Chapter 18

A Fragment in Time


"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip


Flowers and trees jutted out of the ground as the two marched though dark realm. Aqua kept her head down as Natsu glanced at her. "Hey Aqua... want to see if we can find something to eat?" He asked, concerned for her health and energy. "We're no good to anyone if we can't fight."

"No, I'll be fine." She replied, ignoring the feeling of hunger. "We need to keep moving and find-" She looked up and came to a stop, making Natsu bump into her before looking himself. "It... can't be..." She mumbled, staring up at the castle from Cinderella's world.

The two quickly raced forward, heading straight for the castle. At a clearing, a group of black skinned creatures with glowing yellow eyes rose up, forcing the two to summon their blades.

"Why is Cinderella's world here in the darkness?" Aqua asked before slashing her blade. The creature recoiled from the weapon before it lunged at her, where she did a reverse slash and destroyed it. Natsu jumped and used a Wing Attack spell to slice through two more before landing.

He spun around and slashed with his sword before thrusting backwards, impaling another three. "Together!" Aqua shouted before the two spun around each other. Water and fire spiraled off their blades, wiping out the rest of the small swarm. The two friends raced on, but just as they were about to reach the castle, the ground in front of them cracked and fell apart. A few pillars remained standing as a crystalline rail connected to the other side. "Well, guess we should get going."

They hopped and jumped over the ravine before Natsu mistimed and bumped into Aqua. They tumbled off the crystal and rolled a bit before the two were staring directly into each other's eyes. Aqua blushed a bit as Natsu stared at her, reminded of her beauty. The girl quickly climbed off before offering a hand to the boy. They stood up and walked into the town, looking around.

"This is wrong..." Aqua whispered walking over a board. "Her world shouldn't be here. Did we fail our mission?" She clenched her fist over heart as if it was in pain. "I took it for granted. I thought I had nothing in life to lose. The grief in this place is too much to fathom."

"You can't keep wishing on the past." Natsu said, catching her attention. "I wanted nothing more than to bring my world back. But... I can't. So we have to live for now." A small smile appeared on her face as she walked over and hugged him. He raised his arms up to hug back, only for her to pull away.

Her confidence restored, the two walked through the town before finally reaching the castle. The clocktower was frozen in place on midnight. The two walked forward only for the ground to start shaking. The tile pathway collapsed as the clock spun out of control. Both raced back over to the edge only for the tiles under them to crumble.

Aqua jumped from rubble to rubble until she reached the top as Natsu jumped straight up. They turned to the clock and found it frozen in place at 5 before finding a set of floating gears next to them. "What now?" Aqua asked.

"When in doubt, punch it." Natsu suggested before swinging his sword. The gears started glowing before they shot towards the clock, making it turn back to 2:30. The broken path put itself back together as they stared in amazement. "I had no clue that would happen." He confessed.

"I think we need to find the other gears." Aqua said before the two turned back and headed into town. Natsu started sniffing the air before running, the girl following suit. The boy jumped onto a house and found the gears before turning around and helping her up. She flew at the gears and swung her sword at the gears.

The second set of the gears glowed before flying and the tower reached midnight, fully restoring the path. The two ran towards the castle before a giant black pillar erupted in front of them. The two readied their blades as the pillar ebbed and flowed, glowing eyes peering at them. The pillar dived into the the ground and the two backed into each other for safety.

Natsu started sniffing the air for the creature before his eyes went wide. "Scatter!" He shouted only for the pair to get blasted back from the rising Heartless. Aqua was the first to stand as she fired off a light spell. The tower moved to the side and clawed at the girl, forcing her back.

The Dragon Slayer raced forward and jumped onto the swarm before stabbing down. The swarm merely moved to the side and grabbed the blade before it spun around, dragging Natsu along the ground. Aqua raced after it and fired a Ice Spell at the swarm, only for the magic to bounce off.

The tower let go of the second Keyblade user and he tumbled along the dirt. "Aqua, what do we do?" Natsu asked, standing up.

"I don't know." The master shouted, rolling away from the tower. "This thing is too thick. Our spells aren't doing much to it."

"Maybe we're not hitting the right part." Natsu suggested, blocking the oncoming tower. He pushed it back before spinning to the side, letting the tower dig itself into the ground and it bounced off. "Hey, I've got an idea."

