AN: After the last chapter was an all Xehanort one, here's an ALL AQUA chapter! Got a lot of good stuff for her here! Character stuff, and some adult issues. GAY issues lol! 3 Also, this was going to be the final chapter of good old Peaceful Hearts lol...and the next one was going to be the epilogue! :D Sooo yeah...imagine if THIS was the cliffhanger I left you guys on. Lol. Would've been awesome. xD
End of AN!
Aqua was honestly more relieved to have made it out of the mine tunnels into the hot evening's air again than she was wanting to remain in the shade.
As Natsumi fully emerged into the dry dirt and plains that filled the horizon again, she lowered herself to the ground and looked at Aqua.
Aqua hesitated before climbing up onto her back again.
Then, they set off again across the landscape in earnest.
Racing the sun itself, Aqua thought to herself, with a small smile. A fool's attempt.
Still, Natsumi seemed to do her best at it. She raced across the land at full speeds, taking huge leaps across canyons, and up and down sheer cliffs. At times, with flames surrounding her that Aqua didn't even feel, she almost seemed to be flying more than jumping.
All the while, Aqua did her best to hold on to the kitsune's long, rugged fur (Natsumi had reassured her several times before that it would take a lot to hurt her).
As the sun fell, disappearing below the horizon, darkness covered the world, slowly.
And with the night also came the plummeting temperatures.
Natsumi probably didn't feel it much, but even in her cloak, Aqua started to feel it soon enough.
She shivered against the winds, using an arm to keep the cloak closed around her body.
Natsumi must have sensed it, or heard it, with her keen ears, because she slowed down suddenly. She came to a stop near a rocky overhang, at the base of a steep hill of dirt.
Aqua jumped down to the ground again, raising a hand of shimmering magic fires before herself. She moved for the rocky alcove, grateful for it. It was about twice as tall as she was, and was a good ten to fifteen feet wide across. It would make a nicer place to sleep than most, over these past days.
As she sat there against the jagged, inner wall of the alcove, trying to keep warm, she watched Natsumi wander about in the dark beyond - biting and ripping up dead trees, tearing off branches. Natsumi tossed her head, throwing it all Aqua's way with abandon. The other woman came back over and nudged it all together with her enormous paws. Then she flexed her tails and puffed her cheeks, blowing out a long stream of flames. The trees and branches caught, becoming a large flaming mass within moments.
Aqua smiled at her gratefully, moving forward beneath the overhang to get closer to the new source of warmth. She let her own magic flames extinguish, glad to be able to save on magical power.
Natsumi changed into her human form, strode around the bonfire, and sat herself down next to Aqua, her legs curled up beneath her. She undid her sword sheath, setting it aside. She set her hands on her legs, staring into the flames with a smile of her own. Her lips and eyes both glistened with the light...and her hair, too, was-
Aqua shook her head, looking away quickly, as a heat that had nothing to do with fire came to her face.
"It's okay - take your time," came the absent tones of Natsumi.
"Huh? What?" Aqua startled, turning back to the woman. "What do you-"
Natsumi smiled at her widely, revealing sharp fangs. "I've noticed the way you've been looking at me this past week - since the night we first met."
"O-oh - I'm sorry! I- I'm making you uncomfortable! I'll-"
"Don't be silly," Natsumi interrupted again, in amused, quiet tones. "The only one you're making uncomfortable here is yourself. And I understand that. You're dealing with a lot of complicated feelings right now, aren't you? Take all the time you need to sort through it all. I'm in no hurry."
"I- um..." Aqua trailed off, her tongue twisting over itself. She raised her hand to her mouth, looking away again.
"If it helps any, I think you'd make a wonderful partner for any woman."
Aqua shut her eyes, screwing up her face, trying not to let the high, incoherent noise escape her lips! After a long moment, she felt it was safe to lower her hand again. To breathe again. Slowly, she turned her head to look at the other woman from the corner of her eye...
Natsumi was leaning back on a hand, staring into the fires, that smile still on her lips. She looked so relaxed, so happy...
"I am...dealing with a lot right now, yes," Aqua whispered, focusing on the flames as well. "And I don't know if I can...I've never...I- I wouldn't know how to be a good partner to anyone," she finally admitted, strangling the words out.
