A/N: This has been a tricky chapter to write, having to make sure new readers understand what is going on without being too repetitive for returning readers who have read the first fic. But I'm grateful for the challenge. It's been quite a while, I hope y'all enjoy it! All those characters you may not recognize are from Final Fantasy games.

Her eyes flutter open to a foreign ceiling in a room painted in deep burgundy. Sunlight beams through the bottom of the closed curtains, slicking straight off of the carpet like it's illuminating a pool of blood. She's in a bedroom in a place she doesn't know.

Aqua holds her breath, clutching the bedsheets and listening for any sign of movement. Chatter from outside the window, a noisy street.

The relief that seeps in is apprehensive but it settles anyway, her sigh shaky and long, replaying images of last night through her mind. It really wasn't a dream. Terra was actually with her, and he left the Door open. She was pulled out, and he was left behind.

She is free for a price.

"Pull yourself together, Aqua," she says out loud.

There aren't any Heartless here. Relaxing (though it takes her several moments to stop herself from denying it), she wiggles her feet and runs her hands against the soft silk of the mattress, the same color as the walls. The darkness has made her forget that there are smaller things worth experiencing, like the inviting solace of a good bed.

But if there is anything she doesn't miss, it's the soreness. She grumbles as she sits up, noticing all the aches pulsing through her body – twelve years of walking and fighting, and she's never taken a break. By all accounts, she probably shouldn't be alive anymore.

So then, why is she?

Most of last night is still cloudy. Each time she tried to stay awake, her body demanded its sleep. She doesn't remember who helped her do so, but she had the strength to take a shower. People had surrounded her, checking her pulse and the color of her skin, making sure she didn't leave them for good. Blurred faces really, but she's certain magic was involved in healing her.

There was also crying involved, judging by how swollen her eyes felt. She is free and how long will it take for her to accept it?

On the bedside table is a bowl of mixed fruit, ripe and ready, along with scraps of what she left behind. If she isn't sleeping, she eats. Next to it is an empty glass, and a half-eaten sandwich. It's plain, a simple stack of meat slices and cheese, but she doesn't remember what anything else tastes like, so this is the feast of the century.

Throwing grapes into her mouth, she listens intently at the crunch, quenching her thirst with the juices squeezed out of the berries.

She remembers now. She's in Traverse Town, somewhere in a hotel.

A clock hangs on the wall opposite her bed, telling her it's mid-afternoon. But is it correct?

She scoffs.

"Why am I looking for reasons to distrust clocks in the Realm of Light?"

When she steps onto the floor, she winces. The ache is worst on her feet, wrapped in bandages, with bruises and blisters still showing through. The Realm of Darkness had apparently decided that it wasn't worth reminding her what twelve years in shoes would do to her.

Aqua gets up anyway. Sore feet aren't an excuse not to walk forward.

She needs to find Ventus immediately, no matter what her body feels.

There is a wardrobe in the room, though there's no telling if it has anything inside. A calming painting of landscape with a windmill sits on the wall by it; flowers on a field with mountains in the background in what looks like a bright sunny day. She reads the painting like she's certain the artist meant for it to be a windy day and the windmill is hard at work. She nearly brushes her fingers against the painted strokes, but thinks better than to ruin someone's hard work.

Her clothes are neatly folded on a chair by the vanity table, but she doesn't remember who laundered them for her. Waiting there are two Wayfinders, her solemn blue and his courageous orange, in good shape. The mirror is covered in layers of sheets.

… It was Riku who covered it for her. She had whined and begged not to let a mirror show her reflection last night, and he did what he could. Hopefully, he's the only wielder who saw her behave that way.

Without withdrawing the sheets to use her reflection, she proceeds to dress herself. Re-learning to tie a corset when she never bothered to adjust it for so long is the hardest part.

A knock taps on her door.

She has to calm her instinct of assuming it's a monster on the other side first before opening her mouth. "C-come in."

The woman with long black hair – the healer from last night – allows herself in, dragging a cart behind her. She's incredibly short, definitely shorter than Ventus, but carries her head with the grace of someone who expects attention to be given to her. There is a fluidity in the sway of her walk, her orange jumpsuit revealing how lightly she weighs on her feet and her white bell sleeves glide through the air.

Her name is Garnet, and she's a princess from somewhere. Aqua immediately bows her head.

"What a joy it is to see you up and about," Garnet says, trailing her cart to the vanity table. It is stacked with plates, cartons of food, potions and rags, topped with a large teapot.

"Your Highness." Aqua pulls a little on her sleeves and quickly runs fingers through her hair, completely unprepared for such a visit.

"You may drop the formalities," Garnet says like she expects not to repeat herself. She pours tea into a mug, and eyes the room. The mirror covered in sheets. The drawn curtains.

But her smile is warm and forgiving, like it doesn't matter that she's a princess of whatever. It's a strange sight to see, but Aqua supposes that happiness is something that persisted in the outside world.

And it comes to her attention that she doesn't know what to say.

