Set in Neverland.
Just before Aqua heads to the Indian Camp to face Vanitas.

Thank you very much for your Reviews! They were all so flattering and heartwarming and inspiring!
I woke up this morning, and my day was already made. You made me that happy.
I ended up finishing this Chapter in one sitting.
I think I am addicted to your happiness. It makes me giddy, knowing you're enjoying this so much.
It makes me want to finish this story.
But now I am terribly scared of disappointing you all...
How is it possible that I am ecstatic and frightened at the same time?

*ahem*
I'm rambling, sorry.
So, anyway, I will be doing my best to stick to canon and I will be referencing heavily from several in-game events.
Also, because I am just making this up as I go, you would be better off assuming every Chapter is the last...
Except this one. I have already drafted the first half of the next Chapter.
See how inspiring you are?

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER [I do not own Kingdom Hearts] DISCLAIMER

ESCAPE

A way to break free from destiny…

One moment, Aqua was thinking of Ventus. The next, she sensed a pulse of darkness coming from the Camp nearby. She frowned.

"What's the matter?" came the worried voice of her little companion.

Aqua allowed her expression to soften from one of suspicion, to one of reassurance. These boys did not need to be troubled with the darkness she suddenly sensed. "It's nothing," she said. "Best that you stay here."

Vanitas, standing hidden nearby, watched Aqua head into the Indian Camp. She had taken his bait and he would meet her there, in a moment. First, he needed to get something, and he turned his attention towards the three boys she left behind. One was dressed as a bear, another as a fox, and the third – who was flitting about - was dressed in some silly green outfit. And there was what looked like a very glittery insect with them, too.

The bear and the fox shut the treasure chest and lifted it up, while the flying boy said, "Back to the hideout, men!" The three of them clearly intended to leave, but Vanitas could not let them go just yet. And with a lazy flick of his wrist, he cast Stop on them. They all froze immediately, the boy in green and his little insect caught awkwardly in midair.

Vanitas approached the boys and tossed the lid of the chest open. There it was; the wooden Keyblade that Aqua was holding just a moment earlier. He picked it up – shutting the chest after – and spun it around a few times, scowling. It was such a childish toy.

He looked at the three boys with loathing. Aqua spent the day playing their silly game, he had been watching them, and that thought did not sit well with him. His mind briefly conjured an amusing image of how the three of them would react if he set fire onto their clothing. But then he shook his head. He would be wasting his energy. And, more importantly, Aqua was looking for him. It would be terribly indecent to keep her waiting. So he left the three boys, knowing that the spell would fade soon, and headed to the Indian Camp.

Every step that brought him closer to her made his heart leap and he gritted his teeth. The temptation to just tear the rebellious thing out of his chest was becoming stronger.

He shook his head and attempted to regain his composure, watching Aqua run across the camp searching for him. He was careful to remain behind her and out of sight. Only when he felt that he had complete control of himself did he finally say, with just the slightest touch of malice, "So, have a good time hanging out with the kiddies?" Just like you had a good time with me?

She whirled around, finally finding him. And at seeing her face something inside of him made his lips curl involuntarily into half a smile. It lasted only a second though, because he quickly caught himself. He continued to walk closer to her, counting the steps he took, making certain to remind himself to stop. He must not get too close…

And when he had stopped, she noticed the wooden Keyblade at his side. "How'd you get that?" she asked.

He frowned, hearing both surprise and worry in her voice. And he was sure her worry was for Ventus. Vanitas was beginning to truly hate his lighter half. "I think that kid's outgrown such a childish toy," he said, raising the Keyblade in front of him and holding it with both hands. Then, smirking, he added, "If you ask my opinion," while splitting the Keyblade in half.

Aqua gasped as it snapped, clearly distressed by what he had done. Her reaction caused him to feel conflicted for a minute. He felt his heart constrict. But why? Was it because he had upset her? Or was it because she was upset about him destroying something that meant so much to Ventus?

He decided – or forced himself to believe – that it was the latter as he flung the broken pieces aside. Her thoughts, after all, were always on Ventus. Just as his thoughts have so often been on her. Not that it mattered. Not that it meant anything compared to how often she thought of Ventus.

She had called him Ven. "You… You remind me of him…" That was what she told him. And remembering that made him scowl.

"Just like," he said, pausing to summon his Keyblade, "I've outgrown my need for you." It felt like a lie. But he has lied so often, he could not be sure. He hated to think that without his mask, Aqua would be plainly aware of the emotions he was wrestling with. Or, his brain was so kind to tell him, She would recognize you, you idiot. But was that truly such a horrible thing? How would she react, seeing the face of a friend on the body of her enemy?

He focused on Aqua who was glaring at him, angrier than he had ever seen her before. "You freak!" she said, as if that would insult him. She raised her hand and summoned her Keyblade, assuming her offensive stance.

Vanitas tightened his grip on his own weapon, and for a moment they just stared each other down. He knew how she fought; she waited for her opponent to make the first move, never rushing into battle. But could he actually strike first this time, like he had in Radiant Garden? Would his mind and heart stop arguing long enough to let him win this battle?

The answer was no, his body just would not respond the way he wanted it to, and he cursed under his breath. "What are you waiting for?" he hissed at Aqua, trying to mock her into attacking him. "And here I thought you were angry."

She suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind him in the blink of an eye. His eyes widened. When did she learn to teleport? And he almost failed to catch her strike with a parry. But he had speed on his side and their Keyblades breathed sparks at the sudden contact. With the shafts of their blades connected, he sent a wave of darkness at her and she pulled away, executing a speedy cartwheel to safety.

As soon as she landed on both feet again, she propelled herself towards him, bringing her Keyblade upwards in an uppercut. He leaned back to avoid her, the tip of her blade just about nicking the chin of his helmet. Then he teleported several paces away from her and summoned dark spheres that zoomed towards her. She cast a flawless barrier to protect herself, and the spheres exploded on contact. For a second, she was cloaked in darkness as her barrier faded.

Vanitas heard his mind scream at him to take advantage.

But his heart forced him to stand back and wait.

And he cursed under his breath yet again when Aqua recovered and came rushing at him, a battle cry escaping her lips. He did not react quickly enough and she reached him. Her hand lay on his chest – his heart thundered at her touch – and he felt a sudden rush of pain as lightning shot through him. He released a shockwave of darkness, biting back the cry of agony, and Aqua was buffeted away from him.

She gasped for breath for a second, the darkness affecting her strongly because of its contrast against her light. But she hastily assumed the offensive again, calling on the power of fire. She was surrounded by three columns of flame and Vanitas could only curse as he tried to evade her attack. He hated being on the defensive.

When her spell died down, he teleported closer to her and unleashed a string of fast strikes. She dodged most of them and blocked a few. He leapt back, realizing that it was too difficult to break through her defenses in that manner. He slashed his Keyblade upwards, causing a vertical blade of blue energy to soar towards her, but she dodged it without trouble. He followed quickly with another attack, firing a slow ball of black and orange flame that exploded to several, rapid fireballs that zoomed at her. Aqua hissed, almost failing to dodge the flames which had taken her by surprise.

Then Vanitas cloaked himself in darkness and rushed at her repeatedly with speed that put the wind to shame. She managed to block a few of his hits, but the mere aura of darkness was damaging to her and when he finally stopped, he found her gasping for breath again.

Knowing it was his only chance at victory, Vanitas remained shrouded in darkness, his form enveloped by smoky, black flames that clawed at the earth and air around him. However, Aqua, too, decided to exploit his weakness, unleashing the true nature of her power. And, following a burst of light, she was suddenly framed by waves of white energy. She stood before him, caressed by what seemed a thousand angel wings, their feathers like deadly blades.

"Give up, Aqua, you cannot win against me!" he said.

"I have before," she answered. "And I can do it again!"

Vanitas gritted his teeth. He had to kill her. He had to.

They ran at each other at full speed. Her Keyblade, shining with white light, struck his own shadowed one and an explosion sounded. He could feel her light ripping through him, although there was no physical evidence that he was being hurt at all. And he could see in her eyes that his darkness pained her, too. They broke apart, their closeness causing unbearable torture.

Aqua spun around, releasing a flurry of light blades in all directions. Vanitas maneuvered around them, careful to avoid each one. When her attack stopped, he leapt into the air and fired bolts of lightning at her, each shaft coated with black energy. She quickly called up a barrier – just as he had known she would – and he propelled himself downwards, striking her barrier as hard as he could with his Keyblade. The force of his blow, powered by the pull of gravity, created a deafening roar as it hit.

Although her barrier protected her from taking injury, a harsh blow to it would sap her energy. Sure enough, when her shield faded, he could see the strain it had taken on her. But he, too, was tired. The evasive maneuvers she had forced him to assume had been physically exhausting.

He landed on his feet, and reassumed his fighting stance. Her grip slackened for one second as her knees almost gave way, and that should have been enough for Vanitas to disarm her. But he stood frozen in place. What is wrong with me? He screamed inwardly for a moment, angered with himself for withholding so much, before roaring as he ran at her. You have to die! I have to kill you!

He continued to repeat those words in his head. He leapt upwards, raising his darkened Keyblade over his head, intending to bring it down on her. She was on her last legs, she had no hope of winning,, no hope of escape. And she knew this, too, which was why at the very last moment, she released every ounce of energy she had left. A brilliant white light flooded the entire Camp, with her at the eye of the storm.

Vanitas felt her energy burn his core, extinguish his darkness, and he was thrust skyward. He felt all the air leave him, all his power fade. His head throbbed, his heart shuddered.

"I do want you to be my friend, Van, if that means anything to you…"

"It means… a lot to me…"

He fell against the earth, the sound of her voice ringing in his head.

"Van! Will I see you tomorrow?"

And as he fell unconscious, he wished he had gone to see her.

Aqua trembled, exhausted to the brink of sleep. She looked around her until she spotted the broken wooden Keyblade and she tried to take a step forward, towards it. But she no longer had the strength to manage even that.

She had won, but it had taken a harsh toll on her. It was not long before she, too, succumbed to nothingness, her last thoughts on Terra and Ventus, their voices, their faces, their laughter. And, somewhere in the corner of her mind and the depths of her heart, she found thoughts of Van, too…

Thank You

~Alacquiene~