A/N: Welcome to my third one shot, my first crossover. Here's the summary.

Zack and Aqua have been in the

Realm of Darkness for

over ten years. When they find each other

it is up to them to find a way to escape.

Will they manage to?

Or will they be trapped in the

Realm of Darkness forever? Find out!

Please enjoy A Light in the Darkness

A Light in the Darkness Part 1

(Aqua POV)

Aqua limped through the Realm of Darkness. She fought a growing sense of dread inside her. She had been down there for who knows how long. A sudden noise made her jump and summon her Keyblade. Aqua nervously looked around for the source of the noise. Nothing, not even a branch from a dead tree moved.

She sighed and dismissed her Keyblade. This place is getting to me. There are no people here besides me! Aqua thought. The same noise came again, causing Aqua to jump. This time, the young master was sure that she had heard something. The sound of a sword let her know that it was not a Heartless. At least not a Heartless that she knew of.

Carefully, Aqua walked towards the source of the noise. She heard the sounds of grunting, causing her to speed up her walk. She was soon at a jog, wanting to help whoever was in danger from the Heartless. Who could it be? Is it even real? An illusion maybe? Or maybe I'm just hearing things. How could another person be here? It's terrible even for the most evil of people! Aqua thought. She ran around the corner and spotted an all too familiar face.

It was Zack, the young man who had been at the Coliseum. Now he did not have that friendly look in his eyes that she was used to, but a fierce concentration and maybe even a little bit of a fiery rage. He was attacking a Heartless and beating it like it was nothing. Aqua watched as it swooped down for a crushing blow, but Zack easily dodged out of the way.

Aqua could tell that Zack had been down here at least a week longer than she had been. He looked about done with the place but he still fought fiercely. That was when Aqua realized what type of Heartless this was. It was the one and only Demon Tide. The creature who had attacked her on countless occasions. She couldn't let Zack fight this thing on his own. Yet she was intrigued by his gained fighting skill and maturity, Aqua realized in shock.

Well, now I know what the Realm of Darkness can do to even the kindest of souls. I hope he can make it, it looks like he has got it under control. You've got this Zack. May your heart be your guiding key, Aqua thought. That thought alone seemed to give Zack more confidence. His strikes were quicker and stronger and he even began using magic. Its almost like he hears me. But how is that possible? He's not a mind reader!

(Zack POV)

Zack fel the strange sensation that he was being watched by someone. This time not here to kill him. He tried to block out thoughts of Angeal and Cloud to remain focused, but questions kept on raising in his mind. Is Cloud okay? What would Angeal do in this situation? Is Sephiroth here, if so, has he changed at all? Are there any more sane people around here? Why do I feel that odd presence of reassurance? Zack thought. A sudden memory flashed through Zack's head.

"Zack, do you know why I chose to take you on?" Angeal asked, giving Zack a sidelong glance.

"Because I'm strong?" Zack asked, he had just failed a training session and was being scolded by Angeal for not giving it his all. It's not his fault he had been distracted by thoughts of Aerith. She was so pretty. Angeal closed his eyes. "Angeal?"

"Zack, I chose to take you on because of the strength of your heart," Angeal said.

"M - My heart? What do you mean?" Zack asked as Angeal began to turn around.

"You'll find out in time," Angeal said.

He then left Zack to ponder on what he had just said.

Zack shook his head to get back to the present. My heart! Of course, that's what Angeal was trying to tell me. But how will my heart help me this time? Will it guide me to a power I never knew I had? Zack thought. He barely dodged out of the way as the demon tornado. He focused the power of his heart and a huge blast destroyed the Demon Tide in a single blow.

Then, exhaustion took over. Zack tried to stay awake but the darkness kept coming in fierce waves waiting to swamp over him. Zack succumbed to it and collapsed, a smile on his face, broken only by a single tear. The tear of hope, pain, loss, and courage. Zack felt that presence again, like somebody or something was watching him.

He grunted as he pushed himself up and looked around. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" A figure stepped out of the shadows. It looked like another human, but that was impossible! He was the only human there. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Zack? It's me...Aqua," the voice said.

"Aqua?" Zack asked, thinking the name over. Do I know an Aqua? Hm...I don't think so. Who is this woman and how does she know my name? Zack thought. "I don't know any Aquas!"

"Zack?" the person asked, stepping out of the shadows. It was a human! But what was she doing way our here. "Are you okay? Has the Darkness gotten to you?"

"Wait...Aqua?!" Zack gasped. Aqua nodded, causing Zack to gasp in shock. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Could ask the same thing to you. This is no place for people," Aqua said.

"I was defending my friend when all of a sudden, I blacked out and I woke up here. It was weird, cause I was sure I was dead. And this was the path to the Lifestream...maybe even hell!" Zack said.

"Why would you go to hell?" Aqua asked, clearly confused. Zack couldn't help it anymore, tears streamed down his face. He hardly noticed Aqua trying to help him. "What happened, Zack? Why would you go to hell?"

