I'm here. (Aqua)

[Sora]

(OOC: I'm going to NPC Donald, Goofy, and Yen Sid just this once, just to guide Sora in a memory of his.)

... Then all at once, it was dark once more.

Eyelids hiding azure blue eyes slowly opened, and their pupils contracted as they took in what little light left remained. Sora pulled his eyes wide open, almost hoping that he was under the covers of his bed safely at home, but the darkness that had gathered around him was less than inviting nor comforting. A slight gasp escaped his lips as he inhaled in surprise, looking around at the location he was now in, and suddenly remembered how he had got here from the events that had transpired moments before. A grey, dreary and lifeless pathway twisting between glowing lights on strange, alien-like pods... and all at once reacting to his awakened birth by sleep into this realm, a large Darkside Heartless slowly shook and loomed over him.

He was in the Realm of Darkness.

How many times had he been here before and escaped it, only to find himself here again? Once, after defeating Ansem... erm, Xehanort's Heartless, as he mentally corrected himself from force of habit, but had escaped when the End of the World split apart afterwards and took him away from Kairi, Destiny Islands, Riku and King Mickey. Only to end up at Castle Oblivion... his memory was a complete blank after that... but had been sent into the Realm of Darkness again by Maleficent as a 'truce' of sorts to get away from the Organization. Then escaped again when Riku in disguise found them and gave them a clue before opening a Corridor to Darkness for them to get back to the Realm of Light again. And then sort-of one more time as Xemnas took them to the Realm of Nothingness, only for him and Riku to defeat him and end up at the Dark Margin, except they were on the side of the Realm of Nothingness or In-Between and over the Ocean on the other side was the coastline of the Realm of Darkness.

There was no worlds merging, friends to open Corridors to Darkness or a Door to Light this time... this time, the Realm of Darkness had claimed him for good.

As the Darkside loomed above him, Sora's thoughts snapped to the situation at the same time his Keyblade flashed into his hands, looking determined not to fade into darkness here. Moments after in reaction to the key of the Realm of Light, three more Darkside Heartless appeared on either side of the road. He was clearly outnumbered and out-powered, and as the darkness sank in around him, he hesitated doubtfully and thought about giving up. But then he was reminded of something, and got out Kairi's lucky charm from his pocket, cradling the reminder of his Light in his hands. People were depending on him, and he couldn't let them down, or else more people would miss him and come looking for him here... and he couldn't allow that unless they could show him the way out.

Furrowing his eyebrows in concentration, he jumped out of the way as the Darkside slammed it's fist into the pathway he had been standing, and began to run down the pathway before the other Heartless could reach him. He wasn't being cowardly, just smart... he was exhausted from his trip here, and he would only waste energy and time into fighting more Heartless, especially if there were more on the way. He broke into a run, running through the dimly lit darkness, illuminated only by the key he wielded. As he sprinted into the unknown abyss that lay ahead before him, he thought of his friends in the Realm of Light, and everyone that needed him the most to heal their utter sadness. His thoughts flashed back to the memory of going to meet with Yen Sid before he went to liberate Disney Castle, which now lead him to this moment, and what he would need to do to make things right.

***

"Master Yen Sid! We're here!" Donald called out exuberantly as Sora pushed open the door into the Sorcerer's Chamber in the Mysterious Tower, where Master Yen Sid resided. He was sitting at the table, hands folded in his lap, and eyes closed until the court magician roused him from his deep thinking. "Heya, Yen Sid." Sora greeted casually, even though Donald and Goofy had already bowed and knelt down to the former keyblade master, until Donald jumped up and yanked him downwards to force him into the same respectful gesture. "Sora! It's Master Yen Sid! Show some manners!" the duck squabbled. "Hey! Okay, lighten up!" Sora said, pushing his friend off him. Goofy, the more mild-mannered and also calm and collected one in the group, put his friends back on the subject as they greeted the once-master of their king. "So Master Yen Sid, what's the reason that we brought Sora here?"

The wise magician shook his head at the antics of Donald and Sora as they recouperated themselves, then slowly opened his eyes. "Sora. How good to see you once more. I called you here on a matter of the utmost concern; it is about the journey you are about to take. You must be informed on what is to come, as it will be a journey much more difficult than the last." the sorcerer spoke slowly, but with a loudly spoken authority.

