AN: Wooh, long chapter again! But it's all downtime lol. xD Had a chapter of all action, so now we get all relaxing and shit. :D Character development and shit! Yay. :D :D
End of AN!
After fleeing the battle against Ansem (or, Xehanort, whatever), the Pestilence found itself back in a familiar world.
Drifting in the endless dark void surrounding a magnificent gold and green castle at the end of a ruined, winding grey path.
It had been both Terra and Ven's idea. The same place in mind, when they'd created the Lanes Between portal.
Aqua, who'd been alone in the captain's cabin for the whole trip, emerged again at last. She strode out with her head high, her expression...her usual. Composed. Sharp.
She stepped out onto the deck - and froze as she took in the sight of the castle. Her gaze sought out Terra and Ven, next. Her mouth turned to a frown. "What would possess either of you two to bring us here again?"
"Because it's home," Ven said simply.
"Not in this form," Aqua refuted flatly.
"Well, we'll just have to change it back, then," Terra spoke casually. "This is a shockingly drab, dreary looking place, isn't it? It could use some color and life put back in it. Once we do, it'll be back in its full glory again."
Aqua gasped, staring at him. She stormed up to him, and she crossed her arms. "How could you possibly know that?"
Terra froze, his expression flickering strangely. He closed his eyes, and gave a grin. A hand rose to his chest. "I guess I just felt it was possible-"
"No! I made you a Master, but our Master never did. He only entrusted that secret to me!" Aqua said sharply. "How could you know it as well?!"
"Aqua, come on, it can't be that big of a deal?" Ven said loudly, stepping up between them.
"Would you believe me if I told you I learned it from my ten years of being smothered by the Heart of Xehanort?" Terra said to Aqua, holding her gaze alone.
Aqua hesitated, gauging him. "Perhaps. The last time we met...Xehanort was looking for Ven here...Of course Master Xehanort would have known of the Chamber - that protective measure. He was our Master's peer...once upon a time. But, Terra...I know it's not that. There's something you're holding back from me." She gazed at him intently. "I thought we'd agreed to tell each other everything now," she added quietly. "No more secrets, no more lies, no more withholding critical information that could have...changed everything for us."
"I will tell you - both of you," Terra said softly. "But, only when the time is right. I don't feel...like that time is right now. Not yet. But I promise - alright? Can you trust me, Aqua?"
"Is whatever secret you're keeping...is it something that could hurt any of us?" Aqua said slowly.
"No. It's nothing dangerous," Terra stated, unhesitating. "In fact, it's...it could be considered good news. But...not yet."
"All right." Aqua nodded. She turned away, striding for the side of the ship. She set her hands on the railing, gazing down on Castle Oblivion. "And you think we should - turn it back?"
"If we restore it, it will be as good as new," Terra spoke, walking up beside her. He glanced at her, then away. "And I want it to be; I was there, Aqua - I saw Xehanort destroy it personally. And I'd like to see my home...our home...restored again. I'd like to- well, you could call it spitting in his face. Show him - any version of him - that he didn't win that day. That he didn't break us, that he didn't get his way. No matter what he did. And that whatever he can do to hurt us, whatever he destroys...we can fix it. Put it right again. He only did it in the first place to try and drive me deeper into despair and rage..."
"Hey, I agree with Terra," Ven spoke, coming up on Aqua's other side. His eyes blazed with determination. He turned to her, and gave a wide grin. "We should show Xehanort that he can't win - he's not gonna beat us down! No matter what he does, we'll always come back swinging!"
"And besides, Xehanort has his castle - his base of operations - so we should really have ours," Terra said with a shrug. "That, and our apprentices could use a proper, safe environment to continue with their training. The best place to continue with it - where they'll have thousands of years worth of history and resources available to them."
"All right!" Aqua decided, squaring her shoulders and brushing at her hair. She turned to Ven, smiling. Then, she smiled at Terra. "You're both right. I'm sorry - I was just afraid...of losing it again."
"'You mustn't be afraid of losing,'" Terra quoted.
"Right..." Aqua whispered. "Let's bring our home back, then." She turned to the kids, calling out with, "Come, everyone - you're in for a wonderful treat."
Everyone leaped off the Pestilence, falling down onto the grey pathway in front of the castle.
Aqua led the way forward, stopping before the golden double doors.
She smiled as she summoned her weapon. But it wasn't her usual Keyblade. It was the other one - the Keyblade belonging to her Master...
Aqua raised the weapon, aiming it at the castle entrance. She closed her eyes, drew a breath...and then her Keyblade swirled with energy shot out a beam of light to strike the doors.
A huge wind kicked up, billowing their clothes and hair.
And then, before their eyes, the castle began to change. Its whole structure shifted and rearranged, rotating and twisting, and then it all came more rapidly, a ripple of light and particles - and then the whole area around them began to change too! The dark clouds overhead blew apart, grey turning to blue, the dark void was filled with high mountains and pillars, with great lakes and rivers winding their way far below...and in front of them stood a whole new castle.
A castle of gold and white, with chains hanging from it that connected to rings around surrounding rock pillars. It had many towers and a strange design.
Where they all stood now wasn't on some nondescript, grey pathway, either - it was a platform, on a high mountain. Beautiful grass ringing the outer edge, along the low walls. And in the center was a big circle of stone. Across from the front steps that led to the castle entrance was an intricate archway, over a set of stairs that seemed to wind down around the mountain.
The sky, the clouds - the waterfalls pouring down nearby hills - Kairi couldn't get over it! It was just such a contrast from what this place had been a few moments ago! There was the wind, no longer stilted and dry, and she could smell flowers from somewhere...
The Pestilence was now drifting behind one of those giant rock pillars, bound by a golden chain of its own, like it had been docked.
"This is your home..." Kairi breathed, smiling at Aqua. "It's so pretty. It's gorgeous."
Aqua smiled back, her eyes nearly holding tears. She glanced at Xion, who was looking overwhelmed by the change in their surroundings. "Yes. I hope that our home in its true form...will feel more like a home to all of you children as well. This is where we lived, where we grew up, and where we trained under our own Master - and I hope...that it can be a place for you all to do the same, too. Now, how about we get you inside? I'd like to give you a tour."
"Okay. And - after we get our home restored - I'd like to do the same in return, for you," Kairi told her.
Aqua nodded. "That sounds lovely, Kairi. I look forward to it!"
"Come on, you're wasting time!" Ven cried, racing up the stairs. He nearly tripped as he turned to beckon to the others. "Sora, c'mon! Xion - Roxas, Riku - you guys too! Bet my room's still the same way I left it!"
"If your room's the same way you left it, I wouldn't be too eager to show it off," Terra joked.
