Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

Pursuit

AN: One of the scenes here was inspired by the Kings of the Past scene from The Lion King. (Love that scene so much! Oh the feels!) I also used a line from Avatar: Legend of Korra. (which I DO NOT OWN.) The highest of fives to whoever picks it out.

Chapter Six – of Adventure

It was dark. Why was it so dark? It was cold too. It was never this cold before.

Eraq screeched with fright when he heard something snarl in the distance. He hugged his arms and backed up to a wall. Dad always said, if you can't see your enemy then make sure it can't sneak up behind you. He tried to stay calm and remember more of Dad's lessons but his ragged breaths came out in panicked gasps and he couldn't concentrate. Where was Mom and Dad anyway? He was so scared, and they were always there to protect him, so where were they?

He let out a mite whimper, his wild gaze shifting back and forth down the frigid hall. He couldn't withhold the yelp that escaped his trembling lips when a black shape lurked in his direction, its round, glowing yellow eyes swaying as it drew ever closer. Its movements were lithe and careful, as though it were stalking him and didn't want to startle him into flight.

He felt his irregular breathing hitch in his throat and his whole body froze up in terror when more of the monsters appeared behind the first, some of them emitting a low, barely audible growl. It was so dark, how could the things be darker than the dark? Deeply disturbed, Eraq broke out of his momentary paralysis and bolted away from them, crying out when they snarled and darted after him. He was already breaking Dad's first rule, but he couldn't fight them, he was too little!

He ran as hard as he could, gasping for breath that was insufficient for the task when his throat threatened to close up with wracking sobs. He staggered, his steps heavier as he felt an uncomfortable pressure in his head. He could hear the dark creatures howling behind him and they were so close! When he felt like he couldn't breath and could run no more, one of the monsters tackled him from behind and pinned him face-first to the floor. It growled menacingly as it turned the boy over and held him there with one large hand-paw on his chest. The rest of the monsters gathered around, all of them hissing and snapping at each other as his captor's glowing, malevolent eyes peered into him.

Eraq wanted to cry out, but he couldn't breath, so he did the only thing he could, he closed his eyes and let out a silent, desperate wail.

And then there was nothing.

Aqua woke with a start, jerking a bit in Terra's loose hold. It took her a moment to orient herself as she had forgotten they were staying in a hotel and not their apartment back home. She felt uneasy, as there were very few things that could wake her from such a deep sleep. She reluctantly pulled herself away from Terra's comfortable warmth and out of bed in order to dress herself appropriately for the other room's inhabitants.

"Where are you going?" Terra asked groggily, his tone wasn't demanding but curious.

"To get Eraq. Something's wrong."

"Probably just another nightmare."

"He needs me then."

"Aqua," he sighed out as he raised himself on one elbow and massaged his forehead tiredly. Even in the darkness he met her stubborn gaze and blew out a puff of frustration before dropping back down to his pillow in defeat. "Never mind, go get him then."

She knew very well what he wanted to say. He'll never learn to deal with his fears if we coddle him forever. Yes, she knew, but she didn't really care either. She hadn't even made it to the door when there was a hesitant knock on the other side. She switched on a light and upon opening the door, one of her legs was suddenly enveloped by a small, trembling body. She instantly knelt down to pull her son to her chest protectively, cooing at him soothingly. She looked up and offered an apologetic smile to a yawning and bleary-eyed Rinoa standing at the door's threshold. "Sorry Rin, this tends to happen now and then."

Rinoa waved a dismissive hand and yawned again. "No problem, but if he's good now, I'm going back to bed." The dark haired woman didn't wait for confirmation as she turned back to the room she shared with Ven and Zack, not bothering to stifle another yawn when she shut the door behind her.

Eraq sobbed violently against her as he clutched desperately to the coat she had thrown on only a moment earlier. "Please," he cried weakly. "Don't leave me alone again."

"Eraq," Aqua murmured, stroking his head with one hand. "I didn't leave you alone, you had Rin and-"

"Yes you did!" the boy howled suddenly, pulling back from his mother's embrace enough to stare up at her with gleaming, frantic blue eyes. "I was back home and there were monsters everywhere and I couldn't find you!" He took a deep, ragged breath and finished with a sob. "You or Dad."

