Aqua might as well have set her eyes on fire. She couldn't see a thing anymore; she would have to cast Cure to heal her retinas. She didn't care. Whether she could see it with her eyes or not, it was beautiful.

In the pale blue sky above Radiant Garden hung a glorious glowing sun.

"Yo, Aqua!" Lea called back. "I thought we were on a schedule here?"

She shook her head, blinking the spots from her eyes.

"I'm coming!"

Drizzle held her hand, leading her along behind the others who hadn't paused to stare at the sun. Even after she cast Cure, it took a few seconds for her vision to fully return. When it did, she realized that Radiant Garden looked far less radiant than she remembered.

"What happened to this place?" She asked Mickey, but to her surprise, it was Lea who answered.

"It went through about the same thing you did." When he glanced back at her, his usually bright green eyes were dark. "Went to hell and back."

Kairi elbowed him and mouthed language, but he just rolled his eyes.

"This world was lost to the darkness?" Aqua asked.

How had it happened? This had once been one of her favorite worlds. The flowing water had made it feel like a place of fairy tales. Now, the few fountains she spotted were empty of anything but debris.

"More or less." Lea shrugged. "I… actually didn't live to see it."

Didn't live? What was that supposed to mean? It would probably be rude to ask.

She thought the rest of the walk to the castle would feel like strolling through a graveyard, but things weren't as bad as they first seemed. People making their way through the streets waved at Mickey and Riku as they passed by. Some had friendly smiles for Lea and Kairi too, and some even nodded kindly to Aqua. These people may have lost their home once, but they didn't look beaten down.

And they weren't just surviving in the ruins of their town—they were rebuilding. Aqua's group passed by a few different teams welding pipes, bricking up crumbling walls, and hammering wooden roofs.

That's what we do, she realized. We survive. We rebuild, no matter how many times we get knocked down.

It was enough to make her walk a little taller.

XXX

A short time later, they had dropped off Kairi at Merlin's, and the remnant of their group arrived at the remnant of Radiant Garden's castle. The structure was as tall and imposing as ever—more so, actually—but like the Land of Departure, it had become distorted. Pipes and smokestacks stuck out from its turrets at odd angles. The framework of gears on the front still looked the same, though.

Two guards opened the door for them. Aqua didn't miss the awkward look that passed between them and Lea.

"Wish I'd gotten shipped off to Merlin too…" the redhead muttered.

"I thought you said they forgave you?" Riku asked him. "They didn't bother you last time we were here."

He snorted. "If that's what you think, you weren't paying attention. They might not be trying to kill me, but they sure haven't forgiven me for throwing a wrench in the Organization. You'd think they'd get over it since it turned out the boss was just using us all."

"You really managed to tick off everyone, didn't you?"

"Heheh… That's an understatement if I ever heard one…"

Aqua was really going to have to ask Lea some more questions. She would have then, but Mickey led them through a door into a room filled with laboratory equipment. Two labcoated men looked up from a computer program they were working on. One had long blond hair, the other short gray.

"Even, Ienzo," Mickey gestured between the two, "sorry to drop by without giving a heads up, but something just came up. This is our friend Aqua. She's got some questions about the Realm of Darkness for ya!"

She cleared her throat at the two-and-a-half sets of eyes fixed on her (Ienzo's long bangs covered one of his).

"Yes, Mickey told me that you two might know how to get in and out of there—"

Ienzo's gasp interrupted her. "That creature…!"

He snatched a thick notebook off a cluttered table and rushed towards her. She took a step back at his sudden movement, but he wasn't focused on her at all, she realized.

"I've seen the likes of it before," he said. " Where did you find it?"

He was inspecting Drizzle from all angles, scribbling down notes faster than she could think. Even chuckled.

"Feeling nostalgic, Ienzo?"

"Surely you see it too, Even. You were older than I was then; you would remember." He paused to smirk at the taller man. "Unless your age has caught up to you more than I thought."

Even scowled. "Hmph. Very funny. I remember well enough, thank you. You nearly got yourself killed trying to study those creatures."

"Excuse me," Aqua interrupted, backing away from Drizzle so as not to be inspected along with him. "You were around when the Unversed were here?"