"Hey!" Ven faltered as he reached the top, pushing open the doors. He turned back to give Terra a flushed look, then proceeded inside quickly. "Thanks, Terra!" his voice echoed back out to them, sarcastic.
"You're welcome," Terra laughed, striding up the stairs after the kids.
Kairi lingered back with Aqua, watching her. "What's wrong?"
Aqua glanced down at her like she'd forgotten she was there. She shook her head, and quickly wiped at her eyes. "Nothing...I- suppose I can show you my room. It shouldn't be too much of a mess..." she added with a bit of a laugh.
"I can't wait to see it!" Kairi said earnestly.
Aqua blushed, then she hurried up the steps after the others, with Kairi in tow.
"So where's your room?" Kairi asked.
"East wing," Aqua said, pointing off to the right. "Ven and Terra's are over in the west wing," she added, gesturing to the left.
Kairi and Aqua strode down a long corridor, then turned right and went up a big flight of stairs that opened up into a huge chamber on the upper level. It was gleaming gold and pristine, lit by the sun through four huge windows that stretched from floor to ceiling. There were three thrones on a raised platform at the far side of the huge room, in front of those big windows. There were also two doors - one on each side - near the back half of the room.
Aqua led her through the door on the right side of the vast room, taking them down another long corridor. They passed many doors, and even a narrow flight of stairs on one side. They continued on, before finally stopping.
Aqua turned to reach for a door on her right - hesitated - then slowly pulled the door open. She stepped into a small, compact, but neatly organized room: there was a bookshelf; a strange green crystal floating over a pedestal, with smaller crystals of various colors floating around it; a bed of neat blue sheets parallel to the right wall; a tall, compact dresser at the foot of the bed; and a nice desk and chair facing a set of three arched windows. And the view out those windows...
All those distant mountains and hills, huge rocky pillars, and far below, curving river channels and an expanse of lake so vast and deep that it really could have been called a mini ocean in its own right!
"Ahem...well then...this is- my room," Aqua spoke loudly, gesturing, a pink tinge to her cheeks. "It's definitely...exactly as I last remember it being..." she murmured.
"It's amazing," Kairi told her earnestly.
"I'm glad you think so," Aqua said, smiling warmly back at her. "We'll need to furnish a few of our spare rooms for you children, now. Give you a space you can call your own...for now, of course - until your world is restored," she added quickly.
"I doubt any of us will have any problems living in a place like this - for however long we have to," Kairi replied, giving a wide smile as she put her hands behind her back. "Thank you for being willing to take us in like this."
"Oh, no - please - no need to thank us! It's only natural; you are our apprentices, after all. It's simple basic responsibility for our- charges," Aqua said, blushing again. "Though, even if you weren't, of course, the Master would never have let us turn away people in need of sheltering. A Keyblade wielder's duty is to care for and have compassion for the peoples of all worlds."
Kairi nodded, taking those words to heart.
She wondered if a Princess of Heart's duties were similar. If she carried a similar responsibility toward the people of all these worlds that she was a part of upholding - in a very literal and yet unfathomable sense...
Or was a Princess of Heart only a light switch you had to make sure stayed flipped on, but could otherwise leave it be? Just as long as the light kept shining in the worlds?
Was she meant to be an active force in this reality, or a passive object simply...existing in it?
Well, Kairi supposed she'd figure it out eventually. But not right now.
Tough questions didn't exactly have easy answers, did they?
"So - come with me and I'll show you the rest of what this castle has to offer," Aqua said primly, striding out of the room past Kairi and beckoning her.
Kairi quickly followed her again, beaming.
It was good to see Master Aqua in such a cheerful mood - especially after what had just happened...
After the tour, Aqua and Terra stood at the top of the steps to the castle's entrance, watching as Ven led the other children down the spiral, stone ramp pathway that would take them out into the mountain paths of this world.
It had been Ven's own idea - to show them places like the old training grounds, the narrow tunnels through the mountains, and other places of interest. Places that Aqua, Terra, and Ven had all explored before, themselves, in their own younger days. Places with deep, rich history behind them - even if they were aged, worn, and in some cases, even crumbling away.
"So, are we doing a, 'girls in the east wing, boys in the west' thing?" Terra said casually, turning to Aqua after the children had disappeared from sight.
"What? Oh - no! -at least, not deliberately!" Aqua stated quickly, a slight tinge coming to her cheeks now. "It honestly just worked out that way. Xion said she wanted a room close to Kairi's, and Kairi said she wouldn't mind - would prefer, actually - to have her room close to mine. Which is sweet, lovely, really! And it has nothing to do with her not wanting to be around you," she added firmly.
Terra simply shrugged. "I wasn't thinking it did. Though, if that was a factor in her decision, I wouldn't question it. I want her - all of them - to be as comfortable here as possible. To feel about this castle the way we did, growing up. The way we still do."
"Well...good," Aqua said, letting it go. "Yes. Excellent. So..."
"So?"
"The boys are all decided, then? To settle into west wing?" Aqua went on.
Terra grinned. "Yes. I think Riku - thought he'd never admit it - didn't want to stray too far from me. And Sora didn't want to stray too far from his best friend..."
"And Roxas?"
"He just said he didn't mind, either way - though, I did get it out of him that his room back in the Organization was assigned to him. No questions asked, no moving allowed. So I tried to give him some options, between the half-dozen-odd empty rooms we still have left over, over there."
"And which one did he choose?" Aqua said curiously.
"Well, I could tell it was tough for him - overwhelming, even. I doubt he's ever had much choice in anything he's done in life so far," Terra continued. "But eventually he settled on one of the rooms upstairs - second tower, second floor. Said it reminded him of hanging out up on a clock tower with his friend - and that, ah, twin of his, Xikira."
Aqua nodded, smiling. "That's good. It must have been hard for him, yes. But he'll have to get used to making choices - and the fact that he's allowed to now at all."
"Right. It was well reasoned, as well."
"Good. Very good. Thank you, Terra."
"It was nothing."
"Not for Roxas."
"Mmm. True."
"Well then, I suppose we should begin drawing up actual training regiments for them," Aqua said, clearing her throat.
"Should we?"
"Terra - yes! We cannot continue with this- flying by the seat of our pants business! You yourself said it would be to their benefit to have all the resources and knowledge available to us here! The very same things we studied and worked on here for most of our lives! We need to take ourselves seriously as Masters, and take them seriously as our apprentices. Which means we're going to model ourselves appropriately - after our own Master's method of instruction. A method that's been in place for centuries, for-"
"Alright - agreed," Terra interrupted lightly. "I'm sorry, Aqua. I'm just a little concerned about throwing them into the thick of it all too quickly. I thought we might give them time to adjust to the place first. At least a day or two, before we start with lessons."