"I know," Sora said, pausing as he got out the letter the King had written to him. "Deep inside my heart, there are memories hidden, and they're supposed to help me find the people who need me to heal their sadness." he nodded, thinking for a moment in reflection about what this meant, and what Yen Sid had to add.

"Hmm, yes, indeed." Yen Sid confirmed, closing his eyes for a moment as he carefully considered what to say. "The letter the King sent you was in response to what he discovered when he tried to digialize Jiminy's Journal from your adventures; he discovered that Ansem the Wise implanted memories inside you while you were sleeping and had been away for a year. Within you lie the answers, and therefore you are the key, but there are some memories that not even Ansem knew." The wizard sat back in his chair and opened his eyes as he began his explanation. "Long ago, before your time, the keyblade was more than a special guardian of the worlds. There were many keybladers before you, the secret of the keyblade passing through many connections, some of which are tied to the origin of Xehanort. Those that wielded the key as apprentices of a dear friend of mine, just as Mickey was my apprentice, tried to stop Xehanort. Where they went to is unknown, but even though their stars have not gone out, they are likely to be long gone from this world. Perhaps, even sharing the same fate at the hands of Xehanort himself, but some may have survived just as the worlds have. If we are to find out what has happened to them, we may be able to find out some answers."

"Like where Riku, Kairi, and the people I'm meant to find are?" Sora chimed in hopefully.

"And the King, too!" Goofy delightfully added, Donald nodding along in agreement.

"Perhaps. That, and more, but if I am to confirm any suspicions of mine behind the imbalance of a great darkness I feel is approaching, I must confirm with the King." the wise spellcaster replied, and stood from his chair. "Sora. Donald. Goofy. I believe a part of this darkness has extended to the castle. You are most likely to find the King there, and if you do, once the darkness has been lifted bring him here. And Sora... the darkness you are about to encounter is vast and unknown. Should you find yourself wandering this darkness in another realm... I have reason to believe that there you may find a valiant and powerful keyblade master. Her star is shining brightly, but it has wandered away from the other stars, into a great and terrible darkness that threatens to smother it out completely. Why this is and why I cannot get a bearing of her location has been unknown to me for the longest time. Perhaps it is fate that you can open the door to the Light, for if you seek who has been lost... you may have found and saved her light before you, too, are lost in the darkness. She may very well be the key to this mystery, just as you are."

"Oh, yeah! What's her name? A...quairum? A...queduct?" Goofy fumbled over his memory, but Donald only jumped up and down frantically. "Doesn't matter! We'll help later, right now Disney Castle's covered in darkness?!"

Sora thought for a minute, then nodded. "Okay. Hmm... maybe the Realm of Darkness. I'll find a way to get into it. Maybe... she is one of the people, who needs me to heal their sadness." he nodded, as he turned to leave with his Disney friends to save their kingdom. "Maybe the King knows where someone is that can get us there."

***

How long had he been wandering this darkness now?

His keyblade summoned away, and now just wandering the pitch-black darkness of the realm, Sora found himself walking since he had escaped the Darkside ambush. Where was he, and how was he supposed to find... who he was supposed to find? Even if he found her, how was he supposed to leave this place? He had been three times lucky in leaving this place behind, and did not expect a fourth miracle to happen. Cheer up, there's always a light somewhere, if I found a way out I can do it again! ...As if I can even say that. People were counting on him though, and the lucky charm he clasped in his hand reminded him there was something good for him waiting back at home... but he wasn't even sure if he would ever see home or her face ever again. He hadn't even got to... I've got to get back to them. To get back to her! She's my...

Before he began to lose all hope he would ever be happy again, shape started to form around him, and the keyblade master started to realize that shape could take shape because of the presence of... light! The was light, even the smallest speck which hurt his eyes from wandering around in the darkness for what felt like months, but it was there! There is always a light within the darkness. I just had to believe it was there again. Sora felt his heart soar, even the smallest glimmer of hope, and it give him an energy to burst into a run. He kept running towards the dim light, feeling sand beneath his feet and a fresh breeze of ocean air in his face and hair, until he realized he had arrived in a location which made him slow in his steps.

