Epilogue:

Aqua's POV...

"Owen?"

He turned to me. "Hm?"

"Do you think...I can become a Writer?"

The look on his face as he stared at me had shown his shock. It was to be expected, since a fictional character like me was asking if I were capable of having a job in his world as a Writer such as him. It was stupid to ask to be honest.

I don't make stories. I'm in a story...

Well, game. Whatever...

I chuckled sheepishly, looking away. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

We sat in silence, slowly eating our Sea-Salt Ice Cream. It had been Owen's idea to go to Twilight Town, a world I'm very unfamiliar with, and sit on the clock tower while eating these salty/sweet treats. I'm glad he suggested it, I've never tasted ice cream this good!

And the view from the clock tower is breathtaking. Makes me want to stay up here until dawn.

"I'll ask," I hear him mutter.

I looked at him, my brow arched. "Huh?"

"I'll ask the Director if it's possible. There are no rules of having characters of our stories and games become Writers such as us. Perhaps it would be possible." He turned to me, his lips forming a warm smile. "And if it was, I would be honored to work by your side."

My heart fluttered at his words. Sure it wasn't certain that I could be a part of his world, but knowing that he'd be delighted to have me join in brings me joy. Something about his smile reminds me a lot about Ven.

And their personalities are uncannily similar. But I do notice a difference between them. I certainly do.

Ventus is strong, has a good heart, and has a lot of confidence in himself and others. He was one of my good friends. A friend that had claimed my heart once upon a time.

Owen, on the other hand, is similar. Except he has absolutely no confidence in himself and often sees him as a monster that needs to be put down. He cares so much for others, whether it is friend or foe, he would do them justice.

How can such a heart bear the pain of carrying such a terrible darkness within? He said that he's always in pain. And he's endured it for twelve years.

Twelve, right? Don't remember...

Anyway, a boy like him does not deserve to have such a harsh fate. He has done no wrong to anyone and yet he was being punished for no reason. It's as if everyone wanted him dead.

From what I've heard from his long-time friends Gina and Crystal, he's gone through more hurt than anyone else I've ever known in my life. He barely had experienced love with that Kelsey person, considering that she had fallen for another. I knew how much it hurt him, just looking at his eyes reveals all the emotions that run through him.

And yet, he continues to smile. He smiles as if he wasn't feeling the pain he said to have at all. And he smiles, to keep others smiling.

Just like someone I know...

This boy saved my life more than once, the third time being the most horrible. I had thought I lost him there and then. I thought I lost one of the most important people in my life, despite just meeting him a few days ago.

My heart aches for him. He is a sweet, honest, and selfless boy who only wishes the best for his friends and others. Even when most of the things in his life never goes right.

That's as much as I know. I have yet to learn everything about him, but I have a lot of time to do so. And I can always ask Gina and Kelsey to fill in some blanks if he's not willing to.

But I don't wanna pry. If it's too personal to talk about I will no longer ask about it. I would hear about it from him if he is willing to tell me.

Right now, I'm content in just being with him. I am not sure if I truly love him as much as I loved Ventus. But I know what I feel for him is along the lines of love.

Just how deep is my love for him? Am I falling too fast? Should I brush away these thoughts until we know more about each other?

"Aqua," he said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I...wanna show you something."

I tilted my head to the side. "Really? What is it?"

He dug into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a silver locket. A heart-shaped locket that was attached to a thin chain. The design on the front had a heart carved with roses on each corner of the heart.

I stopped breathing and my heart pounded even harder as I stared at the locket. I was dazzled by the design. It was pretty well-crafted.

"Owen...what..."

He looked flustered and smiled. "I...actually made this."

I blinked twice. "You made this?"

He nodded. "Took me two weeks to make this thing. I melted a lot of silver to get the shape right. And don't get me started on the carvings." He chuckled. "It wasn't easy getting the shape to be perfect. The roses were the hardest to do. One slip-up and I would have to repeat the whole thing all over again."

"Oh..."

He held it up, his eyes glimmering with the sunlight reflected on the locket. "I made this...so that I could give this to the girl who had truly found her place in my heart and claimed it. The girl who could give me hope on life. The girl...who would actually make me feel human."

He took my hand and placed the locket on my palm. "I want you to have this."