"The lessons will be good for their adjustment," Aqua persisted. "Children need structure, even if they don't think so themselves. Think about it: whether they were cast out from their island home or their...evil organization, all these children had a structure to live by, an order to their lives, at least. They had school, or daily missions, they had rooms to go back to, at least. But now? They've been moving from world to world at random in various ships, for weeks at a time, with only the occasional real break in-between. But here, we can give them stability of life again - a structure to it all. A new routine. And they'll learn to like it."
Terra looked thoughtful. Then, he nodded. "Good points, all around. Right, then...let's get started on that."
"I'm glad you see the sense in it," Aqua said, with a note of amusement...slash possibly patronizing. "Now come with me to the libraries." She turned and strode back into the castle - down the long, huge golden hallway.
"Actually, I can think of a few things stored away in the library that Riku would really appreciate," Terra spoke, following after her down the hallway.
"Oh? And what would that be?" Aqua said curiously, stopping before a specific section of ornate wall. She raised her hand and gave it a tap, and it flashed gold and dematerialized, revealing a steep, dark stairwell. Both of them walked down into it without hesitation.
"Asuna Sintiri's recordings," Terra elaborated, smiling. "If you were willing to let him have them all to himself..."
"Of course! That's a wonderful idea," Aqua said instantly, smiling back at him. "I honestly should have thought of it, myself..."
"Well, you haven't spent nearly as much time with him as I have," Terra shrugged. He paused, then added quickly, "I'm not making a criticism of any kind - I haven't exactly spent as much time with, say, Sora or Xion as you have, even now. Something I'm hoping to change, in the near future."
"Xion seems to be okay with learning from you," Aqua said kindly. "I've watched her - she isn't nearly as jumpy as she was even a few days ago."
"Two percent less jumpy is progress," Terra remarked, nodding. He pushed open the old door as they reached the bottom of the stairs, stepping out into light again.
Aqua held back a snort - badly - and turned her head away. "I'm serious."
"So am I," Terra told her, wandering off across the vast lower level chamber that was the library. Two golden tables with many chairs surrounding them. And past that: the bookshelves. Aisles and aisles. Stretching from floor to ceiling. Golden platforms of magic rested on the floors, interspersed between all the aisles. Ready to be used to reach the highest of shelves. It wasn't just old books and tomes in here, however: there were scrolls, swirling orbs, and pulsing crystals behind glass cases. There were compact, flat devices placed on pedestals, as well - about the size of a thick book, themselves - which projected various images into the world. Holographic in nature. But it wasn't limited to images alone...
They were techno-magical devices, called "Aeternaseers". Coined by their inventor, the spouse of a Keyblade Master who'd once lived here, long ago, with his family.
Terra strode up to the nearest one, picking it up and giving it a once over. It looked as good as new - fully functional.
Good.
He tapped a green button on the side, and a compartment slid open there - containing within it a small green crystal. He took it out and set it aside atop the pedestal. He went to set the aeternaseer on the table, then returned to browsing the shelves. Searching, searching... This was the part he'd never liked much about studying.
After a few minutes, he found it.
"Ah...there you are," he grinned at the glass covered compartment at the end of an aisle. The very end of a shelf. Inside the case was a rectangular, shallow box of gold and silver metal. On the top of it were emblazoned the words:
Autobiography of Asuna Sintiri.
Terra carefully opened up the case, and reached in to retrieve the box. He made his way back to the table, seating himself and then opening the box. Inside were rows upon rows of small blue crystals - the length of a fingernail. About the same width, too. All of them were in near perfect condition. Each crystal, snug in its slot, was labeled clearly. Of course, a visual label wasn't going to do anything for a kid like Riku. Terra reached into the box and touched the first crystal of the top row; a warmth grew at point of contact, and an echoing voice spoke the words of the label clearly: "Record - one."
Satisfied with its functionality, Terra withdrew his hand and shut the box carefully.
"You found them." Aqua spoke, coming up to him with an armful of thick tomes of aging pages and torn covers. She heaved them all onto the table and fell into the seat beside him.
"I did," Terra confirmed. "What did you find?"
"A far better way of explaining to our students how to integrate magic into their strikes than I've been doing so far," Aqua said wryly.
"Hey, come on, don't sell yourself short. I've been watching you with yours, too, you know - and you've been great," Terra said.
"That's sweet, but - we both know our Master was far better at it than I am," Aqua sighed. "Than either of us put together. I don't know how he did it..."
"How he taught so well, or how he dealt with unruly children every day?" Terra said, grinning.
Aqua rolled her eyes, laughing. "Our apprentices are not unruly - not...exactly. But they are proving to be a- a challenge," she strangled out. "Sora is just always so- Sora! He never loses energy! He's always eager to learn, asking questions - and that's good! But...my life would be a little easier if he could tone it down two or three notches. And Kairi, she's so determined and observant, she pushes herself far more than I ever could, to the point where I'm almost constantly needing to intervene and force her to stop! And she asks these rather more pointed, technical, deep questions that honestly sometimes stump even me. I just don't know how to answer her! How to explain!" She paused for breath at last, looking really guilty and embarrassed. "Never tell them I said this!" she added swiftly, cringing in her seat.
"Of course. It stays between us - Masters only," Terra said easily.
"And...yourself and yours?" Aqua spoke, straightening and giving him a sidelong look. "Any- complaints? Worries?"
Terra leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in thought. "Well, I suppose it's difficult training Xion; she never complains, herself - and never asks for help or advice, either. I never know where she's at, exactly. In her training, or in terms of headspace. I have to...engage with her preemptively, most of the time. Prod her. And that only makes her even more nervous. It's a...balancing act, I suppose. Pushing her, but not too far." He paused, considering his other students. "Riku's fine, he's...focused, attentive - a good student. Good study. And his personal training is going well, too. Though, he is dealing with the loss of his- ah- Keyblade now, so I'll need to touch base with him on that soon. As for Roxas..."
"Y-yes..?" Aqua prompted, looking extremely guilt-ridden and remorseful at mention of Riku's Keyblade.
"Well, if Xion doesn't speak up or question things enough, Roxas is the dead opposite," Terra chuckled. "It seems like everything I say or try to explain, he has to question it. Everything I instruct him to do, he balks at it - pushes back. And I might know why..."
"Why?"
"Well...I think that every time he looks at me, he sees his old 'Master.' Not Xehanort, err...Xemnas," Terra went on. "The Nobody."
"Yes. The version of Xehanort still using your body." A dark look crossed Aqua's face. "I've met him."
