The three of them were clearly at a loss. Sora had seemingly grasped a Keyblade from nothing and, while the boy didn't question it, it confused the two adults. They constantly questioned him as they moved to their next destination. Sora had no answers to give, but only one question of his own.
"So, Aqua, will you train me? For real this time?"
He wanted to start right away. He only wanted to help fight off the monsters that DiZ predicted would continue to pursue them. He didn't want Aqua and DiZ to fight for him. He wanted to be able to protect himself and help Aqua. She was the only one with the power to destroy them, and now Sora could too.
Aqua had her reservations. She did want to train him to ensure he would not get hurt. But the Keyblade from nowhere worried her. She didn't know what to make of it. She knew it would only put Sora in more danger. His heart was so full of light and adding a Keyblade on top of it only made it worse.
"I… I suppose I'll have to." Aqua resigned.
Sora pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!" he exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Thank you, Aqua!" The boy rushed in to hug her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
This was a mystery that would not be solved for a very long time. Eventually, it became a fact the adults would accept and allowed Sora to grow from it. He did as he was told. Sora was an obedient child who was eager to train. He followed DiZ's lessons and trained much harder with Aqua. Eventually, even DiZ joined in with the training. He felt Aqua was going too easy on Sora and Sora always enjoyed a challenge.
They didn't stay in one place very long. Mostly through one "sleep cycle," as DiZ called it. Each in turn, one would sleep while the other two kept an eye out. Once everyone had their chance to sleep, they would move on. They didn't always get through a sleep cycle. The monsters would find them and they would have to run again.
When Sora reached DiZ's nose, they were caught by monsters for the umpteenth time. It became routine. Aqua would fight as Sora and DiZ escaped and then she'd catch up. This time, DiZ did not run. He told Sora to fight. He said it would make good practice, especially since there were not too many of them.
Sora was all for it, but he had to obey his Master. Aqua ordered him to stand down and run. As Aqua fought, her and DiZ argued. Sora would push against the monsters that came at him with ease. They were the smaller ones. Shadows, he'd call them. Since they relied on hiding in their own shadow.
Sora really hated when they fought. They were both looking out for his best interest; he knew that. DiZ could be a little intense sometimes and Aqua was too easy on him. They could balance him out if the two of them would stop fighting and work together. It wasn't like Sora tried to stop their fighting before. He had on many occasion, yet, they would push him out of it. He was stubborn, but so were they.
"ENOUGH!" Sora yelled, releasing all of his pent up annoyance. Light spread from his feet out by a three-foot radius, evaporating the creatures that were close enough to him. The boy huffed, scowling at the two of them. "All you guys do is fight over me or the darkness or the light. We're all we have, so stop it, alright?! You're both wrong! All the time! You each take everything to one extreme! Neither of you have balance and that's what's driving you insane!"
His voice cracked, which annoyed him. He felt like it made his emotion sound weaker and it might not get through to them. DiZ explained it was a normal part of puberty. Changes were going to occur, even if he didn't want them to. His voice would change, he'd grow body hair, and a whole bunch of other things he really wished he didn't have to experience.
They were silent. Aqua finished the last of the creatures and the three of them stood, awkwardly regarding the teenager who felt the need to lecture them at the worst time.
"Do you really think that's it, Sora?" DiZ asked.
"Well, you guys are going crazy and I'm not." Sora replied plainly. Defiance was apparently another part of this puberty thing. It was an attempt to be recognized as an equal. Sora was no longer a child, he should have a say in what happens, too. They were all involved here, not just those two. He would like to be included in their plans.
It didn't help that he was also super cranky from having his sleep interrupted. He called first sleep shift when they settled.
"Sora, we—" Aqua started.
Sora was quick to cut her off. "Just because you guys raised me doesn't mean you always know what's best for me. You always fight. Even when you shouldn't be. See that? What just happened there? They were weaklings, Aqua. I could have taken on a few and been okay." He noticed DiZ smiling. He rounded on him. "Don't think you're never wrong, either! You shouldn't ask me to go against what Aqua says, DiZ. She's my Master. You're my teacher. You teach me by choice, she teaches me by necessity. She can absolutely decide at any point to stop. I don't want that."
Sora dismissed his Keyblade and threw his hands up in the air, making a noise of frustration. "Let's just go, okay?"
The three of them began their trek to their new location. The silence between them was the most awkward it's ever been. Sora led the way for once. He always just figured they picked a direction and went in it. The two adults trailed behind him.
