Chapter 10: The Measure of a Heart
As they flew in the lanes between, Tenebris was now flying with his Keyblade glider sans armor as Xion was now the one wearing it while she rode with Aqua. Although, Aqua has to wonder if the transaction was taking its toll the way she thought it would. With all of the pressure on him with the darkness he has, he might as well be in the Realm of Darkness. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to have happened yet as she noticed him still flying beside them.
"You doing okay, Ten?"
"So far, yeah. It's a little cold, but other than that, just dandy."
"Still, I think we need to find a world to land on and soon."
As Xion was looking out in front of the glider, she took notice of a Coliseum with two statues of gladiators performing holding their swords together as she spoke.
"Maybe we can land there?"
As they took notice of it, Tenebris couldn't help but smile, thinking how excited a certain student of his would be to go.
"You know, somehow, I wouldn't be surprised if we find Ignis here."
Olympus Coliseum:
At the surface of the world was a huge Coliseum, as well as the same statues from before. While they looked around, they briefly walked through the entrance before Aqua turned to see Tenebris getting exhausted for a moment as he took his breaths of recovery, leaving her partly relieved We're it not for the price he would've paid.
"Ten, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Just a bit tired. I'm just glad we don't have to fight any—"
Before he could finish, the trio noticed the Unversed appearing before them, leaving him frustrated.
"Oh, come on!"
As they drew their Keyblades out, they were surprised to see a man with goat horns and legs jump out in between them and perform various poses before he spoke.
"Stand back, guys. I'll take care of this."
As he gave a wink to Aqua after he said this, Aqua became confused while Tenebris couldn't help but feel jealous as he growled before the Unversed punched its fists together. After that, however, the goatman became easily frightened as he ran the other way before he spoke.
"Herc, they're all yours!"
At that moment, a young boy in a white toga joined the four of them as they cleared out the Unversed quickly. For the three wielders, it wasn't hard to know they can clear them out. But to their surprise, the young lad can pack quite a punch as he gave one of them an uppercut that sent it flying out of the entrance before it turned into black ink and vanished. Seeing this, Xion became easily impressed.
"Whoa... how did you manage to punch like that?"
Seeing her curiosity, the boy gave a small smile to her before the goatman spoke up.
"Oy! Those wackos almost made gyros outta me!"
As he walked up towards the group, the young boy told him off.
"Well, maybe if you weren't trying to show off..."
"Who asked you, kid? You'll understand more when you're older."
Hearing this, he gave a small sigh before he spoke on a saddened tone, making Xion look up to him.
"And stronger... strong enough to be a hero."
As Xion heard this, she became confused why her think that as she spoke up.
"What do you mean? You did help us with those things."
Aqua, however, had a different take to go about it.
"You really think being strong is the same as being a hero?"
"Sure—mostly. Look at how strong Terra is, and he's a champion!"
At the mention of that name, Aqua and Tenebris gasped out of surprise as they spoke.
"Terra?"
As Xion took notice of their surprise, she couldn't help but show her curiosity as she'd heard his name before in Disney Town. The way they acted on hearing his name, she could tell Terra was someone important to them. Before she could ask why, however, the goatman spoke up to Aqua.
"So, sugarcakes... You got any plans for later? You know, I've trained a few heroes in my time. Maybe I could recite ya a little epic poetry."
Hearing an attempt to flirt with her, Tenebris didn't hesitate to stand in between them.
"Sorry, goat, but Aqua's already spoken for."
To add to the goatman's disappointment, Aqua spoke of someone else she's interested in.
"Do you really know Terra?"
"Of course I do. He's the local hero everybody's going Gaga for—"
Upon hearing that question, he quickly realized the reason why Aqua would ask of him. With that, he gave a sigh before he spoke out of frustration that he's the one getting all the attention.
"Oh, now I get it. You're one of his fans. Everywhere I go it's 'Terra' this, 'Terra' that... more like 'Terra' bull."
Seeing as he took the wrong cue from what she meant, Aqua tried to explain.