"Owen..."

He closed my hand and pushed it to my chest. "This is my way...of giving my heart to you. I know you'll take good care of it."

I couldn't stop the tears that were now flowing down my cheeks. This I definitely do not deserve. He could pick women better suited than me to keep such a precious thing.

Like he said, it's like giving his heart away. How could he trust me so much as to possess such a valuable item? And what he said...

Oh, gosh, his words always bring me to tears. This was not smooth talking or anything. I can tell.

His words are full of true emotions deep within his heart. And these are all for me.

I sniffled and smiled. "Thank you..."

We both blushed as we stared at each others eyes. He broke the silence after letting out a brief laugh.

"Is it alright...if I hugged you?"

I nodded. "You don't need to ask."

His arms slowly wrapped themselves around me and mine on his neck. I gripped the locket tightly in my hand, savoring the contact we were sharing. I closed my eyes and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"Don't leave me," I whispered.

"I won't. Not yet anyway..."

I pulled back. "What?"

He sighed. "You and I both know we cannot stay with each other forever. Unless they give the 'okay', the chances of us being permanently in each others lives are quite slim." He caressed my cheek with his hand. "I don't wanna leave you, Aqua. If it were up to me, I would stay with you until my dying day. Or even after that."

I leaned into his touch, more tears flowing. "I don't want us to separate."

"We have to prepare ourselves for the worst. So, we need to spend as much time with each other as possible." He grinned. "Besides, I'm sure this mission will take a while to finish. Gives us an excuse to be with each other a little longer."

I laughed softly. "Yeah."

"And if you need me at all, Aqua. Just call out my name. I'll come running."

I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on his. "I'll keep that in mind..."

Owen's POV...

The next day...

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my PDA. I dialed the number to the Director and awaited his answer. He went on-screen.

"Fabian," he said.

"Director," I greeted back.

"I heard about what happened yesterday. Are you alright?"

"No need to worry about me sir."

"You're like a brother to me, Owen. I have to worry about you. Where's Ralph?"

"We don't know. But I'm not detecting him in the KH universe anymore."

"He must be in another universe, then," he mumbled thoughtfully.

I put a hand in my pocket and sighed. "Sir, when's Jules gonna get here? I thought he was supposed to come yesterday."

"Oh, right. Well, he had a call from his mother about his father having a stroke. I gave him the week off to take care of him."

"Really? Well, tell him I wish his father to get well."

He nodded. "Will do. About your back-up though, I took the luxury of sending in someone else from your department. She will depart shortly."

I quirked a brow. "She?"

"That's right. I'm pretty sure you know her. You used to butt heads with her all the time back in the academy."

I rubbed my temples. "You sent Alexia?"

"There's nothing wrong with her."

Ugh. "Sir, she will be distracted."

"How so?"

"Well, I got a beautiful girl here with me. You know how she gets around pretty girls. Older, ones to be exact!"

He blinked twice. "So the rumors were true?"

I nodded. "Yes. She likes other girls. I'm not against it, but I'm pretty sure Aqua doesn't swing that way."

Suddenly, a beeping could be heard from the other line. The Director looked away from the screen to another and looked back. His face turned serious.

"Owen, Ralph has just been spotted in the Tekken universe," he said rather quickly. "I want you and Aqua to head there now. As soon as you arrive, contact me so that I could send the coordinates to Alexia."

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"Best of luck, Owen. Take care of yourself out there, and Aqua."

"Will do. See you, sir," I said and hung up. I looked over to Aqua, apparently putting on the last part of her gear. "Ralph's been spotted. Ready to roll?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

I held up my arm and opened up a portal. This will lead us out of the KH universe and into the Tekken universe.

I took her hand in mine and smiled. "Don't wanna get separated."

She giggled. "Of course."

I turned to the portal. This was gonna be my most dangerous mission yet. The fate of reality rests in the hands of me and Aqua.

There is no room for slip-ups. We have to put a stop to Ralph's plans. No holding back this time.

And lastly...

I have to finish this before the Daemon gains full control of my heart. He is growing stronger by the minute. I can feel it.

I shook my thoughts off. "Alright, let's do this."

And with that, we walked inside the portal. Our journey...has just begun...

KINGDOM HEARTS ARC END...

To be continued...