Final Fantasy XV - Kingdom Hearts
Part 63
Summary: Two warriors of Light, the Chosen King and Keyblade Master, face an unseen Darkness.
*Month One, Day Thirty-One*
"Just saying, you sure we don't need a leash for her?", Noctis says drily, using his thumb to gesture the red-haired princess.
The girl in question was excitedly waiting for Sora to come back, according to Lunafreya she was up first thing, managed to pack up their campsite and even brewed both a coffee to get a quick start on returning to the group. Happily pacing around while making small talk with Prompto and Ventus, Kairi is not only excited to have Sora's company again (she missed snuggle time with him) but was gleefully pumping excitement through her to show how strong she had gotten.
It may not have been the most strenuous or taxing training she's had yet but with her metaphorical book of spells filling up with all sorts of spells only herself and Lunafreya could command. Plus, with her mind stronger, she could finally have a spar with him and maybe even Riku.
As their first month is coming to an end, Aqua, before she left, had instructed everyone that with every end of the months to come they would reunite to review their progress. As far as Kairi is aware outside of her improvements, they weren't exactly ten times stronger than when they started per se but happily way better than day one. Even just one glance at Ventus she knew something had changed with him and she felt his power had grown.
She had been told by Prompto that Gladiolus had been spending more time with the youngest member and mentored him. It surprised the girl at first since Gladiolus couldn't do half of what Ventus could, but then when she did some comparisons about better strengths and even training, she deduced that Gladiolus fitted the role of a mentor better than she thought. The boy himself was a lot more cheery and more confident, even excited to show Aqua.
"Still can't believe we've still got another eleven months to train", Prompto says, looking at his robotic limb, "Feels like we're just waiting a day before we go off and fight the big baddies". Kairi almost agreed with him if she hadn't endured the alteration to the flow of time already. Despite the days feeling like normal days, she still had that awareness that time was flowing slower than outside.
"There they are!", Goofy called out, pointing to a pathway.
All eyes turned to the two keyblade wielders, looking like they had just come out of a sparring match. Sora more so looked like he had just endured a battle against a thousand heartless, his clothes were ruined with tears and a lot of scuffs on them, his t-shirt looked ready to come off in pieces and his jacket wrapped around his waist. There are also a few scratches and light scars on his face that would fade away in time.
Aqua looked far better in comparison to the young apprentice, her metal armor had several nicks, dents, and soot on them, her left arm's armor shows a lot of dents and some were bent deep into the steel. Even her hair showed some soot and her cheek sported a faded mark.
Kairi beams at the return of her master and lover while Sora returned her beam with a giant grin. As the gang gathered up to greet them, Kairi using her will to hold back her need to crash into Sora for a tight hug. She's merely building it all up and the very moment she has him all to herself she's going to enjoy every second she has with him.
"Welcome back", Mickey greets with a wave, "How did things go?".
Sora throws both hands behind his head and says: "Rough…for as sweet as Aqua looks, she's kinda the taskmaster!". Aqua gave the boy a mock glare before gently flicking his forehead. "Mind your tongue young man", she lectured, "I wasn't *that* harsh!".
"You threw every spell at me during the obstacle course!", argued Sora, "And you not only beat it but improved your speed, reflexes, and senses", counters the master. "Besides, I think I was generous on you when we rested". "But you kicked my butt every time we sparred! I think I've gotten my butt handed to me more than when I fought Riku as a kid!", Sora reminds. Unbeknown to the others Kairi is proud to say there is truth in his words.
Contrary to popular belief her boy's scores against each other were rather even…with one point to her boyfriend because Riku cheated.
"Explains why you look like crap", Noctis remarked gesturing the kid, "Haven't seen you look this bad since our first bout with Ardyn". Sora chuckles before grinning, not disagreeing with the statement. True he rarely ends up in a state like this, nearly exhausted beyond the norm and even his greatest foes never wore him out this badly. With Aqua, however, not only did he fight someone on equal footing to himself but also somebody WAY more experienced and better educated with training.
"But what about you guys? How did yours go?", Sora asked, beaming at Kairi and Ventus, "You two look a lot stronger than last time!".
"You know it!", Kairi affirmed, "Luna's been teaching me all kinds of new spells, and some even Donald can't do!". The duck lets out a "wak" in response before Kairi resumed, explaining some spells here and there while Sora gives her his attention. Like her, the boy missed waking up with her at his side, and desperately needed their snuggle time before he explodes with loneliness.
As Kairi captured Sora's attention, Aqua turned to Ventus as his face sports a confident grin. Immediately she sensed something had changed within him the moment she laid her eyes on the younger boy, his light was stronger and she spots some more muscle on his forearms. A frown almost appeared on her flawless face when she spotted a mark on his left eyebrow, barely worth calling it a scar. Still, there is a noticeable shift in his smile, like he was making progress in his training.
"Based on your smile, I'm assuming you got better?", she asks, folding her arms. "Yeah! Gladio's been training me!", revealed the keyblade wielder. Aqua glances at her boyfriend, seeing him smirk at her. She'd talk to him later about it, for now, Aqua is just happy her best friend was catching up with the others. Mickey stepped up and explained how far the training had been going for everyone else.