"Oh no, you see, I just want to track him down.
"Yeah, tell me about it, Sister. You and the rest of Greece! Kid shows up outta nowhere, hows and wins the first Games he ever enters, dazzling the whole town, and then the nudnik up and vanishes!"
Hearing this, Tenebris couldn't help but become confused, seeing as Terra wouldn't be doing that for fame.
"What would Terra do that for?"
As Tenebris thought of the reason why Terra would compete, the young man spoke up to him.
"Everybody says Terra's the real thing, a true hero. I can't wait 'till I'm that tough."
The goatman, however, had a different standpoint to oppose the boy.
"Pfft, right. He's so tough that he turned the last schlemiel who faced him into a raving yahoo."
"Come on, Phil, be nice."
As Aqua heard this conversation, from what she could gather, Terra had already left this world by then, meaning she's back at square one to finding him.
"So, you're telling me he isn't here?"
Phil, having noticed her look, realized she was going to leave, and that was something he didn't want.
"Whoa, not so fast. He may not be here right now, but ya never know. He could always decide he's gonna show up for the Games."
Taking the logic in account, it made sense to the boy for him to come back.
"Yeah, to defend his title."
"And if you enter, there's always a chance you might run into him. I got an idea. I'll sign you guys up myself. And if you need a trainer, I'd be more than happy to put you through the ropes."
However, the boy felt differently on how easy he was to work with.
"But Phil... I had to practically beg you to agree to train me."
"Shh! Pipe down, kid. You and they ain't got the same attributes. If you know what I mean."
Hearing this, Tenebris immediately recognized that he's trying to sully Aqua up to get good with her and he immediately didn't like it.
"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but we don't have time for this."
Aqua, on the other hand, knew it was the only way to find Terra for certain, and so, had to agree to it.
"You know, you're right. Please sign us up for the Games."
This made Tenebris snap as he shouted.
"WHAT?!"
As Tenebris tumbled backwards after, Xion couldn't help but laugh at how silly he's acting before Aqua spoke up to Phil.
"My name is Aqua. And this is Xion. And he's Tenebris, but you can call him Ten. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. Now, let's start with a few basics—"
"Thanks, we won't need a trainer."
Hearing her reply, Tenebris sat up out of relief before he gave a sigh, knowing Aqua is safe from his advances as Phil admitted defeat.
"Bah! Women—never changes. So I suppose you guys still want me to get you signed up. Meet me in the vestibule when you're ready."
As Phil walked inside, the boy turned to Xion and spoke up.
"Well, I'll be waiting with him, too. Name's Hercules, by the way."
"Okay. See you then."
As Hercules went in the vestibule, Xion was finally free to ask Aqua about the person of interest.
"So, Aqua. About Terra? Who is he?"
Play Yoko Shimomura Music: "Aqua"
To answer her question, Aqua looked to Xion and knelt down as she spoke.
"He's actually my friend. He trained with me under Master Eraqus. During the Mark of Mastery, he... he showed darkness inside him taking form. Because of that, I ended up Master while Terra..."
For a moment, she gave a sigh at the result before she continued on.
"The Master gave him one last chance to prove that he is worthy. And since then, he's been struggling. But... that's nothing compared to what I said. The moment I found out what he did to one of the Seven Pure Hearts, I told Terra to get out of my sight. And the last time I saw him, I... I never got the chance to say how sorry I was. He didn't give me one..."
As she heard this, Xion couldn't help but feel sorry for Aqua. To push away your friends, only to lose them when you tried to come back to them... it was something she never expected to hear from Aqua. In an attempt to cheer her up, Xion hugged Aqua gently before she spoke.
"Don't worry. You'll find him... Mom."
As Aqua heard this, she couldn't help but gasp as her tears came down from her face. But she understood why she said what she did. Xion needs a strong example set by her guardians. By her family. Taking heed to it, Aqua wiped the tears that came down her face before she spoke.
"Thanks... Xion."
With that, Aqua stood up on her feet to see Tenebris as he'd watched their conversation before he spoke.
