Chapter 10: Broken Trinity

Aqua staggered out of the Dark Corridor and fell to her knees, panting with exertion. Damn..., creating those things to other worlds took a lot of energy. She shook her head and glanced around, finding herself behind a tree in what looked to be a large central square in the middle of a town or a city. She wiped a bit of sweet from her brow and pocketed her good luck charm. Time to find Terra and Ven.

The moment she stepped out from behind the tree, Unversed appeared, much to her chagrin. Were these blasted things on every world? She didn't have time for this...

She needed these things gone, NOW!

Aqua aimed her Keyblade into the sky. "Thunder, thunder, thunder!"

Aqua blew through the Unversed and bolted as another group of them appeared, including a strange balloon like Unversed. She was not wasting anymore time. She could smell him. Strangely, she could feel Vanitas's presence off in the distance. She had never been able to detect things at such a range before. Channeling her darkness, and not trying to keep it suppressed, was proving to be rather worthwhile. She started running towards the sensation of darkness.

She wondered briefly, which world this was. Without her Keyblade Glider's systems, or viewing the world from the Lanes Between, it was kind of difficult to know where she was. Didn't honestly matter she supposed. She ran down a street, and into a strange water fountain plaza with raised platforms, filled with Unversed. The only exit seemed to be at the top of one of the platforms. How the hell was she supposed to get up...

Oh... wait, she had an idea, but first...

Aqua grinned and aimed her keyblade at the plaza, unleashing a bolt of lightning. The electricity jumped along the water, frying all the Unversed. Aqua clenched her fists and focused on the platform with the exit before throwing her hand forward and creating her second Dark Corridor. She walked through it, and came out on the platform. She paused briefly to take note that doing these shorter corridors wasn't even close to as draining as crossing world's with one.

She walked up a set of stairs into the underbelly of what looked like a waterway. She stared at the architecture for a moment before facing forward and sighing at the sight of more Unversed. Where were these things all coming from? She rushed past them, cartwheeling out of an attack, and climbing up a set of pipes and ramps, into the waterway itself. She took note of several Unversed blocking her path to the end of the waterway.

She smiled and focused her concentration again, forming a Dark Corridor to the end of the waterway and stepping through it. She could admit, she really loved these things. She was about to turn a corner and leave the waterway before she paused, hearing a voice.

"Hmph, they'll arrive on this world soon. I suppose I aught to make some more entertainment for them when they arrive, something to stall them until the woman gets here," came Vanitas's voice.

So, she had actually beaten Terra and Ven here? Hah, Dark Corridors sure beat Keyblade glider's for travel purposes. Aqua knelt down and peered around the corner, sighting Vanitas standing on what looked to be a strange, blue, see-through platform with pipes underneath it. She watched, stupefied and dumbstruck, as dark energy began to seep out of Vanitas, and form Unversed all around him.

The boy... he... he was the SOURCE? He was the creator of the Unversed? She narrowed her eyes and focused on Vanitas grimly as the Unversed began to disperse over the edge of the platform and into the town below. If he was the source, then he had to be destroyed. If she did that...

"Then I'll have proved myself," she whispered quietly.

"Now then, let's give them a really 'warm' welcome," roared Vanitas, clenching his fists tightly, a heavy dark aura emanating from him.

She watched, mortified, as a gigantic Unversed began to pull itself out of Vanitas's darkness. First, a head with strange symbols for eyes that was immediately covered by a black helmet, tied to it was chest piece with a blue sharp collar. Then, two separate white arms with shoulder-plates and black hands Finally, red plated legs sprang out. She noted that no one piece of it's body was actually directly connected to one another...

"Hmm, I think this is the strongest one I've made yet, I think I'll call it, Trinity Armor," said Vanitas almost as if he were proud, "Now, I'll split it in three, one for each of them, and send it off to terrorize the town and draw them in..."

"No you wont!" shouted Aqua, rushing out from her hiding spot and drawing her Keyblade.

Vanitas spun and looked at her. "What? How could you get here that quickly?"