"Unversed," Ienzo repeated to himself, scribbling the word down. "So that's what they are. I knew they couldn't be Heartless…"

"Yes," Even answered as Drizzle, happy to receive the attention, purred and threw himself at Ienzo. The shorter man yelped as he was smothered in a giant hug. "These 'Unversed' were Ienzo's first subjects of study. You could say that they drew him to the realm of science and research almost as much as I did. We haven't seen them in at least ten years, however. Tell me, where did you find this one?"

"It's… a rather long story." She sighed. "I'm afraid I don't have time to share it right now. Actually, I'm trying to find out how to get back to the Realm of Darkness so I can rescue the one who created them."

"Fascinating! So they were created?" Even's eyes lit up like he'd discovered a hidden stash of Christmas candy. "The scientist who succeeded in that must be a genius!"

"Yes." Ienzo winced, prying himself from Drizzle's grip. "A genius, indeed…"

"Why, just think of the experiments we could perform if we—"

Mickey cleared his throat, interrupting the white-coated man.

"Even. You do remember ya can't experiment with living people anymore, right?"

"Hmph. Of course I do," he grumbled, crossing his arms. Then more quietly he added, "I'm not Vexen anymore…"

Aqua's head tilted, but no one bothered to explain that comment.

"Good." Riku nodded. "Now, like Aqua was saying, we need a safe way to get in and out of the Realm of Darkness without using dark corridors. Can you help us?"

"Still insolent as ever, I see." Even rolled his eyes, but the excitement was returning to his gaunt face. "Yes, I will see what we can do. It would be a pity to leave a fellow scientist in that heart-forsaken place. Let us move to somewhere more fit for discussion, shall we?"

Aqua never got the chance to tell Even that Van was no scientist. Picturing him in one of the silly lab coats they wore did bring a smile to her face, though.

Even and Ienzo, with Drizzle still on his heels, led the rest of them out of the lab and into a small study. She gasped at the portrait that dominated one of the walls.

"Terra!" All her questions were forgotten as she rushed to the painting and placed her hand on it. The canvas felt cold to the touch. "Terra… oh, I'm so sorry."

The portrait-Terra's hair was still silver, his eyes a shimmering gold. She knew how those eyes felt from the inside now.

"Terra?" Even asked. "That man is Xehanort. Also known as Ansem to some."

"Or Xemnas," Ienzo interjected.

"Or huge-frickin'-pain-in-the-neck," Lea added. Ienzo glared daggers at him, as if noticing his presence for the first time. "Hey, I'm not wrong."

"No, you're not. I just wish you would allow me to forget that you exist." The slate-haired man rubbed his temples.

"Can't we get over this? You don't have anything against Riku, and he killed you about as much as I did!" Lea protested. Riku groaned softly, dropping his head into his palm.

"You killed me too!" Even announced. "You can't blame that on anyone but yourself!"

"Hey, hey, we're all alive and kicking now, right?" Lea's grin was threadbare. "Let it go, let it goooo~!"

Even covered his ears at the redhead's singing. "Please, anything but that song! Ngh, I'd rather get incarcerated twice…!"

"Aw come on Vexy, I was just trying to warm that cold heart of yours!"

"Well, it certainly isn't working, traitor!"

"Hey! The past is in the past, bro!"

Lea, Even and Iezno all started shouting at once.

"I am your elder, AXEL, you will not refer to me as—"

"—Don't you dare barge into our castle and expect us to—"

"—both stuck-up jerks then, too!—"

Even Riku got dragged in. "Yeah, I get it, we all did some things we regret—"

"I don't regret it—!"

"Listen to yourselves, you're all a disgrace to the Organization—"

"There is no Organization anymore! I sure hope you're not—"

"—Who do you think I am? I have no desire to—"

Mickey stretched out a hand, trying to intervene but not sure how. Aqua barely noticed. She had clamped her hands over her ears, but her blood still seemed to pound through her veins with each of their shouts.

"—just been minding our own—!"

"—I didn't ask to be dragged back—!"

"—Probably just wanted to rub his fancy keyblade in our—"

"—I did not—!"

"Everyone SHUT UP!" Aqua finally shouted back.

