What time is it? It's Aqua time... and insert some Saturday Night Live sketch somewhere here.
Chapter 12
Parting Waves
Stormfall whizzed upwards in a blaze of purple and struck the Heartless across the face causing it to yelp and retreat further into the mines. It showed all the characteristics of what Sora had described a Chimera to be but Aqua wasn't so sure that she was going to be able to contain this one. It seemed too far gone, having acted ferociously upon first seeing her and it had proved so far that it was too unyielding and stubborn to hear her words, if it could hear them at all.
It had been three months since she had learned of the existence of these new breed of Heartless, and the shocking revelation still proved to be very much that today. It was hard to believe that someone would have kidnapped people at random only to experiment on them and turn them into monsters. It was outright barbaric, and yet Aqua as a Keyblade Master had been unable to assist Sora and the others in capturing him. Had she been there with them at the time, she might have been able to have prevented the loss of their friend.
Aqua ran through the network of tunnels that connected to each other in a very confusing way. The Chimera could have been anywhere, and this one in particular had an act for running away. A few Neo Shadows sprang out from behind her and attacked, knocking her into a wall. She raised her Keyblade sending out a Shockwave Pulsar. Two orbs shot forward and engulfed the Neo Shadows before exploding and wiping them out. She pressed on.
She was halfway through another tunnel when a bright light erupted from her pocket. Had something gone wrong already? Aqua reached into her pocket and pulled out her Wayfinder giving it a good stare for a second before a voice came out of it.
"Aqua, are you there?" Kairi's voice came out as a strange echo that reverberated down the tunnel walls.
"I'm here though you've kind of caught me at bad time. It's not your fault of course. What's your situation Kairi?" Aqua asked.
"I'm still single."
"Excuse me?" Aqua replied in confusion at Kairi's answer.
"Oh, I'm just joking. It was just the way you said it, you reminded me of… anyway, that's not the point. We kind of have a serious problem on our hands over here. Our engine's dead and we're stranded in a world called Kauai. We're probably to see if we can find any spare parts but that might not be possible." Kairi summarized.
Aqua considered her words carefully before nodding her head even though Kairi wouldn't have been able to have seen it. "Alright, I'll try to find you three. Just keep the wayfinder activated until I get there, okay?" she assured Kairi.
"OK, we'll see you… oh crap. Uh, it isn't what it looks like, ha ha ha. I need to go now, bye." The sudden abrupt stop to the conversation surprised Aqua and coupled along with the awkward laughter near the end, it didn't seem too good on Kairi's end.
To make matters worse, as soon as Kairi's voice faded off, another sound took its place, a humanely set of yells coming from farther down the tunnel. Aqua set off once more down the earthy underpass at a much faster pace. The tunnels seemed to climb downwards like a hill at a steady yet certain pace until she emerged out in another huge area to see the Chimera's back turned to her.
"Why are you here?" She asked in irritation. She was able to just barely identify seven dwarfs that were cowering away in the corner as the creature slowly approached them. She had met them previously before coming here and had expressly told them not to go wandering in after they heard wails coming from inside.
"No need to blow a gasket over it! We just couldn't help ourselves!" Grumpy bleated.
"Now if y- you'd b-b-be so kind as to h-help us…" Bashful stammered tripping over his own words as usual.
Aqua sighed before raising her Keyblade and casting Triple Firaga. The heated blasts connected in three different areas, striking first in the Chimera's back, the next its neck and finally the right temple leaving the creature growling. Another Triple Firaga. This time, the Chimera expected it, knocking all three shots back at Aqua with his hand. Aqua only just had time to raise her barrier but the surprise deflection had still been enough to knock her backwards into a wall.
Aqua placed her hands against the wall, waited and watched as the Chimera moved in to attack her. "Seeker Mine!" she yelled just before it could make contact with her and then cartwheeled out of the way. A glowing glyph formed on the wall that immediately exploded when it made contact with the Chimera's head blowing it off. The body remained in place for a while before eventually withering away and turning into dust particles. These black flickers of dust surrounded the area like suspended snowflakes before disappearing soon after the heart had disappeared into thin air.
"HA-HA! Now that oughta sow 'em- I mean show 'em, yessiree." Doc corrected himself quickly.
"You know, I've always had a talent for blowing minds when they least expect it." Aqua said revelling in her own pun for a second before remembering Kairi's situation. "Oh, I have to go. Please, whatever you do, do not go wandering of into danger again. I won't except that you couldn't help it as an answer. I'll be taking Snow White with me and I may not know when she'll return but I promise you that I'll keep her safe until then."
"But what about those mysterious objects and that log- er, fog?" Doc asked.
"Fog?" Aqua repeated not knowing what they were talking about. While it was true that she had come across very strange objects throughout the mine that almost seemed as if they didn't belong to this world, she had seen nothing resembling fog.