While it is a slow starter with it being just the first month, the king had assured both her and Sora they had grown significantly since they started. With Riku and Mickey mainly mentoring Noctis, Axel and Ignis with Gladiolus taking over physical training for Ventus, to Prompto mostly mentored by Donald and Goofy of all people. When Aqua quietly asked what the two loyal followers of the king were teaching Prompto, the king teased how to dodge and take on magic users.
Prompto sadly lacked the magical aptitude most of the party possessed, he is unable to cast any form of magic despite Mickey and Donald teaching him the basics. In the end, the gunner gave up learning magic and mostly worked on using the new arms Cindy had given him to work out with. That said Mickey was happy to say Prompto's talents had gotten more impressive, lasting a long enough in a fight with somebody like Noctis.
As the month was coming to the end, everyone had returned to the cottage to take the last day of the month to relax and rest. While Mickey and his companions had decided to go for a nap while he does his meditations (something that helped him with magic), so it left the other eleven to their own devices. Before everyone would go their separate ways, Naminé pipped up during the group meeting and leads them down into the lower level of the cottage.
She leads them through one of the large doors, getting someone to open it due to her not being able to touch, and they all stepped through it to find themselves in another world. The skies were dark with dozens of stars glinting in the endless sea of night, there is a comfortable heat embracing them all along with smells of incense. Ahead of them was a large building that reminded Sora of the land of dragons, the same structure and coloring with two red pillars holding up the structure.
There is a golden dragon medallion on the main ornate round door, behind the building they see several plumes of steam rising and the faint sounds of running waters. Naminé presented the building to the party, having discovering it while she was exploring. "It's a hot spring", she revealed with a smile.
*Later…*
With a deep exhale, Aqua slumps into the waters while resting her arms and back against the rocks, letting the hot water seep into her body and soothe all the sore muscles she had. A water-resistant towel by her head whenever she wanted to leave with her three friends joining her, both Kairi and Lunafreya moaning with ease as they slipped into the waters with Naminé joining even if she couldn't feel it, just to be involved.
Once Naminé revealed her surprise, everybody eagerly headed in for a bath and to rest. The building was empty, however, much to the group's confusion and after some searching for any other occupants or staff member coming up fruitless, they had deduced it may be Merlin's magic keeping this place going. There were two separate baths, some rooms for sleeping in case the party wished and even a kitchen for them to use.
After getting their things ready for it, everyone headed off for their bath time. For the women's three large pools of water were set to the perfect temperature, walls of bamboo surrounding them with the smells of jasmine-scented incense and with clear skies it gave the whole experience a new layer of content. The master of the keyblade closes her eyes, letting herself to enjoy the water while Kairi makes small talk with Lunafreya and Naminé.
"MMM, this feels great", Kairi sighed, rubbing her arm. "I forgot how lovely a hot spring was", the Oracle said, letting her hair down, "It's been so long since I visited one".
The conversations were light and laid back without anybody bringing up training or the upcoming battles, much to the relief of the party. In time Aqua offered to help wash Kairi's now longer hair while Lunafreya makes small talk with the two. "This is nice", Kairi says as Aqua washes her hair. "Having somebody do your hair?", teases the master. "Well that's a nice bonus yeah, but I mean just this, you know?", clarifies the girl.
"I have to agree with Kairi", Lunafreya concurs, "It is just a day to relax and spoil ourselves". Aqua hums in agreement with Naminé nodding as she brushes her ethereal hand through the waters. The girl held back a frown on her face when she once again feels nothing, constantly reminding herself she is still nothing more than a ghost of sorts. Kairi glances to the girl with a smile and turned to Lunafreya. "Maybe when this is over, we could do this again with everyone else?", Kairi suggests.
Naminé looked at the girl as Lunafreya smiles in agreement, but then Kairi's smile turned into a smirk. "Like say…we girls can go out for a spa day before our Oracle ties the "Knot-tis"? she teases. This made the Oracle blush profusely as Aqua and Naminé both beamed at the woman, remembering she had a fiancé on the other side of the hot springs. Naminé wiggled her eyebrows at the older woman and said: "Yes, that's a good point. Maybe doll her up for her king?". Aqua nodded as she finishes rinsing the soap out of Kairi's hair.
"How does it feel to be engaged to your childhood sweetheart?", asked the master as she and Kairi settle back into the waters. Both getting closer with Naminé and Kairi on her left while Aqua on her right. The woman of light could feel her cheeks darken with embarrassment and flushed with the question. Truth be told the wedding had been forgotten since their world faced the darkness and even with all the downtime she had with Noctis, the proposal that was once supposed to be a sign of peace between nations.
Now that they were free of the empire's grip and with her freedom to be with Noctis, was the wedding still on his mind?