"It was just a bad dream." Aqua's brows were knit together worriedly as she hushed him and pulled him back to her, his face pressed into the crook of her neck as he shuddered. "I'm here now." Either these nightmares were getting worse or Hades' visit had more of an effect on him than anyone would have anticipated. She had never seen Eraq this distraught from a mere nightmare before, upset maybe, but not terrified. Not like he was now. "You're safe now." He had been perfectly safe before, but at this point she was willing to say whatever it was he wanted to hear if it made him feel better.

When he had finally calmed down, Aqua picked him up and carried him over to deposit him on the bed. She noted idly that her husband had also donned more appropriate clothing in response to having their son sleep with them. "I'll be right back," she told Eraq and placed a tender kiss above his ear before giving Terra a pointed look. "It was a bad one this time, take it easy on him, ok?" Terra didn't reply as his eyes tracked her when she crossed to the bathroom and shut the door behind her, momentarily leaving father and son alone.

"Hey runt," his father greeted in something of a grumble. It was a nickname he only ever used when he was slightly annoyed, but he was neither angry, nor was he going to reward the boy's behavior. He firmly believed nightmares were something you had to overcome on your own. I would know, he thought bitterly, I've had the worst kind. But he hardly ever had the chance to confront his son on the matter, since he usually always slept through the transition and woke up after the fact to see the boy cuddled up with his mother. At that point it was always too late to address the issue. Now though, he had his son right where he wanted him, and Eraq seemed to sense his father's annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Dad." The little boy shivered, though whether he was actually cold or just nervous was unclear.

With a weary sigh, Terra once again raised himself on one elbow and ran his other hand through his brown hair in frustration; it was so hard playing the stern parent sometimes. "You have to face your fears Eraq, or they'll chase you forever."

"But I can't," the boy whimpered and squirmed. "I'm not brave like you, Dad."

"I'm not asking you to be like me." Terra reached out to place a steady hand on the side of Eraq's head, the same side his mother had kissed only a moment ago. "Though you may not understand it now, always remember Eraq, when we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."

Eraq tipped his head and made a face. "You're right Dad, I don't understand."

"You will someday." Terra smiled fondly. "Until then, just promise me you'll do your best next time."

"I- I promise, Dad."

Terra nodded his approval and lifted the covers in a silent invitation, to which the boy instantly moved to accept. He leaned in against his father's torso but remained upright, no doubt opting to wait for his mother to snuggle up to.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, Aqua reappeared from the bathroom. Properly dressed in nightwear, she stood beside the bed with a hand on hip and a lopsided smirk on her face. "Shortest lecture ever?"

"His powers of persuasion are even more advanced than yours," Terra deadpanned while Eraq wiggled beside him with anticipation.

When Aqua finally crawled back into bed she was hardly able to get situated before the boy had moved to curl up beside her. Suddenly overwhelmed by a swell of affection for him, Aqua wrapped her arms around his tiny body and nuzzled his dark hair. She clamped her eyes shut but was unable to prevent a single tear from sliding down her cheek, though no sob escaped her lips and no shudder wracked her body. Ironically, she couldn't even decipher her jumbled emotions in that instant, rather, succeeding in only naming them.

There was joy, because she loved him so much the way he was. Sadness, because he was growing up too fast. Trepidation, because she had no control over the change. And finally, pride, because she knew he would become a strong, sincere young man someday, like his father...

"Mom, Dad?" Aqua's breath hitched but she relaxed when she realized her son was completely unaware of her mental struggle. And his next words somehow eased her chaotic mind more than he would ever know. "I love you."

Terra yawned, a long and unhindered breath that pinched his nose and squeezed moisture from the corners of his eyes. He leaned his head on one fist propped against the table and was currently not very interested in the food set before him. Whose idea was it to even be up this early? They were on vacation after all... A content little voice hummed along to a childish melody and he glanced down at his side to see Eraq happily munching down on his breakfast. Oh, Terra remembered with a drowsy smirk, that's why. Offspring required regular feedings or they tended not to grow. He looked up to Aqua, who was seated on the other side of the boy. She was picking at her breakfast with less exuberance than their son but she seemed much more awake than her husband.

