Chapter Two: Day 303: Fight Water with Fire.
The room where the members of Organization XIII met together was called 'Where Nothing Gathers'. The room was a simple circular dais with thirteen thrones occupying it, one for each member with the Organization's symbol in the center of the room.
Only eight of the thirteen thrones were occupied with only one member not present and that was Xion, who did not have her own throne, even one of the empty ones.
Early into Roxas's first few months with the Organization five members were eliminated at the Organization's second castle, Castle Oblivion. Axel had been part of the group and he was the only survivor.
He never told Roxas who had been the one to defeat and destroy five members of Organization XIII, three of them founding members.
Roxas's throne was directly across from the Superior's and he noticed the Superior had a strange glint in his eye.
It was unnerving.
The Superior glanced around the thrones, looking at each member. Xigbar, Axel and Luxord sat on the right side of the room while Xaldin, Saix and Demyx sat on the left with Roxas and the Superior's throne meeting the middle of both rows.
The Superior spoke first, as always. "Good morning friends. I trust you all slept well?"
No one said anything and just nodded.
The Superior leaned back on his throne and went on. "It has come to my attention thanks to Number 8, that a new chosen one of the keyblade, a woman, has appeared in the town of light and dark."
This caused all of the other members save Roxas, Axel and Saix to gasp and look between each other, excited murmurings passing through the thrones. "Silence." Saix barked and the chatter died down instantly. The Superior went on as if no one had spoken.
"I can not allow this new Keyblade Master to run around unsupervised. That is why, effective immediately, all regular missions are hereby put on hold. You all now have the same mission, no matter what world you are on: Find this woman. And bring her to me."
With that said, the Superior was engulfed in darkness and vanished from sight, his throne empty.
Xigbar was the first to break the silence by chuckling. Xigbar, "Great. Now we're getting the boss man dates. Who knew it would come to this?"
Saix scowled at the Freeshooter and snarled, "Hold your tongue lest you wish to lose it."
Xigbar chuckled again and responded, "Chill out puppy."
Xaldin was leaning against his throne with his eyes closed in thought. He opened them after a moment and said, "This woman keyblade wielder must be a powerful foe…if she could overpower our own keyblade wielder and the 'Flurry of Dancing Flames'."
Axel scowled and snapped at Xaldin. "She got the jump on me! That's all!" He slumped back down in his throne, scowling angrily as he leaned on his elbow. "Next time'll be different…" He muttered darkly.
Luxord glanced down at Roxas, who was just staring at the back of his hands, not bothering to pay attention to anything the others said. Luxord, "What did you make of this maiden, Roxas?"
Roxas gasped and looked up at the mention of his name. "Huh?" He muttered. Luxord, "This female keyblade wielder, what is your opinion of her?"
"Oh," Roxas uttered, bowing his head as he called back the events of yesterday. That woman was pretty good with her Keyblade and he saw her use some powerful magic.
"She looks strong." Was all he said.
Luxord nodded and raised his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he held some of his cards. He grinned, seeing they were all queens. "Let's see how well she plays…"
Demyx chuckled to himself and leaned over as he said to Axel, "Hey Ax, was she hot?"
Axel groaned, palm slapping on his face as he dragged it down, mumbling, "You've got a one track mind."
Xigbar laughed again. "He doesn't find women who can kick his tail attractive. Why do you think he was always avoiding Larxene?" Demyx groaned and slumped down in his throne. "Don't mention that witch!"
"Enough." Saix's voice echoed off the nonexistent walls of the room. He looked at the members sitting in their thrones before saying, "You have received your orders. Axel will provide you with a description of the target. Complete your preparations and be on you way. I shall see you all in the Grey Area." That said, Saix vanished in a burst of shadow.
Xigbar chuckled again. Without another word he vanished as well.
Xaldin merely grunted before vanishing as well.
Luxord flicked his wrist again, his cards disappearing. He grinned again and was gone.
