Everyone seems to be enjoying the story so far, even if it is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster at times. But I am certainly glad to hear that you like it. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter too.
Ventus slept in the soft, warm, and comforting light. He'd been there for a long time. So long, in fact, that his existence before this place almost seemed like a dream. He liked the calm and gentle protection. It made him feel safe.
When his heart was torn asunder, the brand-new light called out to him, healed the damage, and let him survive. And years later, when he shattered his heart on purpose, he returned to his sanctuary and fell into his deep sleep. Ventus stayed there, was welcomed there, as the splinters of his heart gradually fused back together.
The light was from a heart. Sora's heart. Sora's heart sheltered him and saved him repeatedly.
Sometimes he would dream. Of warm beaches and calm seas. Of playing with a white-haired boy and a girl with reddish-brown hair. And later, of fighting monsters with a Keyblade. And of seeing other worlds and strange animals. But mostly he slept too soundly to notice much.
Ventus wasn't alone. Never was. Others joined him in the safety of Sora's heart. A bright light without a single shadow, hiding within the person that she trusted most until she was freed. Two young and newly-formed hearts, already filled with pain and sadness as they returned to where they originated from. And even when they left, Ventus as still wrapped in the warmth of Sora's heart. He was never alone.
Though, part of him felt lonely. He was missing someone. More than one…
Still, it was peaceful, comforting, and safe. After the pain of his heart breaking twice, Ventus didn't want to wake up.
Occasionally, something would make him stir. A word or a voice that would reach him even within the depths of Sora's heart. But he always drifted back into his endless slumber.
"Ven?"
Someone… calling him? He knew that voice… But it was so far away…
"Ven, please…"
He felt his awareness creeping back. For the first time in ages, he felt like his eyes were trying to flutter open. Part of him wanted to continue his endless sleep, but the rest of him want to return to that voice.
She was his friend. He missed her.
"Come back to us, Ven."
He thought that he glimpsed stained-glass and fluttering dove wings. Then he heard the sound of something unlocking before a blinding light engulfed him.
When it faded, Ventus felt heavy and sluggish. And aware. He felt…
Awake.
His eyelids resisted initially, feeling gritty and stiff, but he opened them. He forced him to obey. And while everything started out blurry, Ventus blinked a few times and everything came into focus.
Right in front of him, giving him a watery smile, was Aqua. It was really her. Exactly how he remembered her. And the moment that Ventus met her eyes, her smile brightened further and she pulled him into a hug. He quickly returned the embrace, holding tight in case he was dreaming.
He'd missed her while he slept.
As nice as it was to sleep in Sora's heart, Ventus missed the woman. She was one of his best friends and one of the most important people in his life. She was always there for him. Her and Terra. Aqua was the voice he heard, the one calling him back. And he was back with her after so long.
Eventually their embrace ended as Aqua pulled back. But only enough to let her reach up and cup his face with her hand.
"Good morning, Ven," she said warmly.
Smiling back and leaning into the contact, Ventus said, "Good morning, Aqua."
There was so much more meaning than what the words themselves could hold. Years of emotions, the heartache of separation, the feeling of missing the other, the joy of reunion, and reassurances that they were together once more and wouldn't be separated again. Their voices expressed the depths of their unbreakable bond, the one represented by the Wayfinders that she crafted out of colored glass and metal. It was friendship, but also the closest thing to family that Ventus could recall.
The only dark cloud on the bright moment was Terra's absence. He was still in trouble. He needed their help. Ventus could feel it.
Not all his friends were back together. His family wasn't whole.
But they were one step closer.
"Ventus," called another familiar voice, causing Aqua to move to one side.
He finally started noticing his surroundings a bit more. Ventus was sitting on a couch in a library. Beside him was a pile of blankets that seemed to be snoring. He saw a few more people in the room, some of who were familiar either from dreams or from long ago. But there was one person who held his attention.
A boy with brown hair smiled at him. For a moment, all that Ventus saw was Vanitas's face, causing him to stiffen and nearly summon his Keyblade. But the expression was too bright, too open, and too friendly to be his other half. And there was a connection between them, soft and gentle. Then he realized where he recognized the voice from. Ventus remembered hearing it in his dreams.
It wasn't Vanitas.
"You're Sora," he said quietly.
