The journey through the realm of darkness was a constant battle with something. If it wasn't the dark dwellers putting an aggressive front, the realm itself would fight with the intruder's mind. However, something about this fight was different. The dark soldier was unlike any monster Aqua had encountered before. The amount of skill and determination shown were not that of a monster at all. It was like a human fighting for survival. Was that really a being of darkness? Is it a man, or is it just disguising itself as one? Could the darkness deceive you so well that you would even ask these kinds of questions? Nothing was impossible in a realm thriving in chaos. As the battle raged on, the keyblade wielder was pushed to her edge. She did not expect such a drawn out fight with just one adversary, but the black haired man seemed to be at his limit as well. Keeping eye contact with each other, they both kept their distance while trying to regain their breath.

-You know… It's like a deja-vu… Oh, yeah… Now I remember… The last time I fought with her… – the soldier straightened up as he regained some energy – I did lose back then… But I won't let it happen now.

-I'm not going to lose to you.

-Huh? – he gave the girl a vague look, then let out a small chuckle – So you CAN talk after all. Here I thought I forgot her voice.

-Quit it with that nonsense! – the girl snapped back at him, readying her keyblade.

-Did I upset you? Oh I'm sooo sorry miss Darkness! – the man got back into his fight stance – Guess what, I'm not going to lose either.

Aqua aimed her keyblade towards the soldier, ready to cast an ice spell. In a moment, the ground turned into ice as the icicle approached the black haired man. To avoid getting hit, he jumped straight towards her with his blade ready to attack. The keyblade master used the spell to her advantage, by stepping on the ice and launching herself forward, avoiding the soldier's shockwave attack and casted a fireball towards him, immediately after he touched the ground. As he managed to block the projectile at the last moment, the blue-hair got closer to strike him from the side. He responded quickly and their blades clashed again, leaving a shower of sparkles behind. But the girl responded with another strike, this time intentionally hitting the sword itself which flew out of the soldier's hand and followed with a kick to the stomach, sending him to the ground. Before the man could get up again, he had the tip of the young master's keyblade right in front of his eyes. As she stood above him, she could see the soldier hastily looking around for an escape. Realising he couldn't do much from the position he was in, he frowned at the girl while angrily clenching his fist. A slight hint of fear could be seen creeping into his angry expression. Would the darkness be scared of its own destruction? Maybe if I push him a bit, he'll tell me how to get out? Without lowering her keyblade, the woman looked at the soldier coldly.

-Who are you?

She was met with a surprised expression. Sitting on the ground, the dark soldier did not respond. Aqua spoke again:

-Why are you acting like you know me? Who are you? What's your game?

-What…? What do you mean "who are you"?

-Don't try to mess with my head again, dark dweller. You might not be like the other monsters, but you're playing games just like all the rest.

-Huh? Dark dweller? You're the impersonating dark monster here!

The girl's keyblade gained a slight red shine, indicating she had a fire spell ready to go. The black haired man kept his head as far as possible from the now burning tip of the blade.

-You should choose your next words carefully. How do I get out of here?

-What?! Are you joking right now?! You should be the one to know that! – the man screamed at her in anger. Aqua kept her composure and spoke with a cold tone.

-Last warning. Stop messing with me and tell me what I want to know.

-You're the one who's messing with me all the time! Don't you want to get rid of me, anyway?! What's your prob–

The soldier suddenly fell silent, feeling the heat closer than before, shifting his gaze back and forth from the tip of the keyblade to the girl. But then, as he kept looking at her, his expression seemed to change slightly. At the moment, he did not seem bothered by the keyblade at all, concentrating on the woman's face. His eyes widened more and more, just as his face became more pale than the road he was sitting on.

-...Aqua…? – he finally muttered in complete shock. The girl frowned, hearing her name again from the mouth of someone she did not know.

-No way… Are you… Actually…?

-I said STOP MESSING WITH ME! – the girl exploded, her keyblade going into a full red glow. The soldier managed to kick the weapon away from his face, causing the fireball to fly upwards. Recovering from the surprise attack, Aqua directed another blow towards the man as he was getting up. He managed to grab the blade of her key, stopping it mere inches from his face.

-Wait…! Just one second…! – the raven haired man tried his best to keep the keyblade away from him. The young master let the hilt of her keyblade go and made it reappear in her hand, ready to strike.

-Hey, calm down! Please, I can explain! – he pleaded, dodging her attacks in the process. Keeping his hands open in front of him, to show he did not intend to fight, trying his best to calm the blue haired girl down – Aqua, please!

The girl stopped her attack, with her weapon pointed straight at the man in black. Looking at him coldly, she intended to let him speak.

-Listen, I know you! You might not recognize me, but you know me too!

-I don't remember meeting any soldier from the dark realm or whatever you're supposed to be.