Wait a minute. Didn't Riku mention something about this? Aqua remembered back to a brief and confusing conversation back in Radiant Garden. After Yen Sid had announced who each Princess of Heart had been assigned to, Riku had pulled her aside and had mentioned something about mysterious objects appearing out of nowhere here. She mentally slapped herself for having completely forgotten about the conversation until now.
"Okay, show me where this fog is."
Aqua uttered an audible sigh of relief as she set foot on unknown land. As the usual, the ride to and from worlds certainly didn't seem to be getting any easier. In fact, she could swear it was becoming the opposite.
This had been from the Dwarf Woodlands to Radiant Garden, which thankfully hadn't been that long a journey. The journey to this world had been easier. All she had to do was ask Master Yen Sid to use the Wayfinder as a bridge to teleport her to the world, though it hadn't exactly put her near Kairi as far as she could see.
As much as she was reluctant to say this, she longed for the days when she was fighting the Unversed. Though they had been the start of much trouble in her and her other two friends' lives, they were at least simplistic. They reflected and were attracted to negative thoughts, something which you couldn't really find in the lanes between and so her journeys to other worlds were often a tranquil experience.
This wasn't to say things weren't complicated back then. Xehanort and Vanitas had made sure of that not to mention the sudden feud that had made a mountain out of a molehill almost tearing Terra, Ven and her apart. Of course their friendship wasn't so weak as to destroy their bonds completely but by then it was too late.
Even then, she could still attribute blame partly for her motherly concern. At times she felt that it had even taken precedent over the equality of their friendship. These past few months had been her trying to repackage herself in a new light that made her seem more carefree, hence the knee length camo pants and waistcoat over a plain white tank top. Of course it had been Kairi who had picked the outfit for her, though she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it herself. Maybe it was too much…
She wondered what she could have been doing were it not for both Alice and Luna's disappearances. Not that she considered it a nuisance but she had drafted an entire list of thing she and everyone else could have done as a kind of reunion. The Sea Salt Ice Cream had definitely been up there—and yes, it had been one of the first things she had done after Xehanort had been defeated but only with Terra and Ven. She had heard from Kairi that she and the others had made Sea Salt Ice Cream as a part of a competition with hilarious results. She wanted to do another one but with current circumstances, such an event was unforeseeable for the future.
There was also the wedding. Astra had never really been good with weddings, mainly because she had never been to one but she had always pictured as a little girl what one would be like. Those were fairy tale weddings. When it came to reality that was something very different, and when Rinoa had brought up the topic of her dress, Aqua could only cease up like someone who had just been asked to answer an impossible question.
We'll get there when we get there, were Aqua's thoughts on the matter. That was a mission entirely in itself. Right now she had a Gummi engine she needed to deliver to her friends. The only way she could have ever carried such a thing from one world to another was to use the Fifth Dimension spell.
She figure it would be best if she contacted Kairi from here to ask where she was, though even that wouldn't matter if she didn't know where she was herself. She pulled out the still glowing Wayfinder and was about to speak into it when two voices somewhere nearby caught her attention.
Both voices sounded familiar, though one more so than the other. Over ten years ago, she had heard this voice having belonged to what was questionably someone suffering from a case of multiple personality. Just less than a year ago, she had met him when he was working for Maleficent. There was simply no way she could forget Pete, or Captain Justice, or Captain Dark, or… whatever he called himself these days.
"And just where do ya think we're gonna find that pipsqueak of yours in a place like this?" Pete boomed as he usually did.
"Well the little Trog is programmed to destroy cities according to the reports by his maker. If there's one nearby, that's where we'll find him and settle the score for good." The other voice was deeper in contrast. Confident and smug. Aqua felt as if she had come across such a voice before but she couldn't remember whose it belonged to.
The only way to find out of course was to get closer. Aqua set off in the direction of the voices and began to hide behind the trees as they grew closer. Somewhere nearby she could hear the sound of waves in the distance, possibly indicating a coastline nearby. The type of trees she was using as cover were also reminiscent of Kairi, Sora and Riku's home but the area surrounding certainly wasn't the same. Was it possible she was on an island then?
This is Kauai, huh?
Her immediate thought was that this would be a nice vacation spot to hang out in the group's free time. The tropical climate was considerably warm enough to make for some fun memories. The appearance of the two suspicious characters quickly made her remember that there was a time and a place for indulging in joyful leisure and this was not one of them.
Aqua immediately identified the second individual leading Pete as Gantu, an extra-terrestrial being who Aqua had fought once along with Experiment 626.
Experiment 626…
The epiphany hit her like a ton of bricks, though she didn't care much for the phrase because that would have been extremely painful. All of sudden it made sense who it was by which Gantu referred to as 'Trog' and maybe, just maybe, why Kairi's and the group's Gummi Ship had crashed.