"Well? How does it feel?", Kairi asked excitedly, poking her shoulder. "I-Its…I-I mean…well…", squeaks the Oracle, sinking into the waters like she prayed it'd swallow her up. When she feels their eyes gaze into her, she pouted and looked at all of them indigently. "W-What about you two? Do you see yourselves married down the lines?", she asked.
Aqua turned bright red while Kairi, much to her awe, was beaming. The master cleared her throat and started to back off from her teasing, that is something she didn't want to dive into. But she would not escape the embarrassment yet because now she was the target, three pairs of blue eyes fixed on her. "Well?", Lunafreya asked, her tone smug and victorious. "Yeah Aqua, do you think you could see yourself be referred as "Misses Amicitia" down the line?", Kairi prods with a cheeky smirk.
Her cheeks glow more at the mention and she stammered a response, making her friends giggle at her. "I-I-I-I mean! I uh…I…I-I-I'm not saying I'm o-opposed to the idea b-b-b-b-but Gladio and I just, we're only…I…", stammers the flustered master. "You've been together for six months now!", Kairi argued, "Plus you shared a bed and had drinks too!". Lunafreya giggles while Naminé smirks at the master. Aqua then turned to Kairi with her scarlet cheeks. "And you? Do you see yourself as Sora's wife?".
Kairi scoffs and bravely declared: "I've been ready the moment I knew I loved him!". Naminé rolled her eyes, muttering a "shocker" from her pink lips. "Besides, who WOULDN'T want to be married to that boy?", she argued confidently. There were several sounds of agreements and giggles as they talked more about the relationships they were in. For Kairi, it was the first time she had a chance to hang out with her friends and just act like normal friends discussing their significant others, make jokes here and there while gushing about them.
The way Lunafreya described the date Noctis had taken her on in Twilight Town, how she acted like a shy schoolgirl talking about her first date with her crush, the way she talked about how sweet and gentlemanly Noctis acted while still being her scruffy prince that made her swoon. Then she told them how he kissed her when the sun had finally set, he cupped her cheek and in her words, gave the Oracle the most beautiful and loving look she had ever seen and kissed her.
Both teens squealed at her as she turns bright pink while Aqua watches on amused, happy her friends could put aside their worries for the battles to come and enjoy the peace. When asked about her thoughts with Gladiolus though, she shyly admitted that she couldn't be happier with anyone else. Since she started dating him, there has been a brighter change within her, and when she was brave to discuss what it was like to be enveloped in his embraces, she bashfully admitted: "she never felt safer".
"Just a moment, I've some special herbal supplements", Aqua says, getting out of the water. She wrapped her towel around herself while Kairi asks about the supplements. The master explained they were made to help with muscle aches and soothe any pain the waters couldn't, plus it helped keep their skin healthy and soft. With a friendly nod, she leaves the waters for a moment to retrieve her creams.
Leaving the three, Kairi settled into the waters with a smile as Lunafreya runs her fingers through her hair and allows it to be spread out, leaving her hair down like everyone else. A gentle silence loomed over the three as Naminé was sitting on the edge, kicking her ethereal feet in the waters. Kairi looked up at the night sky in thought, letting the incense put her at ease. Tomorrow training would resume, and she'd be back with Sora helping her again.
Then Naminé had a big grin on her face. "Sooo…remember Ven's scarf?", she blurts out. This gains the attention of Kairi who's been eager to discover the mystery person that captured the boy's attention while Lunafreya looked at her friend with curiosity. "What about it?", Lunafreya asked, "I must confess he looked very ridiculous with it". Naminé leans in as both party members leaned in to hear her. "Well, it turns out, dear Luna, Ven's used that scarf to cover up…hickies~", she whispers.
The Oracle silently gasps as Kairi grinned madly, eager to hear more info on this subject. "So Ven's got a girlfriend, I knew it!", Kairi giggled, "But is it who we think it is?". Naminé nodded excitedly, missing the now very worried and scared look Lunafreya had on her face. "Yes, after some "investigation", I saw that "scarf" was indeed a bandanna", explained Naminé as Lunafreya slowly swam away from the blonde. Kairi gasped and opened her mouth to speak more, but then froze as Naminé, blissfully unaware, continued.
"The amount of hickeys on his neck, wow!", rambled on Naminé as she had a cat-like grin on her face while Kairi slowly backed away with her flawless face showing fear. "I mean, I never knew Ven had such tastes in girls!", she says. Then she pauses her rambles when she finally took notice both Lunafreya and Kairi were at the other side of the pool, both ready to dive into the waters and never resurface again.
"Girls? What's wrong?", Naminé asked.
"Naminé".
The girl stiffens as her face goes white as sheets, eyes open as wide as they can be. The voice may belong to Aqua, but not even Marluxia could say her name with such malice and barely restraint fury, the cold tone that promised she would never be seen again. Slowly while feeling her heart quicken its beats to the point of going a thousand miles per hour, she faces the master.
Even in a simple white towel with two bottles of cream, her face was stoned faced and unmoving with the darkness in her eyes. The cold steely look showing only despair and doom within them, dare she say even Xehanort would be terrified of that look. Even if she had an ethereal form, Naminé feared horrible harm was coming her way if she so much as a breathed. That would explain why the other two moved as FAR as they could from her.
