a note from anne;; yeah this chapter sucks. i may rewrite it, but for now it sums up the story. alrighty then, let's continue with the show.
Three figures stood alone on a cloudy shore, side by side, their hands intertwined impossibly tightly. A slender, gloved one, engulfed by a tanned one much larger. The former, copied flawlessly, though it gripped an only slightly smaller one, with the gentle firmness a mother would show her child. Eyes like the clearest mountain lake peeked open, flicking to the blond-haired boy with his face raised to the gray sky, and then to the brunette man, the water flowing across his smooth features and dripping slowly off his chin. The owner of those eyes, a blue-haired female, squeezed the tanned hand in her grasp, and the brunette's eyelids slitted open, revealing irises rivaling gemstones with their rich cobalt hue. They concentrated at the smiling young woman before him, and a crooked curve to his lips showed. The blond wiped rain from his eyes, grinning happily at his companions, orbs as clear and blue as the afternoon sky instantly brightening the dismal surroundings.
"I told you." Murmured the bluenette, Aqua.
"Told us what?" Ventus, the blond, narrowed his eyes, showing apparent confusion.
"That we had an unbreakable connection." A smile bloomed on her face, as she reached into her pocket and tugged out her Wayfinder. The other two copied her, holding out the matching trinkets, brown cords dangling towards the ground.
"You were right." Whispers the last remaining person, by the name of Terra. He stares down at his own, once just an orange lucky charm for their Mark of Mastery exam. Over the course of their journey, the little bauble had morphed into a symbol of their friendship.
It had been in his hand when he had been brought back. The empty suit of armor, knowing only hatred and determination, had at last been reunited with the two people he vowed to protect and cherish most. Aqua's slim fingers ghosted over the two prongs at the back of his head, Ven dusting off the black visor, peering deep inside it as if he could see his best friend's face.
"Aqua…there's nothing there. It's hollow." He mumbled sadly, straightening after being bent down towards the kneeling figure.
"No. Terra's there, however deep inside he may be. We just have to believe in him." She pried the metal fingers from around the guard of Ends of the Earth and over her own. "Terra." His name was barely a whisper, but it called a fraction of memories back into the void of blackness that was the Lingering Sentiment. "Come back to us, Terra." The soft feminine voice spoke to the seething orb of hatred and desire, soothed it like cool water over a smoldering flame.
"C'mon, Terra! You don't expect us to save the worlds all by ourselves, do you?"
A different voice, that stirred feelings of…was that protectiveness? Fondness? All foreign to that dead hunk of steel.
Ever so slightly, the helmet rose. Stared into the worried eyes of his friend, caught glimpses of soft azure hair and tousled blond spikes. That harsh, metallic grinding noise sounded, translated into words by some unknown force. "Aqua…Ven…" But this time, it had an underlying tone. A deep, husky, tired voice. The three people standing behind the little group exchanged confused glances, while the ones named smiled almost simultaneously.
Aqua's soft touch against the helmet earned another portion of emotions. "That's right…"
Arms reached out, rusted and battered by the sands of the wasteland. Cradled the female's cheek, while the other hand grasped Ventus's shoulder tightly.
The Keyblade once gripped with a deadly force disappeared, in that peculiar swarm of blocks and cubes, forming into numbers into data before dissipating completely.
"Terra?" Whispered Ven. Aqua dug around in her pocket for a short moment, before taking out a shiny orange bauble, untouched by the merciless pounding of time. She had found it floating in the waters of the Dark Margin, no doubt left behind by the evil man who had taken over her best friend's body. She pressed it into the weathered leather glove, curling his hand around it with a slight smile.
The two shielded their eyes as a bright white light engulfed the hulking mass of armor, leaving behind a deadly silence and a much softer touch to Aqua's face and Ven's shoulder.
A young man now knelt on the ground, strands of thick brown hair waving in his face. The three lingering behind the trio all wandered forward, the silver-haired boy summoning his Keyblade.
Aqua held up her free hand as a sign to keep back, then lowered it to gaze in awe at the face of her best friend. The boy she had grown up with.
Ven stared wide-eyed at the sight, trapped in the moment. He had only just been a woken by Aqua, with the help of Sora. The last remaining member of the forgotten trio returning was an even that shocked him into silence.
After a couple moments, the figure slumped, and the bluenette moved forward quickly to grab his wrists. "Terra, are you alright?" She murmured, already feeling hot tears spill down her cheeks. A deep shudder travelled down the massive Keyblade wielder's spine, before cobalt eyes opened to gaze upon his two closest friends.
"Great."
And with that, he grinned and hooked an arm around Ven's shoulder, and used the other to hold the back of Aqua's head, who had let out a blissful cry of "TERRA!" and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face into his dark gray shirt.
Finally, the straying wind, the unshakable earth, and the gentle water had reunited.
Aqua gazed out at the stormy horizon, and she grabbed her friends' hands once again, smiling as more rain spilled from the heavens on their faces.
"Together. Always."