Remembering what he had said to her earlier, she mocked, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Vanitas stared at her for a moment before laughing. "Touche."

He crossed his arms. "So you think you can take my Unversed all by yourself?"

"I'll take both of you by myself!" she snarled, starting to draw out her darkness in a black and purple aura, "You WON'T hurt my friends!"

Vanitas roared with laughter. "Both? I think the darkness is starting to rush to your head. You're out of your league, and you know it."

"Maybe so," said Aqua softly, reaching down to pull out her good luck charm for a moment, "But..."

"So long as I'm fighting for them, I'm never truly alone," she said, clutching her charm tightly.

She closed her eyes briefly and whispered. "Terra, Ven, give me strength."

As if in a response, the charm briefly glowed blue, illuminating her Keyblade in a similar light. Aqua's eyes went wide at that before she quickly pocketed her charm and clenched her fists tightly, reaching into herself as deeply as she could. She was going to need every ounce of power she had for this.

Aqua gave a roar as she unleashed her darkness, a black and purple shock-wave emanating out of her body that sent Vanitas staggering and exclaiming, "What?!"

Aqua surged forward, ascending into her Dusk Weaver command style, her aura changing into it's dark pink color, and aimed to spear her Keyblade right through Vanitas, figuring if he fell the Unversed would follow. To her utter shock, Vanitas summoned his own Keyblade and blocked her.

"How? Why? YOU have a Keyblade?" she exclaimed.

Aqua dove out of the way as the Trinity Armor smashed a fist down where she had just been. Aqua ground her teeth and aimed a hand at Vanitas, released a Dark Fire spell, the boy aimed his Keyblade at the spell and released his own, causing an explosion when the two spells met. Aqua's eyes went wide as the Trinity Armor charged at her, swinging it's arms in a sweeping motion. Aqua formed a barrier, cringing at the impact when two giant hands smashed into it.

She dropped the barrier and slashed at it's hands before it pulled them back.

"Suffer!" came a roar.

Aqua turned her head and cried out in pain as black lightning shot out of Vanitas's Keyblade and slammed into her. Aqua was sent staggering at to the ground before rolling as the Trinity Armor slammed a fist down to where she had just been. She ground her teeth and sprang to her feet, trying to return the favor with her own magic, only for the Trinity Armor to already be charging at her again.

She cartwheeled out of the way and made a decision. She could never get at Vanitas and fight him properly if this lumbering monstrosity was in the way. She noted that Vanitas was hanging back, merely watching while waiting for opportune times to cast spells at her like with the lightning. Of course that was probably the smart thing to do, he couldn't fight her in Keyblade combat head on either with the Trinity Armor there.

Aqua began peppering the Trinity Armor with spells while trying, and mostly failing, to keep her distance from the thing. The platform they were fighting on was way to small to properly evade a monster this big. The Unversed pulled a fist back and threw it forward at Aqua. Having little option, Aqua funneled dark energy down her Keyblade, gave a battle cry, and swung at the fist.

SLICE

Her Keyblade carved through the hand, making the Unversed roar and pull back. The moment it did, Aqua noted a black and red puddle of energy surging at her. She gave a started cry when Vanitas surged into the air out of the puddle, smashing the flat of his Keyblade into the side of her face and unleashing balls of fire that explode and sent Aqua reeling away in pain. She massaged her face, eyeing Vanitas with a stupefied look. How the hell had he just sank into the ground like that? Could she do something like that too?

Vrrrrrmmmmmm

Aqua turned her head, eyes going wide, as the Unversed began to glow red, a huge sphere of energy forming infront of it's chest. Vanitas sank into the ground again and surged away as a huge beam of energy shot out of the Unversed, directly at Aqua.

She gave a cry of fury and formed a barrier, pouring a heavy amount of energy into it as the beam connected and pressed against her magic. Her knees buckled, and sweat began to pour down her face at the effort of trying to maintain the barrier. She felt her reserves draining, rapidly...