"Right - back when this place was still Castle Oblivion," Terra nodded. "You know, I'm almost eager to meet him..."
"What? Why?"
"Deep and philosophical reasons we probably shouldn't get into right now," Terra rattled off.
Aqua groaned, crossing her arms as well. "All right, then. But I'll have you know I'm keeping track of your secret count - and you're at two already."
"It's not a secret, it's just...more of a theory," Terra said quietly, opening his arms and setting his hands on the table. "Anyways, it's...not a thing that will come up until we meet that man - again, for you."
"Are you planning to debate philosophy with him when we meet, instead of taking back your body?" Aqua said, with a hint of sarcasm.
"I'm not planning to take my body back from him at all."
"WHAT?"
"The way I see it, wouldn't I just end up in the same situation that you've said Ven and Roxas were in recently? Two minds in one body? That wouldn't get us anywhere."
"But, how you are now...while I don't understand how Kairi does what she does, that is not a stable form of existence," Aqua said tersely. "We both know this. We both sense it. As if it wasn't obvious from what happened to Sora back at Castle Oblivion..."
"I know," Terra said calmly. "I worry about that, too. But this is where we are - and for now, what other choice do we have? Unless you can create an empty, living human body out of nothing to move my Heart into...?"
Aqua frowned, looking away. "If only...I'm sorry, Terra. I just worry about you. We got Ven back into his own body, whole and true again - and I want the same for you."
"I know. I want that, too. I'd love that. But it's just not possible right now. Maybe if we could understand more about all of this Nobody business, we could find some way...but not yet."
"Right...back to lesson planning, then." Aqua pulled a heavy old book off the top of her stack. She clunked it down and began flipping through it, resting her elbow on the table and propping her chin up in her palm.
Terra stood from his chair, picking up the records box and the aeternaseer both in his arms. "I'll be back to help you out with that in a few minutes - would you mind if I just...ran these up to Riku's room real quick?"
"Of course not," Aqua said, giving him a small smile. "Go! I'm sure he'll really appreciate it."
Terra nodded, turning and heading for the stairs.
After getting back to the castle after a long, winding, tiring - but rewarding - hike through high mountain paths, Kairi immediately sought out Master Terra.
She found him in the throne room - alone.
The others had all gone to their rooms...except Terra.
And herself, of course.
Terra was up on the dais, kneeling there before the central throne - right in front of the small flight of wooden stairs up onto the actual throne's platform itself.
Kairi stood there on the far side of the room, gazing at the man uncertainly. She quietly decided to leave - but Terra suddenly stood, turning to face her.
"It's all right," he spoke to her, his voice carrying. "What do you need? Feel free to come on over."
Kairi breathed. She nodded. She set off across the vast room, approaching Terra and those three thrones. She stopped upon reaching him, gazing up at him. "Sorry if this is a bad time-"
"No. I was just...doing some- Heart-searching," Terra said, a strange look crossing his face before vanishing. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. Just...I had a question about my training. What we were doing before Ansem- Xehanort interrupted us?" Kairi said slowly.
Terra gave a silent nod, smiling at her.
"Just before that all happened, you said you figured out my problem," Kairi spoke on. "You said we might be able to...try something? Didn't you?"
A look of understanding came over Terra's face. "Right. I did say that, didn't I? I thought I had it figured out - until...I watched you during our battle against Xehanort's battleship. And, as well, after I took some time to think back on the sparring match I watched you have with Riku a few days ago."
"Okay...so what is my problem - Master?" Kairi implored respectfully.
"It's your style. Or, rather, not your style," Terra replied. He put a hand to his chin, stroking it like he had a beard. "In every fight I've observed of you so far, your preferred method of fighting is to be a...whirlwind."
"A whirlwind? Hehe, thanks!" Kairi grinned.
"You're welcome - but that's exactly the problem," Terra laughed. "You're pure aggression, you're always on the offensive - you're constantly closing the gap, getting in your opponent's face, trying to never give them even a moment to breathe. Your opening move is even that...light-based Warp Raid move you developed for yourself. You just get right in there and you keep on hacking away at the enemy until they fall under your assault."
"And that's supposed to be a bad thing?" said Kairi, putting hands on her hips. "I like ending my fights as soon as possible, okay!"
"It has its drawbacks," Terra said neutrally. "You tire yourself out far too quickly, even with magic boosting your body's capabilities. You hardly give yourself a moment to breathe, to think tactically. You leave yourself with next to no time to react to a counter, or to throw up any kind of defenses in general. And worst of all, you might get in your opponent's face and realize you misjudged their strength or abilities, and you've gotten yourself in way over your head. And then what? Retreat would be difficult."
Kairi withered under his words, with every new sentence, hunching her shoulders and hugging herself, her face burning. "Well...well...so what?" she said, in a half-hearted bout of defiance.
Terra shook his head, turning away. But he didn't look upset with her. "Trust me, I get it. Aggression, pressing the attack, it has its appeal. Beating your enemy with overwhelming power - or speed - or both. But even a fighting style like mine, which is focused on powerful physical strikes and magical abilities, still requires me to be deliberate in my every move. To observe, to judge, to wait, even hold myself back, at times. Conserve stamina. Wait for an opening, wait for when to make the right move-"
"I can do that! I do that!"
"I don't doubt it. But do you do that...all the time, or only sometimes?"
"Well- it's not like most of my enemies have needed too much thinking to take out! Heartless are weak and dumb!" Kairi exclaimed.
"And when they aren't? When it's a person - like these Organization members? Or Maleficent? Or Xehanort?" Terra listed off. "When your enemy is thinking tactically, when they're adapting, when they're observing their opponent and the field of battle as a whole...?"
"I...I do that..." Kairi said feebly. "In Castle Oblivion, I did! When we were...under a magic card system that I...exploited the heck out of..." She faltered, blushing hard.
"That is a form of being tactical and observant, yes - but only under a magic card system, which I'm told had many and varied restrictions on both you and your opponents," Terra nodded. "But against enemies outside of that place? Out here? Where it's freeform combat? Unpredictable and chaotic?"
Kairi thought back to her actual battles against human enemies. There was Hook, who she'd gotten beaten and tired against, and only won because she'd pulled a few fast and clever tricks on him...and then her first battle with Ansem - Xehanort - who she had to admit hadn't actually been beaten in straight up combat. Even with her, Sora and Riku at the time, she'd abandoned the battle in favor of going full Princess Powers on the man - with Alice's help, of course. And then, her battle with Elrena, who had still beaten her to a literal bloody pulp despite that she'd been undercover and holding back...
Kairi's shoulders fell, and her head dropped. "Okay..." she said tonelessly. "Maybe my fighting style is kind of a problem. I don't exactly have too many wins versus losses, against human opponents. Not in straight fights, anyway...But what does any of this have to do with me not being able to Formchange my Keyblade into those fans?"