-Do I look like a… – the man said, examining his black outfit – Well… Maybe I do. I'm not one though! We've met, we've met before! Oh, how do I even explain this…

The girl frowned again, hearing these outlandish claims. The attitude of this man, all panicked and trying to find his words… She did not know what to think of it all. Would the darkness go to such lengths to try and make her put her guard down? Did she really know this man? But from where? Dark hair, blue eyes, soldier attire… Does it fit anyone she remembers?

-The Coliseum! That's right, it's where we met!

The Coliseum? What coliseum? Have I ever been to a coliseum before? Suddenly noticing her back getting warmer, she reached with her free hand towards the pocket on her back and got out her wayfinder. It was shining slightly, giving off a warm feeling. Did it want to tell her something? Looking at the charm in her hand, then at the man again, she couldn't help but think there was something familiar about him after all...

-We fought in the tournament! I lost, but then you became the champion!

The champion? Tournament? At the coliseum? Why does it all sound so familiar? Moving the hand with the wayfinder closer to her chest, she tried to find the connection. Was it… Olympus Coliseum? The wayfinder shone brighter, as if it wanted to dispel the darkness clouding her memory. She was searching for Terra and ended up in Olympus Coliseum. She joined the tournament to try and meet with him. But who was there again? Black hair… Blue eyes…

-I wanted to help you fight Hades and that Ice Titan, but you beat them all alone, like a true hero!

Hero? The word lingered in her mind. A true hero… That's when it hit her. Coliseum, tournament, Terra, Hades… Hero. As she opened her eyes wide, looking at the dark haired man, she finally found the missing piece. The wayfinder shining brightly in her hand, only one word managed to escape her mouth:

-Zack…

The man straightened up, putting his hands down slowly. For a second, he looked like he did not understand what she just said. His face brightened up just a moment later, getting into a more relaxed pose.

-That's me! You remembered after all! – he put his hands behind his head with a big grin on his face. However, Aqua's face was not a happy one. Her eyes showed concern as she slowly lowered her keyblade. Clutching the wayfinder to her chest, she knew it wouldn't lie to her. The magic she had woven into it helped her feel the connection towards her friends she made on her journey. The man in front of her was no exception. She could actually feel her charm acting up during their fight, dismissing it as a simple act of encouragement. As it turned out, it was actually screaming for them to stop. Now that the girl realised her mistake, it made her feel guilty. Her keyblade disappeared in a flash of light as her eyes stared down to the ground in shame. Standing there in silence, she did not notice when the man got closer, until she heard a small "hey" right in front of her. Snapping out of it, her eyes looked up again and met Zack's worried face, not more than a metre away.

-I'm sorry… – she finally said, avoiding contact with his eyes – I should have realised sooner, I almost…

-Don't worry about it, it's fine.

-But… – Aqua uttered, but Zack didn't let her continue, as he kept talking with more excitement.

-We both didn't know, so it's not your fault. I do look a bit different from what you'd remember anyway! What a headache this place is, right? I mean I did not expect to run into anyone here, especially you! What are you even doing here? Hey you don't look so well, wanna sit down and rest?

-That's… I'm fine, just… too many questions – she replied, a bit overwhelmed by the man's energy. Somehow the tension in the air disappeared completely, even though she still didn't feel well about the previous situation. Zack cracked an awkward smile as he began apologising. The blue haired girl advised him to pick up his sword that was lying further down the road, as monsters could attack them any second. When he jogged off towards his weapon, she could finally take a deeper breath and have a look around. The maze was nowhere to be found. All she could see were three roads, as always going far beyond what the eyes could see, surrounded by floating rocks. Glancing back at Zack again, he had already picked his sword up and was coming back towards the crossroads where Aqua was waiting. The man could be seen twirling his weapon around a few times, before finally putting it on his back.

How does he have so much energy? – she shook her head in disbelief.

-Alright I'm back! You threw it pretty far away, I have to say – Zack remarked as he approached the waiting girl.

-Sorry…

-Oh come on, I told you it's fine. So what now?

-We should move. It's not safe to stay in one place for too long.

-Right. I guess we should take the road we didn't come from?

-I think so… Were there any other paths from your side?

-Not exactly. I did end up in a weird maze before meeting you though.

-Really? Interesting… Did it have the thick black mist?

-Yeah. It took some time to figure out the exit, I mean who would have thought about running backwards? This place loves to do weird stuff with your head, so I guess it's not surprising it wouldn't be so obv… Hey, what are you laughing at?

-Maybe you grew up a bit, but you haven't changed at all – she chuckled, keeping her hand in front of her grin.

-What's that supposed to mean? – Zack asked again, crossing his arms.