She accepts the mug and lets her mind mull over conversation starters – but the taste consumes her instead. Ginger tea, Terra's favorite. In fact, it is so delicious that he could have been the one to make it, being such an expert at brewing teas that no one in the castle bothered to imitate. She never thought she'd ever taste his work again, or even something that can compare.

Aqua allows only one sip so she doesn't shudder and break down from remembering such a vivid detail.

She probably did a horrible job at hiding it, Garnet closely watching her with a sympathy in her black eyes. Instead of bringing attention to it (thankfully), the princess helps herself to the window curtains.

"Some light would surely liven the mood," she says, waiting for a cue that would allow her open it. And slowly, she does, the sunlight bathing the entire room. All Aqua sees outside are the roofs of neighboring buildings; her room must be on the top floor.

It burns, and at first, Aqua can only stare at the ground with a tight squint. She stumbles backward onto a chair, covering her face with her hands.

"If it pains you, I can close it."

"No, I'm fine," Aqua says shakily. Who knew there can be so much brightness.

Garnet then proceeds to tend to Aqua's feet, a soft white glow emitting from her hands, caressing her skin in a bath of warmth. This healing magic is powerful, evaporating the bruises slowly and whisking away the pain. It's the first time Aqua has seen healing magic that doesn't emit a green aura.

It's almost like the princess burns light to help other people.

Then it strikes her – the reason she's survived exhaustion and starvation is because Garnet was the one tending to her all night. Aqua blushes at the thought that royalty has been waiting on her all this time.

"You don't really have to do that-"

"Hush," Garnet commands, grabbing a hairbrush from the table and carefully going through knots. "I owe my life to Terra," she says simply, solemnly. "This is the least I can do… aside from offering my condolences."

It isn't really a comforting thought, not completely, knowing how Terra spent his last days. At the same time, hearing how he's helped others is a solace on its own, since he wouldn't have asked to use his time any other way.

If they ever get back together, they'll have to trade stories.

"We'll find each other again," Aqua says out loud, more to herself than in response, totally aware that denial is a strong motivator.

How will she muster the courage to step back into the Realm of Darkness to save him?

Garnet perks up, like she's reminding herself that it's the best way to deal with sadness. "Let us make you presentable for the day."

Dressing is much easier with a partner, especially the corset. Wrapped in clean hip sashes and throwing socks over fresh bandages, Aqua nearly thinks of herself as a normal human being.

She is asked to sit back down for another health check, splaying her fingers on her knees as Garnet traces her healing magic up her arms and around her shoulders. With hands on either side of her neck, warmth engulfs her face as the magic climbs to the top of her crown.

Garnet stops, the smile in her eyes falling to a slight drop of her jaw. "That mind of yours…" She purses her lips, like she's said too much, and grips Aqua's hand in hers.

"Be sure to never lose faith," the princess says. She wills a smile back to her face – the training she's had to be primed as queen working in her favor since it looks so effortless in spite of the disturbance earlier. But her eyes can't hide so well; they look spooked.

"Okay."

"Swear it to me." It's impressive how warm and soft she sounds even when she demands obedience.

"Yes ma'am," Aqua stutters, unsure where this is coming from. It would make sense if Garnet has seen this sort of thing before, but she's probably not going to get an answer if she asks. "I swear."

With this, the princess finally lets go, her smile quivering as she ponders something. After Aqua rejects more food, more tea, and more healing, Garnet shuffles through the stuff on her cart and pulls out a small, ornate box, made of metal and decorated in vine-like filigree.

"Terra wished for you to have this," she says, handing it over. On the side of it is a wind key.

Aqua keeps forgetting how awful she's become in keeping conversations when Garnet announces that she must tend to the wounded – it's more likely a way to quickly give her some space with a gift so personal.

"The other Keyblade wielders are downstairs," Garnet adds, pushing her cart back out the door. "I'm pleased to see how fast you've improved."

This time, she's the one to bow. Maybe it's a common mannerism in her world, or she simply doesn't know how to talk to peasants.

Either way, it's for the best to be alone right now.

Terra still knows her so well, choosing a music box as a gift.

The wind key isn't tight to twist, and the box opens itself at the first notes – the first song she has heard in over a decade.

Inside is a frank and intimate look into the makings of an automatic instrument: a cylinder rotating neatly in between several pins, plucking the teeth of a steel comb as the gears underneath take each turn the wind key has birthed them. Some of the pieces are foreign, carefully welded to act as replacement for whatever was broken before by someone who had a lot of care to give. Either way, whoever did it left a new heart that breaths life back into the contraption.

It's not so much that it's a music box Terra thought to give her, but that he wanted her to feel hope again.

The melody itself is an exposure to her most vulnerable thoughts, the voice of a ghost who is very aware that she is still on the earthly plane. It's bittersweet, like a walk through an old, well-loved home that had to be left behind.

It makes her think of a very specific memory, a picnic taken up on a mountain trail by a creek, tying a hammock in between two trees and Ventus didn't have the patience to sit and eat so he already helped himself to the contents inside the basket.