"Is that all you can do woman? I'm hardly breaking a sweat over here," mocked Vanitas, "I doubt you could even beat the armor alone without your 'dear friends'. Speaking of which, Ventus should be here by now, perhaps I'll go pay him a visit while your playing with my Unversed."

No...

She...

Wouldn't...

Let...

Him...

Aqua clenched her fists and shook with rage, the dark energy surrounding her pulsating. "You WON'T touch him!"

"Really?" called over Vanitas, "And what are you going to do about it? Face it, you're just not strong enough. Even with the darkness, you're just a pathetic neophyte. Tell you what, as a favor, I'll tell Ventus how much you care before I put my Keyblade through his back."

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed at him as he turned to leave, her darkness rupturing and bleeding out into the air around her.

Vanitas whirled. "What?!"

A pillar of black energy erupted out of Aqua's body, and she felt her Command Style shift. The dark pink energy of Dusk Weaver faded, and a heavy dark and purple aura expanded, shadowy tendrils snaking out of her body. The eruption of energy destroyed the Unversed's beam and sent both it, and Vanitas reeling back. Two words pulsated in her mind at the awakening of a new Command Style...

Shadow Impulse

"The heck? She shouldn't have gotten strong enough to access to that kind of power yet, unless...," began Vanitas.

Vanitas roared with laughter. "Unless she gave herself over completely! You just make this to easy wom-."

Vanitas never got a chance to finish his sentence. Aqua practically flew through the air, darkness almost making her appear to levitate and fly with each stroke of her Keyblade as she tore into Vanitas, slicing open his black and red leather suit with each attack. With a cry of power, she thrust her darkness engulfed hand forward, and out of it erupted a giant black and purple hand that clenched over and through Vanitas's body, flaying him with dark energy.

Vanitas was thrown back at the impact was a pained cry and landed on his back, Keyblade sliding along the ground away from him. Aqua rushed over and raised her Keyblade, ready to end him, before a giant hand smashed into her back and sent her flying. She hit the ground, wincing painfully. Damn Trinity Armor.

She rose to her feet and blitzed the armor, tearing into it's legs. She felt her energy, felt her Command Style spike and peak, and with that, she unleashed it's finisher. She didn't know how, or even truly care at the moment, but, like Vanitas she sank into a puddle of black and purple ooze, and then exploded into the air underneath and through the Unversed, a giant dark hand ravaging the Trinity Armor as she went.

The Unversed's legs exploded in a spray of energy as Aqua's command style faded away. Aqua landed on the platform and staggered, falling to her knees, her energy spent and her mind spinning. She... didn't know how... or where... she had pulled that energy out of... she just... felt so... tired... her heart... why did... it hurt so much...? Felt like... it was... splitting open...

WHAM

Aqua gave a shrill scream as the Trinity Armor smashed a fist into her side, sending her flying. She lost her Keyblade on landing, sliding up against the platform's railing. She clutched it for support and tried to rise to her feet...

WHAM

Aqua screamed again as it smashed it's giant fist into her once more. She crumpled to the ground, bloodied, moaning in pain. She shakily stared up at the Trinity Armor, tears sliding down her face.

Terra...

Ven...

Please be safe...

She closed her eyes and braced herself as the Trinity Armor pulled it's fist back one final time.

"NO!" came a roar of desperation, followed by a flash of light and the sound of metal clashing with metal.

Aqua opened her eyes and stared up, in shock, at Terra, who was standing over her glowing with light, his Keyblade blocking the Unversed's fist. "T-terra?"

"Ven! Get her to safety! NOW!" yelled Terra.

Aqua turned her head weakly to see a determined, if but panicky Ventus, leaping down off a higher platform to her's and rushing over to her. He knelt down and grabbed her arm, pulling it over his shoulder and starting to drag her away. Aqua noticed on the other side of the platform that Vanitas had recovered, formed a Dark Corridor, and was limping towards it.

"V-ven... no... stop him...," she whispered, "Can't let... him get... away."

Ventus shook his head. "Forget it Aqua! I'm not losing you over chasing him down!"

