Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.

Two Days After the Phazon War

"Imagine how much more powerful you'd be if you'd just tap into the darkness! Don't you just want to… cut loose and go wild? Or would you rather be an obedient girl and stay true to Eraqus's teachings? I wonder how well that worked for him? Oh wait…"

"Shut up!"

"Eraqus shunned the darkness and look where that got him!"

"Darkness only brings out the evil in-"

"Does that mean Terra and Riku are evil?"

Aqua looked up in the sky, watching the snow fall gently to the ground as she was wearing a dark blue coat, a purple scarf around her neck, and sweatpants. She closed her eyes, remembering her conversations with her anti self.

"Eraqus's teachings really blinded you… and look what happened. Terra lost himself and Xehanort made it easy to merge with him. As for Ven… poor kid got tangled up with Vanitas and look what happened. Two friends merged with the darkness. Too much of it to be exact."

"No… they're back to normal! None of this is real! Not you, not these two… you're just a horrid memory!"

"Oh Aqua! I'm more than just a mere memory. You can't run from your inner self. If you would just embrace it, you wouldn't be in this mess. There's a thing called Yin and Yang, a balance between light and darkness. Too much light, there won't be enough shade. Too much darkness, plants won't grow. There has to be a balance. You, of all people, should know this… or, you would… if you weren't such a hypocrite."

"Hypocri- I'm not!"

"Maybe you ought to take a good look in the mirror. You hate the darkness, yet you're good friends with Terra and Riku who's embraced it. You get a little antsy when they use the darkness… and really, Eraqus is to blame. Yeah, he's a good teacher but he wasn't the best in understanding the light and dark. Imagine if he had just let Terra cut loose and you weren't so afraid… I'm sure all of you would have been in a better place."

Aqua let out an exhale, a small mist escaping her lips in the cold atmosphere. She hated to admit it but… perhaps her anti self had a point. She didn't really think much of it until Riku and Sora had a chat with her.

"In a way, Ansem unknowingly taught me a few things. Don't be afraid of the dark… while yes, darkness can be frightening and we all know some people use it for evil, there are people who use the dark for good. It's the same concept with the light. Too much light can blind a person, and… I have a feeling Eraqus had too much light in him, skewing his views on the darkness without realizing it, which he had unknowingly passed to you… or knowingly? I don't know if he was aware of it or not."

"I… I don't think he realized it."

"I was afraid of that. He had too much light in him… and while light is enticing… too much of it can corrupt someone. Light, Darkness… there has to be a balance. I think Terra can understand too."

Aqua closed her eyes, deep in thought… and with a deep breath, she opened her eyes again. She knew what she had to do… yet she didn't know how to go about it. She decided to walk around town.

As she walked, her mind wandered over to Summer. She's dead, yet she's able to walk this world and be with her family for a short time. She thought she could ask her about how she was able to come back from the world of the dead to the world of the living, but she thought against it. After all, Raven lost her entire tribe thanks to Maleficent, so as of now, Summer would be more concerned over consoling Raven.

She was at a loss, although… maybe not all hope was lot. She had an idea and walked in a different direction before arriving at the Schnee home. She rang the doorbell.

Within seconds, Willow opened it up while drinking a hot chocolate. "Oh, hello Aqua." She greeted warmly.

"Hi, is Weiss here?"

"Of course. Come on in. You must be cold." Willow invited her in and then Aqua stepped in. "Make yourself at home. Weiss will be with you shortly." She walked off. "Weiss! Someone's here to see you!"

Aqua chuckled, deciding to sit down on the couch as she heard footsteps right after, seeing Weiss walk in. "Aqua?" Weiss said in surprise.

"Hey Weiss." Aqua smiled as Weiss sat down next to her.

"What's up?" Weiss asked.

"Well… funny thing… I've just been thinking about something for a while."

"Hmm?"

"I would ask Summer but I thought I'd give her some space after what happened with Raven-"

"Why not ask Ruby or Yang?"

"Same deal."

Weiss chuckled. "I figured."

"How did Summer come back into the realm of the living?" Aqua wondered. "She was murdered by Salem, right?"

"Yeah. We were in Delfino when Summer first came back from the dead. We had two friends who helped me, Ruby and Blake out during a sham trial. Phoenix Wright and Maya. Phoenix is a lawyer, a really GOOD lawyer and Maya is his assistant. We didn't think anything of it, but apparently Maya has the ability to speak with the dead and temporarily call one back to the world of living temporarily. She called Summer back and her family had closure has a result."