"It's not as complicated as you're probably thinking it is," Natsumi spoke quietly. "It's just like being the best of friends - except for the little detail that you also have sex together with them."
Aqua choked on her own spit, swallowing hard.
"Really now," the other woman went on lightly. "You learn and grow together, you fight together, you laugh and screw around, you eat snacks and meals together, you support each other's interests and dreams...and you sometimes do a little kissing and such. That's all. There's no fundamental difference there, Miss Aqua: a good partner is also a good best friend, not some wholly separate thing. Trust me, I speak from experience here. If you're capable of making and keeping friends, you can manage a romantic relationship just fine. There are some extra considerations to be had, owing to the deeper level of intimacy, but in basics...it's not so different."
Aqua kept her gaze on the fire, resolute.
"Of course, if you're not ready for romance, it's hardly the only option around," Natsumi continued. "You could take the sex without the 'strings' attached, if that would be more fitting for you. We could call it a learning experience...just two people, traveling together, sharing in the most basic and instinctual, purely physical pleasures of the flesh. Nothing more. You don't have to be afraid of getting something wrong, or committing to anything, or sharing your Heart's contents. It can just be a little bit of fun, no emotions involved. Think of it as a combat training session - except that the one who pins the other down first-"
"Okay - okay! I- understand the c-concept!" Aqua blurted, whirling on the woman and raising her hands desperately. "You've painted a very- very- v-vivid picture! I fully- get it! Yes! Please...no more of that!"
Natsumi gave her a look of sincere apology, nodding. "I'm sorry. I got a little carried away, I suppose."
"It's- alright..." Aqua mumbled, dropping her head. She pulled her knees in, resting her chin on them.
She sat in silence for a long time. So did Natsumi. Then-
She lifted her head and looked at the woman.
Natsumi kept staring into the fire - like she didn't notice. She'd said she had noticed...so she was probably faking it now, too. Why? To put Aqua more at ease? That would be the kinder, trusting suggestion...
Either way - Aqua found herself looking the woman over, closely. A tremor racing through her body, and tingling sensations along her arms. Her gaze found those places on the other's form that people weren't meant to just look at...by flickering flames and burning light...a soft glow of skin and curves and-
She shut her eyes and slammed her face down onto her hard kneecaps.
Idiot! Moron! Stupid! Impulsive, primitive, thoughtless-
Coward.
Sad, lonely, coward! Who's even around to care? To judge you? Why should you care? A person's private life is theirs, and no one else's. Isn't that what you were always told? What all those textbooks talked about? Respect, privacy, consent? You have the privacy - and as long as you have the respect and consent... What would really be so terrible about it? You survived a night with Elrena. But there isn't an Elrena to talk you into your stupidity and impulsiveness this time, is there? Is that the problem? Then don't think. Don't talk. Just-
"I- you're- pretty?" Aqua's mouth blurted, as she gazed at the woman. Natsumi gazed back at her. Okay, then, that's...a start, at least. Not an encouraging one, but...too late to back out. And isn't that what you wanted? "You're - beautiful - and...why not?"
"Why not what?" Natsumi spoke, tilting her head, her eyes glinting in the firelight.
Moron. Stupid. This is just pathetic. Have you EVER been THIS embarrassing in your entire life- "I - well - I meant- training session! I would like to- train with you - but not...combat...um...you know - sex?"
Please just die. Fade away and die. Sink back into the Dark Realm and spend another ten years thinking about this night.
"I see." Natsumi gazed at her for a moment. Then, she nodded. She pushed herself up, turning to face her. She sat cross-legged, setting her hands in her lap now. "Is that really something you want right now? I have far more experience than you, Miss Aqua, and that, on top of our current situation...I do worry that I might just end up pressuring you into something you're not ready for. I don't want you to feel trapped, or pressured into anything at all."
"I- I'm not-" Aqua stopped. She took steadying breaths. She counted in her head. She met the other woman's gaze, drawing herself up. "I am a twenty-eight year old woman, who's dedicated her life to fighting monsters and evil people alike. I know what it's like to be truly trapped. I know what pressure is. And, I've refused a date before," she added.
"I do acknowledge that - and on the other hand, I wouldn't want to talk down to you or anything like that," Natsumi said, quiet and thoughtful. "But...why don't we wait until our situation is a little less dire? If we come across a nice little motel, or a town, at least." She hesitated. Then- "Besides, you are human, and I know humans much prefer intimacy to occur off the ground. A nice bed, usually, at the very least, yes?"