They all sat at a table in the hotel's cafeteria. With his family beside him and their friends lined up on the other side, Terra tried to ignore Zack and Ven's competitive snarfing across from him while a glance to Rinoa brought a smile to his face. She seemed to be contemplating the same thing as he, with her head cradled on the heel of one hand and her sleepy attention drawn to the two men beside her with a lazy interest. She was also not very enthused about eating and she looked to be as thrilled to be awake as Terra felt. Finally, someone he could relate to. Honestly, he was surrounded by morning people and it tended to get aggravating at times. Although his wife wasn't the cheery morning type, she could certainly handle it better than he could and she usually tended not to have any sympathy for him.

"Done!" Zack nearly choked out suddenly as he simultaneously slapped a victorious hand on the table. The announcement actually drew the rapt attention of everyone at the table, especially Ven, who turned to gape at the swordsman in astonishment, which was rather disgusting since his mouth was still full.

"Impressive," Aqua said. "Not very many people can best Ven when it comes to breakfast."

"Not very many have tried," Terra deadpanned.

Zack merely smiled smugly, his stomach no doubt too full to allow for a reply. Ven was still speechless. Rinoa had an amused smile on her lips but was otherwise unaffected by the development. Eraq was giggling softly at his uncle Ven's dumbfounded expression.

The other adults all raised a dubious brow when Ven finally swallowed his mouthful and gave Zack a defeated glare before enunciating very carefully, "super-cali-fragilistic-expiali-docious!"

"Huh?" was Zack's only reply, since he was obviously either too dumbstruck or too full to formulate anything else.

"Ven," Aqua started, her tone amused. "I don't think that's a word."

"Sure it is," Ven insisted, turning to her. "Sora said he learned it on another world."

"Then what's it mean?" Terra interjected, his tone dull, though his mind was gradually coming to terms with being awake.

"Um, well," Ven hesitated and crossed his arms contemplatively. "I'm not sure, Sora said you just say it when you have nothing else to say."

"So," Terra started again, his tone unchanging. "It's not a word."

"Is so!" Ven argued back, a playful glint in his eyes even though he was obviously still flustered from losing to Zack.

"If it doesn't mean anything," Terra returned lazily with one eye closed and his chin still propped up on a fist. "Then it's not a word."

"Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it's not a word."

"Maybe it does have a meaning from the world it came from," Aqua intervened gently when the discussion seemed to take an affronted turn. "So technically it is a word, but if we don't really know its meaning then its a moot point."

Ven frowned at the reasonable explanation, though he nodded compliantly when Terra shrugged indifferently. "Speaking of other worlds..." Ven suddenly bounced back, his expression held a bit of mischief as he shared a look with Zack. "Aqua."

"Hm?" Aqua gave the blond her full attention, curious, though somewhat suspicious due to the look in his bright azure eyes. "What is it Ven?"

"Well, Zack and I were wondering something." Ven glanced down at his nearly empty plate for an instant before looking back up to Aqua with a hopeful grin. "Disney Town is great and all, but we'd like to go and see a few more worlds before our vacation is over."

"Ven-"

"Just hear me out," Ven cut off any objections that she might have had. "We'll only go to the worlds Sora told me about, the ones he's already scouted and determined were safe."

"I don't know Ven..." In Aqua's opinion, there was no such thing as a "safe" world. There were always dangers. Although, if that was her argument, then it wasn't safe even back home at the Academy, or even here, in Disney Town, where everything was bright, cheerful, and festive. On one hand, she had Eraq's safety to think about, but on the other, she didn't want to be so overprotective that she seemed unreasonable. She looked to her husband to see how he felt about the matter and right away she could already judge by the look on his face that he was much more open to the suggestion than she.

"There is five of us to watch out for him, er six," Terra mended with a wince when Angelo gave a plaintive, high pitched bark. "And even if we do happen to run into heartless, any one of us could easily deal with four or five on our own." He shrugged indifferently. "It's up to you though, I don't care either way."

