Hello again my wonderful readers! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed/favotited/subscribed to my story, especially those of you who did take the time to review and let me know your thoughts. You all brightened my day. So again, thank you. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

2.

Days passed, or at least what felt like days. There was no way for either of them to measure the passage of time, for there was no sun or stars to be seen in this realm. Aqua woke from a fitful sleep feeling hungry, thirsty, and still exhausted. She had come to figure that they wouldn't die of thirst or starvation in this Realm, but going days and days without food or drink had to be the most uncomfortable feeling ever. She was also sick of seeing nothing but sharp, rocky cliffs all around her.

Aqua looked up above to find Vanitas. He had found a hole in one of the cliffs, up high. It looked just like a bowl turned on its side. He preferred to sleep there rather than down below. She let her eyes linger on him in the scarce light. She prayed her trust in him wasn't a mistake, but trust in him she did. There were moments she hated herself for it, but she couldn't bring herself to hate him anymore. He was still rude, sarcastic and sometimes downright callous, but she would never forget how he'd protected her from being hurt by that monster, or how he'd put his weapon into her hand. Someone evil wouldn't do those things, she thought.

Her thoughts drifted to his Darkness. She'd been able to feel it, to feel him while she'd wielded his Keyblade. Darkness was a powerful force indeed. She remembered noting that it had felt hungry, but it didn't seem to her like it hungered for any specific thing, though. She guessed it would hunger for whatever it was fed. What had I fed it? She thought about what she had wanted most. I wanted us to survive. It fed on my desire for Vanitas and I to keep going. That was its fuel. Not a bad thing. She could see how most who were wicked sought it out to use it for their own purposes. Darkness could be bended towards evil,but she was convinced that Darkness itself wasn't all bad. It was only a force, just like Light, no worse and no better. If it was fed evil or greed, that's when a person's heart would be overcome.

Oh, Terra...if only I had come to realize this before. Your Darkness was part of you, just like your Light. It must have fed on your desire to become stronger, and perhaps you were too obsessed with those thoughts, but Terra, you didn't go astray. Master, you were wrong...Xehanort took advantage of the mere presence of Darkness in Terra's heart, but Terra never committed any wicked deeds. Terra wanted to keep Ventus safe, and what did I have to say to him? All I did was chastise him with condescending words. Terra, please forgive me...

She was crying now. She put her hands over her face and sobbed. She sobbed for Ventus, who was all alone in that castle that was once their beautiful home. She even sobbed for Vanitas, this boy born of Darkness who never even asked to be; His lost memory, and all the pain and anguish it still caused him. She especially sobbed for Terra, for everything he'd endured and was probably still enduring. And finally, she sobbed for herself, for she felt like the lowliest creature to ever have been born.

Vanitas came down from the cliffside to find his companion sitting with her knees up to her chest and her arms around them.

She's still here, he thought. He shook his head angrily. Idiot. Why wouldn't she be? It was just a dream.

He had been in a place with nothing but pitch blackness all around him. This place was darker even than this realm. He looked around for someone, anyone, but he couldn't see anything but blackness. There was no one to be found. Suddenly her face flashed before his eyes for a moment, then disappeared.

"Aqua?" he called out. "Aqua!"

"You've become weak," said a smooth voice.

Anger was his immediate reaction. "Why don't you come out of hiding? Then we can see who is weak!" he shot back.

"This Light will leave you, just as the last one did. Then you will return to me, to be a piece of my Darkness like you were always destined to be." the voice said.

He gritted his teeth. "I'm no one's pawn."

"Oh, but you are. The sooner you accept it, the sooner your suffering can end," said the voice. "and this Light's suffering can begin."

Vanitas smirked. "I'm not afraid of you. Come for me if you want. You won't be so smug after I'm done with you. As for the girl, she won't leave my side. I happen to be the one thing keeping her from losing her mind in this stupid place. At least while we're stuck here, she'll stay."

"Then I'll remove her from the picture myself if I must," the voice replied cooly.

"Just try and take her from me. Touch her, and I swear you will pay," he said, his sinister smile never wavering. Inside, he was seething.

"I'm a patient man," said the voice. "As I said before, I may not even have to. Goodbye for now, Vanitas."