Demyx sighed sadly, muttering lowly. "It can't ever be recon…" Then he vanished as well.
Roxas looked up to Axel, who had his arms crossed and his face set in an angry scowl. Axel muttered to himself, just loud enough for Roxas to hear. Axel, "I'll show her…" Then he was gone in a burst of darkness.
Roxas looked between the empty thrones and sighed. Then he left as well.
Roxas walked into the Grey Area and saw Axel leave in a burst of darkness, leaving only Saix and-
Roxas gasped, eyes widening. Xion was sitting on one of the couches and when she saw Roxas her own blue eyes widened in surprise. Xion, "Roxas?" Roxas walked over towards her while saying, "H-hey Xion. Why are you still here?" Xion blinked before responding, "Oh, you didn't know? We're both on the same mission today."
Roxas blinked in surprise before nodding. "Oh."
Saix scowled at the two and called, "Roxas." Said Nobody flinched and looked up at Saix, who glared with annoyed amber eyes. Saix, "What did I tell you yesterday?" Roxas sighed, shoulders slumping. "Be prompt…" He muttered lowly.
Saix, "So do it. Finish your preparations so you and the puppet can leave." Roxas glared at Saix as he called Xion that term again. Xion merely gave him a sympathetic look and said, "It's alright Roxas."
Roxas relaxed and nodded back at Xion. He sat down on the other couch and looked through his pack. He still had some potions left from yesterdays mission. He nodded and looked at Xion. She saw he was ready and both stood up, walking over to Saix.
Saix glared down at them before asking rhetorically, "Are you ready?"
Roxas and Xion nodded.
Saix went on, "Your mission is to go back to Twilight Town and search for the woman keyblade wielder. If you find her, convince her to return to the castle with you. The Superior wishes to speak with her immediately." Roxas and Xion nodded.
With a flick of his wrist, a Corridor of Darkness materialized. Without another word to Saix, Roxas and Xion stepped through and into the portal.
A second portal appeared in the back alleyways of Twilight Town, Roxas and Xion stepping out of it. The portal shrank down to the size of a puddle and Roxas and Xion looked around for a few seconds, seeing nobody else.
There was silence between the two as they walked up towards the shopping hill. Neither knew what to say, as they hadn't spoken to each other since Axel attacked Xion.
As they stood in the shopping hill, Xion broke the silence. Xion, "So, umm, what does this woman look like?"
Roxas blinked and uttered a surprised, "Oh!" Then he thought for a moment, thinking back to yesterday when he saw the woman. He was able to recall her appearance and replied, "She had blue hair, about a short as yours Xion and these intense blue eye. Her Keyblade was different from ours too, longer and shaped oddly."
Xion nodded and was silent as she thought for a second. Then she asked, "Which way did she go when she ran yesterday?" Roxas sighed and waved his hand towards the shopping district. Roxas, "Here. But that was yesterday, so who knows where she is now."
Xion frowned, head bowing in thought for a second before she smiled excitedly. Xion, "Oh! I know what we can do!" Roxas turned to look at her with a confused look. Xion went on. "We'll ask anyone if they've seen her! I mean, someone had to have seen her! A blue haired woman isn't something you forget!"
Roxas grinned, nodding. It was a unique attribute and just might be the lead they need. Roxas sprinted down the hill, beckoning Xion after him. Roxas, "Come on! I know some people who might be able to help us out!" Xion raced after Roxas and the two headed for the sandlot.
In the shadows, a tall skinny figure watched them, idly snapping his fingers over and over, little sparks of fire bursting with each snap.
Roxas and Xion stepped into the sandlot. Roxas looked around, eyes scanning for something. His face lit up as he saw three familiar looking people.
One was a blonde teen with slightly raised hair, not completely spiky but getting there, wearing a green vest and black shirt and green camo cut-off jeans with lots of pockets. The next one was a teen girl with brown hair and pretty green eyes wearing an orange blouse with flowers on it and white shorts. The last was a shorter teenage boy with black hair wearing headband around his forehead, a red Struggle jersey over his white shirt and blue jeans.