The tower twisted around some rubble before charging the two as Natsu jumped up. Aqua moved to stop him before a smile crossed her face. Flames began erupting from the twister of dark creatures before it started bubbling. The creatures turned red hot and started popping like corn. A massive fireball erupted from the center before the whole tower exploded, letting Natsu dropped to the ground.

An orb of glowing darkness floated around the tow before they both thrusted into it at the same time. The core destroyed, the two stared up at the castle before walking forward. "What I wouldn't give to REALLY turn back time." Aqua said, turning around. "To spend one more night beneath the stars with my best friends."

She reached for the sky before Natsu grabbed her hand. "I forgot, we have to stay strong."

"Aqua... Natsu..." Both gasped in shock before turning around, seeing Terra walk down the stairs.

"It can't be! What are you doing here?" The girl asked. "You're supposed to be in the realm of light! Don't tell me. Did you not make it out? Has the realm of light-" Terra said nothing as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Why won't you answer me!?"

"Aqua..." Natsu shook his head before walking through the other boy, making Terra glimmer. "This is just the Darkness playing with your mind."

Aqua looked shocked before letting out a sigh. The two walked up the stairs and Aqua spared one last glance back before Natsu grabbed her hand again. They walked through the door to the ball room and in a flash of light found themselves in a forest world. "Another world that was lost to the darkness?" She asked, looking around.

She performed a quick double take and raced over to a glass casket. Natsu followed her and the two stared at the empty casket before letting out a sigh. "She's not here..." Natsu said as Aqua felt something appear. Both turned and came face to face with the Evil Queen's mirror before walking towards it.

The glass started glowing before the two jumped back in shock as the mirror cracked and shattered. Another bright light blinded the pair before they found themselves watching Terra and Ventus walk away. Natsu gripped her hand as the two turned into glimmers of light and found themselves in a thorny forest.

Dozens of Darksides were feeding a large yellow orb of energy. "What now?" Natsu asked. Aqua wasted no time and raced forward, Natsu quickly following behind. Spiked balls of darkness rained down on the two and they were forced to dodge. They jumped over the impact points before Natsu unleashed a roar, burning through the vines in front of them.

They slid under some spiked vines before Aqua grabbed Natsu's arm and threw him into the air. Lightning and flames rolled off his arms before they polled into his palms. The orbs grew in size before he slammed them together. The two orbs hit and destroyed the Darkside, the orb and the other heartless faded as they started getting pulled into the energy.

The orb faded and the two landed on the ground before they saw Terra and Ven standing at the edge of the crater. "Aqua, Natsu..." Terra spoke up, catching the girl's attention.

"Terra, you spoke?" She asked walking forward.

Terra seemed as shocked as she was. "You can see me?"

"Of course, I can see Ven too!" She replied.

"Ven's here too?" Terra asked.

"Terra, what's wrong? Don't you see him?" Aqua asked.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"A world the darkness consumed, the Enchanted Dominion." She answered, making Natsu step forward. "How do I know you're real? Ven, say something." She raced over and leaned into the younger boys face.

"Aqua, Natsu, listen." Terra spoke up. "I promise this is me, but I'm not myself. You're both using the name 'Terra'. That means you're seeing me the way you want to remember me. But your hearts are just painting the picture you want to see. The truth is I'm lost in shadow."

"Does that means you're here?" Natsu asked.

"No." The illusion replied, walking away a bit. "My heart still has ties to the darkness. Maybe that's why we can talk, but I can't see anything. If Ven is there like you said, then he's like me- an illusion created by your hearts."

The pair turned back to Ventus and hungs their head before Aqua spoke up. "I understand. Then, are you and Ven in the outside world?"

"I think so..." 'Terra' replied.

"How did you even find us?" Natsu asked.

The illusion placed his hand over his heart and clutched it. "I looked in here, and heard you both in the darkness."

"But why does your heart have ties to the darkness?" Aqua asked. "And what do you mean by 'lost in shadow'?"

"Xehanort..." Natsu realized, making the brunette nod.

"He's trying to locate Ven." 'Terra' replied.

"He'll never find him, we hid Ven well." Aqua said, turning back to the other boy. "I think the reason he's not talking is because he's still there sleeping."

"Terra, what's wrong?" Natsu asked, making the bluenette turn back. The illusion was gripping his head as his hair turned white and a black aura rolled off him. The struggle ceased before the two humans jumped back. "Who are you, for real this time?"