"Everything, I think. As we've established, your style is aggression, offensive, it's constant pressure and closing the gap - with the major flaw being that you run out of gas very quickly. You lose steam too fast to keep up a fight. You try to end your battles fast because you have to end them fast; you don't pace yourself. Now, if you want to fight with great big hand fans...those aren't suited for that kind of combat," Terra explained gently. "Fans are...they're- fanny."
Kairi giggled. "Fanny..."
"Fans are flowing weapons, they're deliberate, they're slower paced," Terra continued - after a hearty chuckle, admittedly. He raised his arms and began to mime turning and swinging folding fans. "And most importantly, they're more...defensively oriented. They can be used to create gusts of wind, tornados - or to aid in dodging and avoiding, or even redirecting incoming strikes or spells. And they could also be used as small shields, blocking attacks head-on. But they aren't something you're going to be able to just get up in your enemy's face with and start wailing on them - unfortunately," he concluded lightly. He paused, eyeing her. Then he joked, "Ah, and, no, that wasn't a challenge to try."
"Darn..." Kairi sighed, looking at her feet and putting her hands behind her back. "Well...are you sure?"
"Fairly so, yes," Terra replied. "Even if you do use them as close quarters weapons, you won't at all be using them the way I've seen you use your Keyblade so far. They're reserved, deliberate, graceful weapons. Going with the flow, turning and yielding when you meet resistance." He hesitated, then said, in a quiet voice, "Those festivals you mentioned loving so much, and the ceremony you practiced for - what was that like? The choreography, the movements?"
Kairi glanced up at him, then away. She bit her lip, thinking back. "Okay, yes, they were more...like you said."
"Exactly."
"So - right - if I'm going to do this, then you're saying I need to learn a whole new style of combat?" Kairi said.
Terra glanced at her with merry blue eyes, and a smile on his face. "If I'm not mistaken, you've told me that what you need, you already have."
Kairi blinked. "I do?"
"Well, wouldn't you say so?"
Kairi gasped, staring at the man. "I do!" she agreed, ecstatic. "You're exactly right, I already know - but, wait, is that really all...applicable? Dancing to fighting?"
"Hmm. Well, have you ever heard the saying that fighting and dancing have similarities? Things in common? Because I've always found it to be true."
"So you're saying you can dance?" Kairi giggled.
"Not too well, but, sure," Terra laughed.
"Oooh...thank you," Kairi said earnestly.
"You're welcome. It's what I'm here for - as one of two of your Keyblade instructors." Terra gazed at her, that smile still there. "So, do you want to give it another try?"
"Yes." Kairi nodded, stepping back from him and summoning her Keyblade. She raised it before her, breathing and focusing her mind and magic, the warmth going up her arm and into her weapon itself...and then there was a flash of purple light, and it changed!
The Keyblade in her grasp transformed into a big folding fan - one about as wide and tall as her whole torso (maybe even a bit bigger)! The firm, solid handle was green at its base, which turned to orange, and then to a light blue as it went outward. The actual leafs, the outer majority of the fans, were a light blue that became darker and darker until it reached the outermost edge. And there was a second fan in Kairi's free hand, that had suddenly appeared in that purple light as well. An identical one.
"I did it!" she squealed, twirling with the fans immediately and jumping on the spot. "You- you helped me do it! Thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome - again," Terra said easily. "Those are wonderful looking weapons - beautiful, even. Are those like the ones from your island?"
"Well, no - but they're made to remind me of home," Kairi said, smiling and holding one of her fans out away from herself. "They are the islands - see? Trees, the beach, the shallows...and then the ocean."
"I see it," Terra nodded. "They're pretty - and they'll hold up in a fight."
Kairi nodded, and experimentally began to fold and unfold them - they shut and opened in the blink of an eye, swift and responsive, despite feeling to her fingers like...almost like solid metal. Like her Keyblade. But...flexible, moldable. Movable. Foldable! It was so strange, it was magical, it was- amazing! It was also so-
"They're light," Kairi said, relaxing her body and beginning to move her arms slowly around herself. She sank into old memories, turning on the spot, lifting and moving a leg daintily. Raising one foot onto her toes, turning the other way...giving a long flourish that met next to no air resistance...somehow.
"I'd be concerned if they weren't," Terra joked.
Kairi laughed, swirling a hand and raising her arm over her head. She lifted a knee and spun around on the spot, slicing her fans through the air horizontally. She flipped one of them over and swung it down, then moved the other one around it, her arms crossing. She frowned, shaking her head and resetting her stance. "I'm- I'm out of practice..." she muttered, blushing and glancing at Terra. "I was nine the last time I tried this!"
"Understandable," Terra said simply. "I'm sure you'll get back into the swing of things in no time."
"Right. I'm sure I will, too. Thank you, again, and- um..." Kairi lowered her arms, folding her new fan weapons into thick, long sticks of weird magic metal.
"What?"
"How do I change them back?"
"Just picture your Keyblade's original form in your mind," Terra said simply.
Kairi nodded, doing as instructed. And, with a flash of purple light, the fan in her right hand morphed into her solid metal Keyblade again - while the one in her left hand just vanished completely into the ether.
"Good job," Terra told her. "Now that you've got it down, you can start training with them as well. Get used to the style of fighting they require. And, most of all: experiment with them. Find your style."
"Yes. Thanks, Master." Kairi lingered, flushing. "I need to go show them to the others."
Terra laughed, waving her off. "Go - do it with pride."
Kairi nodded, then turned and raced off across the throne room, heading for the door to the west wing of the castle.
After a relaxing, shared meal between the whole group, evening turned to pure night.
Dark and cool. A blue hue cast onto the world.
Terra went to bed in his old room with an easy Heart...until he woke in the middle of the night to a deep pang inside his chest.
He got up from his bed and left his room. He wandered the west wing quietly, listening intently at the doors of rooms occupied by the apprentices. Whoever was in distress...
He didn't find them in west wing.
So he crossed the length of the whole castle to reach east wing.
In the first tower, base floor, he found a door ajar.
Aqua's room.
Terra strode closer, peering inside. He didn't see anyone inside...
With a bit more worry in his Heart now, he turned away and began to search the castle more thoroughly. But he didn't find her inside. No trace of her. So then...
Outside.
Terra hurried out the front doors, taking the steps two at a time, sprinting out across the courtyard. He went down the spiral ramp and crossed the bridge into the mountain paths. He kept his senses alert, his hand on his Heart...
And he found her.
Found her where he should have expected to find her all along.