Aqua watched, frustrated and helpless to stop him, as Vanitas took one last look at her and Ventus before fleeing through his portal. No... DAMMIT NO! He'd gotten away... more people were going to get hurt... he was going to come back and try to hurt Ventus...

"D-dammit Ven... why couldn't you listen...?" she weakly demanded.

Ventus set her down against a wall back near the entrance to the waterway and glared at her. "Why couldn't I? Why couldn't you? Aqua! We've been so worried about you! We wanted you to come back with us, but you went and chased that witch, coated with darkness, and just now, we came across the end of that fight you were in... Aqua..."

He stared at her helplessly, "Aqua... what WAS that darkness you were using?"

Aqua suddenly found herself unable to meet his gaze. "..."

The ground shook, followed by an explosion and the clashing of metal against metal, Aqua shook her head and weakly pointed back towards the platform. "Go... help Terra... I already weakened it... you two should be able to... finish it on your own...""

Ventus hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

He narrowed his eyes. "Aqua, stay here and don't run off, okay? We need to talk."

It wasn't like she had any energy to cast cure or make a Dark Corridor. "Okay..."

Ventus summoned his keyblade and rushed off. Aqua gave a pained sigh and slumped down the wall, coughing up a bit of blood. Damn... that thing had definitely broken a rib or two. She weakly reached for her pouch, wanting to see if she had any potions left to try and ease the pain. It was all she could do put pull back and hiss in pain when her hand only found broken and sharp shards of potion bottles instead. Dammit...

Aqua slowly started to lose focus, closing her eyes, the sounds of battle fading in and out...

"Aqua!" came a faint, far away voice.

"Aqua, drink this! Please!" the voice said again, sounding desperate.

Aqua barely managed to open her mouth, feeling someone lift her up and tilt her head back. She felt something press against her lips, and a warm liquid pouring down her throat. She coughed and winced, cringing as she felt her ribs snap back into place and her wounds heal. Her eyes fluttered open, and, to her embarrassment, she found herself in Terra's arms.

He clutched her tightly to his chest, breathing out in relief. "Thank the light... I almost thought I lost you..."

"P-put me down Terra," she said, flustered.

He did so and took a step back, looking her over with concern. "Aqua, are you okay?"

She nodded. "Y-yeah, what was that you gave me?"

Terra turned sheepish for a moment. "Uh... just an elixir I found on one of the worlds I was on when I was looking for you."

"We," corrected Ventus, moving to stand next to Terra.

An elixir? Damn... that was one of the best medicines in all the worlds.

"Aqua, what were you thinking trying to take on both that Unversed and the Boy in the Mask?" demanded Terra.

Aqua frowned at him. "I was trying to stop a threat! He was going to hurt the townsfolk with his Unversed, and he's after Ventus!"

"Me?" questioned Ventus, "But, when he spoke in my room, he was all about going after you."

Aqua shook her head. "Not really, all he likes to do is mock me from what I've seen. But... he's the one making the Unversed."

"Whaaa?" exclaimed Ventus, "Him?"

She nodded and narrowed her eyes at Ventus. "That's why I wanted you to stop him! Ven, I left him weak, he couldn't put up a fight, you could have..."

"Could have what Aqua? Killed a beaten opponent?" chided Terra.

Aqua opened her mouth to counter before hesitating. "I..."

"Aqua, what's gotten into you?" demanded Terra, sounding angry, hurt, and afraid all at once, "You're using the darkness, it's like you're not even trying to hold it back like you were at the exam..."

She bowed her head. "I need it to fight..."

"Aqua...," whispered Ventus, stunned.

"Aqua!" exclaimed Terra, "You're willingly using it? What of the Master's teachings? Have you forgotten them all? You can't turn to the darkness for power! This is just what he was afraid of..."

Aqua bristled. "You mean when he ordered you to spy on me?"

Ventus glanced at Terra in surprise. "What? Spy on her?"

Terra didn't flinch, he simply narrowed his eyes. "And it's obvious he had a reason to order me to do so."