He awoke then, feeling sick to his stomach. He scowled. I have not become weak. This Light won't leave, and I'm no one's puppet, he thought, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He felt ridiculous for feeling so strongly about a dream. He couldn't stand being in this cliffside one second longer, so he jumped off the edge, landing on his feet much like a panther, to find Aqua. She hadn't heard him come down, she hadn't moved at all.

"You're awake," he said, coming up behind her.

"Vanitas," she said, looking up at him. "Hey. Yeah, I couldn't sleep."

"Makes two of us," he replied.

"I hate this place, and I'm sick of looking at these cliffs." She sighed."Anyway, how are you feeling today? Are you still in pain?"

"Yes, but I'm getting used to it," he said. He saw her hand clench. Does it bother her? Why?

Aqua looked at the cursed cliffs that surrounded them. She wished she could fly over them and out of this wretched, abysmal canyon. Her thoughts drifted to a treasure hunt with three young boys and a pixie, and how this pixie had helped them fly over a high cliff. She had promised Peter she'd return to see them again. She wondered if her promise would be broken.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he said.

"In the Realm of Light," she began, "I came upon a World where I met three young boys. I was wrangled into a treasure hunt with them, and as we followed the map leading us to it, we came upon a high crest. There was a pixie with these boys. She was very fond of the eldest one. She helped us fly over the crest with her magic. I guess I was just wishing I could still fly." You were there, too, Vanitas. That was the last time I saw you before...

"Hah," he said, cutting off her thought and looking up the cliff. "We don't need to fly to get over these walls."

"Huh?" she said.

He rolled his eyes. "Have you forgotten who I am?"

"If you knew a way to get us out of here, why didn't you say so?" she asked.

"Because," he replied. "You never asked." He walked over to the base of cliff and turned around. She was still sitting on the ground, looking at him. "Are you coming or not?" he asked, sounding irritated.

She stood and walked halfway over to where he was standing. Vanitas turned back around and bent his knees, like he was waiting for her to...

"Vanitas," she said. "Surely you don't intend for me to-"

"What I don't intend to do is wait for you all day," he snapped.

She sighed. I guess Vanitas wouldn't be Vanitas if he acted any other way, she thought, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth despite his tone. She walked the rest of the way over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind as he reached down for her legs, lifting her onto his back.

Aqua gasped as he wordlessly phased them up onto the first pike jutting out from the cliffside, then the next, and the next, almost using them like rungs on a ladder. She felt as if her very existence was going in and out the way a person's vision does when they blink their eyes. Twenty pikes and phases later, they were at the top of the cliffside, and Aqua was breathless.

"What? Too much for you?" he asked.

"I've never done this before, okay?" she said.

"Pathetic," he said as he set her down. She rolled her eyes, but she didn't let him go. He pulled her around to the front of him, noticing that she was unsteady on her feet. "Going down will be easier," he assured her, keeping an arm around her waist to steady her.

"So you say," she said, leaning against him. She was breathing against his neck and he almost shivered. What's happening to me? He closed his eyes, then opened them again a moment later. It doesn't matter. He nudged her. "Look," he said pointing into the distance.

Aqua looked up and gasped. In the distance, she could see water. It looked like an ocean! "Let's go!" she crowed. Beyond the ocean, there was a white light. She wondered what it could be. This Realm's version of the sun, perhaps? It was low against the water, like a sunset, but this light was more silvery than yellow and red. That's why we weren't able to see it from behind the cliffs, she thought.

"Let's get down to the ground first," he said.

"Come on, then! Didn't you say that we don't have all day?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, easing her to the edge of the cliff with him. He moved her back around him, then lifted her up onto his back once more. "Ready or not," he said, and they phased.

Going down was easier, just like he said, but it was still disorienting. When they finally reached the bottom, over a dozen phases later, Aqua felt woozy and dizzy. "I don't think I could ever get used to that," she gasped.

Vanitas set her down, then turned around to face her. He smirked, tipping her chin up. "You're fine," he said. His golden eyes were smoldering, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.

"Yes," she murmured. "Thank you,Vanitas." A feeling she was very unfamiliar with tugged at her heart. She felt drawn to him, and she didn't know what to do with those feelings.

"I need to rest," he said, letting go of her and flopping unceremoniously to the ground.

"You okay?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," he said. "Going up and back down that wall just took more out of me than I thought."