This was the boy that save him twice over. Sora was the source of the warmth and light that Ventus spent so long surrounded by. His newborn heart healed him when Ventus was torn in half, filling in the damage with his own light. And he was the one who sheltered Ventus in his heart for years, protecting his sheltered heart and giving him time to heal again. Even with them now separated, Ventus could still feel a faint connection to the other boy's heart. Like an invisible rope ready to pull him up if he should fall.
But for the first time, he was physically seeing Sora.
He might look like Vanitas, but he was completely different. He wasn't the one who tried to possess Ventus and forge the χ-blade.
He was Ventus's second chance.
"It's nice to finally meet you properly, Ventus," said Sora, still beaming at him.
Grinning in return, he said, "Call me 'Ven.'"
"Please take a seat," said Ienzo, pulling up the correct program on the computer.
"Why?" Xion shifted uneasily as she stared at the indicated chair with the attached scanner. "What are we doing down here?"
Ienzo could understand her and Roxas's unease. He only knew Roxas for a short time and Xion seemed to cause him only the faintest sense of déjà vu and a vague headache. But he knew enough to guess that they would be suspicious of his request. Even coaxing them away from Lea's bedside and down into the lab had been a minor miracle. They had been used and betrayed by the Organization enough times in the past to be hesitant about former members asking them to do things.
Not to mention what happened earlier. They'd both paused uneasily in the corridor as he led them towards the laboratory, their eyes flickering towards the slightly darker stain on the ground that hadn't completely been removed yet, before the pair followed him inside. Ienzo was thankful that he'd decided to come down and clean things while Roxas and Xion visited Lea. Even with most of the bleeding being internal, it would have been an unpleasant sight for the teenagers. At least the worst of it was gone by now.
And to be honest, Ienzo didn't enjoy seeing it either. Vexen was the one who enjoyed studying biology and Zexion only helped him write down test results on the subject. He didn't like seeing blood and serious injuries.
It wasn't much of an issue when he was a child, obediently recording while Even and later Vexen performed different experiments. At first, he had trusted his guardians too much to truly question his actions and Even kept him away from some of the more morally-ambiguous ones. Then later, he had lacked the capacity to care because he and the other original six apprentices had tossed aside their hearts.
But now, after spending over half his life without a heart or believing that he couldn't feel, the sight could finally bother him. He could properly empathize. He could feel sympathy. And he could feel pity, horror, and concern to degrees that he struggled to process. Witnessing pain, suffering, and severe injuries was almost more than he could handle with his lack of experience when it came to matters of the heart.
Even with the complicated nature of his past with Lea, Ienzo had hated seeing him in that condition.
"I know that much has happened in a very short span of time," said Ienzo. "But both of you have recently had your hearts removed from Sora and transferred to the newest models of replica bodies. Furthermore, Xion's body was configured at the last moment. I want to give you both a brief examination to ensure that nothing went wrong during the process. To ensure that your hearts are intact, unharmed, and integrating properly with the new vessels. And to make certain that the replica bodies are stable and have adapted the way Vexen's research states that they should. I want to make certain that any possible issues are caught and corrected early, before they can cause serious problems."
"Like making sure that I won't start absorbing memories or hurting Roxas by being around him?" she asked, cautiously sitting down.
Pulling up all the schematics concerning No. i so that they were displayed next to the scanning program, Ienzo said, "Your original body was one of the first successful replicas that Vexen created. The newest models of replicas are meant to be indistinguishable from humans. Especially when provided with an appropriate heart. Your new body is not designed to mimic or absorb Roxas's power because it was not created for that purpose. The problems that you are describing will not happen. But we can double-check if that would reassure you."
"It won't hurt her, right?" asked Roxas.
The question reminding him of how Donald asked the exact same thing concerning Sora, Ienzo said, "Not in the slightest. The scans won't even be as invasive as what we attempted with Sora earlier. The entire process will be painless. She can even stay awake during it. At worst, it will be a little boring."
Trying to smother a yawn, Xion nodded and settled back in the chair. Ienzo typed in a few adjustments into the program, recalibrating the system. He didn't need the same parameters that he'd been using earlier. When he tried to adjust the program to give them a more thorough look at the extent of Lea's injuries…
"Have either of you noticed any symptoms or side effects so far?" asked Ienzo, shaking off that train of thought and starting up the scan. As the light moved up and down Xion, he continued, "Unexpected weakness? Light-headedness? Dizziness? Unexplained pain or numbness? Physical or emotional? Anything that might indicate a problem?"
Fighting back his own yawn, Roxas said, "I guess I feel tired. More than I should be."