Roxas recognized the three teens as Hayner, Olette and Pence. They had helped him and Axel out before on previous missions in Twilight Town and he was confident they could help him again. Xion looked at Roxas, apprehension in her blue yes. "Roxas…" She murmured nervously.
Roxas smiled reassuringly. Roxas, "Don't worry. I'll ask them if they've seen her."
With that said, Roxas walked over to the three, Xion following behind him.
Hayner saw him first and said, "Oh, hey. It's you." Olette and Pence followed his gaze and looked over, faces lighting up in smiles when they saw it was Roxas. They headed over to him, meeting halfway in the Sandlot.
Hayner put his hand on his hip before asking, "What's up?"
Before Roxas could respond Olette noticed Xion and exclaimed, "Oh! Who's this?" Xion flinched and moved behind Roxas to avoid the looks from all three teens. Hayner smirked at Roxas and asked with a sly tone, "This your girlfriend?"
Both Roxas and Xion felt their faces flush and Roxas quickly shook his head. Roxas, "Nononono, it's not like that. Look I wanted to ask if any of you saw a woman with blue hair?"
Hayner and Olette thought about Roxas's question before shaking their heads. Then, Pence spoke up, an excited smile on his face. Pence, "Oh yeah! I saw a lady with blue hair this morning on the way to the usual spot!"
Roxas and Xion gasped and leaned closer to listen. Roxas, "Really? Where did she go?"
Pence rubbed his chin in thought before snapping his fingers and smiling. Pence, "She headed into the tunnels. The weird thing was she kinda looked lost. The tunnels aren't the best place to go when you don't know where you're going."
But for Roxas this was good news. The tunnels only had a few exits and if the woman didn't know her way around, she could get lost easily.
He smiled and nodded to the three teens. Roxas, "Thanks, you've been huge help." The three teens blinked in confusion as Roxas and Xion rushed pas them for the stairs to the back alley.
Hayner moved his arms behind his head and said, "He really shouldn't be looking for another girl in front of his girlfriend." "Hayner!" Both Pence and Olette groaned before laughing.
Roxas and Xion approached one of the tunnel entrances and to Roxas's relief he saw this one was unlocked. He looked at Xion and asked, "Ready?" Xion swung her arm out, keyblade appearing. Xion, "Ready." Roxas summoned his own keyblade and both entered the tunnels.
Despite it's reputation, the tunnels under Twilight Town weren't all that bad and were well lit with plenty of helpful signs to point you in the right direction. Roxas looked around for a moment, wondering which direction the woman could have headed. He decided to head straight down for the farthest exit. Xion followed after him and the two descended the stairs together. Suddenly, the air above them rippled and three gear shaped Heartless appeared, twitching in the air randomly with their beady yellow eyes set on Roxas and Xion.
Roxas and Xion gasped, crouching and raising their blades. Roxas, "Heartless!" Xion, "These things don't know when to let up!"
With that said, both leapt into the battle, keyblades bashing against the Heartless and knocking the senseless. Within moments the Heartless were defeated, pink hearts floating free from the dark mist they expelled and vanishing. Roxas and Xion relaxed and Roxas motioned Xion to follow him. "Let's go."
The two stepped inside the wide square shaped room with the water pool on the far side. Roxas and Xion looked around, frowning when they saw the gate in the far end of the room was locked up tight. "Not here…"Murmured Xion.
Roxas sighed and said, "Let's head back."
The two backtracked back to the main part of the tunnels and Roxas paused for a moment, wondering which one they should try next. Suddenly, Xion gasped. Roxas looked back at her. Roxas, "What?" Xion held her hand up to silence him, her head turning slowly as she listened for something.
Then, Roxas hear it too. Footsteps. He and Xion looked to the right side of the tunnels and moved quickly, staying close to the walls so they wouldn't be spotted. Roxas peeked his head around the corner, looking through the bar gates. He gasped, eyes widening.