What food she made for all of them didn't matter. What did matter was the image of Terra carrying a book, because he decided to spend too much time training physically and still needed to crunch his studies for an upcoming test.

He wandered into the creek with bare feet, letting his long pants flow in the stream, holding that open book close to his face while he sun-bathed. He plucked food from the basket as he sat cross-legged on his own, never realizing that he was terrible at multi-tasking and ignored Ventus completely to memorize words, pushing the boy by the face at arm's length. He fell asleep on the hammock, the book sprawled open across his chest and this was probably the loveliest image of all, seeing him peaceful enough to forget his studies. If she remembered correctly, he passed that test with flying colors anyway.

Hearing this song, Terra's song, is probably a stronger experience than anything else. Just like a phantom, it's happy that it can revisit such a memory, but sad that it can never be relived. It's a reminder. She is free.

How easily the tears swell up when darkness isn't there to numb them away. The lump in her throat grows and she can't swallow it back down.

She takes a deep breath. "I'll cry about this once, then I will focus on moving only forward."

Her breath releases, and she's always been a silent cryer as she lets it all fall into the box, now one of the things that will keep her and Terra together because it was a gift he touched and she's marking it with her tears, as though the passage of time is the only barrier between them.

She hugs herself, but it isn't as warm as his embrace from last night. Time and distance are the worst.

"What is the point of saving me if you aren't here to see me free?" she sobs.

The song replies with a sadness that knew of the sacrifice that was coming to him, but it's an adoring and devoted expression nonetheless.

She places the music box down next to the Wayfinders, picking up his orange one. An unbreakable connection, which is exactly the kind of message she hears in the chords.

The tears slow down as his trinket catches the sunlight, exhausted from the emotional release. He had to have known what venturing into the Realm of Darkness was going to do to him, and he did it anyway.

"You never think things through, Terra," she says, sniffling and feeling a small smile pull on her lips. "I'm going to give you a piece of my mind when I save you."

She winds it again before it stops, as far as it can go, to give herself a moment. To dance, to feel the stretch of her calves when she lifts onto her toes. Let herself get carried away by the story of the ghost who remembers what it's like to live, let the melody cycles penetrate her mind and take her body away as it repeats every time the cylinder. The ghost makes her feel less lonely, and in this raw expression, she's beautiful, just to feel again.

The notes fade into white noise as the chatter and bustle of the streets outside fill the room, and she stops to listen. Truthfully, she wants to hear Terra's song again, and honestly, she shouldn't be too selfish.

Wandering over to the windows, she watches people hustling on the cobblestone streets below. Some sit down for a late lunch, getting lost in conversation. Others window shop for jewelry and exquisite wooden toys. Crowds of people hurry around the block with hats and coats on, suitcases in hand, parents dragging their children, children gripping their stuffed animals for dear life, like they all have a ride to catch.

None of them act like there's a darkness creeping below them, or know that she exists as a witness, tucked away in a room far above them.

Is there even a sense of treating them like they'll never find out where she's been all this time?

Does it matter when she has to get moving? She'll have to talk to Sora and Riku, at the very least.

Caressing the music box before carefully storing it into her dresser, Aqua takes both Wayfinders and steps out.

The hallway outside, carpeted and illuminated in pleasant lights, is quiet and empty. It is only when she heads downstairs that she starts hearing crisp voices of other people, louder than she remembers such a thing to sound like.

The hotel should have been a unique vacation experience, homely enough to house handmade decorations and paintings, luxurious enough to boast exquisite tiles and furniture. But the wood floors are chipped. Boxes stack against stretches of wall. Weapons mount in some rooms. Rows of beds full of injured people fill others. People pay no attention to her, scrambling around like they have to deliver papers under deadlines.

They hurry so much that they rush past her shoulders, letting her ricochet a bit until she bumps into a woman with long, black hair twisted into braids. Face covered in heavy makeup, colorful pins tucked into her bun, and a dress adorned in fur and leather belts, she looks like a witch.

"I- I'm sorry," Aqua whispers, and freezes.

It's not the woman she stares at, but the girl at her side. Maybe around seven years old, a small thing with round cheeks, blonde pigtails and a wide-eyed stare that doesn't know what's going on but is desperate to find out. She clutches a stuffed rabbit like it's her shield.

A whole lifetime younger than the years Aqua spent in the Realm of Darkness, one among millions of birthdays that were celebrated. One of millions of funerals, heartbreaks, weddings.

"Excuse me," the witch says, gripping her girl's hand in one of hers and a roll of luggage in the other, not letting Aqua apologize for the awkwardness.

As is her right, Aqua must have been staring with her mouth open. And what is she supposed to say? What a lovely afternoon it is?

The witch and the girl join a chatty gathering of several children of different ages, all carrying one bag of their own. With this many kids, this has to be an orphanage, the witch being their organizer. They all call her "Miss Lulu."

"It's strange to be surrounded by other people, is it not?" a gruff, rough voice asks, like he watched the entire ordeal.