-As I said, too many questions – Aqua turned her back towards the dark haired man to hide her amused smile. Looking down the road they were about to take, she added – It's going to be a long walk. Shall we?

-Right behind you – he replied as they started moving forwards – I still can't believe you're here. It's not the best place to have a reunion after all.

-Indeed… Not the best place at all.

-I'm still glad, though. Not about us being here of course! Just, you know… Um…

-I understand… – she cut the slightly embarrassed man off as he tried to find his words – It must feel good… Being able to speak to someone other than yourself.

The man fell silent for a moment, hearing his own thoughts escaping from the woman's lips.

-It does get pretty lonely here… At least when the monsters don't want to tear you into shreds.

-I can't say which is worse…

-Yeah… But that's not a problem anymore! We're here together, so we'll watch each other's backs! – Zack exclaimed more cheerfully, putting his fist in the air as he grinned towards the blue-hair.

-I guess you're right – Aqua replied, smiling back at him. With a questioning look in her eyes, she touched her lips with her fingers.

-What's wrong?

-It feels so weird… – she muttered – I guess I was here for so long that I just… Forgot what it's like to smile…

His eyes widened up after hearing the young master's words, while hers fixed the ground as they both continued to walk in awkward silence. She already smiled two times after meeting him, but it really felt so unnatural. Her thoughts started circulating again. Thinking about the battle that happened. About the words she said. Why did she even say that to him? She blamed herself for ruining the mood. Even though she finally wasn't alone, the shame she felt did not let her utter a single word. The silence was unbearable, but she just couldn't break it. The only solace the blue haired girl had found was the sound of his footsteps coming from her left, which was a reminder that, yes, there indeed was someone there with her. As she concentrated on that, questions were popping up in her mind. Why was Zack here? How did he end up in this place? Did something happen to him or his world? How much time has passed since they last met? She wanted to ask him about so many things, but she couldn't do it. What if the questions were too sensitive? Would he get offended and not talk with her at all? He's probably mad already. Maybe if she'd go first…

Ridiculous! What am I even doing? – she snapped back, outraged at her own weakness. All the worries were frustrating her more and more. The walk, the silence, the thoughts, it was all too much. She just needed to get it off her chest, come what may. She turned her head towards the man while calling out his name, but then her words froze in her throat as soon as she had him in her vision. Zack was now walking just two steps behind her, with his arms crossed and his eyes staring at the ground. He seemed to be deep in thought, his face bearing a pained expression, in stark contrast to his previous demeanour. She wanted to reach out to him. Call his name, grab his shoulder, anything to get his attention. But she couldn't. Her body was not listening to her at all, her lips couldn't open to let words out, the only action was walking forward. She was ashamed. Ashamed and scared. Even though there was someone right next to her, she was alone. She was seeing her legs again. When did she even turn her head back? The footsteps got quieter… Why was her face wet? A raindrop just fell between her legs. But there's no rain here. There's also no time here. Time… Walk… Think… Just how much longer does she have to wait? Can the scary monsters just attack now? Anything other than just walking in this ugly place, staring at this ugly road and these ugly legs with her ugly eyes on that stupid blue head of this idiot of a master that nobody is even looking for, that everybody forgot about, that got trapped in here for nothing and couldn't even get a stupid conversation going and who just wants to dissapear in that very instant, just jump into the void and then…

She felt something on her shoulder. Immediately, her body turned towards the disturbance. Zack's face was right in front of her, with his hand in the air, as it got swatted away by the girl's swift movement. She glanced around for any danger, but realised there was nothing else in the area. Before she had time to ask what was wrong, the man gently put his hand up on her shoulder again and looked her in the eyes.

-Are you okay…? – the dark haired boy asked in the most gentle voice possible. His eyes were full of concern, as if he looked at a stray puppy laying under a wet cardboard box. She did not know how to respond. Why was he even asking that? Aqua was just staring at him in confusion. What can she even say? Yes? That's not even remotely true. No? That'd make it even worse. What to do? What's wrong with this stupid question? She can't even answer it properly. How will she get out of here if she can't even answer a simple question? His hand felt weird on her shoulder. Is he wearing gloves? He always was. Why didn't she see it before? He has bags under his eyes. Is he tired? And he's wasting his energy on this hopeless wannabe master? His eyes are blue, just like hers. Deep blue, like the sky. Or maybe like the water in the ocean…

-Aqua, please… Just say something…

She could suddenly think clearly again. Something about his words struck her deeply and made her come back to her senses. Although her throat felt really dry, she tried her best to get a word out.

-What… Happened…? – she looked at him with a worried face. He immediately lightened up upon hearing her speak.

-Thank goodness! You scared me there a little – he began as he let go of the girl's shoulder – You were not answering me at all when I was talking to you.

-You… were? – Aqua let out another question in confusion.