"Me too," said Xion. "Is that bad?"
"It's been a stressful and exhausting day, so that could be part of it." Ienzo watched the screen carefully as the results started appearing. "The relocation of your hearts and adjusting to your new physical bodies would likely be very draining on your energy. Hopefully, a good night's sleep will help with that."
Rest would do them a world of good. Calling the day "stressful" was an understatement.
A lot had happened in a very short span of time. The surprise invasion of the Heartless and Nobodies into Radiant Garden. The awakening of both Roxas and the unexpected Xion. And the fallout of the battle.
When they had brought Lea's unconscious body into the laboratory and Aeleus managed to settle him into one of the chairs, altering the configuration until it was flat like an exam table, Ienzo had tried to not look. He pulled out the gauze, rubbing alcohol, and half a dozen hi-potions from where they had stored them away before focusing on adjusting the scanning program to collect data on the physical body. He had looked once, when Master Ansem and Aeleus managed to ease Lea out of his black coat. Ienzo saw both old scars, a deep one in Lea's lower side and a burn scar that reminded him too much of what he saw on Even as the man tried to recover after his recompletion, and new wounds that turned his stomach. He didn't look up from the screen again.
Ienzo saw the damage, but only as a clinical display in a digital format. He couldn't bring himself to look at the real version again, gasping and choking behind him. He'd focused on the computer screen as Master Ansem and Aeleus did their best to stabilize Lea before the energy from Curaza that kickstarted his physical heart again wore off. Ienzo had monitored the state of their patient, noting the damage to the left lung, several major blood vessels, and the minor laceration to the physical heart and that the healing magic was barely keeping pace with the blood loss for a while. He observed the computer screen while the others cleaned and dressed Lea's injuries, pouring hi-potions into the deepest wounds in the hopes that it would help fix the internal damage that threatened to kill him. He didn't look up until long after the balance started shifting and the patient's condition finally began to improve.
He hadn't looked because it reminded Ienzo too much of assisting with experiments in that same room in his early days as Zexion. Especially since, while most of the subjects ran together in his mind since he didn't care back then enough to pay close attention to their faces, he did remember a few specific people who were dragged in. And after growing up without a heart, Ienzo didn't think that he would be able to keep his emotions under control if he started dwelling on those days or how much the situation reminded him of those experiments. He hadn't looked because he needed to keep calm. He wouldn't have done anyone any good if he was drowning in overwhelming emotions.
He shook his head slightly. That was over now. There was no one bleeding out. No one was hunched over an unconscious figure, examining the damage carefully. No one was in pain or dying. He was fine. He wasn't a child anymore. He couldn't let his thoughts remain trapped there, continuously circling around the topics that upset him. He had too many responsibilities that needed him. He needed to focus on the present.
"Everything appears to be in order," said Ienzo, looking over the scans for Xion. "Your heart and body are both in good condition. Despite the lack of preparation ahead of time, your heart has integrated properly and your body is registering as identical to a regular human. I may not be Vexen, but I believe it would be safe to assume that you are stable and healthy."
"And I won't hurt Roxas?" she asked.
Ienzo shook his head and said, "Not at all, Xion. There is no hint of the power mimicking or draining abilities found in the previous models. Other than being a Keybearer, you are no different than any other real teenage girl."
Xion smiled shyly even as she blinked away a few hints of tears, looking a little overwhelmed. As if that handful of words meant everything to her, more than Ienzo could possibly decipher. Both he and Roxas helped her out of the chair before the boy took her place.
"You're a lot different than I remember you," said Roxas as the scans started up again.
"We didn't have long to know each other," he reminded. "And regaining our hearts affected some of us more strongly than others."
Riku wandered the halls quietly. The castle had changed drastically since the days where Maleficent led him around Hollow Bastion. He could almost pretend that it was a completely different place.
The last few hours had been intense. Some of the events, he'd expected. Retrieving Ventus's body with Aqua. Waking him up. Even Roxas's return was something that he knew was coming. But everything else…
Remembering Xion hurt. Not just the physical headache. That was fading as he remembered her more. But the memories of the unusual Keybearer, her face depending on who looked at her, broke his heart. He remembered how fragile her existence was, how she absorbed memories and strength that didn't belong to her and that she didn't even want, and how nothing about her brief life was fair. But even when they needed the stolen memories to wake Sora up, Riku and Naminé let her make the decision to return to Sora.