It was her!
The blue haired woman stood by the tunnel exit that led to the shopping district. Her back was to Roxas but he could see her hand was raised to her chin in thought. Then, she nodded as if she decided something and started walking forward. Xion spoke up behind him, asking, "Is it her?" Roxas nodded and turned, walking quickly towards the stairs.
Roxas, "Come on! I know where she's going!"
Xion nodded and followed after him, moving quickly to keep up with him. They moved through the cubicle like center of the tunnels, slowly as Roxas peeked around another corner. He saw the woman turning into the next tunnel and waved for Xion to follow him.
They raced up the tunnel and rounded the corner, seeing the woman step through the exit. Roxas recognized this particular exit. It led right outside to the Train Station and clocktower.
Roxas and Xion ran up the rest the way and through the exit, into the perpetual twilight sky of the town.
And found the woman glaring at them with sapphire eyes.
Roxas groaned lowly while Xion winced. They had been caught.
The woman crossed her arms over her chest before asking coldly, "Why are you two following me? Didn't your friend yesterday get the message?"
Roxas held his hands out imploringly. Roxas, "No, we don't want to fight! We just want to talk!"
The woman arched a blue brow. "Really?" She asked in an unconvinced tone.
Xion nodded and stepped forward before Roxas could speak. Xion, "We've never seen anyone else who can wield a keyblade and we just want you to help us understand it better!" Roxas blinked and looked at Xion in confusion. She gave him a look and he nodded in understanding.
The woman cocked her head and asked, "We?"
To make their point, Roxas and Xion summoned their keyblades, the twin Kingdom Key's intercepting near their thighs. The woman gasped, eyes widening.
"Where did you get those?" She demanded, eyes glaring at the two.
Rpxas and Xion exchanged helpless looks. Roxas looked back to the woman. "We're…not sure." He said lamely.
The blue haired woman scowled. "You expect me to believe that? Next thing you'll tell me is you just woke up and could always wield the keyblade!"
Roxas and Xion again exchanged looks.
The woman's eyes widened. "Oh you're not serious…"
Roxas shrugged helplessly. "That's kinda it."
The woman groaned and rubbed her forehead. "I don't have time for this…" She muttered and turned on her heel, heading for the shopping district. Roxas and Xion gasped and ran after her, calling out, "Wait! Hold on!"
The woman faced them again, her scowl back. "Look, I don't want to hear anything. I'm looking for someone and I can't afford to waste time dealing with you two." She looked around the district before sighing sadly. "I've got a whole world to search…and they're probably not on this one..."
Roxas and Xion gasped, excited smiles on their faces. Roxas, "We can help you find them!"
The woman looked at them with a confused expression.
Roxas went on. "You said you probably had to search lots of worlds right? We'll the group me and my friends are part of has access to a lot of worlds! If you come with us I promise you we'll take you to each one and help you look for them!"
The woman's expression melted slowly, becoming vulnerable. She held her hand to her chest, fingers brushing something around her neck. She looked between Roxas and Xion, blue eyes hopeful.
"Do you…do you really mean that?" Her tone was now softer and filled with a desperate hope. Roxas and Xion smiled reassuringly, nodding.
The woman smiled, her blue eyes sparkling. She gripped the charm around her neck tightly. Xion gasped suddenly.
Xion, "Oh! We never introduced ourselves!" She gave a small bow to the blue haired woman. "I'm Xion," she said and smiled again.
Roxas mimicked her actions before he said, "I'm Roxas."
The woman looked between the two, biting her lower lip for a moment as she thought for a few seconds. Then, she replied slowly.
"My name is…Aqua."
Roxas and Xion smiled at Aqua, who smiled back, though they could see the hopeful nervousness in her eyes.