So she had a choice then. She could either find Kairi and the others before they did or…
Before she even knew what she was doing, Aqua had stepped out of her cover. "Hey boneheads. If you've got a score to settle with someone, you've found them!"
"You're Astra, right?" Sora realized looking up into the eyes of Luna's best friend. It really couldn't have been anyone else, especially when considering what Luna had told him back at Radiant Garden's library: "But Astra really was my best friend… she was my only friend, she meant a lot to me."
"So she did tell you after all." Astra remarked.
"Well, yeah." Sora said noticing a frown on the girl's face. One of the things that caught his eye was the armor pad on her shoulder similar to Terra, Ven and Aqua's. If this girl was working with someone else then Sora had to be wary of the validity of whatever information she was about to give. "You said you had the answer to my biggest question, and if my question is the same as your question I'm guessing your answer has to relate to where Luna is. Please tell me, where is she?"
Astra snorted and stared cold icy daggers straight at Sora as she spoke. "Whoa, you can beg all you want hero but I don't just give answers for free, or at least not this one. After all why would I immediately trust the person who doomed Luna to said place in the first place?"
Sora couldn't believe it. If she wasn't willing to give him answers in the first place then why drag him into the trees only to tease him about it? Well he supposed he had just answered his own question but it didn't explain why she had come all this way for it. Surely she couldn't be that cruel.
His answer was in her words though, or at least a part of it. They contained a bitter hatred behind them combined with blatant sarcasm. It was clear that she held a grudge against him, and Sora couldn't blame her. He very much blamed himself for what happened to Luna, but that didn't mean he was going to stand by and let Astra demoralise him from saving her either.
"If you don't give answers for free, then what do you want in exchange?" Sora asked.
"I want you to fight me." Astra said summoning her Keyblade and pointing it straight at Sora's chest. An ambiguity took over that made it hard to guess what she was possibly thinking or how she felt.
Sora had to admit, he had expected anything but this. She can't be serious can she? When it comes to experience I'd mop the floor with her, Sora thought. Or was there more to this than she was letting on, like some secret underhanded tactic? Judging by her poker face, Sora couldn't be sure that she hadn't revealed her full hand yet. If Riku were here, he would allow the situation to play out and assess it before making any rash decisions. Sora figured it was best to take that approach here.
"I accept, if you answer one thing for me. What's in it for you?" Sora asked.
"You'll find out once we fight." Astra replied. "But know that I won't hold back. Sound good? Or is the Keyblade Master too chicken to handle a weak girl like me?"
Oh she is definitely egging me on. Like I'm going to fall for that! Sora thought before standing up and summoning the Kingdom Key. "Luna told me you're supposed to be pretty athletic. I'd hardly see that as weak. Even then, I don't care much for you egging me on so I think I'll allow experience to do the talking for me," he answered with a smug grin.
A replicating grin appeared on Astra's face before motioning for Sora to follow her farther into the trees. Sora was followed meanwhile being mindful of his surroundings and wary of Astra. Eventually the two reached a clearing that was perfect for their duel. The sounds of people having fun on the beach were still fairly audible in the distance so they hadn't gone that far. What was annoying was that he had promised the others that he would also assist them in finding Gummi blocks, and then he thought it would have been a good idea to play volleyball and now he was entangled in something much more complicated because of that.
The two entered their battle stances, each one trying to read their opponent before the battle had even started. Sora knew that the best way to deal with her would be to finish her off fast and quick before she could reveal any tricks up her sleeve.
Astra eventually started by swinging the Keyblade upwards and letting go. The vertical strike raid flew forward and was predictably easy enough for Sora to dodge. Once again Sora waited as it came back round to turn his back and dodge it again. That's what Astra had been counting on. Sora turned around to see Astra right in front of him. She drove her fist into his stomach.
Sora doubled over in pain and was left grasping for air. The gnawing feeling produced by the punch resided there as he tried to contemplate what had fully happened. As he had expected, she did have more than enough tricks up her sleeve and he still hadn't been prepared for it. He forced himself back up off the ground and kept his Keyblade trained on her.
What the- no… Not now! Sora yelled inwardly as he watched his hand tremble in front of him, and the Keyblade along with it. There was a sudden weight on his body causing him to exert pressure on it just to keep standing. It was the same stiffness in his body that had been affecting him since he drank the poison, and what I time it had picked to start acting up again. No, perhaps he should have been mindful of his condition from the start when he had accepted Astra's proposal. No, I can still fight. I just have to be quick about this. He gripped the Keyblade with both hands to steady it before running forward.
Astra avoided the next set of reckless swings from Sora before attempting to stab downwards at his exposed thigh. Sora twisted around the Keyblade before it could make contact, dropped the Kingdom Key and grabbed the Midnight Mauve's length before tugging. Astra was sent flying forwards having held onto the guard but she quickly rebalanced, pivoted and guarded against an oncoming vertical slash.