But the choice was never a true choice. Not when her very existence threatened to destroy Roxas and every stolen memory left her increasingly unstable. They could give her time. They could let her spend a little longer with her friends. But the final outcome would have always been the same, regardless of the path she took. Everything about her was tragic. And while Riku didn't cause her circumstances nor did he force her actions, that didn't stop the guilt.
Xion had more freedom to decide her fate than Roxas did in the end, but it was still only the illusion of freedom.
Her return wasn't the only issue that filled his thoughts. Guilt gnawed at him for different reasons. Reasons far more recent.
When Vanitas made his parting taunt, Riku only worried about Sora and Kairi being in danger. He didn't think about the threat that the citizens of Radiant Garden might be facing until he saw the attacking Heartless and Nobodies. He didn't think about the various apprentices in the castle being in danger. And he didn't even consider the possibility that Lea would nearly die.
He only worried about Sora and Kairi in that moment. He instinctively thought of them and no one else even crossed his mind until afterwards.
And now they were dealing with the fallout.
Sora, fighting back yawns after freeing three hearts in one day, had disappeared briefly with Goofy after Riku mentioned seeing Leon. He came back looking reassured, but no longer hiding his yawns. Sora, Goofy, and a still-snoring Donald then vanished towards Master Ansem's offered bedrooms.
Mickey had gone up to see Lea earlier. Now that he wasn't in any immediate danger of dying, they had time for a more effective spell that would help with the damage to Lea's ribs. Riku knew from personal experience that, magic or no magic, bones took longer to heal and needed more work than other injuries. And there was no way that all of those knives went between the ribs. Some would have gone through them. Hence why Mickey volunteered to try adding Healing Light to Donald's earlier magic.
Aqua and Ventus had withdrawn somewhere to spend time with each other after so long apart. They deserved a chance to catch up in private. And it was probably better to keep Ventus away from Roxas for the time being. No one had the energy to deal with their identical appearances or what it meant. They could try sorting that one out later.
Ienzo, Dilan, Aeleus, and Master Ansem were somewhere in the castle, though Riku wasn't exactly certain where. Or maybe the apprentices had gone out to help the rest of the people now that the Heartless and Nobodies had been pushed back. He knew that they'd been trying to keep their distance and not bother the other residents of Radiant Garden. Too much guilt on one side and too much distrust on the other. There was a reason that the defense systems remained under the control of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee and the former Nobodies weren't allowed direct access. It was a cautious second chance, but the past wasn't being ignored. And Riku doubted anyone outside the castle knew about Ansem the Wise being back. He was probably keeping a low profile. Regardless, Riku didn't know their exact locations, but he suspected they were keeping themselves busy.
He knew where most of the people were. But not everyone. Which was why Riku was wandering the halls alone.
He allowed himself to focus solely on his oldest friends and only remembered the others when confronted with evidence that Sora and Kairi weren't the ones truly in danger. He wouldn't make the same mistake a second time. He wouldn't let their friends slip from his thoughts so easily a second time. He needed to reassure himself that everyone was safe before he could allow himself to relax.
He knew that someone should check on Roxas and Xion again, but Riku also knew that he wasn't the best choice. He held too much responsibility for what happened to them. He ensured that they ended up disappearing into Sora's heart for so long. It was the only way to wake Sora up and he knew that he would do it again, but their complicated history meant that Riku wanted to keep a little distance until things settled more. Now wasn't the time for him to accidentally spark Roxas into a rematch duel. It was why he asked Mickey to explain to the pair about everything that was happening, with Xehanort and his time-traveling and possession plan, the seven guardians of light and thirteen darknesses, his intentions for Kingdom Hearts, and the rest. The king didn't have any history with Roxas and Xion, complicated or otherwise.
And since he'd taken everyone else into account, Riku needed to check on one last person. And somewhere around here…
The sound of running water pulled his attention to a door, the only one in the corridor that was cracked open slightly. Riku pushed it the rest of the way and found Kairi bent over a sink. A familiar black coat was in her hands as she scrubbed at the leather-like material, staining the water a diluted shade of red.
"Kairi?" he asked gently.
She looked up. Her blood-shot eyes sent a stab of guilt through Riku. She'd been tossed into a deadly fight without him or Sora around. Even if she didn't seem injured, it was still a lot to expect of her. And now she was crying over a sink alone. They should have protected her. He was supposed to protect his friends.