"So... you ready to go?"
Knowing how much he cared for her, and for Xion, Aqua smiled at Tenebris before she replied.
"Yes. We're ready."
End Yoko Shimomura Music: "Aqua"
Later on, the trio had agreed to enter the Games with Phil having already signed them up. For them, it was a breeze throughout the competition. And yet, for all their strides, they still didn't encounter the person they're looking for, much to Aqua's discontent and sorrow.
"All that's left is the final, and still no sign of Terra."
With that, Xion brought up the opponent they're meant to fight.
"I know. Maybe the guy we're fighting next would know. He's someone named Zack."
At the mention of the name, Zack appeared behind her before she got surprised as he spoke.
"Aqua, Tenebris, and Xion, right? Hey, I'm Zack. Your opponent in the final. Man, finally! Once I beat you, I get to take on Terra!"
As he spoke quickly, Tenebris felt he was a bit too ecstatic in the way he spoke.
"Hey, slow down there. You're going too fast."
At that moment, Xion spoke up to him, confused by what he meant.
"Wait... are you saying there's another match on the final?"
Seeing her confusion, Zack could already guess they're new to this as he spoke to Phil.
"Uh-Oh. Guess you guys didn't get the memo. Oh, Phil! Would you tell them the rules?"
"Fine, here's how it is. The Games are divided into two brackets— you got your East, you got your West. The winners from each bracket face off in the championship match. Now, right now, you guys are competing in the East and we got no idea about the other side. For all we know, your boy Terra could be cruisin' through over in the West."
This made Aqua upset that she was fighting in the wrong side as she immediately vented her frustrations at having apparently wasted her time.
"Then I shouldn't be fighting matches here. I should be over there, looking for him."
As Aqua began to walk towards the door, Phil piped up as he spoke.
"No... you, uh... can't! It's not allowed. Athletes are expressly forbidden from watchin' in the other bracket."
Hearing this, Aqua could tell that Phil was trying to keep her from seeing Terra and grew angry as her hand began to pulse in a purple dark aura, catching Xion's concern as she gasped while Tenebris looked to her out of concern.
"You're lying! We both know you just made that up."
Quickly realizing how easy it is to get in her bad side, Phil told her the truth.
"Alright, fine! Look, you gotta stay and fight this match. The four athletes I entered defaulted before they made it to the top. Give a guy a break. I got a reputation."
As Aqua growled at this, Tenebris spoke up as he placed his hand on her dark one, expunging its aura before she looked to him out of surprise.
"It's alright, Aqua. Just play along for now. Knowing Terra, it's very unlikely he'd go down so easily."
As Tenebris pitched his idea to her, Aqua overheard Zack speaking from far away as he grew anxious.
"Hey, do it for us too?"
Aqua gave this some thought for a moment before she finally agreed.
"Alright, then. I'll finish what I started."
This made Phil relieved as he spoke up.
"You will? Oh, the gods are smilin' on me today! I'll be waiting for you in the vestibule. Just tell me when you're ready to go."
As Phil went inside, Hercules couldn't help but get pumped up as he spoke.
"A match between Zack and Aqua? This I can't miss."
Phil, however, barred his eagerness with a reminder.
"Ix-nay on the atchin'-way. You got trainin' to complete."
"Oh, that's right... Well, good luck, guys. I'll see you around."
With that, Hercules went out of the entrance field before Zack walked up to her and spoke.
"Aqua, give it your best out there."
"You too."
"I am so fired up!"
With that, Zach began doing squats while moving his arms up and down as Aqua became curious. How did he possibly know about Terra? And how exactly did they meet?
"Zack, Terra is a friend of mine. How exactly is it that you know him?"
"He saved my life. During the last Games, this dude named Bellator tried to make Terra succumb to the darkness, and he used me to do it. He had some kind of magic or something that made me crazy, weird powers that I turned against Terra."
As he finished his sentence, he stood up and finished his exercise before he spoke up again.
"But you know what? Terra freed me. And he didn't need the darkness to do it. Of course, Lux helped out too."