The Dark Median. He was here again, at the shore of the ocean that stretched between this Realm of Darkness and the In-Between, but this time... he was on the side of Darkness, looking over to the Realm of Nothingness. This wasn't the same coastline he and Riku had been sitting on, the same speck of a world that marked the distance between this realm and the next, and looked across the moonlit sea as he imagined he and Riku sitting on the opposite side years ago. But as he did, looking out past the strange arch-shaped stones and the small rock on the beach, he spotted... someone. He could not kiss who it was, nor the color of their hair or clothing in the shadow of the silhouette they cast against the reflection of the luna light against the ocean waves, but... it was someone. Could it be...? Slowly, cautiously, he approached them from some distance behind them, calling out to them with a soft and gentle voice before it was drowned out by his large boots crunching across dry ivory sand, or the gentle crashing of the ocean waves amongst the shore.

"Hey... are you okay?" he reached out to them with his voice in a concerned and caring manner, and it was hard to kiss from this distance, but the newcomer seemed like they were sitting down and had curled up as they looked over the ocean... as if they had been there a long time, and like he had not too long ago himself, had doubts and almost lost hope he would be taken by darkness forever.

[aqua]

The steady hum of the waves seemed to echo throughout the Meridian, the eerie light of the moon glowing brightly, compensating for the lack of illumination that the blue-veined rocks provided. Time seemed to stand still as the beach was constant- the sun never rose to blot out the night, the waves continued to swell and fall against the sand... time had no meaning in this place. Nothing had meaning. The Meridian was a paradox of everything a beach should be- dark and cold. There were no fish, no seagulls cawing as they soared across the sky. No, the beach was empty- or, at least, it should be. She wished it was empty, because that meant she wouldn't be here.

Aqua sat on the pale sand, her arms wrapped around her knees which she hugged close to her chest, staring out over the ocean, her expression a bit blank, but only because the lost keybearer was deep in thought. Thinking happened to be her favorite- her only- pastime in the Dark Meridian, and she thought about everything and anything. Her friends, the worlds she visited, the days and years when life was simpler and there were no Unversed to worry about, no X-Blade to be forged, Master Xehanort was not a villain but a Master that they should all respect and when passing the Mark of Mastery exam was one of the things she worried about. Now she worried about how the worlds were steeped in darkness, according to the man in the dark cloak, and Aqua couldn't help but wonder if it was all her fault.

Maybe if she had realized, maybe if she had worked harder, maybe if... There were too many maybes, what ifs, and if onlys for the blue-haired Keyblade Master to get any peace, haunting herself with memories of every and any failing of her own. Perhaps if she had foreseen Xehanort's plans, she could have saved Terra and Ven, and the three of them would be protecting the worlds, and they wouldn't be on the brink of destruction... Fate obviously had other plans. Although she believed in fate, it seemed like such a petty way for her to come up with an excuse that the darkness of the worlds and the state of her friends were not because of her. She had to keep believing in fate, though, because it was also the only hope that she would one day escape.

After all, there's always a way.

Aqua knew she just had to keep her hope and the promises to her friends alive, or else the darkness would overtake her here, and that wouldn't do her nor Terra and Ven any good. So she closed her eyes and imagined their laughter and when she did so, the moon always seemed to get a little brighter. It was probably just her imagination, having been here for far, far too long, but she liked to think it did. It glowed a bit brighter every day, especially since she received the news that someday she may be liberated from this realm from the very boy she had considered taking as an apprentice over a decade ago.

Sora...

He was currently protecting the worlds from darkness- or so the man said. Aqua didn't mind the waiting she had to do ever since that day when she praised the boy's name to the realm- the worlds were far more important than she would ever be. It was why she had cried tears of joy that day... She thought she had been forgotten about. Now she knew she was remembered by others, and all Aqua could do was wait.

And wait, and wait, and wait.

Luckily, patience had always been a virtue of Aqua's, and after who knows how many years of wandering the darkness alone, she figured waiting a little while longer wouldn't make any difference. After all, time did not exist in the realm of darkness. Even glum as she looked right now, Aqua knew that soon her freedom would come.... eventually.

And finally, he had.

Snapping out of her reverie as she heard a voice call out, Aqua cautiously turned to face the approaching figure on the beach. Despite the light from the moon, the person was hard to kiss at first, due to the darkness that shrouded the realm. She blinked her bright blue eyes at the person who addressed her, her eyes reflecting a sadness that had been brewing for nearly thirteen years. "Could be better." Aqua said, and although her eyes were troubled, her statement was not without a slight humorous tone, her mouth flickering into the briefest of smiles.