"I- guess that's true..." Aqua agreed, halting, looking down.
"I just think we should both take some time to think it over first. And...well...frankly, Miss Aqua, I wouldn't want to make this journey uncomfortable and awkward any more than you would. If things didn't quite work out between us, we'd both be in for a much less easygoing time together."
"That's something to consider, I suppose," Aqua said quietly, nodding.
"Try not to look so disappointed. I never said no: just that we give it a few more days or so," Natsumi said softly.
Aqua sighed, looking up at her. "I'm not disappointed."
"Another key factor in sex and romance is honesty," Natsumi remarked, non-judgmental. "If you can't give someone - forgive the pun - the bare and naked truth, it's definitely not likely to work out."
Aqua frowned. Then she nodded again. "You're right," she said, even. "There is a lot to think about first."
Natsumi smiled at her. "You're learning already."
The next two days of travel were...
Days of travel.
Aqua tried not to think about, let alone bring up, the discussion of that night by the fire.
Not that she wasn't- thinking about it- of course, but...
Anyway.
They moved further across the region, and eventually came to a surprise in the distance, at mid-day of their third day.
A large, reflective balloon ship was flying across the sky quickly, with burning flames behind it and spinning propellers in front of it. A large, long, metal rectangle hanging from its underside, running the length of it.
"An airship," Aqua gasped, the knowledge long-forgotten spilling from her lips before she even recognized it consciously.
Natsumi suddenly transformed beneath Aqua; Aqua, caught by total surprise and off her guard, fell straight down, landing hard and awkwardly on her rear end.
"Ow..." Aqua groaned, quickly casting a bit of Healing magic on herself.
"Oh - I'm so sorry for that!" Natsumi said earnestly, turning to look at her. "I honestly forgot you were there..."
"It's alright," Aqua said simply, getting up and dusting herself off. She looked up at the ship drifting across their field of view - heading for some high, sheer cliffs to the far right. "Do you think that ship is heading for a town?"
Natsumi turned, following Aqua's gaze. She stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. "A town...? No. A passenger outpost and airstrip...? Yes."
"You can see that far away?" Aqua said, genuinely impressed and amazed.
Natsumi turned to her with a smile. "With the help of magic - yes. If we make our way in that direction, we'll be able to take a road up along the side of the cliffs. It's a long and winding path, but it will get us there. Depending on where the ships go, and how far they go, they might be able to cut a substantial amount of time off our journey." She paused, then added, with a touch of humor, "And depending on how much money you have, of course. I shouldn't have to tell you that by human standards I'm, simply put...flat broke."
"I can pay anything that needs paying for," Aqua said, firm and swift. "Don't worry about it!"
"I'll hold you to that," Natsumi said, still in joking tones.
Aqua let herself laugh. More because she was excited at the idea of the airships, really, but...all the same.
Natsumi turned back again, Aqua leapt up onto her, and they were off.
Faster than Aqua thought Natsumi had ever ran before. She probably wanted to get them there before the sun fell.
They blazed across the dirt, leaving a trail of orange flames behind that anyone could have seen from a long ways off, probably.
As they neared the cliffs, Aqua truly got a sense of how tall they were. She also came to see what Natsumi had - a glinting, large round structure, next to a wide dock built out from the side of the cliff, far above. She also saw where they were headed: the pathway up the side of the plateau.
It was exactly as Natsumi had said: a long, winding journey, all the way up and around...but, eventually, they reached the top.
They stepped up onto the plateau at last, and Aqua gasped softly.
It all looked so much bigger up close.
That large, round building was as big as a grand castle - and the docks and airship strip were so long and wide that she was greeted by the sight of several of those huge airships sitting along them. Five, counting the one that must have just landed earlier - the one they'd watched fly in from afar.
There were also a surprising amount of people wandering around the strip - around the airships, and the large building.
Natsumi gave a little snort, catching Aqua's attention, as she lowered herself to the ground. Aqua jumped down; Natsumi assumed human form in a wash of flames.
"Okay, then. Let's figure out where we're going," Aqua said, starting forward.
Natsumi followed after her.