Ansem the Wise sits on a chair by a messy desk covered in sealed envelopes, sprawled out like they've been shaken out of a proper stack. Whoever worked on these frantically forgot about them. His hood is withdrawn, and he looks as though he's had just as restless of a night as her.

Aqua takes a seat next to him. It's nice to have someone who understands.

"I'm not like them," she says, and they are stranger words indeed. She doesn't have a better way of articulating herself nor does she know where they come from. Just that she's different.

"Well I would hope not," Ansem says with an amused grin. "You wield the Keyblade after all." She smiles meekly at his joke, and it encourages him. "I assure you, you are still very much human."

He takes stock of the people around him, of Lulu, who is double-checking papers before giving one to each of the children, like they are tickets of some kind. The blonde girl starts hysterically crying when she realizes that Lulu has no choice but to stay behind. What is happening to separate them?

"Your friend is very sincere," Ansem says, drawing out the last word. "Terra."

All Aqua can do is nod. Remembering last night is not what she wants right now, re-imagining the pain Terra must be in, scared and alone in the Realm of Darkness.

"I will have to apologize," Ansem continues. "I did not know."

"Did not know what?"

He takes a breath before starting. "Around twelve years ago, I enlisted Xehanort as an apprentice, at my castle in Radiant Garden-"

"Radiant Garden," she repeats, swallowing a lump in her throat. She checks herself and silently promises not to interrupt again. For years, she's wondered what actually happened to Terra that fateful day, and she gave up waiting for an answer. Now it's here.

"Yes. My team found an unconscious young man, with no memory of his past…"

She clears her throat.

"Xehanort was someone who was very specific over what he was sincere about. Nevertheless, he was polite, dedicated, even disobedient at times…"

Words like polite, dedicated, even disobedient at times can be used to describe Terra and she doesn't know whether she should spit at this.

"Not once did I ever suspect he was someone else, and for that, I am sorry for never realizing."

She's been staring at her knees the entire time and nods.

But there is more to the story, and as Ansem continues his tale of how his apprentice became more rambunctious and bold over time, Aqua finds her face buried in her hands, stopping herself from throwing up.

Xehanort's experiments. The creation of Heartless. She sacrificed herself to give Terra a chance and instead left the worlds with a worse mess than the Unversed, who apparently disappeared shortly after. The Heartless are her responsibility now.

The blonde girl cries harder this time, like she wants to prove a point to Lulu, and it's all Aqua's fault.

The thing about doing the right, just thing is that no one believes that they'd ever be delusional with it. Especially for twelve years.

It's a crappy place to be in, throwing millions of people into fear for the life of one man. One very special and dear friend, who would have perished in the darkness, she truly believed she was doing her best.

And Xemnas… he said that he lost his heart. Was he also a victim of Xehanort's experiments? Does she have his life on her hands, too?

"It's good to see you awake," a young man's voice interrupts her thoughts. Dressed entirely in black like he belongs in some gang, with dark hair trendy enough to make other young people self-conscious, he speaks like he's been yawning all day. His name is Noctis, the leader from last night.

His smile at least is just as warm and genuine as Garnet's.

"Master Ansem," Noctis addresses, "the ship will depart soon."

Turning to Aqua, Ansem says, "I will head back to Radiant Garden. Will you join me?"

There is no good destination for her aside from the Land of Departure.

"I… I need to find my friend first."

Her heart truly wants to make amends with Ventus, as though she has betrayed him for making him wait so long. Yet she's a Keyblade Master with the calling to help those in need, why does owning a Keyblade mean that she has to let her friends down?

"Surely I can be of service to you?" Ansem asks. "I can lend you a personal gummi ship, you can travel the worlds on your own that way."

"I'm sure you can, but," she starts, before turning to Noctis and asking, "what is going on here?"

His eyes drop for a second before replying. "We have a Heartless problem. These people are being evacuated."

So the displaced are hers as well. She silently asks forgiveness from Ventus, promising that she's closer than ever. He just needs to wait a little longer. She's sorry.

"I think it's a good idea that I talk to Sora and Riku first," is her answer to Ansem. "I'll stay."

Maybe she's imagining it, but Noctis looks just a bit relieved.

"Then I shall take my leave," Ansem declares, grunting as he stands up. "Please be well." He shakes hands with Noctis, naming him Your Majesty before joining the other people rushing to catch the same ship.

With the way he leans on one leg and rubs the back of his head, Noctis is the most casual king she has ever met.

"I'm glad you're staying," he says, before realizing that it sounds weird with no context. "There's something I think you should see."

It's not every day she gets escorted by someone royal in a fancy hotel, not that there's much to look at anymore. Ballrooms are used as storage spaces, the dining room is packed with tired, dirty people venting out their problems, and they have to sometimes squeeze in between hoards of boxes to follow a hallway. He answers her questions along the way – Traverse Town has been the site of a menacing Heartless attack for weeks now. It's getting worse, and their plan right now is to evacuate the city, which may take several days. The people boarding the ship right now have been chosen by a lottery system, which prioritizes families and children. The rest will have to wait until later. He and his men will prepare for another Heartless attack late tonight.