"Care to explain what you were talking about? Something about Ven with a certain "type" of girl? And what was that about "hickies"?", the master interrogated.
"…Ven I'm so sorry…", was all the girl could think about before she screamed internally in fear, knowing she had just condemned her friend…
*Men's Side*
"Three…two…one and…", counted down Prompto as he and Noctis released their hands from Sora's hair.
*Boing*
"AND it still defies gravity…", groaned Noctis as Sora's hair returned to being spiky and bouncy once again. "What do you wash your hair with to make it that spiky?", asks his majesty as Sora approaches one of the waterfalls to rinse out the pink foamy suds. "Just normal stuff Kairi uses", argued the boy as the waters cleanse his hair.
"Give it up you two, that boy's hair isn't going down any time soon", Gladiolus says as he lounges in the waters. The two sighed and resumed their laziness in the waters as Sora finishes off his wash before stretching and wrapped his towel around his waist, catching Ignis' attention. "Finished already?", he asked as the boy walks back to lockers. "Yeah, I'm falling asleep here", he revealed with a small yawn, "May as well nap before dinner".
"Can I count on your assistance tonight?", asked the chef.
"You know it", affirmed Sora as he wandered off.
Riku snickered at this, already seeing the look of horror that would soon adorn Ignis' face when he sees how useless Sora is at cooking. He leaned against the smooth soaked stone wall with his arms over them as he lets the water melt away the sores and aches his body took on during the month's training. On his left he sees Ignis resting on top of the edge of the waters, feet soaking in while he reads his notebook of recipes.
Noctis and Prompto were making small talk about their training while Axel was lazing in the waters, Gladiolus reading his book he'd been meaning to catch up on. As for Ventus, the boy is near Riku, but he was keeping himself busy by cleaning himself and rolling his shoulders. The older boy occasionally peeked at Ventus' shoulders and neck, noticing some faded and some noticeable bruises of sorts adorned his young body.
Strange he thought since he was healed every day after his training and those marks should have been removed from his neck. Then as he subtly peered at them, he blinks in surprise to see they were very familiar to him as sudden irritation makes itself known to him by his neck. An all too familiar kind. "So Ven, you uh, wanna share something with the class?", he asked, gesturing his neck. The boy's cheeks gore red as he suddenly sinks up to his neck into the water.
"NO!", he squeaks, "No I do not!".
Axel, however, gives the group a wide grin while Prompto goes red himself. "Oh, that? Well, boys, little Ven became a man a few days ago!", Axel bragged. This gains the attention of the four before Noctis' phone goes off silently nearby. As the king made his way to the phone with Ventus glaring heatedly at Axel, the red-haired pyro smirks evilly at the kid. "What do you mean by that?", Riku asked. "Well, while everyone was doing their thing, guess what yours truly and Prompto caught the kiddo in a pretty saucy situation!", he explained.
"Axel!", seethed the boy.
"Oh? Like what, making out with someone?", jokes the shield. "Oh ho! That's a little too tame for the boy!", Axel laughs, "In fact, it was kinda more "M" if ya know what I mean!".
"May we please change the subject?", Ignis groaned, "Whatever shenanigans Ven was up to is his own business". "YES PLEASE!", Ventus begged. "Aww what Iggy? Don't you wanna know who rocked the kid's socks?", Axel hints with a wiggle of his crimson brows. Ignis lets out a disgusted sigh as he turns a page, finished with this conversation as Gladiolus and Riku were more raptured by this little development. Prompto kept giving Ventus a look that screamed "I am so sorry I'm about to ruin your life" every few minutes.
"Axel shut up!", Ventus growled, standing up and now clenching fists and teeth at the man. Noctis reached his phone and swipes it open to see several messages from the Oracle. He blinks at the texts, many of them are walls of apologizes, warnings and even a pre-made funeral arrangements for someone. Then when he looks up from his phone to Ventus, he gulps in true fear. Axel opened his mouth to continue but then froze right on the spot as Gladiolus just gave the boy an "Oh crap" look and Prompto was ready to be swallowed by the waters right now.
Riku and Ignis shared a look before the latter put his book away and readied himself for the oncoming storm. "Now keep your mouth shut and don't tell Aqua about ANYTHING about me and-
"Who?".
The boy freezes on the spot, still as a statue like he was suddenly struck by lightning. His face an impossible mix of scarlet red embarrassment and ashen white of fear as a certain master loomed over him. "Ven…what are those marks on your neck?", the voice of doom questioned low and darkly. Ventus shakily turns around to see a very, VERY, unamused Aqua behind him, garbed in her white towel as she stands on the edge of the pool and over him.
"A-A-Aqua…t-t-this is the men…s…pool", he whimpered, completely afraid and using a last-ditch effort to distract. This only furthered the frown on her face as she stared into the boy's soul while counting the marks on his neck. Behind her was a rushing Oracle and Kairi, both looking like they had just condemned the entire party to an eternity of agony and hell. "Ven…explain yourself", demanded the master.