This made Aqua surprised as she didn't hear it like that before.
"I had no idea..."
"Well, that's enough with the drama. I guess I'll see you guys in the ring, huh?"
With that, Zack went inside the vestibule before she held her head down in reverence.
"Terra..."
As Xion noticed her worried face, she took her hand again, catching her notice before Xion spoke up.
"Please, Mom. Don't be sad. You'll see him again soon."
Hearing this, Aqua blushed at the fact she's calling her that again. Normally, she'd think it'd get old fast, but with the comfort she gave her in calling her this, Aqua couldn't turn it away and she got her relief back as she spoke.
"Okay. Thank you."
Later on, Aqua was now pitted against Zack with Xion and Tenebris watching on the sidelines as Zack spoke to him.
"I promised Terra I'd face him. Fair and square."
With that, he bravely drew out his sword as Aqua gave this situation some thought as she spoke to herself.
"The friendship between boys... it almost makes me jealous... let's fight!"
As she drew her Keyblade out, Aqua got in her stance as Xion and Tenebris cheered her on.
"You can do it, Mom!"
"Don't let your guard down, Aqua!"
As Aqua heard their cheers, she couldn't help but smile at them before she nodded to them just as Zack swung his sword into the air before aiming to strike her, forcing Aqua to summon her barrier before he struck it instead, urging her to raise it to the roof and scatter it, sending him back before she took the opportunity to propel him to the air and then strike him down to the ground. After this, Zack was forced to jump backward before he attempted the same trick, this time costing his sword with flames before Aqua caught onto it and she cartwheeled away. After which, Aqua felt the darkness in her calling to her as she felt a dark aura around her hand before she pushed it aside and used a more powerful spell.
"Enough!"
In doing so, she summoned three purple spheres before they circled around her before creating a barrier that froze Zack in place before he flew all about on the barrier, giving him damage before he became confused. Seeing this, Tenebris couldn't help but notice how serious Aqua was taking this. Was she holding back on the Unversed and Heartless before? Regardless, Aqua was doing well living up to her title as Keyblade Master as she coated her body in a bright pink aura before she thrusted her Keyblade forward as it was covered by a barrier in front of it before she began spinning it at him, slashing through his armor before launching him up to the air and firing an orb of light at him, pushing him back before she began to spin around like a ballerina, making a spiral that sent him flying into the air while keeping him atop her Keyblade before she thrusted it upwards where he was, summoning an ice crystal that pushed him back to the ground before Phil made the count.
"One, two, three! And that's it! Aqua's the winner of the East Finals!"
With the time up, he was forced to admit defeat.
"Ugh, I lost!"
With that, Zach got up from where he fell before he spoke to her, quickly brushing the embarrassment of losing off of him.
"I've got a long ways to go if I'm gonna become a hero."
Seeing his grinning face even after his loss, Aqua couldn't help but smile at him before a dark, brutish voice spoke up to her.
"Indeed, you do."
Play KH III Music: "Organization XIII"
With that, Aqua turned her head around to see a figure in a black coat with a bald head and yellow eyes, followed by a strong chin. Taking notice of the figure himself, Tenebris knew exactly who he was as he stepped in the arena and spoke up.
"To think that I bothered giving you the powers of darkness... they're wasted on you. But, for a Keyblade Master to wield them, it would no doubt be an interesting treat."
As the figure spoke, he began to stroke Aqua's chin before she turned away just as Zack called him out.
"Bellator!"
As he turned to him, Bellator gave a sigh before he spoke.
"Hmph. You still don't get it, do you? You were just the opening act. Now leave the stage."
"Opening act?!"
As Zack began to retort, Tenebris and Xion joined Aqua's side as he spoke to him.
"So, you're Bellator. You're one of the Thirteen Seekers, aren't you?"
As Bellator turned to Tenebris, he gave his reply in an uncaring tone before Aqua took great offense to it.
"And why does that matter to you?"
"You sure Zack and tried to cast Terra into the darkness."
