"Thinking of you, wherever you are.
We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows:
starting a new journey may not be so hard,
or maybe it has already begun.
There are many worlds, but they share the same sky —
one sky, one destiny."
A door to the Light opened, and they made way to step through.
xXx-awaken-from-the-deep-xXx
How long had it been, since she'd last felt the Light of another?
She could barely breathe as a swarming tide of demons came for her, desiring to devour her in this miserable hell.
She held tight to the Hope that things were going for the better in the Realm of Light, as her Keyblade had fallen away from her at the recompletion of countless Worlds.
Weaponless, she struggled even more desperately in these Dark Depths. Her only backup and safety, her wand, had crumbled to dust from overuse ages ago.
Though who knew, perhaps it had only been minutes..
Time had no meaning here, only the scars she had begun to collect since Master Keeper's loss helped her keep track of passing age.
Her hands were raw from the direct use of Magic, but she would continue to fight and struggle-
She would be a Wayfinder in the Dark.
Aqua took in a deep breath and spun with a raw scream, "Freeze!"
The Blizzaza struck home, and the swarming tide froze, swirling up until the Magic hit its zenith and shattered, taking a chunk of Heartless with it.
She continued running, not waiting to see how successful her spell was. She looked towards the horizon where she could see the twinkling of an endless ocean.
Aqua couldn't remember the last time she had seen something so beautiful and serene as those waters.
To think that she could find beauty, even in this miserable and lonely place.
The sight gave her strength and became her goal.
She would live to touch those waters.
Aqua threw herself into her mission wholeheartedly as the path towards the shoreline appeared to her. She dodged another volleyed attack from the endless swarm and minded her step as she refused to falter.
Just as her boot touched sand and the ocean opened up to her, a Gate of Pure Light opened up in the distance and two shadows were cast as they gazed upon that majestic Light.
Aqua felt a new terror grip her as her thoughts raced.
No! Don't leave me! Don't abandon me here again!
The voice of the Dark laughed at her within the depths of her mind, taunting her as she reached outwards and screamed out towards the two boys as they walked towards freedom, "Wait! Don't leave me behind!"
Her vision was blurred and her throat was sore from screaming out her desperation, but the two paused, startled as they dared to turn back and bare witness to the fact that she was alive! She was here!
The shorter boy gasped and reached out his hand towards her, "We won't leave you! Aqua!"
Aqua nearly choked as the boy became Ventus in her eyes, determined and terrified for her, "Hurry! There's no time! They're coming!"
Aqua dared to glance back, only to realize the swarm was nearly upon her. She grit her teeth and dared to spin as she screamed, "Thunder!"
She stumbled as the swarm broke apart around her, but she recovered and refused to look back. She reached out her hands, as both boys stood in wait for her. The taller boy grabbed her hand at the same time as the other and reassured her, "We've got you!"
And together they fell through the Door, into the Realm of Light.
xXx-awaken-from-the-deep-xXx
A/N: This story was written with several self-made rules in place. The short and skinny version is: It must be written as a short story, it must avoid rehashing canon cutscenes, and it cannot overstay its welcome.
Chapters will vary in length depending on what it was I wanted to accomplish. This fic was written to go along with canon as much as possible while still, obviously, diverting from it. Hence, The Rules. Headcanons are littered throughout, and the only TW I'm giving is a blip of PTSD and one swear.
The resounding theme/background song of this story is 'When we Were Broken' by Our Last Night.
Please R&R!