Well, Sora couldn't say Aqua was an adult. The older he got, the younger she seemed. She had told him she was seventeen when she was thrust into darkness. She hadn't aged a day. Her hair grew, though. It fell past her elbows now and was usually tied in a loose braid.
It made him wonder… even if she was so young and carried a heart with light, she never aged. Would he ever stop ageing in this realm? Would he eventually grow older than her? Would he grow older than DiZ? What would happen after that?
Maybe then he'd be their boss. Sora chuckled at the thought.
As the scenery changed drastically from and old wharf to a foggy cobblestone street, he glanced behind him. DiZ stopped. Aqua stepped forward, looking past Sora with a curious expression. She recognized something.
"No…"
Sora and DiZ met each other's gaze. Both didn't quite understand. They turned back to Aqua who continued down the street, into the fog. Sora and DiZ followed behind her, not wanting to lose her. Sora kept going until he literally bumped into her. She didn't even seem to notice that she had stopped.
Sora followed her gaze. "Whoah…" Ahead, up high, in a cloud of darkness, there was a castle. Tilted and broken, it hung in space like a long forgotten toy in water.
"The Castle of Dreams…"
"Hm?" DiZ asked, standing beside her. "You've been here?" Aqua nodded, her eyes filling with sadness. "That's odd, isn't it? The second world you've been too… and it's found it's way here."
"They're being destroyed." Aqua stated confidently. "There's something going on in the universe and it's not good."
"Why would someone want to destroy worlds?" Sora asked.
"For the light in their hearts." DiZ replied. "The light is powerful. There's not much you can't do with it."
"And someone is collecting them." Aqua's fists clenched, her mouth tightening. Her voice became much lower. "It's him. It has to be."
When she was questioned, she refused to speak. She turned, suggesting they kept moving. So, they did until they found their next place to sleep. It took a long time to find their next place. Usually, it was until Sora could no longer walk, since he was no longer able to be carried. But it had been a long time since then, and they were forced to stop when DiZ could no longer keep going.
They found a cave, which should give them sufficient cover. It blocked the light from becoming a beacon for the dark creatures, if only temporarily. Within the cave, he slept deeply, even with DiZ and Aqua's hushed voices echoing off the walls. He had grown used to noise and the hard ground. It was all he knew. Usually, by the time it was his turn to sleep, he was exhausted. Training was exhausting and it felt like he hadn't sleep in, what DiZ and Aqua described as, "days."
When he woke up on his own time, he felt groggy. It became more and more impossible to wake up and actually feel awake. He could have slept for twice as long as Aqua did and still felt like he should sleep more.
It was DiZ's turn to sleep. Aqua led Sora further down the cave into a wider opening. It glowed with blue crystals that Sora had seen often around this realm. The cave felt… familiar somehow. He shrugged it off as he took his stance to practice his forms. While it was nice not to have DiZ telling him to repeat his forms over and over again, he felt as if he were gaining less from Aqua's lessons.
This time was different. Aqua stepped it up a notch, producing motionless bubbles of light around the cave for Sora to practice on. As Sora grew accustomed to the stationary targets, they began to move. When they had finished, Sora collapsed on the stone floor, sweat drenching him from head to toe. He wished they were near a water source so he could bathe. When was the last time they had been able to do that?
Aqua laid across from him, resting her head next to his right ear. She showed no signs of exhaustion. Unspoken words hung in the air. Sora knew Aqua wanted to tell him something. He let her take her time. She would open up as long as she wasn't pushed.
"You were right," Aqua said quietly. "I've been too soft on you. You have so much potential, but… I'm scared for you. I want to protect you. I don't want what happened to me happen to you, so I've been sheltering you so much, it may be hindering you."
"Aqua," Sora sighed, grinning. "I'm already in the Realm of Darkness. What happened to you has already happened to me."
"It's… not that simple." She shook her head. "I realize I'm falling into old habits and making the same mistakes. And for that, I'm so sorry. I'll take training you more seriously from now on."
"Hey," Sora chewed his lip, afraid to ask her what he had wanted to for so long. He knew he could learn from it if she would tell him the truth. He knew she would never share if DiZ were around and listening. "Can you tell me what happened? To you and your friends?"
She was hesitant. Silence fell between them for a long time before she spoke up. Sora was sure she wasn't ready to tell him, not yet. But, the length of the thought gave him hope.
She told him. She told him everything. From the day she became a Keybalde Master to the day she fell into the Realm of Darkness. She described in detail the worlds she had visited and the people she helped along the way. She told him of the times she felt like she had lost them both because they were angry with her. She was only doing as she was asked. She only wanted to bring them home. She did her best to protect them and still lost them to the darkness.