The lost keybearer could finally see a mess of brown spikey hair, and eyes that were such a bright blue they rivaled her hair. Aqua squinted up at him a bit, and her expression turned into a shocked, yet delighted, realization as she imagined a hyper young boy in his place, and then visualized him as a teeanger to find that the person she was talking to... could he be? Aqua didn't dare assume anything, for fear of disappointment, so she calmly looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. "My name's Aqua. And you're...?" She said, and as she asked him his name, Aqua smiled for a little bit again, hoping that she did know the answer to her own question.

[Sora]

The figure he addressed in the darkness called out in a saddened, feminine voice, with a little hint of humor in it. As if she was trying to cheer herself up, and doing a miserable job at it, but Sora had to give her encouragement for trying. Yeah, she was definitely sad... maybe, just maybe, he had found one of the people he was meant to heal of their sadness? Well, even if it wasn't, Sora wasn't one to not help someone smile even more than they needed to. Especially if it was a girl, which he noticed more of her features were with her short but girlish hairstyle and her slender face, with eyes almost as blue as her hair. He kept treading over gritty sand as he came to a stop next to her, looking down at her from head to toe as he chose to sit next to her instead of the large rock nearby, which could have made a good seat if not for the fact it wouldn't be comforting this young woman with his warm presence from such a distance.

"I'd say. At least it's a nice view, and the waves... they sound the same here as they do on my island. How long have you been here?" he offered in comfort, asking casually as he brought up a positive viewpoint, switching to another topic about her situation here to this very coastline as he reached a hand behind him to seat himself down half a body's length away. Just as if she was sitting in Riku's place on a similar coastline, all those years ago, and his azure eyes looked from Aqua to the horizon so all the attention wasn't burdened on her. Sora didn't think he had ever seen this particular girl before... but there was something about her face, that unique blue hair and smiling kind eyes, that seemed to tug at the back of it's mind as it inconveniently hid within the foggy darkness of the memories on the other side of his heart. Had he met her before... maybe as someone else, or in another place he had forgotten about between his journeys? Slightly troubled, this was part of the reason he looked out over the horizon as he racked his brain to try and figure out why he felt he knew this girl, and the other part of him wondered how he was supposed to get out of this place with her if she was the keyblade master he was meant to be looking for.

Well, at least if he was stuck here forever, he had pretty good company.

He stretched out a leg closer to Aqua's side, his other leg pulled to his chest as he hung his arm over the knee, trying to relax and sort out these problems in his mind. The dark waves seemed to calm him, even if they were not from his home world, and he sighed just a little bit in relief as his feet stopped throbbing from all the walking and running he had done. Well, the good news was he knew where he was now, unless he went wandering off in darkness again to find a way out. And that likely wasn't going to be for a while as he was exhausted, and didn't exactly want to leave the pleasant company he had finally found. And probably most of all... having looked at this girl next to him in the faint moonlight, and from what Yen Sid had said, she was very much likely the great legendary keyblade master Yen Sid had informed him he would find here.

He hoped so, because how many keyblade masters were girls he had met, and how many had gotten lost in the Realm of Darkness? Then he could take her back to the Realm of Light... which was the bad news, because he wasn't sure how if his heart wasn't going to open the Door to the Light... but then he could get back to his friends and the people he needed to save. Which was also bad news, because if he couldn't even pull off a simple rescue mission to pluck someone out of the darkness, he might as well just have sat around and done nothing for all the good he was doing here becoming stuck in a dead-end realm. Thinking about all he had done before he had got here now, and what had lead up to the events getting him here... he didn't have any regrets. As Riku had said years ago, if they were in the light, then they would willingly be in the darkness.

That thought alone made him smile; he reached a hand to his face in realization, that he hadn't smiled in a long time. It must have been this place...

He laughed a little, thinking of how happy Riku would be out there in the thrill of battling the darkness by himself, and the sweet and tender thought of Kairi finding what she was looking for, as she twirled and spun around in a new dress somewhere back home. Bittersweet as the thoughts were that he would not be there to enjoy it, as long as his friends were out there, they would be enjoying the peace he created. Maybe even Roxas would find Axel and Xion, and the three of them could be sitting on the island somewhere, enjoying the view of the sunset. As long as they were happy he was happy, and that was often the path of a hero, having to self-sacrifice for moments like that for others without a second thought. Even if the darkness came back, the others would be there for the worlds... they would just have to go on without him, and move on.