Some worlds Aqua has seen before were damaged by Unversed more so than others. This is far worse. What is even more awful is that Traverse Town is a refuge for people who have lost their worlds to darkness. Now they are losing their second home.

Aqua, sadly, knows exactly how that feels.

Little pitter-patters follow their footsteps, small kittens curious enough to wonder where they're going. One of them, a fluffy, dark gray thing with an uneven red ribbon tied around his neck, kneads at her ankles.

"Berlioz is really friendly," Noctis says, encouraging her to cradle the little kitten in both her hands, his fur soft and warm and his purrs a sound she has forgotten exists.

His siblings meow for attention, attracting their stunning, fluffy white mother, who Noctis introduces as Duchess. She gracefully arrives via the top of an upright piano, purring at the caress of his hand and trying to climb onto his shoulders.

Aqua has to stop at this piano, she just has to. She strikes three keys at the same time as she holds Berlioz close to her chest. They sound terrible together but he doesn't mind – he's too busy sniffing her chin.

"Does Terra ever play for you?" Noctis asks.

The confidence in which he asks the question nearly confuses Aqua, as if it was something he witnessed with his own eyes. Which is impossible.

"Terra doesn't play the piano."

"Oh… my bad."

He is questioning her answer, she can hear it in his voice. And it almost – almost – makes her wonder if she is remembering her best friend wrong. But it can't be, she's spent her almost every waking moment with him, and the crazier thing is that she's anxious enough to want to prove her point and claim that he has never learned to play any instrument.

Neither of them brush the subject again, since they are almost at the room he wants to show her. The kittens don't follow them inside, and it's for the best.

This room – their room of remembrance, as he calls it - used to be a small ballroom, empty of furniture. Two walls on opposite sides are adorned with collages of photographs, all of them of smiling people. The wall to her left has tables with open books and written words. The wall to her right has flowers, both fresh and withered, and candles carefully alight. Visitors gather around the photos, whispering to themselves.

Noctis waves to the wall on the left. "This is where we send prayers for return."

She quizzes him with her eyes. He continues, "they say that when you turn into a Heartless, it's not the end. One day you can come back to normal, and we wish those people a safe return home to us in those journals."

He says it in a way as though he needs her to confirm this information, even though this is the first she's ever heard of it. It's astonishing how many photos are on this wall, all Heartless now. There is one of Noctis surrounded by three other young men, who wear all-black like he does, out on fishing trip. He's probably alone now.

"And the wall behind us?" she asks.

Noctis glances back and his expression gets grim, like he's annoyed with himself for failing. "That's our memorial, for those who can't come back."

The memorial has more photos. All of them, the dead and the Heartless, are hers.

"What kind of Heartless problem is this?"

He chuckles, but it's the sort that is full of spite. "One we've named Kefka."

Kefka, the way the name is pronounced is full of vitriol.

Before she asks any further, a line of people come into the room. One of them is Garnet, who has wiped any smile from her face as she interlaces her fingers to her chest. Following her is Riku, who is solemnly holding a picture, and Sora, who has his arms crossed.

"This is what I wanted you to see," Noctis whispers. "I don't exactly understand what happened to him, but we're all sending Terra our prayers."

Riku pins a photo of a smirking Terra onto the wall to join the rest who have fallen to darkness. In this picture, Terra is surrounded by others: Riku and Noctis by his side, Garnet in front of him, along with others that's she's never met before. Onlookers have already started writing down their wishes in an open journal, taking turns like it's a guestbook to funeral.

Sora is the only one truly uncomfortable, rubbing his foot into the carpet like it's to blame as his cheeks puff up in a frown. He sniffs as he stands straight and faces the photo, as though it takes him bravery to face the sadness. It's probably not something that anyone would have noticed about him, since he hides it so well.

Noctis leaves her side to hold a weeping Garnet's shoulder before taking their turns at writing in the journal.

She wonders if any one of them know that losing Terra is her fault, too.

A woman with bright green hair approaches Aqua, using a wooden longstaff to keep herself standing upright. Her lavish green dress, adorned with gold embroidery and long empire sleeves that drag on the floor, is proudly worn, as though the fact she cannot walk well matters little. She is dressed like a sorceress, and this woman wants the world to know. Aqua recognizes her as someone in the photo with Terra.

"Miss Aqua," she begins, blinking back tears. "my name is Rydia." She holds out one hand to take one of Aqua's. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you, and for Terra."

Sorry doesn't really cut it. Aqua knows this but she also knows it's rude to even feel that way since Rydia means no ill intention. She brushes the bitterness to the back of her mind.

"Thanks," she croaks even though she doesn't mean to.

"I wanted you to know," Rydia says, her own voice cracking, "that… I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Terra." She cries now, a smile across her face like she wants to make her tears comfortable. "I'd have my photo put up at the memorial today. I'm so happy that he found you. I honestly think it made his life worthwhile."