Roxas and Xion moved towards the tunnel entrance. The blonde teen Nobody waved his hand for Aqua to follow him. Roxas, "Come on we'll take you back to our-"
Just as Roxas and Xion stepped into the tunnels and Aqua stepped back into the station plaza, the air temperature spiked at least ten degrees, the air boiling hot. Aqua's eyes widened and she jumped back as a wall of flame erupted between her and the two Nobodies. Roxas cried in alarm and stumbled back as the flames shot up. He hit the floor, groaning.
Xion gasped and ran over to him, crouching by his groaning form. "Roxas!" She exclaimed. She gasped as the firewall sparked and sizzled, burning fiercely.
Aqua gasped and stepped back as she watched the wall of fire block her view of Roxas and Xion. She whirled and saw another had blocked the way to the shopping district. She was trapped.
She heard a low laugh and heavy footsteps approach her and she whirled in the sounds direction.
She scowled upon seeing a familiar head of spiky red hair and those strange markings under his eyes. It was the black garbed fire manipulator from yesterday. Aqua cursed her stupidity. Clearly those other two had led her into a trap.
The red head approached her slowly, his chuckling quieting down. "Well hello again, Aqua." He smirked as he said her name and she glared at the firewall blocking her view of those two teens. The red head chuckled again, resuming his slow stroll towards her.
Aqua swung her arm out and her keyblade appeared in a flash of light.
The red head laughed a little louder. He extended his arms out and flexed them, joints popping. Aqua gasped, eyes widening as streams of black and white thorns rolled down his arms and into his hands, spinning around and lighting on fire as they became those chakrams he wielder yesterday.
"A-Q-U-A."
Aqua blinked as she heard the man spell her name out.
He looked up at her, grinning. "I've got your name memorized. A-X-E-L."
Aqua blinked in confusion before realizing he had spelled his own name out.
"Axel…" she whispered.
The Flurry of Dancing Flames swung his chakrams out and held them at his sides. Axel, "Got it memorized?"
He glared at Aqua and snarled. "You're going to pay for giving me the cold shoulder yesterday."
Aqua tensed and held her keyblade out, gripping the hilt tightly as she saw flames gather around Axel's chakrams. Axel grinned and thrust his chakrams out, flames erupting from the ground. "BURN BABY!" He cackled as the ground was covered in red hot fire.
Aqua yelped and danced on her feet. The heat was so intense it reached through her metal shoes! Axel laughed as he watched her jump around and raised his chakrams, spinning them in his hands. Aqua scowled at Axel before gasping as she saw a wall of fire erupt in front of him and quickly move towards her. Axel sneered as he watched the firewall move towards her. Obscured from Axel's view, Aqua thrust her keyblade out and a blue blast of frosty magic shot out. The ice spell struck the firewall and froze it instantly into a solid wall of ice.
Axel gasped, eyes widening and exclaimed in shock as Aqua somersaulted over the ice wall. She landed in front of him in a crouched cat like pose before swinging her keyblade up to uppercut him across the jaw. Axel stumbled back, wiping his now bloody jaw and snarling at Aqua, who back flipped away and met his glare. Axel held his chakrams out and twin pillars of fire erupted behind Aqua and in front of Axel. Aqua gasped as they rapidly closed in on her but somersaulted to the left and they struck her ice wall, melting it instantly. Axel took his chance and lunged forward, swinging his chakrams at Aqua-
A sphere of light surrounded her and Axel's chakrams bounced off her barrier harmlessly. Axel stumbled back and Aqua thrust he keyblade into the air, causing the barrier to shatter and strike Axel, forcing him to jump back. Axel growled and threw his chakrams, the deadly projectiles lighting aflame as they buzzed towards Aqua. Again, she summoned her barrier magic, Reflega to deflect them back at Axel only this time he caught them. Axel spun his chakrams and thrust them out, sending multiple blasts of fire towards Aqua. The female keyblade wielder back flipped and raised her barrier again but she exclaimed in effort to keep it raised under the barrage. Aqua lowered her barrier and saw Axel preparing another barrage. She thrust her keyblade into the air and instantly the fire covered ground froze. Axel gasped, eyes widening as he looked at the ground- And a huge pillar of ice covered him before exploding. Axel launched into the air, crying in pain. He landed on the ground stumbling slightly before glaring at Aqua with outraged eyes. Aqua met his glare and raised her keyblade in challenge.