Her voice echoed off the walls and bookshelves. She could feel it in her bones, in her fists clenched tightly at her sides. She panted slightly, though she didn't know why she felt so drained until she saw the faint wisps of darkness settling around her.

Oh no. Not again.

"Everyone… everyone just calm down," she repeated, trying to take her own advice.

The room seemed to sway around her. She dropped into a chair next to a white desk before she could collapse.

Mickey looked at her with concern. "Aqua, are you…?"

"I'm fine," she snapped.

She would be fine, if everyone would stop staring at her. Yes, she had issues with darkness; no, she didn't need everyone pointing it out. Why could they all scream at each other, but the second she spoke up, she was a monster?

All of us have had and will yet have our battles with darkness. Do not be discouraged if yours is more visible than others. She ground her teeth at the memory of Yen Sid's advice. Still, her anger didn't make him any less right.

"I'm sorry, Mickey." She shook her head. The dark wisps were already gone, but she felt she could still see them, like the sunspots on the backs of her eyes. "Please, if we can just discuss what we came here for…"

He nodded reluctantly, then turned to Riku.

"Why don'tcha take Lea and go get lunch? We'll catch up to ya later."

"Lunch!" Lea burst out with a nervous laugh. "I love lunch! Sounds great. Later!"

He grabbed Riku's arm and practically sprinted out of the room. She had probably scared them with her outburst… No point in thinking about that now. Just work on keeping her breathing steady, like Van and Riku had taught her. In, out. In, out.

"Yes, well." Even cleared his throat and sat down, but it was Iezno who actually took the lead.

"I apologize for our lapse in professionalism." He actually did look sorry, in spite of the lack of emotion in his voice. "Axel—Lea—may be a nuisance, but I would not have him ruin a chance for a new experiment. Now... Aqua, was it? We will need you to explain the exact nature of your dilemma."

Still sheepish from her outburst, she blushed, but mentally thanked Ienzo for not bringing it up.

"My friend is trapped in the Realm of Darkness, and…"

XXX

Aqua felt naked without her Wayfinder. It had taken considerable persuasion from Even and Ienzo to get her to part with it, and even though she could check on them in the lab every day, she couldn't shake the feeling that a part of her was missing.

Their theory was that they could reverse the connection that had brought Ven's Wayfinder to the Realm of Darkness, and instead have her Wayfinder open a door there from this side. They made it sound plausible enough, though their explanations were layered in so much scientific jargon that she couldn't be sure.

For that reason, she'd decided to take things into her own hands too. While they performed their experiments—which they assured her would be harmless—on her Wayfinder, she searched the castle.

Terra had been here. He had to have kept her keyblade; it could be around here anywhere…

She sighed. Anywhere. The castle was gigantic, and she didn't have the same magical connection to it as she did Castle Oblivion.

Three days passed before she asked her friends for help. She felt horrible for letting her pride and fear hold her back for so long when Van was counting on her. She blamed being separated from her Wayfinder, but it might have just been her frustration at the castle, at her missing keyblade, at herself. She had even snapped at Riku late one night when she returned to the Gummi Ship. All he'd asked was if she'd found anything, and she'd nearly started blasting spells through the walls. What was wrong with her?

It was a miracle any of them had agreed to help her after how much trouble she'd given them, but surprisingly, the three of them all did. Even Lea, who she had expected would never want to set foot in the castle again.

"Ugh, didn't I get punished enough at Yen Sid's?" he complained as he struggled to push aside a fallen beam blocking one of the castle's interior doors.

"You're the one who agreed to help," Aqua reminded him. "How did Yen Sid punish you, anyway?"

"You wouldn't believe it. He made me and Kairi mop his whole floor!" He grunted as he shoved on the beam. She joined him, trying to resist the urge to set it on fire instead. "Seriously! Floor was perfectly clean, but he insisted we get it sparkling before he'd let us leave! Flaming mad, he is."

"Don't speak about Yen Sid that way," she chided him out of habit. The retired master deserved more respect than that, even if he hadn't been able to solve most of her problems.

"I know, I know. I should be grateful he let me train to be a Keyblade Master. Step back."

She did as she was told without arguing. She was glad she did when he snapped his fingers, and the whole beam spontaneously combusted.