They crossed the airstrip, moving between two gigantic ships with open, wide boarding ramps extended from their fronts. Aqua paused, turning. She eyed one ship, then the other. She guessed they wouldn't know unless they picked one, would they? So just...pick one.
Aqua spun on her heel and headed for the closest one, weaving the crowds and streams of people disembarking - or boarding. She carefully made her way to the bottom of the ramp. She spied a man in a uniform, holding a thick black booklet in hand, and hurried up to him.
"Hello. Excuse me - I was wondering if any of these ships could take me anywhere closer to-" Aqua began, only to stop herself. The man turned to her, eyeing her now, his eyebrows raised. "-Ancewell."
The name rose from the depths of her mind, her youngest memories, after so long...
The man considered her. Then he looked down at his book, flipping through the pages. Lifting up folds and partitions. "There's a flight scheduled for three days from now that'll get you to the eastern border of Zitol. From there, you'd have to go the rest of the way to the capital on your own. And of course, you'll need a passport if you're not a native citizen."
"Yes. Of course," Aqua said. "I am a...native citizen of Zitol, don't worry about that."
The man shrugged. "It's not for me to worry about. I just take the money and see people onto the ships."
"Right. How much is it for two people?" Aqua asked, turning to indicate Natsumi.
The man told her.
Aqua frowned, taking out her pouch. She dug around in it, taking out coins, gazing at them in her palm... After an embarrassingly long time, she held her hand out to the man.
He took them from her, and deposited them into a bag slung around his waist. "Alright. The payment's good. Name and ID, please."
Aqua froze.
Stupid. Idiot. Moron! Of course she should have-
No. It was probably fine! It had been twenty years, for these people, on this world. Almost twenty-one, now, really. Surely no one would even remember...? With so much going on in the world, would anyone's mind really jump straight to- to her?
But that did still leave the problem of an ID card...
Without that, she wasn't getting on this ship, even if no one recognized her.
Sighing to herself, she turned to look at Natsumi.
"Is there a problem?" the man spoke again, clearly annoyed now. "I have a schedule to keep, lady."
Aqua stepped away, shaking her head. "No. Sorry to bother you. Keep the money."
She turned and stalked off from the ramp.
"Hey- are you serious...ah whatever..." The man's exclamation fell into half-hearted resignation.
Aqua hurried across the airstrip, her shoes clicking beneath her with every step.
What was she going to do now? It wasn't just an airship that was going to be a problem, she realized now. Even if she walked the rest of the way to Zitol, the border guards would want identification, too. She'd have to fight or sneak her way in, even if she got that far, and then-
Aqua was jarred back into reality, gasping as she bounced backwards off of something - no, someone. The other person stumbled back, raising a hand to her head. It was a woman - around forty years of age, tall and curvy, with a pixie cut of hot pink hair and glinting earrings, wearing a uniform of some kind. Military or security. For the airships, or...?
Either way, Aqua cursed herself for not watching where she was going!
Aqua raised her hands and looked the woman in the face. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying enough attention to where I was going!" she said, in her most sincere, apologetic voice.
"It's fine, just-" The woman froze in the middle of rubbing at her head. She stared into Aqua's face, her own turning pale. Her olive green eyes blinked. Her lips parted in a soft gasp.
In that exact moment, when she realized it - when they both realized it - Aqua's entire world froze.
Everything fell away. Sound. Sight. All of it was gone.
Her body tensed. It trembled. Magic and adrenaline coursed through her, from her toes up to the very top of her head. Her arms were still raised...
The woman swallowed...and then her lips moved.
"Lady Aqua...?"
In an instant, Aqua whipped away from her, stalking off the other way, toward the cliff's edge.
"Could it really be...? L-Lady Aqua, please, wait!" the woman's voice, followed by quick footsteps. "P-"
Aqua spun back around, throwing out her arm with a cry. Wind magic exploded outward, swirling in a horizontal cyclone that slammed into the woman and carried her back dozens of feet, as well as kicking up a huge dust cloud. Confused and alarmed voices rose, crying out around her.
Under the cover of that dust cloud, Aqua turned and flew for the edge of the cliff, gliding across the ground on magical power, shrouded in an aura of pink energy. She reached the edge in seconds, exploding her magic beneath her feet in a pink shockwave, and leapt out into the open air without hesitation, her long, red cloak billowing out behind her.