"That was the plan, yes. But, for whatever reason, he's somehow managed to trap the darkness in his own heart. And a spineless boy who's immune to darkness is of no use to the Seekers."
"Terra is my friend. And I hear he triumphed over the darkness. He's not spineless."
"Perhaps. But that's more than I can say for you."
Hearing this reply, Aqua grew frustrated before he spoke onwards.
"You recall that young fellow at Radiant Garden? Xehanort was alongside Vanitas when your darkness called to you."
As he said that, Aqua remembered what Skoltadi said at Daybreak Town before.
"Your darkness may have been unlocked by Xehanort, but what you did to Tenebris in the future, that was your—"
As she heard this, Aqua became shocked to know who that young figure was.
"You mean... that was Master Xehanort?!"
As Tenebris and Xion gasped at the thought, Bellator explained.
"Not quite. At that boy's age, he's not Master quite yet. But still, he understood the darkness as to what it truly is. That's how he's bested you. He intended that same treatment for Terra to undertake."
"Never!"
"And he succeeded, somewhat. But if it wasn't for Lux, he would've been a pawn for us to use. But... there's still hope for you. Why fight a futile battle against what is inside you? You should welcome it, embrace it."
"The darkness doesn't interest me!"
Bellator scoffed at this before he pointed out her hand.
"You say that now, but in truth, the reality is quite otherwise."
With that, Aqua took notice of a dark aura on her hand before she became entranced in fear by it, much to Tenebris and Xion's worry before he spoke.
"No matter. Whether you accept it or not, destiny waits for no one."
With that, Bellator began to vanish in a dark portal as Zack went after him.
"Get back here, Bellator!"
However, he was too late as Bellator had already gone. In frustration, Zack grunted while tending his fists before he spoke to the group.
"Man, If only I were up against him."
When he looked back to Aqua, he noticed her trembling from the surge that was in her hand not too long ago. Could Bellator be right? Had the thoughts of darkness begun invading her mind? Before Aqua could dwell any longer on it, Tenebris spoke up.
"Aqua."
Hearing his voice, she immediately snapped out of her worried trance before he further spoke.
"I need you to listen. It's not wrong to have darkness in you. It's what you do with it that matters."
"But what if—?"
"Listen. Bellator's just trying to get on your head. You decide what you are, not him or anyone else. Got it?"
Hearing how serious Tenebris was becoming, Aqua couldn't help but sigh before she was visited upon by Zach.
"Aqua. You gotta avenge me and Terra."
Hearing this, Aqua remembered how Bellator spoke poorly of Terra. It's one thing to speak of him by itself, but to hear Terra badmouthed, it was going too far for her. She had to agree to it if it meant getting back at him for calling Terra spineless.
"I will."
Hearing the anger in her voice, Tenebris tried to convince her to calm down as he spoke again.
"Aqua, did you not hear what I just said?"
"I did. And right now, I don't care. Bellator can't get away with what he did to Terra."
"He didn't do anything, Aqua. He failed to, remember?"
As Aqua heard this, she recalled him saying that he's immune to darkness. And if that's true... what if Terra was becoming immune to her, too? Rather than think about that, Aqua shook her head before she spoke.
"Still, we can't take that risk. Bellator could get to me and to you. I just won't let that happen, Ten. I won't."
Hearing the hurt in her voice practically leaking out, Tenebris saw it futile to argue any further. And with that, he had to let her have the closure she needed.
"Alright. Just remember what I said, okay?"
Seeing how worried he is, Aqua gave him a small nod before she spoke.
"Thank you."
End KH III Music: "Organization XIII"
At night, Xion and Tenebris were sitting beside Zach she and the swordsman shivered in the cold air, catching Tenebris' eye before he took off his robe and placed it over Xion, seeing him in black pants with a long-sleeved tight skinned shirt as she smiled at him.
"Thank you."
"Sure. Anything for my daughter."
While Xion smiled at this with a giggle, Zack became interested in the topic as he spoke up.
"So, you're her dad?"
"Yep. And Aqua would be the mother?"