"A-AQUA I SWEAR THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU THINK!", Ventus cried, waving his hands. "So those aren't hickies then?", she challenges, pointing at them. "WELL…Y-Yeah they are, but I swear to you-
"Who touched you Ven?", Aqua interrogates, her voice leaving not even an inch of an argument. Realizing in this current predicament, the best thing that could lead the group to live longer lifespans is to be upfront with his sister, Ventus sighed. "R-R-Rikku…", confesses the boy. Aqua blinks, and then…glanced towards Riku with a rather questioning look on her face. After it took a few seconds for it to dawn on him, Riku gives her an irritated look on his face.
"NOT ME! The other Rikku!", he growled.
"You know? The one with blond hair? Blue bandana?", Axel lists, "The girl in the bikini?".
Aqua turned red and turns back to Ventus, now pink in the face. "You're dating that woman?", she asks, surprised and hurtfully shocked. "So what if I am!? What's wrong with her?", Ventus argued back, feeling this strange urge to defend his…girlfriend. "Ven, have you seen how she dresses!?", she argued. "Haven't we all?", Axel joked.
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!", both students of Eraqus shouted. Ventus turned back to Aqua and said: "So she dresses for the summer! What's wrong with that!?". "IN THE MIDDLE OF FIGHTING TOO!?", questioned the master exasperatedly. Ventus couldn't deny that part, that was true. However he refuses to bend to Aqua, he wasn't a kid anymore. "W-Well so what? She can handle herself! Besides, she likes me!".
"Who doesn't like you? That's not the point!", argued Aqua, "You're too young for a woman like her!". "YOUNG!? Aqua, I'm twenty-six!", argues the boy. "You're still only sixteen due to the fact your body hasn't aged since you lost your heart", Lunafreya adds quietly, "It is the same with Aqua's age while she remained in the dark realm". "Precisely! Thank you, Luna", Aqua says with a quick nod to her.
"Oh sure, don't tell the Oracle to butt out…", Axel muttered.
"SHUT YOUR FACE AXEL!", both students yelled.
"A-Anyways! What I do with Rikku is none of your business!", the boy stubbornly says. "As your sister slash parental figure, it IS my business!", argued the master. Then she narrowed her eyes as a horrible idea formed in her mind, and why Ventus was being stubborn. "Ven…what exactly happened while you were being marked by her?", she interrogates. Now his bravado goes out the window and pure embarrassment mixed with fear takes over, making him go quiet.
When he goes into silent mode, Aqua then goes for the trump card. "Prompto, what did they do?", she asked. The silent blond squeaks and jumps in his spot before looking around as all eyes fell to him. "W-What!? Why are you asking me!?", he questioned. "Because of your natural uncanny ability to show up and ruin moments like these by rudely waltzing into a room without knocking!", Aqua explained.
"She does have a good point, Prompto", Ignis says, recalling many a times the blond DID ruin romantical moments in the party's journey. Gulping, the gunner rubbed his neck. "W-W-Well, I mean…I don't THINK they did anything…", he muses. "Y-Yeah, see!?", Ventus says. "Like, they still had their underwear on in bed…".
There were only three sounds in that moment, the sounds of trickling waters, Prompto slamming his mouth shut with both hands, and finally the raising embarrassment that was Ventus.
Aqua stood there, eyes opened wide with her mouth nearly hitting the ground, cheeks red. Slowly she turned to Ventus, completely mortified and looking ready for someone to end his suffering. Her Ventus…her sweet innocent Ventus, defiled by a succubus in a bikini…taking away his purity. And he was still a young boy. "Ven had sex…Ven had sex…", was all that the poor master could think off, horrified by this development.
"Of ALL the things you could have said…you choose, THAT!?", Noctis growled, looking at Prompto. Gladiolus rubbed his head, both in disappointment for trusting Prompto to be smart, and pity for the boy that was on the receiving end of this embarrassment that NO one should be on the stage for. Even Ignis looked significantly uncomfortable with this subject matter while Axel struggled to keep his snickers to himself.
Aqua herself looked close to fainting, before she mustered control and thinks darkly: "Rikku, you are a dead woman when we get out". Then the Oracle joins her friend's side, looking at Ventus with a scowl. "Ventus, I am quite disappointed in you", she chastises. The boy opened his mouth to try and defuse the situation while clearing things up, but the woman of the dead gods continued. "If you truly intended on spending your first with this Rikku, you should have waited until marriage".
"I mean, Aqua certainly is waiting for herself and Gladio to bed wed before she gives herself to him".
Both the master and shield looked alarmed, then Aqua goes scarlet and looked away sheepishly while Gladiolus just throws his head back with a look that screamed: "kill me". A silence takes over the room when no one dared to speak, none had the strength to even utter a sigh as Lunafreya looked at the master of the keyblade. "Aqua?", she asked, wondering why she hadn't affirmed her statement. Noctis looked at his shield with an equally confused look on his face, and then slowly but surely Axel grinned.
"Uh, think you're a bit late on that Luna…", he says with a knowing smirk.
