!" he thought aloud in a hushed-tone whisper.
Peeking his head out the door to the hall, Sora turned both ways and walked through the corridors to where he was hoping the King would be. Knocking on the door, he received no response. "Huh… weird…"
He knocked once more.
Still, nothing.
"Geez… I was sure he'd be up at this hour!" Rather than sticking around by the door, he made his way down the hall to the courtyard. But once he heard the faint sound of voices, he stopped, and hid behind the wall leading outside. It was Aqua and the King.
"Aqua… I understand what you must be going through… but…" the King paused, Aqua waiting patiently for him to continue. "… In order to save the worlds, we must find Ven's body… You and Ven are the only people who have the strength to save Terra."
She nodded. "I understand… … but…" she paused, turning her eyes in the direction of where Sora stood, hidden. For a minute, he was sure he was caught. Nothing could get past Aqua. But relief struck him once again when she continued with Mickey. "My only fear… is that when I re-open his chamber…"
"… He won't be himself?"
"… Not that… but just the idea of his heart not returning back to his body…" the sound of her voice gave the impression that she was shaking. Or at least it seemed that way to Sora. "… What if it doesn't work? … I've never tried returning a heart back to a comatose being…" Mickey thought about it… but smiled.
"You have the power to do great things, Aqua. I'm sure you can do it, once you've gone with Sora to the Land of Departure."
"… The thing is-"
"The land is no more, I know." Mickey's knowledge of the situation caught Aqua off-guard.
"How?"
"Riku and I. We were there."
"Riku?" Aqua was confused. "How did the two of you get there?"
"… Things happen. Sora's been there, too."
"Sora…!?" As if she weren't confused enough… "But… How?… Better yet, why?"
"It's a long story… and I'll have time to share with you once you return. But for now, you must know that Sora has absolutely no memory of ever being there."
Sora, in turn, was the speechless one now.
All he could do was listen.
"When Sora first came upon it, he was told of his memories being erased as he progressed through it… Floor after floor, memory after memory… With every piece he lost, a new one was formed. But they were fake…" he paused. "… A friend of mine, now, was captivated into taking apart his memories to form the false ones. But once she was freed, she put them back together… and destroyed the ones that he made prior to entering the castle…"
"… Castle Oblivion." Aqua hesitantly murmured, Mickey nodding to her response. Her head bowed forward. "So a piece of him had already been left within the Castle…" Again, he nodded. "… When I bring him there, will anything come to mind?"
"… I don't know."
Sora didn't know what to make of their little conversation.
'Memories of things that had happened… that were erased…? … But, they actually happened?' he thought to himself.
To find is to lose…
… And to lose, it to find…
"Just what do you mean by that!?"
Sora approached them, his eyes narrowed. Aqua and Mickey looked a him, then back at one another. "What? … Are you saying that a piece of my own memory is gone?"
"No, Sora…" Aqua fought the urge to slap herself in the face for speaking of it whilst he listened from the distance. "Sora…" she tried to find the right words to explain the situation to him, but couldn't. So instead, she closed her eyes, letting her arms fall to her sides. Mickey also wasn't sure where to go with that.
"… I see…" Sora's clenched fists began to loosen their grip, and he turned his head from them.
And here it comes again…
That irritable silence…
"… I want them back."
"… Sora—"
"Everything. I want those memories back." Sora's mind was set. He turned so that he could face Aqua, and Aqua alone. "You know where it is… And you obviously know more than I thought you did…"
"Sora… I—"
"Take me there… I want my memories back."
"…" Aqua remained still, his intense blue eyes focused on her. Mickey would not tolerate the inconsiderate behavior toward his old friend. Not even from Sora.
"… Now, Sora-"
"Let's go then." Mickey paused.
"… Aqua?"
"Sora's right," she remarked. "It's not fair… his memories had been taken away from him with no reasoning… Whether they are true or not, he deserves to have them back." She then summoned her keyblade, and it then morphed into a giant glider-like structure. All that lacked was the armor she adorned in the past. Hopping onto it, she left room for Sora to get on as well.
Both Mickey and Sora were surprised how willing she was to go through with this. Nevertheless, Sora gave a single apparent nod, and hopped on the back. Before the King could send them away, they were already gone. He shook his head in disbelief.
The flight through the dimensional portal in the starry sky was a quiet one. Sora latched onto Aqua's waist, constantly looking down to see just how far they were from any sort of nothingness beneath them. He then turned his eyes to see only the back of her head. Taking a moment to recollect his thoughts, he loosened his hold on her and looked at the sky above them.
"Hey, Aqua?"
"Hm?"
"… Thanks."
Both exchanged smiles, and continued through to their next destination: Castle Oblivion.
What you've lost can be found…
… In exchange for something you possess…
::
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Chapter III on the way. All feedback is greatly appreciated.