He was so caught up in his own sweet memories of the people he missed, in giving up everything he treasured as if to say a final goodbye, he almost forgot about the girl sitting next to him. She pulled him out of his hazy delight of nostalgia of better times as she spoke her name, and he looked at her with those bright smiling eyes of his, trying to remember if the name was a link somewhere in his chain of confused memories. Aqua... The name was at the tip of his tongue, as if he could almost taste the memory that was associated with it, like trying to remember what a certain flavor of ice cream tasted like he only remembered the name of. Try as he might and no matter how frustrated he was, he couldn't recall, but something was screaming at him that he knew her somehow. But... how?

Well, it broke his heart to have to tell her the truth that he couldn't remember how his heart was connected to hers, but he felt like he did. He paused for a moment until he suddenly realized she asked him his name, and he looked back to her from looking away in thought, not wanting to disappoint her even more than she needed it. "Oh, sorry, I should have said something." he apologized, and he laughed a little bit, rubbing the back of his head with one hand a little bashfully. "I just... have the feeling we might have met before." he paused again, and looked over the female once more, before he realized he was stalling and being selfish for not giving his name to inadvertingly build up more dramatic effect. He straightened up, and made a familiar trademark toothy grin, his blue eyes meeting hers sincerely.

"My name, is...

...Sora."

[aqua]

Aqua's gaze turned concerned as the boy sat beside her and commented on how the waves were just like the ones from his home. Despite the fact of how cheery he sounded, he looked quite tired, like he hadn't had the chance to rest in a very long time. Maybe he had walked for a long time before arriving at the Dark Meridian, it was quite the trek through the realm of darkness... she knew from experience. She blinked though as she thought about what he said. If the waves were like those from his home, then that only helped prove her little theory that this boy was indeed Sora, as the memory of Destiny Islands was still rather vivid in her mind. Aqua didn't dare to assume though- to get her hopes up now only to have them crushed would be the end of her.

As the brunette asked her how long she had been here, she closed her eyes and sighed, before coming up with an answer. If this boy was who she so desperately hoped he was, then about a decade... The lost keybearer decided to go with a vague answer though, for up until recently, she had no idea how much time had passed. "I don't know..." Aqua murmured, opening her eyes, "...years, probably. There are no days here, so it's hard to keep track." Aqua said, looking at the moon that never set.

She watched him look pensive as he relaxed, his eyes glazing over as he was obviously lost in thought- remembering something, perhaps? Aqua didn't blame him, there wasn't... much else to do here, besides reminisce, unless she felt the need to vent her frustration on a Darkside or two. She smiled when he did, especially since he brought his hand to his mouth in surprise, mimicking her own actions from long ago. The young keybearer knew what it was like... forgetting to smile. Aqua's smile turned into a frown, wondering if there was anything she could do to help him... but she knew there was nothing, they were both trapped here, maybe forever.

Her smile returned as the brown-haired boy looked at her, a little confused. He seemed to be thinking very hard, as if trying to remember something, and this made her a little confused herself. Aqua thought about saying something, but he was so deep in thought she thought it would be rude to interrupt.

Eventually, the boy broke his train of thought and apologized for being so quiet, and Aqua giggled a little. "It's okay." She said, her blue eyes kind, but as Sora continued to speak her gaze turned into one that contained surprise, hope, and anxiety. He had a feeling they had met? Then... he could very well be... he would have problems remembering her, he was so young, and she only spoke to him for a few minutes. Aqua held her breath in anticipation, biting her lip as his eyes met hers. The moment of truth had finally come... would she be saved?

Then he said his name.

Aqua's face broke into a smile brighter than the lone moon, her eyes glassy with tears that fell silently. She tried to say something and found that she couldn't, and could only let out a bit of a watery chuckle. He was here, he had come... he had been saving the worlds she had let go to ruin, come to save her, and then Terra and then Ven, like Ansem had said... And even if that were too good to be true, if Sora didn't know how to get them out of this godforsaken realm, then... at least she wasn't lonely anymore.

Wiping her cheeks, Aqua tried yet again to say something, anything, but any sort of thanks that crossed her mind didn't seem good enough, and so she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I thought nobody would ever come..." She said, her voice slightly shaking and cracking due to her recent crying, "...but you're here."