"…wait…", Ventus says as he turned back to Aqua, then Gladio and then back to his blushing sister before it hits him. "A-A-Aqua…d-did you and Gladio…h-h-h-h-have intercourse?". Aqua's cheeks darkened as Gladiolus groaned lowly, affirming the boy's question. Ventus grabbed both sides of his head and yelled: "YOU HAD SEX WITH GLADIO!?".
"VENTUS!", screams back Aqua, flustered and beyond embarrassed by this. "OH MY GOODNESS! AQUA!?", cried the Oracle, scarlet and covering her mouth with both hands, shocked. "CALLED IT!", Axel cried.
"AXEL SHUT UP!", everyone cried as the entire spa dissolved into chaos. All unaware of Kairi sneaking away…
*Elsewhere*
With her friends yelling at each other, revelations being discovered and some of her friends having difficulties accepting changes, Kairi took note that among the men, Sora was nowhere to be seen. And seeing as she didn't want to disturb everyone, she kindly decided she'd go find her Sora.
Only in her towel after haphazardly drying herself off to chase Aqua before she causes some chaos in her hunt for the identity of the person who quote/unquote "defiled" Ventus' innocence, their developments amongst her team had caught her off guard. Granted she somewhat knew Aqua and Gladiolus had gone the next step in their relationship if anything she wondered if they did when they were in Eos.
It was kinda hilarious to see Lunafreya be so shocked by that information, surprised that neither would wait till marriage. Though Kairi was sure the woman has naughty thoughts of herself and Noctis doing the deed, hell she argued all women would. She never expected Rikku of all people would be interested in somebody like Ventus, considering they were both very different from each other, truthfully she thought someone like Axel would have been her preferred choice.
Entering the men's locker room, she looked around for the boy. There were wooden lockers with magical crests that represented the members, the shield for Gladiolus for example. She looked at Sora's locker and upon touching the handle, she opens it. Guess it wasn't for security and more to tell who owned which locker. Not exactly helpful for the owners she believed. Ignoring the flawed security system, Kairi leaves the locker to find Sora.
"Where could he be?", she quietly thinks to herself. Her ears started to pick up dripping water as she finally took notice of the steam nearby along with the rather humid heat. The keyblade princess snapped her fingers, deducing he must be having a shower, and judging from the wet footsteps, he was just finishing off. She hears him whistling as his footsteps got closer, coming from ahead of her. When he was close and just about to turn the corner, readied herself and said: "Hey Sor-
Then she froze entirely…because Sora came around the corner of the lockers, stepped right before Kairi giving her a view of his entire body…and he didn't have a towel.
The boy stopped whistling and walking, frozen mid-step with his eyes wide open at the girl. Kairi's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, jaw hitting the ground as she took note that the boy of her heart was as nude as the day he was born. Her heart hammered in her chest as she took in the fact he looked extremely hotter than usual when he was still drying off, he got a lot more muscle than the last time she saw him bare-chested and maybe it was her, but his new silvery scars made him look even hotter.
This is also the first time she realized she had ever seen him nude before, not even as kids. "DO NOT LOOK DOWN! DO NOT LOOK DOWN! DO! NOT! LOOK! DOOOOOWWWN!", she screamed in her mind.
…she looked down.
Her eyes widened to the size of wheels of a car, her face practically glowed brighter then the sun and her mouth was permanently opened in shock. Sora himself could only stand there, scarlet red with his mouth opening and closing like his brain had shut off entirely.
Kairi's nose suddenly gushed out blood as she fell backward, fainting.
"KAIRI!", shrieks the boy as he runs and grabbed a towel while checking her.
As she lied there with Sora hovering over her, fussing and panicking, all the girl could think was: "I have sinned…I can die happy now…".
*Much later…*
So much for a relaxing time in the spas…
Aqua runs a hand through her dried hair, laying on her bed. It took all her mental fortitude to just push those concerns aside for a while, too tired and frustrated. Partially feeling bad she kinda barged in the men's quarters to question Ventus, she felt more hurt that the boy hadn't told her of this development. Granted in his defense her actions today had given him a fair judgment call on why he wouldn't say he was in a relationship, but that didn't mean she didn't feel hurt.
"Feel like an ass, huh?", Gladiolus remarked, laying down beside her. She groaned and slammed both hands to her face, answering his question. "Yeah, I thought so". Aqua slumps both arms at her sides, looking up at the ceiling before turning on her side with her back facing the shield. Her blue brows furrowed in frustration, a true sense of shame resonating within her heart. The man sits up and pats her shoulder, gently. "Blue, come on, don't put on the silent act", he says.
She only heaved a deep sigh in reply, making her boyfriend huff. "Come on, you heard Ven. Nothing happened, he just shared a bed with Rikku because they only buzzed", Gladiolus stresses. Axel and Prompto's choices of words did absolutely nothing to help sure, but after they finally gave Ventus a chance to speak to clear things up, they were relieved to hear nothing explicit had happened between him and Rikku.