The boy raised his head when a glowing Terra wrapped his arm around the mouth. "Aqua, Natsu! Get back!" He shouted as the two struggled. "I messed up. Xehanort is a part of me. Now he's using me so you'll tell him where you hid Ven!" The vines began crumbling around them as cracks splintered in the ground.

"I won't give in! You two have to-" The silver haired teen grabbed his glowing counterpart and blasted his face with darkness before lifting him up.

"Terra!" Aqua shouted. Natsu turned around and saw a portal open up before a giant hand shot out. He pushed Aqua to the side as a second arm grabbed him while the first grabbed Ven.

"Now become one with the darkness!" The possessed boy declared.

Natsu struggled to break free from the grip as Terra snapped his open. "That is ENOUGH!" Golden chains and an orange aura exploded out from him. Natsu started to lose consciousness as the portal swallowed Aqua, the last thing he saw was the chains wrapped around the dark version.


The two fell backwards into the abyss when they felt something grabbed their hands. "Aqua, Natsu, are you two okay?" Their eyes opened and they stared at Mickey for the first time in years before he lead them to an open plain. "Gosh... I never thought I'd just stumbled into ya in the realm of darkness, that's for sure." Mickey said. "So... what happened?"

"Have you seen Terra or Ven?" Aqua asked.

"No, just you two." The king replied, making the girl sigh.

"I'm sorry." She replied. "The darkness in this place is getting to me." Natsu gripped her hand and smiled at her, giving her some strength.

"Oh... but you'll both be okay." Mickey replied. "You know, we've been looking for you two for a long time. How'd you get to this place?"

Natsu looked at Aqua before turning to Mickey. "First tell us, how long has it been in the realm of light?"

"...Ten years." The mouse answered, hanging his head.

"After we last spoke, we took Ven somewhere safe and then we went after Terra." Aqua said, staring up at the 'sky'. She let go of Natsu's hand and pulled out her Wayfinder before staring up at it. "But Terra was about to fall to darkness, so we had one choice. We stayed behind to give him a chance."

"I... didn't know." The mouse said.

"What about you?" Natsu asked as Aqua turned around. "What brought you here? Has something happened in the realm of light?"

"It's the Heartless." The king answered. "They've been attacking worlds and taking their hearts. And worlds with no hearts vanish into darkness. But if we can lock the door between the two realms from both sides, we can protect the other worlds. So, I came here to find the key on this side.

"Turns out, it's not so easy getting into the realm of darkness. The points you can cross have become unstable. Only when a world gets consumed can an entrance appear in the realm between. So I... waited for my chance to sneak in." He walked over to the two and gripped their hands. "And when I got here, I felt a warm familiar light. I followed it to find my to you two."

"The charms." Aqua mumbled, looking at the trinket. "They were helping after all. Terra and Ven brought us all back together."

"But the worlds are still in danger." Natsu said before kneeling down. "Did Terra make it back to the realm of light?"

"...We still haven't found him." The king confessed, making the two hang their heads.

"Well, wherever he is, he's fighting." Aqua said, clutching her charm to her chest. "He'll beat his darkness, and I know he'd want us to fight too."

"You're right, he'll be just fine." Natsu chuckled. "But what about Ven? He won't wake up unless Aqua is with him. We need to find a way back to the realm of light."

"Good, then the three of us will locate that key and go home together!" Mickey declared.

"So does that mean you know a way out?" The Dragon Slayer asked.

The mouse stepped back a bit before rubbing his head. "Well... I was so busy finding a way in that I didn't give a lot of thought to where there'd be a way out. But, I'm sure we'll find one!"

Aqua chuckled at the confession, making the two turn to her. "You haven't changed a bit."

The males joined in the laughter before Mickey turned to the darkness. "May our hearts be our guiding key." He said.

"There's a phrase no one's used in ages." Aqua said.

"Keyblades wielders used to say those words to each other." The king replied, reaching forward. "And now, it's something I like to try and remember." He clenched his fist shut before turning to the two. "So, ready?" He offered the two a hand and they all shook before the walked through the darkness.

They walked through a cave and braced their eyes from a blinding light. The three lowered their arms and found themselves walking over a beach until they reached a cliff, a destroyed wooden structure behind them. "This is... where we met those children." Aqua sadly said.