Axel snarled, "You asked for it!" Axel's chakrams lit up in his hands and he threw them at her once again. They spun rapidly, twin throwing stars of fire as Aqua countered with her barrier before they could connect-
Fire exploded around her barrier as they struck her barrier and Aqua cried in shock as she was forced back. Axel laughed, catching his rebounding chakrams before throwing them again. They exploded on contact with Aqua's barrier and she cried in fear as her barrier cracked and she was forced back farther. Axel caught his weapons and held them to his sides, letting them go as they floated in midair while his body shook. Roaring, Axel threw his chakrams once more and when the struck Aqua's barrier-
The blue haired maiden was consumed in a geyser of fire, her scream and the roar of flames melding together almost seamlessly.
Axel smirked as the fires lowered and Aqua staggered to her knees, several parts of her skin burned and smoke rose from her clothes and keyblade. The Flurry of Dancing Flames calmly walked towards the fallen keyblade wielder. Axel, "Now, are you ready to be a good girl and come with me?"
Aqua raised her head, mouth opened as she panted but her eyes still set in a fierce and defiant glare. Axel's smirk faded and he snarled. "Fine. You want some more! I've got plenty!" He thrust his chakrams out and a circle of fire surrounded Aqua. The blue haired maiden closed her eyes and focused, her keyblade suddenly becoming frosty in her hand. Aqua's eyes snapped open and she shot through the fire covered in an icy white aura. Axel blinked as she shot behind him and charged past him, swinging her keyblade. Axel cried in pain and rage, whirling around with his chakrams raised as he tried to hit Aqua but she was already shooting past him before turning swiftly and slamming back into him. Axel staggered, looking around wildly as Aqua shot in all directions, too fast and too quick for his eyes to follow. Axel gasped as she shot towards him and he held his chakrams out, summoning a huge wall of intense red flames to protect himself and burn her-
Aqua pierced through the firewall easily, her keyblade raised menacingly over Axel. With a battle cry, she thrust it towards Axel and several pillars of ice erupted around him, exploding in a shower of mist and piercing ice magic. Axel screamed in pain, and his firewalls flickered, lowering slowly as he dropped his chakrams and collapsed.
Roxas and Xion stepped back as the firewall blocking them flared up suddenly, the flames intensely hot. Then, just as quickly they cooled and the firewall lowered, dissipating into harmless smoke. They stepped through and looked around the plaza, the smoke obscuring their view for a few seconds. Xion suddenly gasped and pointed. "There!"
Roxas followed her gaze, squinting to see through the smoke. Then he saw two blurry forms and gasped.
Aqua stood over a slumped Axel, who panted as blood ran down his jaw. Aqua was also panting, touching a burn on her exposed skin before hissing. She raised her keyblade and a green aura covered her for a split second. The green magic healed her burns and closed her other wounds, leaving no trace of any burns or cuts, even scars. Axel glanced in Roxas and Xion's direction as the approached and Aqua caught his gaze, whirling around.
She glared at the two; raising her keyblade at them and shouting, "Stay back!"
Roxas and Xion froze, Roxas holding his arm out to shield Xion in case Aqua decided to use magic.
The blue haired warrioress gave Axel one last glare before she began to back up towards the railing on the plaza's ledge. She kept her burning glare on Roxas and Xion. Roxas could see betrayal in her eyes.
Aqua stopped backing up as she bumped into the railing, keeping her keyblade pointed right at the two Nobodies. Aqua kept her eyes on the two for another moment. Then, she grabbed the railing and jumped, twisting over the ledge in midair and falling down.
Both Roxas and Xion gasped and ran towards the ledge. Roxas peered over it and saw a flash of blue disappear into the woods below. Xion lowered her head, eyes downcast. "She's gone."