"So… Terra's possessed by Xehanort." Sora chewed on the thought for a moment. "It's the same Xehanort that DiZ took in, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so," Aqua nodded, rubbing her face. "I didn't tell DiZ because… I want to see if I can help Terra before he tries to exact his revenge."
"Do you think DiZ will do it?" Sora asked.
"I know he will. His hatred runs too deep."
Sora frowned. He wished he had been able to soothe the anger that built up in the man that raised him. It only seemed to get worse the longer they were in this realm. It hurt to watch…
"You know… DiZ isn't his real name." Sora said softly. "I don't remember his name… or his face that well. He covered it and changed his name a long time ago. But… I do remember he used to be kind. His face put me at ease and his name felt strong. He changed it because it was stolen or something like that. I don't remember the details."
"I figured," Aqua sighed. "A man who tries to leave behind who he was believes that his past self was weak."
"He's only getting weaker…"
Sora worried for DiZ. He knew there was nothing he could do. It wasn't for lack of trying to it being too late to change his mind. It was that the man was too stubborn. Sora knew and understood. He was stubborn as well, but in the opposite sense. He refused to let anger and hate cloud his heart. Negative feelings made it easier for the darkness to enter and he felt he was strong enough to let go of them.
The two fell back into silence. Aqua's big secret was out and Sora wouldn't tell DiZ. Aqua meant too much to him and she was only trying to do some good. He hoped when they got out of this realm, Aqua would be able to awaken Ven and save Terra. Sora would help her every step of the way.
He wondered if DiZ would leave them to pursue his own goals. The idea made his heart ache…
"Aqua… I… I kind of have a secret, too." Sora bit his lip. Wait. What was it? He furrowed his brows, trying to remember. "It… it had something to do with the Keyblade Graveyard… something that happened there…" He struggled, trying to find the lost memories. What happened to them? He tried to keep those memories safe. "I can't remember."
Aqua chortled. "You're very good at keeping secrets. I can tell, because you forget them."
"But… this was something really important. Because I made a promise and I can't… What did I do?" Sora sat up, holding his head. He needed to remember. He thought he had brought the memories to the front of his mind enough for him to remember. Wait. No. He brought up the idea that he had a secret.
No, no. Why was he forgetting? This wasn't fair. How did Aqua and DiZ keep their important memories in tact when he couldn't? First, he had forgotten about his parents (when the family dynamic was finally explained to him, he was distraught for so long). He forgot how to read at one point and was relearning that. The only memories that rang clear in his mind were the ones from training and two names whose meanings were starting to fade.
"Aqua…" he felt tears sting his eyes. "This was important. I made a promise and I kept it a secret because I was going to get in trouble and now I don't remember what it was."
He felt her hands on his shoulders. He struggled, trying to pull them from his subconscious. Nothing. What was it about? Who did he even make a promise to?
"Did it have to do with the Keyblades?" Aqua inquired helpfully. "Maybe the ghosts?"
That was it. Sora twisted to face her, grinning. "Yeah! Yeah, the ghosts!" He laughed. Good save. He was so close to forgetting. "I talked to them. A lot of them." He grinned from ear to ear. Aqua frowned. She was specific about him not talking to them. "I made them a promise I'd help them move on." As she opened her mouth, he quickly talked over her. "They're not all bad! Like, ninety-nine percent of the ones I talked to were from the side of light. They were all such good people. And I was careful, like you said."
"Sora, how exactly do you plan to help them move on?" Aqua asked. "They're trapped in this realm. Worse, they're trapped in the Keyblade Graveyard, or what remains of it."
"I…" he drew a blank. "I don't know." Sora frowned. "I just… I knew I wanted to help them and I promised I would. I don't know how. But… I want to keep my promise."
She placed a hand on his head. It soothed him as he leaned into her touch. "You're such a good person, Sora. The truth is… you can't always help everyone. No matter how much you try."
It hurt to know that. It really did. What if he couldn't help those that should move on? He swore to them and he might have to break that promise. Maybe when they escaped, he would find some way and he could come back to help them. He could hope. He could try.
The issue still stood: They still needed to escape the Realm of Darkness. Little did they know, the day was soon approaching.
This one, I wanted some more character development between them so we could establish where they were at. Sora's supposed to be about eleven turning twelve in this chapter. Sort of at that stage where you don't want to be seen as a child anymore and it's starting to show.