Pulling back, Aqua looked at him, still smiling, although now she looked... very tired, her eyes red from her tears. "We have met before, Sora. You were very young... maybe four or five years old. It'd be a miracle if you remembered me." Suddenly, Aqua felt so much older, and at this she chuckled a little bit to herself. "I met you and Riku before I... well..." She trailed off, not really wanting to recount what she considered the end of her tale. She supposed that she would probably have to, if he didn't know about Terra or Ven, but she wanted to keep the mood as light as possible. After not finishing her sentence though, she had no idea how to continue. She wanted to ask him how they were getting out of here- but with the way he was acting earlier... there was a very good chance that he didn't. No matter... she'd continue with her happier memory of Destiny Islands. "Your homeworld is very beautiful... sometimes I try and pretend that this beach looks like yours. The waves sound the same." Aqua said a bit sadly.

All the while, there had been a question that was nagging at her mind, as the images of her smiling friends kept flashing in her mind's eye. "Sora..." She said slowly, dreading the answer, "...do you know anyone named Terra or Ven?"

...or am I the only one left?

[Sora]

For a while all that could be heard was the quiet sound of waves lapping up on the shore, as Sora introduced himself to the girl, watching her facial expression patiently for her response to his name in the pale moonlight. He couldn't help but have her words catch up to him after his thoughts, almost shocked at how long she had been stranded here, almost as much as how uncertain she was about it. Years? he thought, feeling sadness and pity towards the young woman... he had been here for what felt like hours, and he had almost forgotten what it was like to feel happy. How had she survived here all by herself for so long, without going crazy from utter loneliness, or being swallowed up by the darkness? It only proved in his mind how mentally and physically strong she was and that she was the person he was meant to be looking for, but that didn't matter now, for he was more determined than ever to make sure she never had to see this place against her will ever again.

"Don't worry, even if I don't know how to right now, we'll find a way... Aqua...?"

He cut himself short when he saw her noticed her sapphire eyes glisten wet with tears, that fell and streaked down her face, and for a minute he berated himself silently for thinking he had accidentally said the wrong thing to upset her. "Are you okay? You're..." ...crying,, he thought only inwardly, trailing off again when she tried to laugh it off. That laugh... had he heard that laugh before? "I'm sorry... was it something I said...?" he asked in confusion, his tone full of delicate concern, trying his best to understand what she was feeling right now so he could be more sympathetic. He watched as she wiped her tears, trying to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. "Please... don't cry. Smile, laugh some more, be happy. It's easier on me that way... if you can help me remember how to smile, then I can help you remember how to, too."

And then she did something he really didn't expect... she hugged him.

The young male felt surprised as the gap between them closed as her chest was suddenly pressed against his, arms flung flung around him in a grateful embrace, her head resting on his shoulder. He slowly wrapped his arms around her in return, his palms resting against her back, trying to be as comforting as he could with her warm gesture of affection. He listened to her words, and he slowly understood the meaning behind it, that not only had she been lonely but had almost lost all hope that she would never leave this place. "It's okay. I'm here. No-one knew you were here, but now I do, you're not alone. Not anymore." he mollified her in a tone softer than the one he used before, cradling her in his arms for a moment, just letting her express how she felt and enjoy feeling the warmth of another person's heart.

He let her go when she was ready as she leaned back, resuming the position he was before, giving her the space she needed but he wasn't too far away if she needed another reminder he was real. He focused on what she was saying as his eyes reset back to her alluring face, her eyes red slightly from crying so much, his expression softening as his eyebrows raised a little in sympathy. They had met before... when he was just a kid? She had explained it had been when he was with Riku, and made it slightly obvious it was before she had gotten here. She mentioned how she found his home world was very beautiful, how she pretended this beach was the same as the one back on his island...

And then, as she set the scene of the memory of how she had seen him in her eyes, something clicked behind his as they widened in realization.

---

It had been a long day, and Sora had been racing his friend Riku up and down the beach, and he only just beat him to the paopu island. He almost had outrun him! He remembered he always used to re-challenge him back to the docks and back again, in the hopes that he would beat him. And then... one day she had appeared. Up above them on the bridge of the island, and she had nimbly dropped down in a athletic jump that would be dangerous to him at his size and age, that surprised Sora and made him feel bashful enough to rub his hand through his hair.