"I see."

"…And then she came back on her own volition after Ruby ran away after Dark Ruby made her life a living hell. Of course, she startled Maya when this happened and she accidentally threw a chair in her face."

Aqua blinked, tilting her head a little. "…How do you accidentally throw a chair at someone?"

"That's what we're all thinking." Weiss chuckled. "Anyway, that's the gist of it. Maya brought Summer back."

"I see… and this Maya can bring back anyone temporarily?"

"Yes."

Aqua folded her arms. "I see. Then that's what I'll do."

"Hmm? What are you up to?"

"I'm… going to have a chat with Eraqus."

Weiss's eyes widened. "You are?"

"Yes."

"Is this about your current struggle?"

Aqua looked at her in surprise. "How did you…?"

"Oh, I asked Riku what was bothering you after you guys came back from that galaxy. Of course, I didn't stop to talk with you about it considering… Rosie went supernova."

Aqua nodded. "That's understandable. That would have caused anyone to stop what they were doing."

"Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?" Weiss asked.

"Yes. If I don't do this now, then when will I ever have another chance?"

"I suppose so…" Weiss nodded. "Well, you know what? I'm gonna go with you."

"You are?"

"Of course. Might as well see this for myself."

Aqua chuckled. "Well, I suppose there's no stopping you." She said as she got up and walked out the door, only to see Blake about to knock on the door.

"Oh!" Blake said in surprise. "Aqua, I didn't know you were here."

"Hey Blake. We're going to go see Maya." Weiss said.

"Huh? What for?"

"She's going to have a little talk with Eraqus." Weiss motioned her head to Aqua.

"Really? …Huh, well, hey, I might as well go with." Blake chuckled a bit.

"Thanks." Aqua nodded as she walked down the porch. "By the way, do you know how to contact Maya?"

Weiss smiled. "We know a few people."

At the Smash Mansion…

"GAME! Dante… wins!"

Dante blew smoke out of his gun and then pulled out a slice of pizza. "Jackpot." He chuckled, taking a bite of the pizza.

He walked out, munching on the pizza slice as he walked over to see Ryu approaching him. "Good match today, Ryu."

"Same to you." Ryu nodded, smiling at him.

"Duuuuuude, that fight was incredible!" Sora praised. "I didn't even know who was gonna win!"

"Definitely a sight to behold." Riku nodded, then shifted his eyes over to see Aqua, Weiss and Blake approaching them. "Hmm?"

Dante turned his head. "Yo, ladies. What's up?"

Ryu looked at Aqua. "There seems to be something on your mind."

"Yes. Where can I find Phoenix and Maya?" Aqua asked.

"Oh, you want those two knuckleheads? I can give 'em a ring." Dante said and then pulled out his phone. "Yo, lawyer man, it's me. Can you and your assistant come over here for a sec? Some people want to see ya. Alright, see you soon." He put it away. "They're on their way."

"Excellent." Aqua smiled.

A few minutes later…

"Oh? You want to speak to an old friend?" Maya asked once Aqua explained what she wanted to do.

"Yes."

Maya grinned. "Alright, let me just-"

"Wait." Aqua stopped her. "I want to do it somewhere more private."

"Oh? What do you have in mind?" Phoenix asked.

Aqua smiled. "I feel like Ven and Terra should be a part of this too… because I know just the place."

Later…

BGM: The Promised Beginning (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)

A keyhole portal opened up as Aqua stepped out, along with Sora, Riku, Terra, Ven, Blake, Weiss, Dante, Ryu, Phoenix and Maya. "The Land of Departure?" Sora asked in surprise.

"Yes. I felt this would be the perfect place."

"I'm guessing you want us here for support." Terra guessed as Aqua nodded. "I thought so."

"Whoa… this place is beautiful." Weiss said.

"Tell me about it." Blake agreed.

"To think this used to be Castle Oblivion… that's amazing." Riku said in awe as they walked inside the castle. All of them, minus the Wayfinder trio and Sora, looked around with awe struck eyes. Even Ryu couldn't help but admire it.

"It's like I'm in some sort of museum. It's incredible." Dante said.

"Indeed." Ryu agreed as they would soon end up in the throne room.

"Alright… here we are." Aqua took a deep breath. It's now or never. She thought. "Maya."