Aqua is dumbfounded at the intimacy of such a statement. Of course, she doesn't talk about why Rydia is left without her home world, or why there are Heartless to begin with. Something tells her that Rydia will be the one person in this room not to blame her for any of that, and this alone is comforting.

She rubs the sorceress' hands in both of hers. At least one life is well, and it's marvelous to be proud of what Terra has saved.

"Thank you." This time, she really means it.

Rydia, after giving her one more gentle squeeze, leaves to join the line with the others for her turn at the journal. Aqua doesn't get more than a moment to compose herself when Riku approaches her.

"You look better," he smirks. He's slightly taller than her, and he's so much like Terra, not letting his emotions be too readable on his face. He gestures towards the exit and they both leave Sora, who is quite happy to give Noctis and Garnet a pep talk, trying hard to keep them optimistic.

She breathes better outside of that room, even though it's full of love and appreciation for her best friend.

The two of them find lounge chairs in the hallway close to the entrance of the hotel, buried underneath clothes, books and open cartons of food. Removing them, they sit across from each other. Riku clears his throat, letting go of a fist that forms on his knee.

"I'm sorry about what happened," he starts.

"You and so many others," she chuckles, really trying to make light of the situation. It doesn't work on him. She really needs to get this talking-to-people thing under control.

"I tried to help Terra with his powers of darkness… I wanted him to be able to handle them, to last longer before he was overtaken again."

"Ah." Aqua catches a breath, her lips quivering. "Well, he found me. You gave him enough time to find me." She forces a smile and it stops the tears.

He nods out of obligation and nothing else. "Mickey, ah, chose to stay behind to be with him."

It's meant to be comforting, the idea that neither of them are alone, but it's so obvious how much Riku is affected by this information, even though he works hard to hide it. His eyes shift around despite his smile. He loses control over his hand and it forms a fist again before he realizes.

And the only thing Aqua feels in return is… coldness? Like the mouse deserves it, to be so compelled to stay behind for her friend while she waited for him by herself.

It's completely inappropriate to feel this way of course, and it gets worse when Riku tells her that Mickey felt like he owed her. For abandoning her, which are the words not spoken. Completely out of character, she thinks to herself, so what is wrong with her?

However abnormal her thoughts are, she leans forward to hold Riku's wrist – fake the compassion until it occurs to her naturally, where she feels more like her old self. If anything, the Realm of Darkness should never have the power to take anything away from her, least of all herself. Maybe Mickey had other responsibilities. Maybe the worlds desperately needed his help.

Sora takes a seat by them, listening to the tail end of their conversation. "Speaking of," he pipes up, "Donald still won't talk to me."

"Where is he?" Riku asks.

"Talking to the sky pirates with Goofy." The way he responds is only slightly nonchalant, like he understands the seriousness of the situation but comforted by some secret knowledge that everything is going to be okay anyway. "They're trying to put together a plan to find a new Door to Darkness and free the king."

"It's not easy getting into the Realm of Darkness," Riku explains.

Funny, it wasn't hard for her.

She must have been too silent, because Riku's expression softens. "You didn't trade places with him, you know."

"What?"

"You didn't trade places with Terra." He leans forward. "Xehanort has a lot of friends who wouldn't just leave him there. But that's worst case scenario."

There are several things running through her mind that could be more catastrophic than a rampant Xehanort in the Realm of Darkness.

"But," Riku stresses, "Terra has Mickey now, who's a good friend. They can take care of each other until we figure out a way to help them. Who knows, sometimes Mickey can perform miracles…"

Sora snickers. Riku rolls his eyes and finishes, "he just sucks with them at times."

It takes so much effort not to spit about Mickey's poor track record, but maybe Riku is the exact reason for why she was left behind. A young boy in need of someone to look out for him… She knows this is a possibility, but the stars be damned if she can't comfort herself right now. She purses her lips and doesn't respond.

"What are you going to do now?" Sora asks with a wide smile. If he noticed how she's been feeling, he's smart to give her space. "Find Ventus?"

It's the first thing on her list of things to do. Wake him up. Free Terra and finally get her family back… and find Xemnas. Find a way to undo the awful things that might have happened to him, or if anything, find out if he's safe. Not a particularly long list.

"The gummi ship has already left," Riku says in her place. "And we can't take her. We have to stay here for Kefka."

There's something about Kefka that brings a weight to everyone around her, like the name is poisonous.

"I can't get to him right now," she replies for herself, though it's difficult for her to admit. "I have to stay here and help these people."

Sora nearly jumps forward. "Are you sure you don't need rest?"

"Rest can get boring." Her best attempt at a joke, but the smile is docile.

"You're not concerned about him?" Riku interjects.

"Of course I am…" She nearly scoffs. "But I know he's okay."

"He's been missing for years." As if she doesn't know. "Where is he?"

Aqua taps her knee first. She nearly told Terra – of all people – where Ventus is hiding and that could have been dangerous. Riku and Sora aren't dangerous, not to her and not to her family. The walls don't have ears, and no one in this hotel is suspicious. It's not anyone here, but the risk.

