I'm alive and finally able to pull myself out of writers' block.

Enjoy.

I don't own Slender or Kingdom Hearts.

Aqua pulled herself from unconsciousness, her mind connecting with her senses. It was cold, thanks to the weather, and she was laying, face down, on gravel, pebbles digging into her cheek. She groaned, forcing her eyes to open.

"Argh…" Her head was pulsating. "Man…that hurts."

Her vision was blurred, mixed with blacks and grey, which made no sense. She had been getting off work and had intended to walk home and call Terra to come over for dinner, walking towards her apartment. How had she blacked out?

"Ugh… my head is throbbing…"

Opening her eyes again, she gasped and winced. Her head felt like it had split her brain in two and the arm she was laying on was numb from lack of circulation. She used her other hand to push herself into a sitting position, brushing off the few rocks that had stuck to her face. Looking around, she frowned and stood slowly to her feet, confusion running through her. She scrambled into her memories in hopes of finding some sort of recognition of this place, but the area was foreign.

Tall, grey buildings stood around her, melding with the dark sky above. Feeling unsettled, she turned in a circle and tried to figure out where she was. Even if it was only familiar setting sorts, she would have a grasp of where she was.

The only thing she found was a street sign, faded with age and barely distinguishable in the faint streetlight. She squinted and said the name aloud under her breath.

"7th Street…?"

The street name was foreign to her. There's wasn't any street she knew by that, nor could she pick out any town with it, either. So…where was she now?

"How odd." Her temples ached and pounded slightly, making the young woman wince. "What in the world…"

Her barriers had slowly begun to raise in concern and fear as she tried to decide what to do now. Did she venture out into this unknown area for help or try and find a way home on her own? Should she wait for someone to come and rescue her? Surely Terra would be the first to know something was off when he came by her apartment. She wouldn't be there and that wasn't a normal thing for someone like her. He would come looking for her.

But…how long would it take? She didn't even know where she was, how far she was from home. It could take days, even weeks. Did she dare stick around?

And then there was an even greater worry for her: how had she gotten here to begin with? She didn't sleepwalk, let alone have any mental instability that would have her wandering off with a lack of memory. Now fear was being replaced with suspicion and awareness, eyeing the abandoned area. There had to be a reason, an explanation as to how she got here. So could it have been someone else?

Frowning, she firmly stood her ground. She was a brave woman, one who could easily defend herself and not stand down. This stranger who dared kidnap her would be no exception to that.

It certainly made more sense than any other theory she could come up with. The kidnapper could have attacked her from behind and taken her away. Perhaps they were still around, watching her right now. Had she just been thrown into a little game of cat and mouse? The thought alone made her skin crawl in disgust and unease. She much preferred an enemy she could see.

"Well, I don't have to even play. I'd rather find an exit and get home." She hummed thoughtfully and looked around. "Which way to go…"

It was hard to see without a moon. She tried to ignore that small fact, seeing as her last memory was her walking home around noon, with the sun still high. There were stars though. Millions of tiny lights that shone down and gave her a small sense of hope. If only these useless street lights were brighter so she could see better.

"I suppose I can simply follow the North Star. It's better than nothing at all."

She looked up and her eyes pinpointed the bright star that was showing her the way. With one more glance around the empty town, she moved her feet in the same direction as her sky compass. As she began making her way through the quiet area, a small shiver ran up her spine. She didn't dare turn around to see if anything had been the reason for it, sticking solely to her mission.