"I was going to try fixing this," she said slowly, "but I thought I should clean it first. The material doesn't exactly stain like fabric does, but…" Kairi glanced back down at the black coat. "It doesn't want to come off after drying. It's sticky and flaking, but it doesn't want to come off. But it needs to come off."
She scrubbed some more, further discoloring the water. He couldn't see it easily on the black material, but the blood showed up perfectly in the sink. There was something wrong about this. Sweet, bright, and caring Kairi with blood on her hands.
"I thought," she continued, still staring down at the black coat as she scrubbed, "that when I learned to fight, when I could finally protect my friends, I would stop feeling helpless. Like something made of glass. I wouldn't be left behind. I wouldn't be stuck waiting while my friends keep running into danger. I would be able to do something to help."
Riku kept quiet, patiently waiting. He knew Kairi. He grew up with her and Sora. And he knew how to read her during conversation. She didn't need the reassurances that immediately rose up at her words. At least, not yet. The pause and silence weren't meant for him to respond. She was trying to find the right words to continue. Right now, she needed support and an audience to listen. Any other form of comfort would only work after she finished spilling her thoughts and emotions.
The only way to help her was to wait until she was ready.
"The fighting didn't scare me. Not really. Not after I got started. Even when I got hit, it hurt, but I could handle it. I would have been fine. But he told me to run. When the Organization members showed up, Axel told me to run. He made me promise." Kairi's fingers tightened into the material. "I should have stayed. I could have helped him. Maybe I could have done something to help him. Maybe…"
When she trailed off this time, Riku said, "You told me that Larxene's knives hit him after the rest of you made it back out there. He had backup and it still happened. It was bad luck, Kairi. It wasn't your fault. No one could have foreseen what happened."
"It still feels like its my fault," she said. "Once again, I'm fine and one of my friends got hurt."
"We all end up worrying over someone and feeling helpless eventually."
Like when he saw Kairi's body and her heart was missing. Like when Sora lost his memories and slept for a year as Naminé repaired the damage.
"I wish I could tell you that it stops when you get strong enough," continued Riku gently. "I wish I could tell you that it gets easier to handle seeing people you care about in trouble. But it doesn't. All we can do is protect what matters when you can. And when that's not enough, you save them."
He hoped that something that he was saying was making a difference. Because no matter what she was feeling right now, he believed in Kairi. Just like he believed in Sora.
"And if there's one thing that I know without a single doubt, I know that if any of us ever needs help, you'll be there to save us. How many times have you saved me? Or Sora?" Riku smiled at her. "What happened today wasn't your fault. And Axel is going to be fine. So please don't blame yourself for something that no one could have predicted. We can't change what happened. But next time, we'll be more prepared for their tricks. And we'll protect our friends."
Riku stared down at the black coat, absently taking note of all the torn cuts. There was evidence of older pieces of damage, places where someone apparently repaired the old rips by melting the edges together. The sight was enough to stir his curiosity briefly. Riku couldn't keep the random thoughts from distracting him. Did all the Organization members have ways to fix the black coats or did they have a stash of new ones to replace them with? Were there closets of these outfits hidden somewhere in the World That Never Was?
"I still wish that I could do more," she said. "I'm trying to be stronger and I want to protect my friends. Not just save them after they get hurt or lost in the darkness. I need to help keep my friends safe instead of always ending up as a stupid and helpless damsel in distress."
"You're not stupid or helpless. And by the time this is over, you'll know it too." He shook his head. "I don't have all the answers, but I know that you're stronger than you believe. People tend to underestimate themselves."
Riku made that mistake, seeking out power from dangerous sources. He was too impatient, too overconfident, and too foolish. And even with his overconfidence, he didn't recognize his own strength and believed that he needed something to make him stronger. And in his arrogance, he was tricked and ended up falling to darkness.
He forgot why he originally wanted to be strong: to protect what matters. And it took a long time to recover from those mistakes. It took time to find his current balance. To find a way to use his darkness without letting it engulf his light. To take that darkness and make it behave as the natural balancing force that it was meant to be.
But Kairi wasn't like him. She was better than that. Not because she was a Princess of Heart. Because she was smart, brave, kind, and strong. And she never forgot that friends could help.
"Don't underestimate yourself, Kairi. And don't blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong."
Smiling weakly, Kairi said, "As long as you promise not to blame yourself either."