Sora's eyes widened as he caught Astra's hand glowing a bright orange. He relaxed the Keyblade off of Astra's and jumped to the side just to see a blast of fire whiz past him and hit the tree parallel to its user's location.
She's using magic with her free hand? Is she crazy? Sora commented as Aqua walked forward keeping her unarmed hand raised and shooting spits of fire. Despite being in awe, Sora managed to knock away each shot with the Kingdom Key as he moved in. Once near her, he lunged forward with a strike only for her to dodge roll under it and out of harm's way.
"You're pretty good for a newbie. Most people I know wouldn't use magic with their free hand. It's pretty dangerous." Sora told her.
"Well I'm not most people," Astra said before allowing Midnight Mauve to disappear in her hands, "and neither are you. I think that's all I need to see, at least for now. Looks like we have some company anyway."
Sora followed Astra's glare past him to where Yuna had just emerged from the trees followed by Riku. Yuna looked quite triumphant and smug. "See? I told you that I saw them heading this way!" she bragged.
"Uh, I don't recall saying I doubted you." Riku said before summoning his Keyblade. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"Why hello to you too sexy." Astra mockingly flirted. It had been enough to send Riku into a stupor. Seeing this, she shook her head sagaciously. "Of course, so this is the woman's charm that makes you guys all fall like dominoes. You men are all the same. Oh sorry, was that sexist?"
"Riku, it's okay. She's Luna's friend." Sora informed him taking great pleasure in trying to ignore Astra's witty banter for the time being.
Riku looked from Sora towards the stranger suspiciously before lowering his Keyblade but still keeping it at his waist in the instance she tried something. "Astra? Then why were you fighting with Sora?"
"They say you can tell a lot about a person when you're in the midst of battle." Astra said. It was a strange sensation to Sora but he could understand where she was coming from. While they were fighting, Sora could see the passion and determination in her eyes to find her friend. At that point, it didn't seem to matter why she wanted to fight with him in the first place because in a way he could already tell why. She wanted to know who he truly was, and when one was fighting, it was impossible to hide behind any false pretence.
"So are you going to tell us where Luna is?" Sora asked eagerly.
"Whoa hold on there cowboy, my answer might not even be right. It's just a theory as of now but I won't know until I get there." Astra said, her vivid green eyes flickering between the three people in front of her. "I think she might be in the realm of darkness."
Sora and Riku gave each other looks before the latter decided to ask, "And what makes you think that's the case?"
"The fog, or should I say background radiation? I don't know much about it but what I do know is that the Heartless are attracted to areas with that radiation. Not just the artificial ones, but pureblood Heartless as well. I've been rolling the idea around in my head that maybe the conditions between the radiation and the realm of darkness are the same, hence it being favorable to the Heartless. I've never been to the realm of darkness so I couldn't tell you that much but-"
"No, you'd be right about that," Riku agreed. "Having been there myself and also having been in that fog now that you mention it, they definitely felt familiar, like they were connected somehow."
Having never been to the Dark Realm before aside from being near the edge of it once, Sora couldn't have made the connection. Riku was different because he had journeyed its depths along with the King in order to find Aqua. Therefore with the surprising confirmation by Riku, there wasn't exactly any reason to doubt Astra's theory but…
Seeing the thoughtful look on Riku's face, Sora intervened in an attempt to change his mind. "Look, we have nothing to lose right? If there's a chance that she's there then I'll take it." he said.
"Absolutely beautiful. The voice of reason!" Astra said gesturing to Sora. "All I ask is that you take me there along with you when you go. As much as I hate to admit it, I can't go in alone and expect to come out alive."
"What about your friends at Moira's Crescent? Surely they'd be willing to help you." Riku addressed the topic that was on both his and Sora's minds though the latter was much more reluctant to bring it up.
"So you know the name of their group huh? Pretty silly name in my opinion. But they can't help me with this, not like the person who befriended her and then made her suffer can." Astra gibed. The growl of annoyance that escaped Sora's mouth at that moment was not lost on Aqua, who smiled sweetly at her successful scorn. Once she had gotten over her own satisfaction she added, "That doesn't mean I'm switching sides or anything. I couldn't give a hornet's nest about either you or Moira's Crescent. I just want my friend back. So will you help me?"
I didn't realize this until now but Aqua and Astra sound really similar. Some strange oversight I'm sure... speaking of Astra, fun fact: Her character is somewhat based on the criticisms of Kingdom Hearts II, what with it's turn for the convoluted. So Astra is basically what the first Kingdom Hearts game is, simplistic, charming and witty. She's also part Hugh Laurie, but that's another thing entirely ;)