-Yes. At first I thought you were mad at me but… Turns out you didn't hear me after all.

Astonished, she couldn't say anything back. She lowered her gaze, feeling guilt once again. That's when she felt his glove on her shoulder again. When she looked up, she could see Zack's face bearing a heartfelt smile.

-Don't worry about it. This stupid place loves to do that kind of stuff, right? The darkness just made you disconnected, no big deal.

-That's… That's right. It was the darkness… It played on my fears. Seeped in through the cracks in my heart and then… I'm sorry. I think this place is really getting to me now…

The raven haired boy opened his eyes wider in surprise. It seemed like he also perceived something important from Aqua's words. With a serious look on his face, he grabbed her by both of her shoulders firmly and stared her right in the eye.

-Aqua. Listen to me. We're gonna get out of here. We will do it together, you and I. I'm not going to abandon you. I'll be right there when you need me, no matter what, you hear me? You are not alone anymore. Do you understand?

The blue-hair just stared at him, dumbstruck, her eyes and mouth wide open. She suddenly had the urge to cry. What is wrong with this guy? How can he be so optimistic in a place like this? She turned her head down when she felt her eyes swelling up and hid her face in her arm, letting out a few sobs along the way. But she was smiling again. His words made her so happy. With the now crying girl in his hands, the man loosened his grip a little.

-I'll take that as a yes – Zack said with a more relaxed tone, showing off a triumphant smile.

-You're stupid – she looked up at him with her now red eyes and a small smile on her face.

-Now that's just rude – he objected, changing into an exaggerated offended expression and crossing his arms on his chest. The girl had a good chuckle however. The man joined in the laugh, putting his hands behind his head. When they both calmed down a bit, Aqua rubbed her eyes clean with her sleeve and took a few deep breaths.

-Thanks Zack. I really needed that.

-No need to thank me. It's like I told you, we're gonna watch each other's backs. I couldn't stand it when you were so gloomy. And the silence was just too much, it felt like I was alone even though you were right in front of me.

-Yeah… – Aqua replied, a bit surprised by how accurately his words matched her own experience – I guess we learned our lesson.

-Right, no more silence. We'll talk the darkness out so much its ears will fall off! – he clenched his fist with enthusiasm.

-I'm surprised they didn't fall off already. I heard you talking to yourself a lot back then – she added teasingly, as she remembered their meeting at the crossroads.

-Hey, whatever keeps you from going insane. But it's difficult when the road does stupid stuff like this! – he bursted out, gesturing angrily towards the nothingness. That's when Aqua actually took a good look around her. The road had gained some ridiculous curves. It zigzagged all over the place, as if it was made solely to waste the intruders' time.

-I guess we shouldn't wait around then… Let's get g– she began while turning back towards the dark haired soldier, but stopped immediately when she had him in her field of view.

-...What are you doing…? – she asked, perplexed, as she saw the man doing squats right in the middle of the road.

-Just… Thinking about… The situation – he said in between reps – You know… It helps me… Concentrate…

Unbelievable – Aqua had her mouth open and put her hand on her temple in complete awe – I will never understand how boys work…

-Oh! I've got an idea! – he exclaimed, hitting the palm of his hand with his fist.

-You do…?

-Yeah! Look at these rocks – he pointed at the floating rocks scattered around the road – There's so many of them and they go pretty high up. From there we can see if there's any other road we can take. Even if there isn't, the rocks form a pretty straight path too, if we jump across them they'll be a much better road than whatever that abomination is.

-So instead of walking… You want to jump… Across rocks?

-That's right. It's not like we have anything better to do, right?

-I'd rather not waste too much energy on this, you never know what will happen here… Isn't it better to just walk and talk? I'm still a bit tired from that fight…

-Hmm… Well, you won't have to do it then – he smiled weirdly while fiddling around with one of his shoulder pads. She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but before she had the chance, the man already lifted her up by the waist and put her over his shoulder.

-What are you doing?! – she yelled and tried to get back on her feet.

-I'll do the jumping! You just enjoy the scenery! – he had a devilish smile while holding the girl tight at the waist so she wouldn't fall.

-What?! This is absurd, you're crazy! You're actually insane! – she continued to scream while wiggling her legs vigorously.

-Don't worry, I have strong legs! I got this! – he said back, while getting ready to make a running start. She couldn't get out of his grip. His energy frightened her even more now.

-Wait!

-Hold on tight!

He ran towards the edge of the road, where he jumped forward towards the big floating pieces of rock. The girl shrieked in terror as she held tightly onto the back of his sleeveless, turtleneck sweater. He made it just fine onto one of the big stones, but he didn't stop there, as he started jumping up to the next ones at high speed. And so, for a long while, Zack's laughter resonated within the realm of darkness, mixed in with the screams of the blue haired master dangling from his shoulder.