Past the training grounds, looping around a mountain path of a small waterfall and flowing river down the side, and over to the ruins of the old chapel. The crumbling stone entrance still set into the mountain face...broken pieces of wall...and a single, surviving stone bench facing out off the cliffside - facing the main castle across the distance. Golden, twisting poles with glowing lamp globes illuminated the area still - brand new fixtures, relatively.
Terra slowly crossed the overgrown grassy area, spotting Aqua on that old, chipped bench. He came up beside her, stopping there. Resting a hand on the edge of the bench.
"Terra..." Aqua gazed up at him with unblinking, dark-lidded eyes under lamp's glow. Her arms wound around her legs, drawing her knees in tighter. A single breath left her lips.
"Aqua-" Terra began again, gentle.
"What do you think is going to help me here?" Aqua said tonelessly, her expression blank.
Terra held his silence, simply watching her now. Waiting.
"I succumbed to the darkness, Terra," she spoke on, in that tone of emptiness. "I let myself be taken by it. I did nothing to stop it, to harden my Heart against it. And because of that, how far I fell...I attacked children. Our- children. My own apprentice - your own apprentice. I said the most awful things to them both. I broke your apprentice's Keyblade. And then I stood back and watched as the life began to fade from him. And I was going to end it all, even still, for Kairi. That little girl I saved so long ago...and I was going to kill her, Terra. I can still remember...I can still feel myself wrapping my hand around her throat." She raised a shaking arm, and curled her fingers. "Just like this...and I did that to her. How can she ever possibly trust me again? How could either of those children? How are they supposed to be okay with...being around me, with being taught by me?"
By the end of it all, her voice wasn't empty anymore - it was pained, and desperate.
Terra sat down beside her, turning toward her. Setting his hands squarely in his lap. "Well, I think those two children are uniquely qualified to understand what you were going through at the time. Riku has personal experience - and so do I. And so does Kairi, from an outside perspective: with me."
"This is different - Xehanort had control of your body! I-"
"You were being influenced by the massive amounts of darkness that flooded your Heart - drowned it, practically, from what I heard," Terra said firmly.
"B-but I attacked them, I tried to kill them! A Master is supposed to make their apprentices feel comfortable, and safe, and happy - and even loved - and I failed on every last count!" Aqua's face twisted, and her voice cracked. "We're supposed to treat them like our own children; we're responsible for them, we..." She fell silent, closing her eyes and pressing her lips tight.
"And if there are problems there, we'll work through them together," Terra said calmly. "But I think we both know that neither of them are going to hold it against you. They both understand, Aqua."
"They should hold it against me!" Aqua blurted. "I can't- I can't teach them, I can't be their Master, I shouldn't be anyone's Master anymore! I can't provide a- a trusting, loving- a- caring environment, I can't- I'm just a- I'm not worthy of being a Master at all!"
"You don't believe that-"
"YES I DO!" Aqua yelled suddenly. She froze, her lips trembling. She dropped her head to her knees, burying her face in them. "You- I want you to take them..."
"Kairi?"
"Kairi and Sora. Both of them."
Terra laughed softly. "Sounds like you want to foist every last apprentice onto me."
"I can't, Terra. I can't. I shouldn't. I don't deserve...please. You teach them. You take them. I shouldn't, I'm wrong, I'm weak, I can't..."
"I could," Terra said quietly. "But only for a little while. Until you find your center again. You're still their Master, and you still have a responsibility to them."
"No. No, this isn't just a vacation, or time off! I can't be a Keyblade Master anymore!"
"Are you going to give up your Keyblade, then?"
"Yes," Aqua said flatly. "I can't be trusted with it. I dishonored it. I told Kairi she dishonored what it meant to be a Princess of Heart, but I dishonored what it means to be a Keyblade Master..."
"All right." Terra held his hand out to her, palm up. "Better hand it over, then."
Aqua raised her head, glowering at him with dark, sunken eyes. "You can't reverse psychology me, Terra."
"I'm not. I'm serious. As serious as you are. If you don't feel you can keep being a Keyblade wielder anymore - a Master - then all right. I'll respect your decision. I'll help you however I can. I'll help you make it."
Aqua suddenly stood. "I'm serious about this - but I'm going to give it up to the one who actually deserves it. At least then I might be able to right one wrong that I..."
Terra gazed at her for a long moment, holding her there with eyes alone - but then she stalked off across the grass, and disappeared down the pathway alone.
And Terra let her go.
After several minutes alone, he put a hand to his chest and hunched forward, gritting his teeth.
"Master...please..." he said hoarsely. "Help her..."
For a long moment, there was only the silence and the dark.
But then, Terra's body was surrounded by a golden glow, and a pink orb of energy emerged from his chest and flew off over the mountain top.,,
In early morning's light, Kairi and Riku stepped into the room together.
That nice bed against the wall, those arched windows and beautiful view...
And Aqua, standing there, waiting for them. She gazed at them in silence.
"Um, why exactly did you call us here, Master?" Kairi began. "And why Riku, too?"
"Geez, thanks..." Riku muttered, rolling his non-working eyes.
"You're welcome," Kairi said sweetly.
Aqua's face broke with a smile. She raised her hand, giving a small laugh! She seemed to be in a really great mood today. Though, she quickly grew serious again. "There are some things I'd like to discuss with the two of you. You two in particular. Together."
"Uh, well, we're here," Riku said awkwardly.
"Mmm." Aqua nodded. "Back during our battle with Xehanort - or, Xehanort's Heartless, I suppose is more accurate - when the three of us...ended up...in that dark place...I watched you both. I watched you fighting the Heartless. And looking back on it now, I- I just..." She paused for breath. "Pure light and pure darkness...fighting side by side, back to back. Against Heartless, creatures of darkness. And, against me..." She stared at them with haunted eyes now. Kairi felt an immense swelling of sympathy. Aqua blinked rapidly, and her eyes found Riku alone. "How?"
"How what?" Kairi said quietly.
"How can the two of you...do what you do?" Aqua spoke on, her voice raw and desperate. "How do you work hand in hand with darkness, as a pure light, and not even contain a sliver of worry or fear in your Heart? And you, Riku: how do you stop...the darkness from taking you over? Taking over your Heart? How do you do what you do? It's impossible, it...but you draw on it and it seems to have no affect on you whatsoever! You even use it against other dark beings! I want- I need to know how."
For a long time, Riku was silent. Kairi could tell by his expression that he was seriously considering Master Aqua's question. Trying to figure out how to answer it, how to even explain...well, what Kairi couldn't even understand about him either!