"Lea!"

Sure, she'd thought of casting Fire on the beam, but she wouldn't have actually done it! She readied a hasty water spell, but the fire went out before she could use it. All that was left of the beam was a smoking pile of ash.

He buffed his fingernails against his black coat. "No need to thank me."

She rolled her eyes. Despite how he'd first reminded her of Terra, Lea's arrogance was more reminiscent of Van. It wasn't as good of a look on Lea.

"How did you end up as a keyblade apprentice, anyway?" she asked while cautiously opening the door. They'd had debris rain on their heads once before, and she wasn't eager to have it happen again.

The room seemed safe, though, if dark. Drizzle zipped ahead of her, and his glowing white form lit the room slightly. It was better than Lea trying to illuminate it with fire, at least.

"Heh. Now that's a long story." He followed her inside. "Still don't know how I got a keyblade in the first place, unless Roxas somehow passed it on to me."

"Roxas?" she asked, holding the smallest ball of Fire she could conjure in her palm. This room looked just as unpromising as the last, though. It was filled with overturned bookshelves and smashed furniture. "Who's that? I don't think I've met him yet."

It seemed new keyblade wielders were appearing every time she blinked. Maybe the light really was sending them to prepare for Xehanort's return.

"Yeah, well, you won't for a while." He sighed and began cleaning a path through the wooden debris. Thankfully not with his fire this time. "He was Sora's Nobody. He's stuck in his heart until I can find a way to bring him back."

LIke everything he and the others said, that brought up more questions than answers.

"Nobody? What do you mean?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Right. Stuck in the Realm of Darkness for twelve years. When someone becomes a Heartless, if their heart's strong enough, sometimes part of themselves can go on living. We call 'em Nobodies. Kinda confusing though, since it's Heartless that don't have bodies, and Nobodies that don't have hearts."

He shrugged and tossed a chair leg to the side. It hit the wall with a thunk.

"Wait. So you're telling me Heartless were once people?"

Again she was filled with so many questions, but that was the one that hit her the hardest. All those Heartless she'd destroyed in the Realm of Darkness…!

"Not all of them. Some already existed. They're kinda like zombies though. Or maybe vampires. Point is, they can turn people into more of them."

"Oh…" Master Eraqus had never taught her that. All she'd known was that the Heartless were evil and must be kept from entering the worlds. "So, about Roxas… you're trying to save one of your friends, too?"

"Yeah." He chunked another piece of debris, harder this time. "I promised I'd always be here to bring him back."

She swallowed as she and Drizzle searched under a pile of disintegrating books. She doubted her keyblade would be there, but she couldn't breeze past knowing so many figurative stones had been unturned.

"I made a promise like that, too."

Too many promises. Terra, Ven, Van…

"Right. This Vanitas guy we're looking for." He snorted. "You know, I was pretty mad at you at first."

She looked up in surprise. He was now leaning against a bookshelf that had remained upright.

"You just waltz in out of nowhere, and suddenly all these people are head over heels trying to help you. I've been trying to save my friend for over a year now. You know how many people have offered to help me?"

She frowned. "Surely they—"

"None." He clenched a fist. "Not one. In fact, they hated me for it for a while." He shook his head. "Guess that's my own fault. Didn't exactly go about it the best way. Kidnapped the Princess, wanted to make Sora lose his heart again. Whatever it takes, right?"

A shiver ran through her. Lea usually seemed pretty harmless (if rather loud), but now… his green eyes glowed in the dim light like the center of a flame.

"That's not the plan anymore. Much as it kills me, I gotta leave this one to Sora and Riku. They're the ones with the 'power to awaken hearts' or whatever Yen Sid called it. I know they can handle it, but they've got a million priorities ahead of getting Roxas back." He crossed his arms and shook his head. "And now your Vanitas is one of them."

"I'm… sorry." It came out weak. It was a lie, after all. How could she really be sorry for trying to rescue her friend?

"No, you're not. That's okay, though. There'd be something wrong with you if you were."

"Lea…" She met his glowing green gaze. "Van is in trouble right now. He's not just waiting to be awakened, he's fighting for his life in the Realm of Darkness. After we save him, though… and after I go after my other friends… I would be happy to help you find a way to save Roxas."