"So many worlds have been lost. And now they're trapped here in the dark." Mickey added, Natsu holding his hand over his heart. "Wait, you know this place?"

"Yeah, we were here once." Natsu answered. "We meet two boys Aqua considered passing the Keyblade on to. But because Terra had already given one of them the power, we didn't."

The king flinched before turning to the two. "What were the boys' names?"

"I think they said... Sora and Riku." Natsu remembered, punching his head.

"So... we're getting warm." Mickey mumbled, confusing the two. "It's been Sora and Riku who have been helpin' me. We're tryin' to get that door shut for good."

"The same boys?/No way!" The two shouted at the same time.

"If this is where they first got the Keyblade, it must also be where we'll find its counterpart." The mouse surmised. "The Keyblade of darkness had gotta be here on the dark side of their world."

The island shook violently before the three turned to see a clawed hand grab onto the edge of the island. A massive Heartless pulled itself up. the beasts head was a mix of a dragons mouth and horns and bat ears. A red and black heart shaped emblem was branded on it's neck as it roared, showing rows of sharp teeth. The body is midnight black in color with white eyes, green flame like markings all over its body, with two pairs of black and green demonic wings. On its chest are five blue eyeballs that are in a circle, protecting a glowing orb. Finally, it possessed six legs and the front and back pair have an organic "fin" of sorts which resembles a flame as well.

The creature roared before the five chest eyes glowed and the sky turned red as it marched forward. The wings flapped before a storm of wind pushed the three back. The chest eyes glowed black before purple lasers fired off, all aimed at the three. Natsu and Aqua summoned their blades before blocking the beams. Blue fire began leaking out of the two eyes on the head before beams of flames shot out.

Natsu rolled in front of Aqua before opening his mouth, sucking the flames into his gullet. Aqua jumped up and began firing a stream of water. It pushed back the flames before Natsu triggered his Water Dragon mode and joined in. The two started walking towards the beast as Mickey raced around the two. Both beams died before the two rolled out of the way of a heavy stomp. Mickey jumped up and started swinging his blade into the glowing center.

The creature roared before more beams blasted the king back and then collapsed to the ground. Aqua and Natsu ran over and the two started slashing into the skin. Instantly, the beast's middle arms grabbed the two and slammed them together before standing back up. Its black tongue licked the girls face and she shivered in disgust before the creature roared at the two.

Their heads were ringing in pain before Mickey raised his Keyblade. "Ultima!" A green orb pulled the elbows together and binding them together, letting Mickey run up an arm and slice Natsu free before doing the same with Aqua. "Any ideas how we can beat this thing?"

"I don't think I can get this thing to swallow me." Natsu said, confusing the mouse.

The orb exploded and damaged the beast, knocking it towards the edge. "I have an idea." Aqua theorized aloud as the jaws of creature split apart before unleashing another roar, forcing the three back. "When I give the signal, jump and use your Sword Horn. Mickey, stop this sound as quick as you can." She began glowing green before pointing her sword at the Dragon Slayer.

The king pushed against the wave before pointing his sword at the mouth. Lightning rained from the sky and zapped the beast. "Now!" Natsu jumped into the air as the Master fired off a tornado. Natsu ignited his body and rode the tornado before he hit the creature as hard as he could and it lost its footing.

The massive creature tumbled off the island into the abyss as Natsu landed on the edge. His left foot slipped and he started to fall off, but Aqua reached out and pulled him in.

The island returned to normal as the three dismissed their blades and the king walked over. "Let's keep going." Mickey said, making the humans nod before they entered the cave. The rock walls around them held various doodles as a lone wooden door stood out of place. "I bet it's in here."

The three pushed against the wood and the door opened, showing only a golden bladed Kingdom Key floating in the air. "There."

They walked into the chamber and stared at it. "This is it?" Natsu asked.

"Yep, it's just the key I was looking for. A Keyblade from the realm of darkness." Mickey walked over and grabbed it, holding it carefully. "The door of darkness... tied by two keys. The door of darkness... to seal the light. Welp, we've got the keys. Now, we find the ones to close the door."

"What?" Aqua asked.

"The door between the two realms- it won't let a heart with light pass through it." Mickey explained. "So only darkness keeps getting out. We need to lock the door by using the two Keyblades, but we need help on both sides to get the door shut."