If he's still missing, then twelve years of keeping her mouth shut has worked.

"Safe in a place where no one will find him."

Sora is about to object, but Riku waves him off, a smirk drawing across his face. "You're just as tight-lipped as Terra, huh? Hm, I get it, I understand. His safety comes first... I appreciate how much you're straightforward though."

"Thanks." She breathes a sigh of relief. "Enough about me. What can I do to help?"

He takes a moment to think first. "I think you can protect the sick and injured here tonight. Heartless will specifically target them."

"… What?"

Heartless are feral and primitive, driven by a hungry instinct. They are stronger in the Realm of Darkness, and she has met some with a more complex intellect, like powerful predators stuck. But that's all they are.

"Kefka sends them to do just that."

"That's…" She's about to say impossible. "… awful."

Riku can hear her apprehension in her voice. "And?"

"That's too smart."

"That's Kefka." He smirks. "I'd appreciate if you could stand guard here."

She is speechless. Her mind wanders to old lessons, searching for an answer to this nonsense.

Legendaries. Every single person in the multiverse has darkness in them, and it manifests in small and in large ways. Sometimes it evolves, morphing people into something more than human, giving them powers or turning them into monsters strong enough to leave fables for generations. Or it's a tremendous concentration of energy that creates an identity for itself and acts on its own. Terra used to read about these things all the time, but she has her own personal example. She ran into one as an eight-year-old; a man who killed her parents and started her journey as a Keyblade wielder. Ardyn is one of his names.

If a man can become legendary, then surely a Heartless can.

"So why don't I help you fight it?"

Sora squirms at the question and Riku doubles down on his argument.

"I don't think fighting Kefka is a good idea for you."

"And why not?"

"I doubt you're in top shape, and it's a tough battle."

It's not entirely false but she's faced worse. "Are you going to fight Kefka?"

"Yes."

"But your Keyblade?" Sora objects.

So what she saw last night was true – Riku's Keyblade really did shatter.

"I'm going to Yen Sid's now to do something about it." He gets up from his seat, casually walking towards the exit.

"Will it work in time?"

"I don't know if it'll be in time-"

"But it will work," Aqua interrupts, remembering lessons from the Master. "I've never heard of a Keyblade breaking before, but I know it's an extension of your heart. It can never really abandon you or betray you. It even bonds with those you trust." She thinks of her own, sitting somewhere waiting for her to come back. She thinks of the Defender, willing to protect her like a father would. "Riku's heart isn't broken. He probably just needs to listen to it better."

It's a good feeling to comfort someone else, seeing Riku's smile as he waves off Sora's concerns.

"See? That's pretty much the gist of what Yen Sid said." He continues to eye her, before adding. "We can help you find Ventus, but only if we leave early tomorrow morning."

"In the meantime…" Sora stands up extends his hand to her. "I'm going to take you to see Traverse Town."

"Excuse me?" she stammers.

"I think Terra would have really wanted you to be happy on your first day free," he says with an excitable grin, like he's been told this directly and is fulfilling a favor. "Not pouting over Heartless."

Riku chuckles. "As long as you're back by seven."

Sora's smile deteriorates as quickly as he can summon it. "Why seven? Kefka only shows up at eleven."

A Heartless that cares about punctuality is even more bizarre.

"And they want us ready by nine," Riku says.

"So we'll be back by nine."

"Except you're always late."

"But you're going to cut her night short." Sora drops his jaw, then gets determined. "Well, if she doesn't enjoy herself, then you owe her a nice time."

Aqua doesn't know Sora well, he just seems earnest to her. She would have never figured out something is off until she sees Riku's expression, who is close to asking his best friend what's gotten into you?

Instead he repeats, "seven, Sora," before disappearing out the door.

Sora doesn't admit defeat, wrinkling his nose with a smug look on his face. "He really means eight. C'mon."

He grabs her wrist and leads her outside the hotel, heading south. The streets are louder than she imagines.

"What if he doesn't come back in time?" she asks.

Sora is the kind of person to keep a smile even when he's being serious, like his personal motto is that optimism is the better coping mechanism. "That's why I'm staying. But Riku's a genius, he'll be back before we know it."

They arrive at what he calls the first district, a quaint area far older in its architecture than the second, where the hotel is. So charming and humble, in fact, that the inhabitants try their hardest to keep its history and not let it deteriorate into a war zone. Shops and old homes built with trustworthy wood, earnest stone, and warm brick. Lanterns that will be lit at night to lead everyone home. The town is also an obvious example of how this world is a refuge for others – no one here looks the same. Some people are naturally tall, like trees. Others are half her height and roam freely with Moogles. Some look human, others have animal heads.

What reminds her the strongest that she's alive is the smell. Warm but bitter, an old memory like a faint morning by the fireplace in the winter.

"Is that coffee?" She breathes deeply.