Behind them, Axel reached into a pocket of his cloak and pulled out a golden bottle of elixir. He tipped the bottle back and swallowed the contents in one gulp, brushing his mouth clean with the back of his glove. He stumbled up, still weary from his battle as Roxas and Xion walked over to him. Axel looked down at the two and saw Roxas had an angry glare at him.
Roxas, "Why'd you attack? She was going to come with us willingly!" Xion frowned at Axel, nodding with Roxas. Xion, "That was going too far Axel! Did you see her face? Now she won't trust us if she sees us again!"
Roxas scowled as Axel 'tched' and looked away, snapping his fingers and making his chakrams vanish in a burst of fire. Roxas went on asking, "Why were you even here?"
Axel scowled down at the two before he responded, "I was doing my mission: Capture the target. You two provided the distraction. I provided the muscle."
Xion crossed her arms and spoke up. "Hmph. You still lost though. Some muscle."
Axel glared at the two, hissing through clenched teeth. "You two…"He hissed. Then he sighed and snapped. "Look, just RTC and tell Saix I'm still here. I'll be looking for her in those woods." With that said, he started down the shopping hill. Axel glowered to himself, murmuring lowly, "Even if I have to burn that forest down I'll find her…"
He was out of sight the next second.
Roxas sighed, shoulders slumping. Xion looked at him with concerned eyes, asking, "Roxas?"
He smiled at her with false reassurance. Roxas, "Don't worry. Let's just RTC." Xion frowned still. "No ice cream?" She asked. Roxas shook his head. Roxas, "Sorry, not today." With that, he headed back into the tunnels. After a moment, Xion followed after him slowly, frowning sadly.
The golden rays of the twilit sky pierced through the canopy of leaves covering the forest outside of Twilight Town. Aqua weakly dragged herself across the field of trees, clutching her right arm which she had hurt in her jump down, her right hand still gripping her keyblade, the tip of the blade dragging behind her. In hindsight she figured that jumping off a very large hilltop was probably not the best idea.
She slumped against a tree, eyes closing in exhaustion as she panted.
She hadn't slept since being freed from the Realm of Darkness, terrified of falling asleep and waking back up in that horrible place, discovering this was all a dream.
A perplexing dream though, this town of light and dark, these strangers in black…
The young one who looked so much like Ven and could even wield a keyblade. Aqua pushed away from the tree and staggered forward a few steps, trying to find a safe place to hide from those people in black-
Her right foot tripped against her left and she fell flat on her front, groaning weakly and letting her keyblade slip out of her hand. Sheer exhaustion began to overcome her just as she heard heavy footsteps approach her.
She raised her head weakly, eyes widening when she saw familiar black boots and the coat ends of a black cloak. She looked up, praying she did not see a head of red hair-
A flash of silver in the fading sunlight and her eyes rolled in their sockets as she fell forward, sweet sleep claiming her at last, dragging her into darkness.
The silver haired teen crouched down next to the blue haired maiden.
He peered closely at her and raised his hand to his face, brushing his silver locks aside as he reached for a black blindfold. He raised it, left eye peering down at the unconscious woman. He looked her over, eye traveling farther down her form-
He gasped when he saw it.
Long and gray, with a golden heart like chain, an 'E' shaped blade.
A keyblade.
The teen lowered his blindfold and stood up, walking over to the keyblade and picking it up. He held close to his face, hidden eyes studying it. Then, he sheathed it in his belt under his cloak. He bent over, scooping the unconscious maiden into his arms, holding her like she weighed nothing.
She whimpered suddenly, moving in his arms, frightened.
"Shh," he whispered, moving her a little so her head rested against his chest. "It's alright. You're safe now."
She moaned in her sleep, the low sound becoming a single word. "Terra…"
The silver haired teen waited, expecting more. But her breathing became even, slowly inhaling, then gently exhaling. With that, he looked forward and headed off deeper into the forest, surrounded by darkness, pierced by a few rays of fading light.