Then came the awkwardness that was them explaining to Lunafreya why Aqua shared herself with Gladiolus before marriage, the shield wishing for Ravus, Terra-Nort or hell anyone would come and just put them out of their misery. The poor Oracle couldn't seem to wrap it around her mind that people could have intercourse without their gods striking them down, and it also somewhat helped that Axel, for the first time saying something helpful, called her out that she had impure thoughts about Noctis.
The poor woman nearly fainted with those accusations.
And to add the final layer of miserable embarrassment that was their day, Kairi and Sora's misadventures. Never had the shield seen the poor in such as horrible combination of embarrassment, shock, mortification, and concern. The girl had this dopey smile on her the whole time Aqua and Lunafreya healed her up, muttering something on the lines of "sin" and other nonsense. All in all, what was supposed to be relaxing turned into a chaotic day of random shenanigans and misinterpretations.
"I know…but that doesn't change the fact he not only kept this from me but Rikku's…well…", she listed but faltered and slumped on the pillow. "She's what? Come on, Blue, don't pull that junk out of the trash can", Gladiolus lectured, "You don't know her that well". Aqua puffs stubbornly as she mulls over his words, hating that he was right and this headfirst judging was beneath her. She had barely interacted with this woman, and for all, she knew Rikku was perfect for Ventus.
"Look, I get that her wardrobes could do with more layers, yeah, and maybe she could be more careful with the booze, but come on", Gladiolus says, smirking and prodding her shoulder, "You're dating me. I fit the entire list!". Aqua giggled at this jab, in a way he was right. "Difference being you don't have breasts and it takes more than one bottle to knock you flat on your butt", she argued playfully. "And drink you under the table", bragged Gladiolus.
"Sod off…", she says.
The master rolled on her other side to face him, frowning as she mulled over her actions and his words. "Gladio, I know I have overreacted…and maybe I am just being too protective of him, but Ven's still innocent and so…well…", she tried but her shield just replies with: "Inexperienced". "Yeah…", confessed Aqua, "I mean, didn't you feel that way with Iris and Riku?". "Oh hell yeah, I was almost ready to throttle the boy…but Blue, Riku's a good kid", Gladiolus explained.
He pulls her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her, letting the worried master rest her head on his chest as he continues. "It takes time, but when I see how happy Iris is with him, I just have trust she knows what she's doing", he says, "And from what Ven told us, he knows enough to not just jump into bed with her and do the deed, he even confessed he's saving himself for marriage". He then strokes her back soothingly before chuckling. "More than we can say, right?".
"…fair point", Aqua admits, taking in the warmth of the embrace she had missed. "I know you're not sold on her but maybe you give her a chance? For Ven's sake?", suggested the shield. Aqua hums in debate, wondering if she should at least give Rikku the benefit of the doubt. Just then, their door knocks, making the shield grunt in annoyance before he reluctantly broke their embrace and heads for the door.
Opening it, Aqua doesn't see who he is talking to due to his size blocking most of the door. He nodded his head and walked past Ventus, carrying two bowls of ice cream. When the shield leaves the room, the boy turned to Aqua with a sheepish smile.
"Peace offering?", he offered, holding up the two bowls. Aqua raised a brow and smirks at him, an old habit of theirs with Terra as children. Whenever they were annoyed with each other, ice cream was usually their gifts to create a bridge between them and resolve things quicker while indulging their frozen treats. The ice creams in question were Double Crunch for Ventus and Fabracadabra for Aqua.
She nods as she shifts to the edge of the bed as Ventus joins her after he closes the door and handed her frozen treat. Halfway through their treats, the silence was broken by the master. "I'm sorry, with how I reacted", she sighed, lowering her spoon into the glass bowl. Ventus looks at his feet, sheepishly rubbing his neck, which made her continue. "I know I shouldn't be like this, and especially when I have little idea on what she's like, but I was just…worried she might be…well, a bad influence on you", she explained.
"…I mean, I can see where you're coming from", Ventus admits with a sigh, "Not like she was giving off a responsible adult vibe, huh?". Aqua looked at him with a look that was half apologetic and a little ashamed. Again, she had no right to judge him or her for how Rikku appeared, especially when Ventus was happier according to Axel. After everything she and he had endured in the past twelve years, finding their respective significant others had helped heal their hearts.
Maybe people look at her and Gladiolus and probably think they weren't a suitable match for all she knew, but she couldn't be happier with someone else. "Does she make you happy?", she asks, low and soft. "Yeah…I mean…maybe it's more than just her being my first girlfriend, maybe I like…like, her, you know?", he says, clumsy and uncertain but she feels in his heart what he was trying to get across. "I wanna try it, and who knows? Maybe we're more compatible then we think".
He then turned to Aqua and says: "But what about you? What do you think?". Aqua looked at her treat, really considering her words here. Closing her eyes and then opening them with an exhale, she smiled at the boy. "I think if she truly makes you this happy, then I'm happy", she says, purely honest. This gains her a wonderful smile on Ventus' face, joy glowing in his eyes. She'll reserve her judgment on Rikku later, for now, her brother's happiness came first.