"Terra!" exclaimed Ventus, "How could you say that?"

"You saw what I saw Ven, she's willingly turning to the darkness for power. It hasn't even been a week since the exam, yet she gained that kind of power by succumbing to it," said Terra, "How long will it be Aqua before your darkness swallows you whole? How long before it corrupts you and makes you hurt those you care for? Hurt us?"

Aqua stared at him in shock, tears streaming down her face. "T-terra... how could you..."

She exploded, screaming in frustration and bitterness. "HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? I DID THIS FOR YOU! FOR YOU AND VEN! TO KEEP YOU BOTH SAFE!"

Terra looked mortified. "Aqua..."

She couldn't take it anymore, couldn't take the accusation in his voice and eyes, She pulled out her good luck charm and threw it at his face, causing him to stagger back and stumble to catch it. She sobbed, turned, and bolted, creating a Dark Corridor and diving through it, ignoring their cries to for her to stop...

Ventus watched helplessly as the dark portal Aqua went through faded away."Aqua... no..."

He clenched his fists in frustration and turned to Terra. "Terra... your awful..."

Terra stared down at Aqua's blue good luck charm in his hand, a pained look on his face. "..."

Terra sighed and pocketed her charm. "Maybe you're right Ven, I am awful. But, if that's what it takes to bring her home safe, then I'll be as awful and hard on her as I have to be. Even if she hates me for it. So long as she's safe, I'll live with it."

"Terra...," whispered Ven, not sure what to say.

Terra started walking. "Come on, we have to go find her. We're going to give her her charm back, and take her home. We'll help her work through this, we're her friends, we have to. We'll deal with the boy in the mask after, Aqua comes first."

Ventus nodded slowly and started walking after him. "Yeah..."

"Good golly gosh, what happened here?" a squeaky voice sounded out.

Ventus and Terra paused and turned, sighting a small mouse like creature in black clothing entering the platform from the waterway side.

Terra studied him for a moment before smiling. "Are you Mickey? Yen Sid's apprentice?"

The mouse walked over to them. "Yup! You must be Terra and Ventus. Master Yen Sid sent me to find and help ya'll out with finding Aqua and dealing with the Unversed! I heard a lot of noise coming from over here and thought I'd come and see what was going on."

"Kinda late on that," muttered Ventus sullenly.

"Huh?" said Mickey.

"Ven," said Terra sternly, "Don't be rude."

"Sorry," murmured Ventus.

"Gosh, it's okay, I guessed something happened, didn't it?" asked Mickey.

Terra nodded. "Come on, we'll tell you about it on the way..."

Aqua staggered out of her Dark Corridor and slammed into a gate, groaning and falling to her knees, clutching her chest painfully, momentarily forgetting about her troubles with her friends. She had taken an elixir, but her heart... it hurt so much... just like after she had used... the Dark Impulse finisher... felt like... it was tearing... what was going on?

She glanced around weakly, noticing she was at the bottom of a set of stairs near the gate, a large castle looming up above. She shivered and tried rising to her feet, only to collapse again. Dammit... what was... wrong...?

Before she could continue the thought, a scream, sounding like it came from a young girl, sounded up above the staircase. Someone needed her help...

Aqua shook her head and forced herself to stagger to her feet, ignoring the agony in her chest, and rushed up the staircase...

Author's Notes:

Taking a Corridor, Aqua arrives well before she did in BBS, finding Vanitas in the act of making Unversed and challenging him head on in a 1vs2. Didn't do to bad, beat the shit out of Vanitas when she really got mad, fully unleashed her darkness, and unlocked Dark Impulse. Lost pretty bad at the end though when her power dropped.

There's a reason her power gutted, and the pain sprang up again after activating and going through the Dark Corridor. Can you guess why?

The trio's reunion went about as well as it did in BBS, maybe slightly worse? IDK.

Kairi's up next. However... Aqua's no where near top condition, and Mickey came to investigate the sounds of the battle against the Trinity Armor instead of heading for the castle. Ut oh...