As he heard this, Zack became very upset as he spoke, confusing Tenebris.
"Aw, man!"
"What's up?"
"After all this was over, I was gonna ask her on a date?"
This made Tenebris quick to be angry, but since he was a boy, he had to let it go.
"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that."
At that moment, Aqua stepped into the arena and looked around for a moment before Bellator appeared and he spoke up.
"So, you choose to fight, knowing all that you do about the darkness. I suppose we can call it motivation."
With that, Bellator summoned a dark portal where his right hand was before silver chains got out and ensnared Xion by surprise as they tangled themselves around her and dragged her in the air as the chains held her up in the air, making Aqua worried as she called out to her.
"Xion!"
As Xion dangled above them, Bellator smirked as he spoke up.
"Let's do this."
And with the swing of his hand, Xion began to be swing everywhere like a rag doll as she helped and exclaimed in panic. As this happened, Zack grew angry as he stepped in.
"No fair, Bellator! Why bring Xion into this?!"
"I told you boy. She needs motivation."
And with one final swing, Xion was swung over to the wall before she was knocked unconscious, earning her groan as her head fell forward while the chain lifted her up, making Tenebris worried.
"Xion!"
Given the predicament, Aqua became angered as she shouted.
"That's it!"
At that moment, however, Aqua found herself letting the darkness take hold of her before she stopped herself.
"N-No! I can't let the darkness use me."
"But you will. You will fight me with all your resolve, or you will fall to the dark. Someone is going to fall to the dark. You, me, or your so-called 'daughter'. The question of which one of us it is is in your hands."
Seeing the situation escalate, Zack tried to intervene.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!"
However, Aqua only held her Keyblade in front of Zack as it and the hand that held it became coated in a dark aura for a moment before she spoke.
"Don't, Zack! You should help Ten get Xion free! I can do this on my own!"
With that, Bellator smirked before he summoned what nobody expected. The Keyblade of Master Xehanort. As Aqua and Tenebris gasped at seeing this, the former became very worried enough to inquire of how he obtained it.
"That Keyblade... it's Xehanort's! Why do you have it?!"
Bellator only maintained his smirk before he held it as a sword.
"You'll find out soon enough. With any luck, I'm counting on it."
With that, Aqua didn't hesitate to charge at him as she yelled with fury in her voice before they clashed their Keyblades together, sending a shockwave all around them before they began to clash repeatedly while Tenebris looked at where the unconscious Xion was and went over to Zack with a plan.
"Hey, Zack. Think you can cut those chains?"
"I think so. But I don't know if I can reach them even if I jumped."
"You could if you had a ride."
With that, Tenebris changed his Keyblade to a glider before he took Zack by the hand and the two flew up in the air and Zack got on top of his back where the glider was before they headed for her. As they got closer to her, however, more dark portals opened beside her before more chains cane out and went after Tenebris and Zack who easily dodged them before they planted themselves on the stage while the chains wrapped around Xion began to constrict her as she let out a groan of pain from it, concerning Aqua as she looked up at her before she became angry and pushed Bellator away, making him laugh as he noticed the darkness coating her already.
"Yes, Master Aqua! Keep it up! Give more of yourself to the dark!"
Not caring about what he had to say, only about how much he hurt Xion to make her so this, Aqua only retorted in an angry shout.
"SHUT UP!"
With that, she lunged at Bellator before they resumed their clash while Tenebris and Zack continued their attempt at rescue as they went closer. When they dodged the chains the second time around, they were still headed towards Xion before Zack managed to get his sword out and exclaim as he swung the sword at the chains to cut them loose, only for them to prove indestructible before more chains appeared and caught Tenebris and Zack, making them exclaim as they were suddenly pulled into the dark portals that captured them. This would've made Aqua more worried if she wasn't so focused on getting payback on Bellator as she began to beat down on his blade swiftly, making the Keyblade closer and closer of being knocked away before Aqua quickly did away with it, sending it to the stands before she held her own at his throat.
"It's over! You've lost!"