Her husband's reassurance should have been enough to ease her worries; his words made sense. Even so, Aqua still felt a nagging trepidation in the back of her mind. Though with all the reasonable logic stacked against her, she couldn't really come up with an argument to object. Instead choosing to look to Rin as a last resort. "What about you, is this ok with you?"

Rin had been quiet through the debate, choosing to listen curiously from the side. "I've waited this long to see him, I can wait a little longer." Her words were a bit downcast but her sudden smile made up for it. "Besides, visiting a few more worlds sounds like fun."

Aqua released a defeated sigh; now everyone but her had consented. She let a few tense seconds pass by before breaking a smirk in the blond's direction. "Alright, Ven, you win."

With a sudden explosive whoop Ven was on his feet and shared a high five with Zack, both of them grinning victoriously. "Told you," said the swordsman. "My puppy-dog look works every time."

Ven swatted at Zack's shoulder with a playful indignation. "She didn't even look at you!"

"She didn't need to! That's just how well it works!" Zack's grin was arrogant, causing Rin to roll her eyes, Aqua to chuckle and Terra to grunt.

"Whatever." Ven scoffed and threw around an excited gesture. "Come on then, let's get going right away. We've only got a few days left and I wanna visit as many worlds as possible!"

He was off and running before Terra or Aqua could reply and Zack was promptly right after him. "Aw yeah, adventure and grandeur await the hero!"

Rinoa sighed as she stood up to follow at a more respectable pace, the two men's energy seeming to wear her out and the day had barely started. "I don't understand how they can move so fast after eating so much."

"That boy has always been on the move," Terra remarked fondly. "And some things just never change." He and Aqua stood from their places as well, since everyone had either finished eating or in Terra and Rinoa's case, hadn't felt like eating to begin with.

Angelo drew beside Eraq with a woof and the boy happily pulled himself onto the saddle mounted on her back. The dog trotted after her master, leaving Terra and Aqua to follow along in their wake.

Now that Ven and Eraq weren't watching, Aqua allowed her brave mask to falter and she frowned at the floor as though it were the source of her worries.

"Hey." Aqua felt Terra's hand encompass her own and she looked up to see him offer a reassuring smile. "Don't worry so much. Do I have to tell you the same thing I told Eraq? I won't let anything happen to ether of you."

"I know that's what he needed to hear," she told him and at least attempted to smile back. "But I also know how unreasonable a promise it is."

"It's not unreasonable," he replied, his gaze and tone insistent and serious. "As his father its expected of me." He gave her hand a meaningful squeeze. "And as your husband, well, it's in the vows."

"Terra," Aqua sighed out, suddenly feeling a dark, portentous cloud grip at her heart. "You and I both know how impossible it is to protect someone when destiny calls."

"Well," Terra remarked plainly and made an expressive gesture with his free hand. "If things are so predestined like you say, then what's the point in worrying about it?"

"It's my job to worry," she replied with a slight pout. "It always has been."

Shadows. Darkness. Emptiness. All three were things he was not unfamiliar with. Nor was that voice foreign to him, her voice. Cold and commanding. It used to frighten him into blind obedience. It still unnerved him, shook him to his core actually, but even cowards had their limits, right?

"I have a task for you."

"Not interested."

"You will listen to my demands you great, lazy oaf!"

He fought off a visible flinch. "Listening." Not doing, he added silently. That cold voice continued, explaining the purpose of this covert visit in the darkness. He listened until he felt a fiery rage burn in his chest, an emotion he hadn't felt in quite awhile. "Leave him alone, he ain't done nothin' to anyone!"

"I won't hurt him... Much. Besides, don't you want revenge on his parents?"

He shook his head. "I'm through with revenge. Go find someone else to do your dirty work."

That female voice suddenly screeched at him with frustration. "Useless! You've always been useless!" And with that, she was gone, sweeping the vast darkness and eternal emptiness along with her, but the shadows remained, they always did.

Useless, he repeated silently. That sounded pretty accurate. But then, what if-? No, nobody would believe him. That only left him with one option: Chip and Dale's Gummi Hanger. What was one more theft added to a long list of criminal history anyway?