"Well, since you'll be doing the locking, the two of us should be closing." Natsu said.

"Sorry, but the job's been taken... by someone else." Mickey replied, confusing the two. The island shook again before a blinding light filled the cave. The three lowered their arms and once more found themselves off the island.

A large white door that was cracked open caught their attention. "Is that the door?" Aqua asked.

"Yep, the door to Kingdom Hearts." Mickey nodded before turning to them. "Well, not the Kingdom Hearts you two know. Not exactly. But even though it's small, it still has the hearts of many worlds. And even if it's not a complete Kingdom Hearts, we can't leave it open like this. Otherwise darkness will keep escaping and destroy even more worlds.

"It's time." Mickey raised his key and pointed it at the door. "With this key and Sora's in the realm of light, we're gonna close this door. Now, all we need is Riku."

Aqua hung her head in shame of her failure to spare the boys from this fate before Natsu held her hand. "There!" The two looked up and saw a teenage Riku running towards the door. The three ran after him before the Heartless from before rose up from a ravine and flew towards Riku. "No!"

Aqua and Natsu raced ahead of the king before summoning their blades and jumping into the air. "Back off!" They slashed at the arms and cut through the back fins, angering the creature. It turned around and flew over head, the wing beats pushing them back. Its chest eyes fired their beams and forced them to dodge.

"Go on without us!" Natsu shouted before the beast grabbed them with the back legs, dragging them through the door. The Heartless spat them back onto the island before throwing the two the ground. With a pair of grunts, they rolled up ready to fight. They jumped back from the pair of fists before Natsu swung his blade. Aqua pulled her sword back and fired off a swarm of magic. "We'll face the long darkness, together."

"When someone wanders into the realm of darkness, we'll be here." Aqua jumped back from another mega laser from the creature. Natsu jumped used a Wing Attack to slice the wings off, making it roar in pain. Aqua jumped and landed on an arm before running up, swinging her sword. "A pair of lights to cut through the shadows. We will be their wayfinders."

Aqua jumped over a slash as Natsu pulled his sword back, fire and lightning rolling off him. "And one day, we'll return to Terra and Ven!" Both declared before they respectively dived and jumped into the swarm, a blinding light erupting from their swords as they punctured the head and chest.


The two stared up at the clear sky as it turned from a pristine blue to a dark night. "It's just the two of us again." Aqua said as Natsu walked over with some mushrooms and coconuts in his arms. He skewered the fungi on some sticks before quickly roasting them and handing one to Aqua.

"No arguing." He insisted. "You need to keep your strength up." The girl chuckled before taking a bite from her stick, tearing off a mushroom. Natsu burned a hole into the fruit and handed it to her before doing the same with his own.

The two shared a drink when suddenly small balls of light fell from the sky. "They did it. The worlds are being restored." Aqua smiled.

"Never doubted them for a second." Natsu added as the two fell back into darkness, their food fading away. The landed on another beach before walking towards the shore, only a black cloaked man sitting on a rock.


Journal Update

Shadow- Heartless that emerge from various places. They sneak up to their enemies and strike them with sharp claws. They are extremely tenacious, often chasing their prey to the end. Natsu personally fought hundreds of these when his world fell.

Demon Tower- A dark swarm of Shadows, stacked into a looming spire. The fact that its foul ilk has been seen not just in the realm of darkness but in the realm of light is surely a harbinger of some coming evil.

Murcielago- An extremely dangerous Heartless and the first one like it seen since they entered the realm of darkness. It is unnaturally large and yet is somehow still able to able to fly with it's four wings. Lasers, flames, and sonic roars are just a few of the abilities this bizarre creature has. As if fighting it once wasn't hard enough, Natsu and Aqua had to fight it a second time.


This was originally a longer chapter that also had the secret ending, but with what I plan to do it needs much more detail and focus. So I split it in half and put all the major fights in this chapter. And I'd like to thank Antex-The Legendary Zoroark for this massive Heartless. There will be a few more original Heartless/Unversed in other chapters, so that's something to look forward to.

Next chapter is gonna have some serious shit hitting the fan. See ya then.

Beta read by The 3rd Dragneel.


02/15/20- Murcielago has been drawn and posted on Deviantart by Lightning-in-my-Hand. Please go check it out there if you want.