"By not being afraid of it being in my Heart," Riku said finally, shifting on his feet. "By not seeing it as some- invader. It's already there, it's always been there. It's home. My Heart is its home. And no matter how many times you evict it, it's gonna come back. So you accept it. You accept that it's there and you look at it and you accept that it's yours - just like your light. Look at it without being scared, and it has nothing to hold over you. Like I've said before: darkness works with what you've got. Your thoughts, your feelings. The fuel for its fire. But if you handle that fire carefully, control it, then it won't get out of control and become a wildfire."
"It isn't even the darkness we're afraid of. It's the things we feel that it feeds on and exposes. It's who we are when it overtakes us that we fear. Because that's the worst version of us: what we have inside dragged up and put on full blast - cranked up the volume of our Heart's strongest emotions and worst thoughts. It all gets amplified and out of control. But if we can control ourselves...manage those feelings and thoughts...if we can face them without fear - own up to our flaws, our mistakes, our fears - then we can face and control the darkness too," Riku concluded, with a kind of utter certainty that left Kairi feeling...rather impressed.
"I...I am afraid..." Aqua whispered. "I'm afraid of myself. All that I had in my Heart those ten years. I have...ten years of fuel for the darkness to use, I suppose."
"I'm afraid of myself, too," Riku said quietly. "I'm afraid of backsliding, of becoming that horrible, messed up guy I was before."
"Yet you use the darkness, you reach for it, you...aren't you afraid that that is only going to- to surely lead back to where you were?" Aqua responded.
"No," Riku said firmly, shaking his head. "Because I know now. I recognize it. I know myself, and I know the darkness, and I know as long as I keep making the choice now to do the right thing, to do better, to be a better guy than I was...then I don't have to fear what the darkness holds anymore. Because all it holds...is just me." He paused, then added, "And besides, I know if I do fuck it all up again, my friends will do the right thing about it. They always do."
Aqua's expression...she looked torn. But, at the same time, like she was trying to actually think about it. To - have an open mind, Kairi supposed. "But...light casts shadows. Light begets darkness. It can't exist side by side, it can't..."
"I don't think so," Riku replied, shrugging. "I think that their light...is my guide. Even if I'm walking a road shrouded in darkness, I can always see the lights ahead. I know where I'm going, I know how to stay on the path, even if darkness is all around me."
"And that, then, is why you aren't afraid to touch the darkness? Because you know that the light...is still always there for you?" Aqua said, a tremor in her voice.
"Part of it, yeah, I guess," Riku nodded. "As long as I'm not alone- no, even if I'm alone again...I don't have to be afraid."
Aqua drew a sharp breath, her eyes widening. Glistening. She closed them, and slowly knelt down before Riku. "I...Riku..."
"Yeah..?" Riku said, uncertain.
Kairi saw Aqua slowly raise her hand - and summon her Keyblade. Rainfell. Aqua turned it around in her grasp, and she reached for Riku's wrist. She guided him to her Keyblade's handle, watching him. "I want you to take it," Aqua whispered.
"W-what? But it's yours! I c-can't just-" Riku began.
"Take it, please," Aqua insisted. "I have another - I won't be without a weapon. And it would be my honor...to pass this one down to a worthy apprentice - even if, technically, you're Terra's and not mine," she muttered on, blushing somewhat.
Riku hesitated for a minute, still. But then he closed his fingers around the Keyblade...and Aqua let it go, stepping back and straightening up tall again.
"Thank you," Aqua said softly. "I know you won't disappoint."
"Uh- I don't know what to say..." Riku stammered, holding the weapon up before himself. "Thank you, Master Aqua. I'll- do my best to be worthy of it." He relaxed his fingers, and the weapon vanished. His hand went to his chest, briefly, and a small smile came to his face.
"Now that that's done with...I also would like to tell you both how so, incredibly sorry I am for everything I did and said to you back in that place the other day," Aqua went on, in a shaking voice. "It was- appalling, it was cruel, it was disgusting of me, and I- I still don't know how I can ever earn your forgiveness. Or respect. Or how I could ever keep being a good Master..."
"H-hey, look, you fucked up - but at least you didn't go helping evil witches destroy worlds or anything," Riku said firmly. "You didn't go killing people, you didn't do...anything I did. You just said some deep-seated, maybe cruel things and gave me a smackdown I probably deserved still."
"I almost killed you!" Aqua cried. "I was willing to kill- both of you."
"But you didn't. And maybe that's because you weren't as willing as you think," Kairi said softly. "Maybe you held yourself back, maybe a part of you was fighting what you were, then. Riku was the same, you know. He almost realized, I almost got through to him more than once, before Radiant Garden. It only didn't work because he's an egotistical, stubborn jackass. But you - you could have just ended me as quickly as you did Riku. But you didn't!"
"P-perhaps..." Aqua trembled, unwilling to even take the lifeline. "Even so, I...what I said to you, Kairi...did I mean that? Was that my Heart's truth? How could it be?"
Kairi hesitated, then she strode forward and hugged her Master. "I guess if you need it, here: I forgive you, Master Aqua. No hard feelings whatsoever!"
"Yeah...same here," Riku said earnestly. "I can't exactly get mad about it, can I? I'd be the world's biggest hypocrite."
Aqua stood there with her arms hanging limply at her sides. She gazed down at Kairi, then at Riku. Then she hugged Kairi back, holding her tight. "T-thank you...both of you..."
"This is everything we were warned against. Everything we were taught to fear. To hate."
"Exactly."
"It feels so wrong. It feels gross. On every level."
Terra opened his eyes, gazing at Aqua.
They sat together, in the middle of the day, in the ruins of the old chapel once again. A blue sky, a nice breeze, and lush green grass beneath them.
Terra shifted in the grass, adjusting his cross-legged posture. He drew in a breath, and let it go again.
Aqua stared at him, then looked down and away. She toyed with blades of grass, then set her hands in her lap.
"I know saying it's difficult is an understatement," Terra said simply. "But you have to try to just get past the feeling. Just try. Look at your darkness. Spend some time with it. Get familiar with it. Comfortable with it. You don't have to try to use it, or even touch it or anything. Just...watch it. Learn what it's like. And learn what it is in you that makes it active. What triggers it, makes it grow and spread."
Aqua gave a single, jerky nod as she sat there in meditative pose. She breathed through her nose, closing her eyes and bringing her hand to her chest. After several minutes, she cracked an eye open again. She narrowed it at Terra. "You know, Terra, for all that you've been pushing Riku into this dangerous endeavor - this touching the darkness - and now me as well, I can't help but notice that I haven't seen you doing anything similar. Are you pushing all the risks onto others first? Or do you already believe you 'conquered' your own darkness? And if so...why aren't you drawing on that power as well?"