"Then rest," she said, laying down on the soft sand. She sighed and splayed her arms and legs out, feeling the smooth texture of the sand beneath her. She was so glad to be off that rocky ground and out of that canyon. All around them was wide open space. The body of water was a long ways away, though. At least a day's worth of walking, maybe more. Aqua wasn't in a hurry.

Hours passed, and Vanitas did not recover. In fact, his condition grew worse. He came down with an awful fever and became short of breath. Aqua reached to touch his face, and gasped in horror at how hot he felt. He was practically scorching.

"Vanitas," she murmured. "Are you in pain?" She already knew the answer.

"I'm fine. Save your pity," he said.

"Heal!" she said, placing her hand on his shoulder and hoping desperately that she could ease his pain. Did this really happen only because he took us over that cliff? What is going on?

Her Curaga soothed him for a moment, but as soon as the spell faded away, so did the comfort it had brought.

"I said I'm fine. Leave me alone," he said, gritting his teeth.

"Stop being so stubborn," she said firmly. "And stop lying to me."

"I don't need your help. Don't touch me," he said, practically slapping her hand away when she moved to touch him again. She winced at his tone, and he actually regretted his words. His thoughts reeled back to his dream. "This Light will leave you..." He wondered if he himself would be the one to make her want to go. Anger surged through him at just the thought of that voice, then Vanitas snapped. It was at that moment that his Darkness really came to life. It flared around him, its force so powerful it nearly sent Aqua flying. She fought the force. She wanted to stay by his side, but it was too strong, and it pushed her, making her slide back in the sand.

"Vanitas!" she cried. She watched on in horror as he was lifted to his feet by his immense power.

Vanitas was angry, positively angry at everything. He was angry at the helplessness he constantly felt and angry at the memories and at his past that he couldn't even remember. A feeling very close to madness washed over him, and he fought it with every ounce of strength he had. I am not weak! This will not take me! It wont! He was beginning to hurt again, but he barely noticed. He opened his eyes. He hadn't even realized he'd been squeezing them shut. He saw Aqua, sitting in the sand about twenty feet away from him. Her face was stained with tears and she wore a stricken expression. She stood and began to walk towards him. Stay away! Don't come near me!

"Vanitas!" she cried. "Please stop this! You don't have to fight this alone! I'm right here with you. Vanitas! Let me in!"

Vanitas's Darkness exploded, framing him in a perfect sphere for a moment, then warped to form a strong vortex around him. It was one of the most awful things Aqua had ever seen. His power swirled and seethed around him like an angry twister, kicking up sand all around. Aqua braced herself and shot forward, breaching his Darkness. His emotions lashed against her like barbed whips. She squeezed her eyes shut, her own heart crying out because of his suffering. She felt everything; His anger, his confusion, his pain, and underneath it all, this unbearable sadness. How has he been shouldering all of this by himself? Is this horrible sadness and confusion the fuel to his Darkness?

She pressed forward with all her might. "Vanitas!" she cried, reaching him at last. She flung her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. "I'm not going anywhere. Push me away all you want. I won't lose you to this or anything else!" She felt his anguish falter, so she pressed on. "I can feel what you're going through right now, and I know not remembering your past is taking a toll on you, but don't let it keep you from moving forward. We're in this together, I promise! I need you, too, Vanitas. Don't you forget that!" she said.

Vanitas felt a sense of peace as her words made their way to his heart. His power calmed slowly, like the soft winds after a storm. Aqua eased them both down to their knees, her arms never leaving him. She pressed his head to the front of her shoulder. Her fingers were in his hair now, gently raking through his unruly spikes. It was quite a while later before he spoke.

"Aqua," he murmured.

"Hm?" she asked softly, so grateful to have him back again. Her fingers were still raking through his hair, and she still held him close.

"I'm going to hold you to your promise," he replied.

She smiled. "Of course." She pushed him back so she could see his face. "Vanitas, are you happy I didn't leave before?" she blurted, looking into his golden gaze. As soon as the question left her lips she regretted it. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Why did I ask such a stupid question!?

"Hah, as if you could. You're..." He trailed off.

"I'm what?" she asked, her face burning hotter.

"Too slow," he teased, reaching for her hand.

Aqua smiled at him, and her heart thumped in her chest as she laced her fingers with his. She touched his face gently, then they turned together to look at the vast ocean in the distance.