End BGM

"Right." Maya nodded as she walked up and then knelt on the ground, clasping her hands. "O Spirits come to me, show us the man who Aqua wishes to see… show us Eraqus." She chanted as an aura surrounded them all as a bright light appeared in the middle of the room.

"Oh, my old friend. You made a terrible mistake. You think you've won but I've got a trick up my-" The light disappeared as Eraqus appeared before them. "…Huh? Wait… Xehanort? Where did you go?"

"Master Eraqus." Aqua spoke up as the old master turned around.

"Hmm? Oh, hello Aqua… I see you've made a lot of friends." He turned to Maya. "Were you the one who summoned me?"

"Yes." Maya nodded. "Welcome back to the land of the living!"

Eraqus chuckled. "What seems to be troubling you this time? Did a disciple of Xehanort show up and is causing misery for everyone?"

"No! Thankfully no." Aqua chuckled. "The thing is, something deep is troubling me. It's been eating at me for a while."

"Then what is it?"

"I've been… struggling for a long time. It reared its ugly head during the Phazon war and…" Aqua closed her eyes, clasping her chest. "Master… why did you hate the darkness so much?"

Eraqus raised an eyebrow. "Where did this come from?"

"I was visited by an… acquaintance. The Phantom Thieves call it my shadow. My Anti Self was taunting me over running away from the darkness and-"

"Ah… I understand." Eraqus nodded.

BGM: Aqua's Theme (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)

"You do?"

Eraqus nodded. "Indeed. You're struggling against the darkness. Perhaps I could teach you a few thi-"

"Teach me what? Blinding me with the light again to dispose of the darkness?"

Eraqus's eyes widened before closing his eyes. "Ah… so that's what this is about." He nodded solemnly. "To tell you the truth, I've always believed the light to be pure and filled with life. Darkness is filled with hatred and despair… I kept telling myself that darkness will never be good. It was because of that that it shaped me into the man I was so long ago… and I didn't even realize it."

What do you know… he wasn't even aware. Riku thought.

Eraqus turned his head, away from Aqua. "Xehanort had his curiosities set about the Keyblade War, over the X-Blade. His curiosity would set abound an endless nightmare. Because of this, my views of the darkness were set… I couldn't allow him to unleash an apocalypse upon the worlds, so I had to do something… unfortunately, when I tried to stop him-"

"Darkness is a beginning, you see, not an end. At birth, every one of us emerges from darkness into a world of light, do we not?"

"Poetic excuses!"

"I was so set on persuading him, but he couldn't be persuaded otherwise. Then came the fight with Sora and Xehanort. He explained that he wanted to rid the world of darkness and start anew, where light can fully prosper. However, that would've just been bad news for everything. Too much light can blind a person… just as too much darkness can blind someone as well. I was too blinded by the light to think clearly."

He looked over at Terra. "Terra, when you had the darkness in you… I should've helped you control it, not get rid of it entirely. Because of this, you were more focused on Xehanort who enticed you. I do not blame you… Xehanort was helping you see something that I could not. However, there is a balance between light and dark, yin and yang if you will."

He then looked at Riku. "You are the one who has that balance. The Road to Dawn, correct?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded.

"Indeed. Ansem may have corrupted you, but Sora brought you back… and with that, you managed to find a way to balance between light and dark magic. You are a true Keyblade Master after all…" He closed his eyes. "That isn't to say that you aren't a true Keyblade Master as well, Aqua." He turned to her, reopening his eyes. "Unfortunately, my teachings had corrupted you. When I asked you to bring Ven back… I unwittingly caused a domino effect to where your friendship was strained and caused the three of you to drift apart."

"Yeah… I remember that pretty well…" Aqua mumbled. "I should've come to you for advice after that incident… but I was uncertain on what to do with myself."

Eraqus nodded. "That is understandable. I unknowingly made you lost… you were unsure what to do. Because of what was going on, I was unsure of myself… and then when Ventus came back and asked about the X-Blade… that's when I went off the deep end. I lost my temper and I was about to kill Ven, but Terra intervened at the right time… and that's when Xehanort finished me off after Terra defeated me in battle."

He closed his eyes. "I've caused you so much pain, Aqua… you have every right to be angry with me. I will not blame you if you started to hate me or try to whack me with your Keyblade… I understand. I put so much weight on your shoulders that I did not realize it would turn into a downward spiral. It caused you agonizing grief that it caused a shadow of yourself to try to get you to realize that I was not the best example."