A café built by the warmest painted wood is close by, with several people crowded together to discuss and complain about Kefka, their bad luck, and comparing when they are scheduled to board a gummi ship next.

"You want some?" Sora approaches an outdoor menu, written out in chalk.

She's broke. "I don't have any-"

"I'll pay for it." He begins to search his pockets. "Which one do you want?"

She's allowed to want now? She should probably be polite and decline, but accepting his offer would make him happier.

"Blended with chocolate, please."

Steam floats out from the cup the barista hands to her, the shape of leaf decorating the surface of the foam. She takes a deeper whiff of the aroma, giving it barely a chance to cool down before directing it to her lips. Hot, creamy, delicious. Much better than the dry sandwich from this morning.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Sora fumbling with some sort of hand device, angling it at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a picture." It's the funniest-looking camera she's ever seen. "When we get him back, we can show Terra what you did on your first day."

Sora then angles the thing (a phone apparently) to include himself in the shot (he calls it a selfie) and take one together with her. She makes sure to smile some.

He takes lots of photos of her throughout the town, particularly around the fountain in the plaza they pass through. There's always better light or better angles to improve the picture, and why pass up the opportunity for the perfect shot when there's this beautiful water spurting into the air behind her? Terra would love all of these.

They finally reach the fourth district when Sora realizes he's filled up the memory on his phone. This section is built on a hill, all the stores leading downward via stairways. Strings of colored light direct the passageways, most of them connected to a tall watchtower at the center of the district, the tallest for miles despite that it's on lower ground. He promises that it's more beautiful at night when all the lights are lit, and she believes him.

Street blocks of dresses and jewelry scatter the area like a store catalogue, and while she can't buy anything, it's nice just to see what kind of artistry people are capable of. Some of the stores are closed, and through enough eavesdropping, she learns that these owners were chosen and allowed to board the gummi ship earlier today, to escape Kefka.

Others continue manning their stores, some of them truly believing in Noctis and Garnet's leadership, that they will be kept safe by the people who care about them most. After all, can they imagine having to pack up and start their business all over again in another world?

Sora suddenly remembers that he has to buy some rare ingredients – spices that hopes traders will bring to this world because only the stars know what kind of world I'd have to visit to find them otherwise – for a friend waiting for him. Aqua nearly follows him inside when she catches sight of several flower carts sitting idly outside a closed door.

The flower shop is closed, and the owner has left a note: Please, take what you'd like to brighten up your evening. Like a blessing to occupy the mind of an anxious civilian who is acting like Kefka is death knocking on their door.

White, five petals. These flowers catch her attention the most, looking so much like the wild ones that grew throughout the mountain valleys in the spring back at the Land of Departure. She doesn't remember what they smell like.

Slowly, she leans forward and breathes in. They don't smell like anything she recognizes.

"Here," Sora's voice interrupts her, "you should touch this."

He throws a large, stuffed bear into her face before she can respond, big enough to make her feel like she's trying to hug a tree. But it's silky soft and satisfyingly squishy, and she hasn't felt anything like this in years.

"You like flowers?" he asks when he finally notices what she has been doing. "You gotta see the greenhouse then."

He yanks her by the wrist again, leading downhill and through alleys until they reach the fifth district, a smaller are where a tremendous glass building takes center stage, the clouds overhead graying.

A smell surrounds this district that reminds her of the wilderness. He doesn't give her enough time to pinpoint what it is when he pushes her inside, and her nostrils are invaded by an aroma of humidity, grass, and flora.

Two stories tall, the greenhouse packs a museum of gardens that all look like they could have come from different worlds. Sora takes his time to read through their introductory signs, and bless his heart for trying so hard to keep her entertained, even though the sound of spattering on the window is what is stealing her attention.

It starts in groups throwing themselves at the glass, until a barrage comes down and doesn't stop. It's such a sweet and hypnotizing sound.

"Aqua?"

She hasn't even realized that he's stopped talking. She tosses the bear back at him. "Keep him dry for me."

"Wait!"

He's too late, with Aqua chasing after the rain as she stands outside by herself, the townspeople all scurrying to find shelter. It's so cold that it makes the hairs at the back of her neck stand, and by reaction she partly lets go of a laugh. It has never rained in the Realm of Darkness, not once.

Has it really been that long ago when it rained in the mountains, when the three of them were locked in a water fight, splashing puddles into each other's faces and Ventus was the one who jumped on them and made the biggest waves?

Terra would wrap his arms around her, with half a purpose to wrestle her to submission and half an intention to keep her warm and dry, even though his body did a terrible job of doing so and they both got soaked to the bone anyway. But she preferred this over using an umbrella.

As much as she appreciates Sora's time and careful attention, Terra should be the one to give her company. He deserves to feel the storm and be alive with her.

Cold drops trickled down her face and her eyes burned them hot, but she's so wet that no one would be able to tell the difference between her tears and the rain. Less than a day and she's already broken the promise she made to herself not to cry over this more.

All she wants is her family back, and she gives herself one more promise that she will one day dance in the rain again with them. Failure is not an option this time.