Aqua wasn't certain how long she and Ventus talked. Hours. They talked about everything that happened. His time in Sora's heart. Her time trapped in the Realm of Darkness. And what she knew of Terra's fate. Then they talked about the past. About memories of happier days in the Land of Departure. Small things. Trivial things. Everyday things. Things that they both missed.
They talked until the sun set and the stars appeared through the window, pausing only briefly to eat. It wasn't a very organized or formal meal, everyone randomly selecting something before vanishing back to where they were before. No one else was in a good state for prolong conversation or social interaction. She was content to spend the hours with Ventus. It was reassuring to see and hear him again.
But even though he'd spent nearly a decade asleep, Ventus started yawning and blinking blearily. And eventually he dozed off on the bed, curling on his side rather than sprawling like a lifeless doll. He was properly sleeping rather than what he was doing before. Aqua couldn't help smiling at his peaceful and content expression. But as much as she wanted to follow his example, Aqua could only ruffle his hair gently before slipping out of the room.
Her footsteps echoed quietly with each step. The shadows seemed too deep and too long, reaching for her. She couldn't sleep here. Not like this. Not with the silence and endless shadows of the night. She fell back on the habits that she developed in the Realm of Darkness. She kept moving.
Aqua briefly paused at one of the other bedrooms, checking on them. Two teenage girls had claimed the pair of beds, sharing the room.
The dark-haired girl, Xion, shifted in her uneasy sleep. The quiet distress compelled Aqua to tug the blanket over the child more firmly. She didn't dare do more and risk waking the girl. She was still mostly a stranger to Xion, after all.
The second bed held Kairi, her light shining like a beacon to Aqua's senses. She didn't physically see the light from her heart, but she felt it. And it seemed to chase away the unease that the shadows caused, if only for the moment. The sensation of pure light helped remind her that this was real and she was truly out of the Realm of Darkness. Aqua appreciated the feeling.
Finding out that Kairi was a Princess of Heart, someone with no inner darkness, explained so much.
Aqua paused briefly to look at the black coat draped over a chair, a larger copy of the outfit that Xion wore even in her uneasy sleep. Somehow Kairi managed to track down a needle and durable thread to sew the tears. Aqua could see the neat and careful stitches. But she could also sense the protective spell woven into the material from those stitches, joining the power already in the black coat.
There were plenty of jewelry and accessories with spells of protection and to increase strength. Some places even sold bespelled armor and trinkets. That wasn't unusual. Aqua put spells on the Wayfinders the same way, researching the methods in the library at the Land of Departure.
But she knew that Riku and Sora didn't get the same training that she did. They didn't have the same resources and upbringing to draw upon. She also doubted that Kairi was taught how to perform that type of magic. It was subtler and required more concentration than more combative spells. Aqua wasn't even certain that Kairi intentionally did it. It almost seemed like she instinctively poured her light and her desire to protect into the material as she repaired the coat.
Instincts and natural talent forged in the fires of adversity and necessity. It was something that all these children seemed to share.
Aqua brushed her fingers across the repaired cut, muttering a soft spell. She repeated the same gesture on the other rips. When she lifted her hand, the stitches had almost melded seamlessly with the leather-like material. Everything was solid and in one piece, impossible to unravel. But Kairi's protective magic remained in place.
And with that small task accomplished, Aqua reluctantly slipped out of the room and resumed her silent wanderings through the castle.
There was darkness in this place. Not just the shadows and the night, but true darkness. She could feel it. Everything felt bright on the surface, but deep down…
She shivered as she moved through the empty and silent corridors. Riku's darkness, as much as it made her question more things than she wanted to consider, didn't feel malicious. But this particular form just felt just as deadly as the most dangerous corners of the Realm of Darkness. Only the multiple floors of the castle kept it at bay, leaving her with only the faintest sense of it unless she concentrated. Or unless she was foolish enough to go seeking it.
Something happened here. Something happened that allowed the darkness to seep into the very stones in the deepest part of the castle. She could ignore it on the higher floors, but she was gradually moving down…
Aqua knew that she should turn around. There was no reason to wander towards the lower portions of the castle. She didn't like the presence of normal harmless shadows anymore, let alone the more volatile darkness. The type that swallowed you up, sank into your skin and into your heart, and tried to snuff out the light within you. Aqua wanted nothing to do with it.
It wasn't recent. There was no true source of the darkness. She could tell that much the closer she came. There was nothing down there that she could defeat or banish. It felt like an echo, but one that could still seep into her skin. She despised the sensation.