Aqua clenched her fists. "You're right… I do have every reason to be angry with you." She trembled a little, fighting her tears. "You blinded me with your light, you pushed Terra away… you pushed Ven away. You could've told him the truth but instead you went out of your way to try to kill him! You could've consoled him but instead you would do the unthinkable! Not only that, but our friendship was strained because of you… I wandered in the darkness for ten long years, thinking I didn't deserve any of this… I blamed Xehanort for everything. Even after I got corrupted, I still hated it… and then I got pulled into some crazy Phazon War and seeing Dark Samus acting how Xehanort used to act, not to MENTION I got corrupted by the Phazon, while I was being haunted by my own shadow… it was all just too much! I shouldn't have been blaming Xehanort for everything… instead I should have been blaming you for all of this. Blinding me with your light was just the first step into a spiral of madness that I couldn't escape from!"

Eraqus closed his eyes, solemnly nodding. "Do your worst."

"…Why should I do my worst? As much as I'm angry and frustrated with you… it would be beneath me if I attacked you."

"Hmm…" Eraqus let out a chuckle. "I suppose you're right."

"Both of you are equally guilty." Aqua said. "You for your suffocating perception of the light… and Xehanort for his views of the darkness. While it is true that Xehanort had used light magic, he's still just as equally guilty."

Eraqus put his hands on Aqua. "Indeed… you may not forgive me for this, but I humbly apologize for what I've done to you… and to you two as well." He said, referring to Terra and Ven. "I know I apologized before I reunited with my old friend, but I will say it again…"

Ven nodded. "Your heart was in the right place… but, it was just misguided."

"Yeah, what he said." Terra nodded.

Eraqus looked to Aqua. "Aqua, what will you do now?"

"I'm… not sure, honestly. I think I'm gonna be needing some time to… discover myself? I'm not sure."

Eraqus nodded. "It is true, too much light can be a bad thing… which is what happened with me. Too much light, there won't be enough shade. Too much darkness, there won't be enough light for crops to grow. There has to be a balance… you chewing me out made me see that now. Aqua, whatever path you take, I will support it."

Aqua formed a sad smile, wiping her tears away. "Thank you…" She said as Eraqus turned to Maya.

"Alright. I think everyone's heard enough."

Maya nodded and then clasped her hands as Eraqus started to glow, slowly starting to disappear as he affectionately ruffled Aqua's head. "May your heart be your guiding key, Aqua." He said and then disappeared.

"How do you feel?" Weiss asked.

"I feel… a lot better."

"Well! I have to say, it's about time!" A voice said as they turned to see Anti Aqua casually sitting on top of a throne.

"What the?!" Blake exclaimed as she and Weiss took out their weapons, but Ryu put his hand out in front of them.

"Hold on. I think Aqua should handle this." He said.

"I was going to say the same thing." Riku agreed as Anti Aqua hopped off and walked where Aqua did the same thing, both of them meeting each other in the middle of the throne room.

"So, you finally confronted him. You know the truth. Eraqus blinded you with his light."

"Yes… and I've been running away from you for a long time when in actuality… I should've just accepted you a long time ago."

Anti Aqua smirked. "So… you're finally ready then."

"Yes." Aqua closed her eyes. "I accept you for who you are. You are me after all."

"How I longed to hear that." She said, grasping Aqua's hands as she started to fade away, disappearing inside of Aqua as she glowed a light yet shadowy aura around her before it stopped.

Riku walked over to Aqua. "So, what are you going to do now?"

Aqua turned to her, a smile appearing on her face. "I say… it's time I walked the road of dawn with you."

End BGM

Meanwhile…

"Sorry about that, Xehanort. I had to have a chat with someone."

Xehanort let out a chuckle. "I imagine it was quite eye opening?"

Eraqus sat down. "Yeah, it was. Now, where were we?"

"I believe I had you on checkmate, old friend."

Eraqus let out a chuckle. "Right… and I have a trick up my sleeve."

Xehanort smirked. "I look forward to this trick of yours, you sly fox."

Ibuki: *sweatdrops* Even in death, they're still playing chess? They need a new hobby.

Like what?

Ibuki: *strums her guitar* It's never too late to learn a new skill. Maybe Ibuki ought to teach them the electric guitar. Oooooh Maya-chan~!

*sweatdrops* Oh boy...