Just as they finished their treats, Ventus' phone goes off and he immediately grinned widely. He scampers to his feet, places both his and her empty bowls on the bed and grabbed her hand. "Come on, I've got a surprise for you!", he says, dragging her out of the room. Aqua nearly stumbled and tripped with her brother pulling her so quickly and strongly. She laughs along the ride, trying to convince the boy she'd follow her to no avail.
Down into what she guessed was an armory, she spotted Gladiolus standing by a large door wiping his hands with a cloth. He gave them both a smirk as Ventus stands near him with Aqua, the latter giving both her closest companions suspicious looks like they were about to prank her. It was too much of a reminder of how Ventus would be roped into one of Terra's pranks, crafty jerk. Ventus was still grinning ear to ear.
"Okay, close your eyes!", he says. Again the woman feels like she should be on guard, but with one roll of her eyes, she closes them and just to appease the excited boy, places her hands on them. She allows Gladiolus to guide her via grabbing her shoulders and leading her inside the room. Inside the room, she picks up a scent, something close to an oil of sorts along with tasting something in the air. She heard something being rolled before her based on the wheel noise and something planted before her.
"Okay…open!".
Aqua unveils her gaze, and her throat tightened at the sight.
Before her were two objects, a pedestal and a mannequin that adorned her armor. Aqua's armor is mostly colored in shades of silver, black, grey and blue, just like she remembered it. A silver breastplate resembling an upside-down crescent moon and a dark-visored helmet like Ventus and Kairi's. Her helmet, like Ventus and Terra's, bears two prongs on either side, with her silver ones wrapping around the sides and angling diagonally downwards. Her cape is that of a dusty-rose color. There is more armor on her legs and thighs than she remembered but she couldn't care about that part.
On the pedestal was her old companion she had lost so many years ago. Her original keyblade, the Stormfall.
The guard is circular and somewhat jagged around its edges. The upper half of the guard is black, the center is grey, and the bottom of it is white. The handle is a featureless, grey rod. The shaft of the Keyblade is thin and navy blue in coloration, except for the tip, which is silver. The base of the shaft also sports two diamond-shaped bumps. The keyblade's teeth are comprised by a rectangular frame lined with four short, blunt spikes. This frame and the spikes are all navy blue. The teeth also have three silver pieces bent at right angles: two on the inside corners of the frame and one on the inside center of one side. The keychain links and token resemble water drops.
Words failed her as she claps her mouth, her voice gone as Ventus stands by her old gear with joy in his eyes as Gladiolus had his arms folded. "Ven had someone from the RC look around Ansem's old study for this and spent pretty much whatever free time he had polishing her back up to standard", Gladiolus explained, "I only added the finishing oils".
Aqua turned to her brother who was shyly and humbling smiling at his sister. "V-Ven…", she gasped, nearly losing control over her eyes. He just smiled widely and gestured her old equipment, saying: "A master should have her armor, right?". Aqua looked at the items before her and just as she was ready to reclaim them, she hesitates. Looking at her hand, a wave of doubt begins to rise within her heart, the day she lost it all.
With all she had done to making it back here, did she have the right to don her armor once more? The answer came from the looks her boyfriend and brother gave her, Ventus' encouraging smile and Gladiolus knowing smirk. "You heard the brat, you gonna keep us in suspense much longer?", he teased. He raised his armored limb, reminding her of Terra as Ventus gestured his armor part. With a smile as her tears dried up, Aqua turned to the items before her and with her summoning her keyblade, Brightcrest, she raised her free hand to call them.
Slowly a blue light shined around the two keys and her armor, her keyblade in her hand levitates into the air as Stormfall floats into the air with it. The armor turns into several spheres of light as her keyblades spun in the air together. Magic and light dancing together as the light-blessed armor flies to Aqua. The flash of light blinds both her companions as a gush of wind sweeps through the small room, blowing dust aside.
Once the light faded, the two stared in awe at the sight. The Master of the keyblade had just become a true Master…
A/N: Well…this got quite the whiplash didn't it?
I'm sorry this wasn't a good one, I have no where to work at home with few spaces been taking over by stuff. Ugh! Spring cleaning is a b****!
Next time it'll be more action oriented with three sparring sessions; it'll be good I promise! Two where meant to be in this chapter but…well you can see why not. But hey, we got some fun moments, the party is back (some are scarred but ya know) and there'll be more to come. Speaking of which, I'm wondering how much of these chapters are you guys enjoying and the length of them?
I don't plan on going through each month at this pace unless you're all ok with them or unless I run out of idea.
QUESTIONS!
Q1: Thoughts on this chapter?
Q2: Humour in this one?
Q3: Aqua's reactions?
Q4: Kairi seeing Sora's key? Too much?
Q5: What would you like to see next time?
Q6: Curious to see what happened to Aqua?
Q7: One of my reviewers by the name of Jikker Jack had a interesting suggestion, Ravus as a nobody, should we go for it?
Anyways, thanks for reading this! Stay awesome but most importantly stay safe!