Bellator only gave a smile before he chuckled and spoke.
"You don't understand. You're the one who's lost."
As Aqua looked above her, he noticed Tenebris and Zack gone while Xion was slowly being pulled into the dark portal as Aqua reached out to her.
"XION!"
Unfortunately, her yells could not reach her as she did not stir from her unconsciousness before Bellator spoke up with a grin.
"It's over. Your friends will be lost to the shadows for good. And that means one less guardian to worry about."
Hearing this statement of pure pride, Aqua only glared at him, spiking her dark aura around her body before she looked at her hands and began to place herself at fault.
"What have I done? This... it's all my fault. They're gone because I let my darkness get the better of me... and now... I can't get them back!"
While Aqua shed her tears, she clung to the memories she had with the person she loved, as well as what Tenebris spoke to her not too long ago.
"It's not wrong to have darkness in you. It's what you do with it that matters."
Hearing them echo in her mind, Aqua began to realize what her darkness would allow her to do: save her friends. The Master always told her that Darkness needed to be destroyed, but in this case, she needed to make an exception. After all, that same realm is currently trapping her friends, and it's not too long ago that they sank in the abyss. With that, Aqua stood up as a dark aura coated her body once again, making Bellator confused before he spoke.
"Hmm? Still wanting to fight me, do you? Looking for relief from the anguish you feel?"
As his words mocked her, Aqua chose not to react and to bask in the darkness flowing through her as she spoke softly.
"No. I'm going to save them."
With that, Aqua held her hand out towards Bellator before the dark aura on her body scurried over to it and accumulated itself into a dark portal in between them, making Bellator all the more puzzled as he widened his eyes and gasped before Aqua made no hesitation to run into the abyss to get them back.
As Aqua ran in the void, she tried calling out to her friends as her voice echoed.
"Ten! Xion! Zack!"
After her shouts, however, there was no reply. What she did get in return, however, was a sharp pain in her heart before she fell to the floor and grunted at the sheer intensity of it all as she heard a darker version of her voice speaking to her.
You won't find them in here. You'll just fade in the darkness like everyone else will.
As soon as she heard this, Aqua became shocked. Who else was in that realm with her? However, not long after she heard it, she realized it was her own voice speaking to her. Tenebris must've felt something similar when he was in the Lanes Between. All the same, her goal to techie her friends did not change one bit.
"Then so be it. I don't care if I fall into the abyss. I miss them!"
With that, Aqua ran deeper and deeper in the void before she noticed Xion, Tenebris, and Zack unconscious, much to her concern as she hurried over to them and tried to shake Xion awake.
"Xion. Xion, wake up! Open your eyes! Please!"
When she did this, she heard Xion's groaning before she opened her sapphire eyes to see Aqua's face looking at her as she spoke.
"Mom? Is that you?"
"Yes, sweetie. It's me."
Before she could think of checking on Tenebris next, he heard his own groaning before he sat up and opened his eyes before looking around to see where they are as he spoke.
"Did anyone else hear voices?"
Once he realized where he was, a black void of none to see but Xion, Aqua, and Zack, he knew it'd make sense to hear them before he spoke, relieving Aqua further as she hugged him next.
"Oh. That's why."
"Oh, thank goodness! Ten! You're safe!"
As she wrapped her hands around him, Tenebris couldn't help but feel squeezed as he spoke up.
"Hey, easy, Aqua. It's not the place to do that. Wait... how did you even get here?"
"I... remembered what you said. So I had to use all the darkness I had to take me to this place."
When Aqua told this to him, he had a look of surprise over him. Aqua really summoned the darkness to get all the way here? As Tenebris tried to work out how to feel about that, he heard Zack groan as he stood up next before he gasped in exclamation before he shouted.
"Where the heck are we?!"
As Zack's shouts echoed, Tenebris held his hand out to him before Zack took his hand and stood up before he spoke.
"Somewhere where we won't be staying."
With that, Tenebris opened another dark portal with his hand before he turned to the others.
"Let's head back."