But she felt something else. Something familiar drawing her forward. Aqua couldn't resist it. Somewhere in the smothering darkness, something was calling for her.
Aqua found a study with a narrow corridor hidden inside. And while that apparently led to another room filled with scientific equipment, she instead wandered down to a wide and open space and found a long spiral staircase plunging down. One that seemed to go on forever.
The further down that she walked, the more oppressive the atmosphere seemed to grow. Past misery, fear, and pain hung like a fog over the place. Something horrible happened here years ago and left its mark, like a metaphorical scar. It was a miracle that Heartless weren't continuously spawning from the darkness that pressed down on her.
She kept finding herself rubbing her arms, trying to combat the phantom sensation of darkness seeping into her again. It wasn't happening.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, light flickered on. And while it banished the physical shadows, it did nothing for the unnerving feeling. Aqua wanted to escape the sensation. She wanted to turn and race back up to the rest of the castle. She wanted to escape this place and the choking darkness. The smartest decision would be to go. It's what she would tell Ventus and Terra to do in the same situation.
But just as the oppressive and ominous darkness sparked off feelings of dread that she couldn't ignore, Aqua couldn't turn back. Something kept pulling her forward. So she let it.
May your heart be your guiding key.
She followed the hallway silently. At first, the doors lining the corridor seemed innocent enough other than the electronic locks and chains. Until she glanced in a couple of the small rooms. They were tiny spaces with only a narrow cot in each one. But there were marks on the walls and rips in the fabric of the cots, as if someone or something clawed desperately to get out. Aqua shivered as she realized that they were cells to imprison people. Or Heartless. Or both.
No wonder this place felt so dark and corrupted. At least the worst of it was isolated far underground. She wouldn't be able to stay in the castle if the whole building felt like this.
But what could have happened in this hidden and buried place?
Aqua began walking a little faster. She couldn't leave yet, no matter how much she desperately wanted to get away from this unnerving place. But she couldn't stop until she found what was calling to her. The best that she could do was hurry.
The familiar and bright feeling brought Aqua to a door different from the cell doors. One locked by someone. But that was not really an issue for a Keyblade master. Aqua summoned Master's Defender in a flash of light and opened the door.
The greyish-white room briefly reminded her of the transformed Land of Departure, Castle Oblivion. There was even a throne, sigils, and chains that glowed across the floor and walls. But she only gave it a moment's notice before her focus fell on the pile of armor on the floor.
Her armor. The armor that she wrapped around the possessed Terra to protect him as she fell into the Realm of Darkness in his place.
And resting next to her armor was…
Aqua let Master Eraqus's Keyblade dematerialize. Then she reached down and picked up her own.
Stormfall.
The name seemed to echo through her, familiar and welcoming. This felt right, her heart and Keyblade perfectly in sync. It was a part of her.
She might be able to change the appearance and abilities of her Keyblade, but the natural state and name were reflections of her heart. When they were in harmony, the Keybearer would know its true name. The Keyblade would reveal it to its true owner. And occasionally the Keyblade would change its default shape and name to reflect how the person grew or changed over time. In many ways, it was a part of growing up.
As the heart changed, so did the Keyblade to mirror it.
But while Rainfell once became Stormfall, it hadn't changed this time. Stormfall still reflected her heart. It still recognized her.
Despite everything… Despite losing her friends for a decade… Despite her time in the Realm of Darkness… Despite her heart being briefly engulfed by darkness… Stormfall still recognized her.
She was still Aqua. Terra and Ventus's friend. Master Eraqus's student. Keyblade master.
Aqua blinked back tears. Holding her Keyblade, her Stormfall, felt wonderful and right. Like a broken part of her was complete again.
Taking a deep breath, she dismissed her Keyblade. Both the weapon and armor disappeared in a flash of light. But they weren't gone. Only out of sight until she needed them. Aqua could still feel her Keyblade and armor with her. After wandering the Realm of Darkness for so long, she had them back.
Somehow, the shadows didn't bother her as badly as she returned the way that she came.
I think that Aqua deserves to get her Keyblade and armor back. And I also believe that if Kairi's handmade lucky charm can be used to create Oathkeeper in the first game, then it isn't outside the realm of possibility for her other crafty-type projects (like sewing) to have some magical effects. Even if she isn't aware that she's putting that kind of power into things. Just like the boys and their Keyblades, she's working off instincts and natural talent to make things work.