"I couldn't save my best friend from... traitors. And I couldn't save my idol from falling to Darkness. I had to kill him. Do you know how that feels? He had to die by my sword! And then...Angeal, my mentor. It's all my fault he's dead! I killed him. Oh, Angeal, please be safe," Zack said, tears streaming down his face.

"Woah, slow down. What were their names? I caught one, Angeal. Not the other two," Aqua said.

"Sorry, it just pains me to say their names," Zack said. "Sephiroth, the one who fell to Darkness. Cloud...my best friend. I mis them both more than anyone else I know. And now, Sephiroth is dead and Cloud is who knows where. He needs me, if I leave him now, he could die. I'm not saying he can't protect himself, it's just, j have a sort of protectiveness of him, you know?"

"You love him like a brother?" Aqua asked.

"Yes, exactly. And I even gave him Angeal's sword, the Buster Sword. It was so important to him. He never used it, he didn't want it to wear or tear or rust. "Use brings wear, tear, and rust" , that's when I figured out how cheap he could be. Just thinking about it makes me sad. I never used it. Only once and I lost that battle," Zack said.

"He was cheap?" Aqua asked with a chuckle.

"Oh yes, very cheap. And wise,_ Zack said, another tear sliding down his cheek. "Embrace your dreams and whatever happens, protect your honor as SOLDIER. Even though SOLDIER disgusts me now."

"SOLDIER? What's that?" Aqua asked.

"The elite fighting force of my world. SOLDIER First Class Zack, on the job. That name means nothing to me now. I am not a SOLDIER First Class. The only survivor. I despise that name. Others can fall for Shinra's games, but I won't. I stopped following those orders long ago. Stupid Shinra and his stupid followers. They probably think I died from that battle. But they don't know how stubborn Zack Fair can be," Zack said, an angry expression on his face.

"Zack...is there anyway I can get to your world?" Aqua asked.

"How in the world would I know?! If I knew a way, do you think I would still be down here, fighting Heartless and eating twigs?! No!" Zack said.

"True enough, anyway, do you want to find a way out?" Aqua asked.

"Yes, I would do anything to be back home. I miss the feeling of the sun on my back. Come on, there's no time to waste! Cloud, I'm coming for you, just hang in there," Zack said confidently.

"Also, do you know how long you've been down here?" Aqua asked.

"Of course, it has been ten years and eleven weeks. That's for me at least," Zack said.

"Ten years and eleven weeks? From the looks of it, you have been here at least a week longer than me...I've been here for ten years and ten weeks," Aqua said, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"You've been here for ten years as well?! That's crazy! Anyway, let's try to find a way out of here before another year strikes!" Zack said, laughing.

Aqua nodded and the two warriors walked side by side. Zack gave Aqua a sidelong glance. She had been there about the same time that he had. How did they not find each other? He didn't have time to ponder on the matter, right now they needed to find a way to get out of this place. And it did not seem like that was going to happen anytime soon. Zack looked towards the dead sky.

A large Heartless went by, only looking at them as it passed by. Though, once it walked off, it did fire a single shot at Aqua, causing her to summon her Keyblade. Zack unsheathed his sword and easily destroyed it, leaving only a pool of Darkness from where it had once stood.

"Are they always like this? Made of Darkness?" Zack asked.

"Of course they are. Has the Darkness messed with your head a little bit too much, my friend? Or did you just hit your head really hard back there?" Aqua replied.

"Hey, I probably have severe brain damage from what happened to me. Anyway, let's move on, we don't want to waste anytime," Zack said. He suddenly remembered the times he had been fleeing with Cloud. It almost felt like it was happening again.

Zack rode the motorcycle he had stolen from Shinra his eyes wide and scared as he looked around for any sign of Shinra. He shook his head, he needed to focus. He looked back at Cloud who was still asleep, stuck in a comma that Zack thought was going to last forever. Each passing day, Zack felt like it would be his last.

Finally, they stumbled across a safe place to hide. It was an old Chocobo Ranch, all of the birds had been moved out and the walls of the house where people had probably once lived. Now, the only sign that it was a ranch was a bunch of feathers scattered all over the place. There was even a barn.

Zack sighed and entered the barn. An owl flew over Zack's head causing him to jump. He sighed and gently placed Cloud down on the dusty floor. He looked around and spotted a mouse. The young warrior frowned and grabbed the mouse. He tried not to cringe as he felt it moving around in his hand.

He opened his hand and looked down at the tiny rodent. It sort of reminded him of Cloud. It was so helpless as it squirmed in his hand. Zack sighed and let it go. The mouse squeaked and ran away, Zack watching it run. He wondered how long it would be before that owl caught it. Then, Zack laid against Cloud and fell fast asleep.

A/N: Yes, this one shot will have two or three parts. Anyway, please review and thank you for the wait. See you soon, Nerd!