Terra's face showed surprise. He chuckled, nodding. "Fair point, Aqua. The answer I have for you is yes: I do believe I've come to terms with my own Heart's darkness. I can face it without fear now. I am its master, it doesn't rule me anymore. And because it doesn't, it can't give people like Xehanort control over me anymore, either. It's something I figured out a while ago, because of something he said to me - Xehanort. When he took my body, our Hearts together in that void...he said: 'Darkness rules your Heart. It gives me control.' And he was right. But if I stopped being afraid of it, even if he cast me into the deepest, darkest abyss..."
Aqua opened her other eye, gazing at him fully. Coolly. "But you didn't regain control over yourself, did you?"
Terra nodded, sighing. "That's right. I didn't. I was already in it, we were already...and then we both- something happened that trapped both of us in there. Not just me. But I'm sure, now, that if he tried it again he wouldn't get the same result."
"To take a page from my own apprentice's book: prove it, then. Right now. Prove to me that it isn't only Riku - that that boy isn't some anomaly. Prove to me that you can do this as well...before I even think to delve into the possibility for it, myself."
Terra gave another nod, serious and calm. "If you need that reassurance, of course." He drew a deep breath, raising a hand before himself, palm up. He let that breath go. Took in another. "During our Mark of Mastery exam, when my darkness flared up...I was lost, and confused. Distraught. All I could think about was...where did it come from? What did I do wrong? What had I failed to learn? Well, I know the answer to all of those questions now." He curled his fingers, and a purple shroud surrounded his fist. His blue eyes gazed down at the darkness he held. He took another breath, and lifted his gaze to meet Aqua's again.
Aqua tensed, her gaze fixed to Terra's hand shimmering with its dark power. "And what are those answers, Terra?" she said tersely.
Terra let a breath go, and unfurled his hand. The darkness evaporated. "Take a look into my Heart, and find out."
Aqua closed her eyes, raising her hands to her chest.
For a long time, she sat motionless. Then, her hands fell away, and she breathed.
"The Master would kill us for this," Aqua murmured, climbing to her feet and turning away.
"Oh, he tried."
Aqua gasped, glancing down at him. "Terra!"
Terra simply smiled broadly at her as he rose to his feet as well. "What?"
Aqua sighed, dropping her head. She shook it at him and turned away fully again. "Your Heart can't lie to me," she stated, with a glance over her shoulder. Then she dropped down to the ground, adopting her meditation pose once more.
Terra watched her, his smile fixed to his face. "Then you believe this is possible?"
"I believe it is possible - though, the jury's still out on whether the rewards could possibly be worth the risks," Aqua retorted, with another look back at him. But her lips held a tiny smile.
"Training always carries risks. That's never stopped us before. I'm sure, as long as we explore this together...we can mitigate those risks," Terra said quietly.
Aqua brushed at her hair, tossing her head. "I'm not in this to learn how to start throwing Dark Fire around, Terra - I only want to learn...if it's possible to control it in my own Heart. To prevent what happened the other day - to prevent what I did to Kairi and Riku...from happening again. That's all."
"That's valid; train toward your own end goal. Riku and I will just be glad to help you do that."
"We'll see," Aqua muttered.
"You know, Aqua, I'm curious here..." Terra began, a strange look on his face.
"Curious about what?" Aqua responded.
"What changed your mind?"
"What?"
"You gave your Keyblade to Riku, yes, but you also seem to have decided to stay on with your duties as Keyblade Master. And wielder in general," Terra went on. "Even more than that, here you are, having an open mind about darkness...or at least about a means to control it."
Aqua sighed, grasping her hands together in her lap. She leaned back, staring up at the sky. "I'm not a stranger to hallucinations, visions, projections of Heart...and last night, after I left you out there..."
"Yes?"
"While I was walking the paths back to the castle, I saw- I saw the Master." Aqua bowed her head, her voice going very quiet. "A vision of him, and he told me-"
"Don't." Terra gazed at her with a smile. "I'm sure it was personal, and intimate, and you can keep that experience to yourself, Aqua. I don't need to hear it. What matters to me...is just the fact that you found the strength to keep going."
Aqua blinked. She frowned. Then, she nodded. "Right...yes. Let's continue with this...dangerous exercise, then."
"Okay," Terra said simply, looking incredibly satisfied for some reason.
Kana stepped from the Dark Portal, immediately closing it behind herself.
A new world awaited her.
A world of possibilities - for exciting new challenges!
She strode through the forest, her magical senses alert. It was innate, instinctual - but it was hers, and it was so useful.
She would let it take her to the Heartless.
When she found them, she grinned, giddy and laughing at the sight!
She took a step forward- and she paused. Glanced down at herself. At the black coat flowing around her body. With its long sleeves and tight fit. This annoying thing! It was a hinderance to her fun!
She wasn't making the same mistake as the last few worlds! She was over it!
She unzipped the coat and cast it off with an exalted breath. She thrust out her right arm, summoning her weapon to hand.
She flew forward across the ground, slashing and leaping about, far more easily than before! The freedom of movement was so much better for combat!
She ducked and rolled under a blast of fire, thrust a leg up to catch a Neoshadow in the chest. She rose up and thrust a hand to freeze a lunging Soldier; she grabbed it in her arms and turned with it, shoving it forward to impale another Neoshadow with its sword arm. Then she tossed it up into the air and raised her weapon, striking it with a fireball that obliterated it. She threw herself backwards, laughing as several fireballs flew for her. She rolled to the left, threw herself to the right, then she did a backflip through the air and skidded across the grass. She bent her knees to stop herself, whipping her head up.
She swung her Keyblade and sent out four zig-zagging spheres of pink energy for her enemies; they exploded in brilliance when they neared the Heartless, destroying most of them!
Kana twirled her weapon and spun on the spot, creating a spiral railing of ice around herself. She jumped onto it and rode it up and around, her body surrounded by a pink glow of magic. She reached the top and leapt off, twisting and charging up her magic in her weapon. She slammed down into the ground, erupting with pure magical power in an explosion that rocked the forest! The trees around her were blown apart, a crater formed in the ground of burning white energy, and farther out, leaves and bark were sheered away at!
She drew a quivering breath, and let it go.
She straightened up tall, looking around herself eagerly.
But there was only silence now!
"Is that really it!" she called out to the world. "Really?!"
Kana sighed, letting her weapon vanish and climbing up out of the crater. She trudged back through the mess of fallen trees until she found the black coat. She pulled it back on and zipped it back up again, rolling her shoulders and rubbing her arms. She shifted her legs, kicking out at a burning tree branch.
She'd just have to find somewhere else to keep having fun, then!
Where there were Heartless, there were usually more Heartless.
She wasn't ending her day that disappointingly quick!