He smiled a little.

"I'll probably be old and gray by then, Aqua. But thanks for the thought."

Though it didn't reach her eyes, she tried to smile back. When she went back to searching through the debris though, he spoke up unexpectedly.

"Hey, Aqua."

"Yes?" She looked up again. His eyes seemed to see straight through her.

"Don't make the same mistakes I did. If getting Vanitas back lands you in a dark place… All I'm saying is you might regret doing 'whatever it takes.' Got it memorized?"

A shudder ran through her.

"...Yes. I do."

XXX

That night, they had been too exhausted by the end of their search to do much besides pass out in the Gummi Ship. The next day proved similarly draining, but they called it a day in enough time to meet up for dinner.

"Find anything?" Riku asked when their two scavenging parties reunited that evening in Even and Ienzo's lab.

"Nada," Lea answered. "No keyblades. Lots of flammable stuff Aqua wouldn't let me set on fire, though."

"Sorry, Aqua," Mickey said sadly. From across the laboratory, though, Ienzo's head had perked up.

"You're looking for a keyblade?" he asked, tone eerily neutral considering how his eyes widened. Well, one eye, at least.

"Yes." Aqua nodded. "Did I not tell you?"

"You almost didn't even tell us," Lea reminded her.

Right. She hadn't exactly been great at communicating lately.

"It was my old keyblade," she proceeded to explain to Even and Ienzo. "I used it to save Terra when he was falling into the Realm of Darkness. I thought that since he was apparently here… Or, well, Xehanort was… He might have put my keyblade somewhere."

Ienzo carefully set down the Wayfinder he had been testing spells on, then approached them.

"Tell me. What did this keyblade look like? Was it blue and gray?"

She blinked. "Yes! Have you—?"

"Follow me." Without any other explanation, he led the way out of the lab.

Aqua was right on his heels, and Drizzle rushed to keep up with her. The other members of their party struggled to keep up with Ienzo's speedwalk.

"For having such short legs, he's pretty quick," Lea muttered.

Soon they were back in the study with Terra's—Xehanort's—portrait hanging like a mocking grave. Ienzo ignored that, though, instead placing his hand on an inconspicuous part of the wall. Aqua jumped when a whole section of it suddenly disappeared. Mickey was less surprised.

"Ansem's—I mean, Xehanort's—computer room?" he asked.

"It's a little more than that."

"Ienzo, you mean—" Even stuttered. Aqua hadn't realized the older scientist had been following too. She'd been too busy staring at the mysterious lights and electronics around the platform they passed over. "This whole time, you've known what was in there? And you never told me!?"

"It was none of your concern," Ienzo replied, falling into what sounded like a practiced, detached tone. Almost as if he were a different person. "I have always deplored intruding on another's privacy. What lay in the Chamber of Repose was between the Superior and his… 'friend.'"

Lea nearly tripped in his haste to catch up to Ienzo. "You're taking us to the Chamber of flaming Repose?"

"Just the Chamber of Repose. I think you'll find it free of flames," he said curtly, stopping at a giant computer at the end of the translucent platform.

"Saix worked for ages to find out what was in there! Do you know how many times I—! Eh heh, I mean, right. Spying is 'deplorable' or whatever." He coughed.

Ienzo spared him a one-eyed glare before his fingers returned to flying over the keyboard.

"How did you know!?" Even demanded, practically hysterical. "Did the Superior tell you? No, that's impossible, he never said a word about his usual spot. Xigbar then? That impudent—"

"Even, please do us all a favor and silence yourself," Ienzo snapped.

"But—!"

"If you must know, I helped him build it." He slammed his palm down on a button, and another secret door opened.

"But why—?"

By this point, Ienzo looked exasperated enough to make Aqua pause, and she wasn't even the focus of his annoyance.

"Because I was the only one he could trust to keep my mouth shut. Silence and tact were qualities our Organization severely lacked."

Even's face reddened a bit at that. He finally stayed silent as Ienzo led the group down another blue-gray hall and through another secret entrance. How many layers of security could one room possibly need?