Desperate to get out of the dark place, everyone nodded in agreement before they entered through the dark portal.
Back at the arena, Aqua, Xion, Tenebris, and Zack went out of a dark portal to arrive back before it closed with Bellator bearing a look of intrigue before he spoke, mainly to Aqua.
"Impressive. You managed to control your darkness. But for how long can it last, I wonder?"
"Long enough for us to defeat you."
With that, Aqua lunged at him once again before he summoned his Keyblade again and partied her own, thrusting her back to where she lunged from before he spoke.
"Not yet. The time for the fated battle is not yet at hand. But I expect to see you again soon."
With that, Bellator teleported in a dark portal before he disappeared, leaving Zack vexed as if he'd been cheated.
"Stupid Bellator... next time, I'll put him in his place."
As Aqua grunted at his vanishing act, Tenebris could tell something was bugging her as he spoke up to her.
"Don't worry, Aqua. We'll see him again soon."
As a reply, however, Aqua only called her Keyblade away as she let it fade from her hand before she spoke while turning to him and Xion.
"I don't care about him. I'm just glad you two are okay."
As Tenebris smiled at her, he became curious about her friend.
"Wait... what about Terra?"
"From what Bellator said, he's immune to darkness. So, really, I don't think we need to worry anymore. I'm sure that by the time we find him, Terra will be fine."
As Tenebris heard this from Aqua, he smiled at her before he spoke up.
"And you wonder who told you that?"
Aqua couldn't help but smile at him back as she and him leaned closer to kiss, their lips making contract with another, making Zack drop his mouth while Xion smiled and watched the scene between them.
The next morning after the battle, Aqua and Tenebris were walking out of the vestibule with Xion in between them while Zack felt miffed about not having the chance to ask her out before he remembered what last night's victory meant.
"Oh, yeah! You guys are the champs! We gotta celebrate!"
This confused Aqua for a moment before she spoke.
"That won't really be necessary."
Despite this, Zack tried his best to think of an idea as he spoke.
"Hey, how about we spar with each other, just like I promised Terra."
This made Aqua surprised before Tenebris spoke up.
"Well, I don't know if now's the best time. We still got a lot to take care of."
Having just been in the Realm of Darkness for a while, and after what Bellator put them through, it's not hard to see why.
"Alright. You guys take care of those Seekers, whoever they are. And after that, then we can spar."
"I can't make any promises, but, hey, whatever helps you sleep at night. See you then."
With that, Zack gave a grinning smile before he ran out of the entrance just as Hercules arrived.
"Oh... it's over already? And I finished today's training in record time."
At that moment, he noticed Aqua's blush on her face for a moment.
"Uh, Aqua, what's wrong? Your face is red."
Not wanting to get onto the details, Aqua turned away and spoke dismissively.
"Nothing! Nothing."
After shaking off the blush that appeared after Zack's offer, which, truth be told, could've been worse (such as going on a date), Aqua spoke to Hercules about the reason he's training.
"You want to be a hero, too, right? Strength alone won't make you into one."
"I know. I know. Strength alone won't make me a true hero. I'm starting to figure that out. I look at you, Xion, Ten, and Zack, and I can tell there's something more."
"You've got strength in your heart, too. Never stop trying, and one day, you might just become a true hero after all."
As he took this advice to heart, Hercules smiled at her before he spoke.
"I will. Thanks, Aqua."
With that, Hercules ran inside the vestibule before she looked at her hand and sighed before Tenebris placed his upon hers and spoke.
"You know, the same thing goes for your heart, too. What you did with that darkness was a sign of progress. It was a bit dangerous, but still, you're showing progress. Keep that up, and you'll be as strong as he is, too."
"I know. That's why I'll keep fighting, too. Just like the way you are, Ten..."
As Aqua leaned on Tenebris in their moment of peace, Xion placed her hand on Aqua's open hand, catching her attention before she spoke of their travel plans.
"So... where do we go from here?"
Being asked that question, Aqua looked to the sky as she replied.
"Wherever the dark takes us."