She thought that would be the end, but no; now there was a very creepy spiraling ramp that descended into a dark void. It felt like strolling right back into the Realm of Darkness, but Ienzo didn't break stride, so she was forced to follow. It was a small comfort than the eerie atmosphere augmented by glowing red-and-purple pipes smothered the remaining whispered conversations.

Just when she'd started to think the spiral would go down forever, they reached a tall door. Apparently, even this wasn't their destination. Inside they passed through a sterile hall lined with… were those prison cells? What had been going on in this place? And a better question: was anything still going on? Through barred diamond-shaped windows, the cells all appeared empty, but still…

At the door at the end of the hall, Ienzo finally paused.

"Is this it?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

He nodded.

"This place was very important to the Superior. I admit I had wondered from time to time why that was, though I had never expected to find an answer. I will have some questions for you later, Aqua."

She nodded. If Ienzo had known Terra—a form of him, at least—then maybe he would have answers for her, too.

"What are we waiting for?" Lea asked, brushing past them.

"Lea," Ienzo replied in a warning tone before he could reach the door. "I believe what lies inside the Chamber of Repose is between the Superior and Aqua. Save your curiosity for somewhere it's actually wanted."

"That would be nowhere," Even clarified.

Lea looked ready to snap back, but at a glare from Mickey and Riku, he just sighed.

"Fine. Fine! It's probably just some lame fangirl shrine to Kingdom Hearts anyway!"

Aqua stepped up to the door and took a deep breath. Stormfall might be in there. Then again, so could any number of things. As much as she hated to think about it, Terra had been possessed by Xehanort. The old master had been twisted in so many ways. Who knew what he would choose to hide in a private chamber?

There was only one way to find out. She glanced back at Ienzo, who gave her a slight nod. Then, as if responding to her mental command, the doors slid open and shut behind her. Not, however, before Drizzle could slip in with her. The Inversed held her tightly, as if it was as nervous about the room as she was.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in.

"Thank you…"

She finally scanned the chamber... and found it oddly familiar.

It looks almost exactly like where I left Ven, she realized. That made no sense; Terra had never known where she left their friend. Had he? If so, he hadn't disturbed him.

Much like the room in Castle Oblivion, a white throne sat at the center of the small chamber. Unlike it though, the walls shimmered an ethereal gray, and a strange sigil repeated across them. A pattern of chains linked the designs to the more intimidating-looking throne. While Aqua placed her hand on one of the sigils, Drizzle zipped past and plopped himself down in the oversized chair.

"No, Drizzle—!" she called out to him too late.

A light flooded the room, starting at the throne and bleeding out towards the walls. She flinched, expecting… she wasn't sure what. Actually, she half expected a horde of Heartless to appear, or worse.

Nothing of the sort happened. Nothing happened, except it was now easier to see.

One of the chain patterns took longer to illuminate. She followed the light with her eyes, all the way to…

Nothing. There was nothing here. Where was her keyblade? Why had Ienzo been so certain she would find it here? For how secretive he was about this place, she doubted he would have brought her unless he knew for sure.

Maybe… maybe there's another secret. Drizzle lounged in the throne while she paced the circumference of the chamber. She had to have been the first to pace this floor; her boots left scuff marks on the sterile surface. Strangely, there was no layer of dust for her to disturb, though.

"Surely… there has to be something…"

There! Her eyes barely caught it, and even then, she thought it might have been a mark from her boots. But no, this mark was deeper. Something had been stabbed into the floor here.

Maybe a keyblade? She shook her head. It was probably wishful thinking, but the groove did look about the right size. And now that she looked closer, there were scrape marks across the floor too. Blue scrape marks.

"My armor," she realized. "It's the same shade."

Some of the metallic coating could have scraped off. She was growing increasingly sure of it. Terra had saved her blade and armor.

Terra was here. Terra was here, and… if he used to come here often…

"He remembered," she whispered, kneeling on the scarred ground. "A part of him... a part of him is still fighting."

A tear rolled down her cheek. Her keyblade was nowhere to be found. She was back to square one. That should have been enough reason to cry, but the tear didn't hold her frustration or despair. The sparkling drop was filled with something else entirely.

In that sterile, suffocating room, she shed a tear of hope.