That hair and those eyes... how could he forget?... she had stared at them for a while as if in thought, before uttering quietly one of them might be special enough. Special enough for what, he wondered, before she asked if they mind telling her their names. Being the enthusiastic and energetic little boy he was at the time, he raised his hand like he would if he was at school answering a teacher's question, and cheerfully gave his name. Sora, of course! He remembered sharing a look at Riku, in thought about what she might want, without giving them her name. The young woman asked if he liked Riku... of course he did, he and Riku were best friends! But then she asked something odd of him... something about if something happened and Riku got lost, or if he went down a dark path alone... and if that happened, then Sora needed to be there for him and look out for him.

He recalled those words specifically... that it was his job, and she was counting on him to do it for her. It was a bit of an odd request, as if she knew something was going to happen to Riku... another memory flashed in between, of a strange brown-haired man offering his weapon handle to Riku... was it something about what that man said or did? Not knowing what it meant, but knowing how awesome a friend Riku had been that of course he would try, Sora remembered how surprised and perplexed he had felt before she ruffled their hair in reassurement that they would do her proud. Then they had to go... there was no longer any time for that last race, as Sora's dad was waiting up the beach to take them back to the mainland. All of that had been forgotten as Sora couldn't figure out what it all meant, and with time as other things like Kairi came into his life, until now when that link of his chain of memories had emerged from the other side of his heart.

---

The spiky-haired boy looked with searching eyes at Aqua's features, his hands slowly lifting up as they gently framed the sides of her face in slow recognition, his thumbs wiping away what was left of the tears as he smiled. "I... remember. I remember you. You came and left, and only for a moment in my childhood memories, but... I remember you, Aqua. You remembered how you saw me... and that made me remember how I saw you." he lightly chuckled in amazed relief, the hazy puzzle tugging at the back of his mind finally solved, letting the hands that felt and bracketed the sides of her face in recognition slide down to rest reassuringly on her shoulders. He could have stuck thumbs in her mouth to check her teeth, as he had done to Riku in Traverse Town that one time to make sure she was real. But, somehow that would have been wildly inappropriate for a girl he just been reacquainted with, and the hug had been more than he bargained for that she was actually living and breathing beside him. She had to be one of the people he had set out on his journey to look for... one of the people connected to me, who needs me to heal their sadness. It didn't even seem to matter if she was the keyblade master Yen Sid had sent him out to look for... not even if she was one of the people Mickey had said was waiting for him, that he was healing her sadness now was more than enough.

"You're one of the people who have been waiting for me! Our hearts our connected... just as meeting you was... it wasn't co-incidence, after all. You remembered me, and that connection brought my heart here, to you." he smiled sweetly, realizing this, hoping that it would make Aqua feel her hopes had not all been for nothing. He remembered what she said earlier, adding with some humorous tone, "Hopefully, soon, you won't have to imagine it sounds the same. I'll do whatever it takes for you to see that place again... I want to take you home, Aqua."

Maybe he shouldn't have said that, to give her false hope... but was it really false hope? Could he get her home, somehow, someway...?

As she spoke his name and spoke of others of which he hadn't heard before, Sora's hands slipped away from her petite form, not feeling that his touch could be as reassuring anymore with the answers he had to give her. "Aqua..." he began as he resumed his position of slumping one arm over his knee and the other leg stretched out before him, looking down dejectedly instead of looking out to the horizon.

"...I've never heard of those names before... I'm sorry." he sighed, unable to meet the disappointment that would be in her eyes, and continued. "Before you came... all I remember visiting our island was a strange man that Riku wouldn't talk to me about... then after you left, people stopped coming to my island." he recalled, halting in his thoughts as he remembered something, a distant memory that seemed like a... far-off dream. "I remember one night though after you came, when I was just a kid... I felt a terrible squeezing inside my chest, and Riku noticed I was crying tears when I wasn't sad. He said... something about somewhere, someone must be sad, and I just had to open my heart and listen to them. And then, well..." he paused, unable to describe the sensation he felt in his own heart, and decided to leave that part out. "... I did, and the squeezing was ...gone. Maybe that person was... you, Aqua, or maybe it was one of the names you said. And then, after that..."

He paused again, looking up, his azure eyes searching far into the distance as he began his own tale. "Everything was at peace for a long time, and me and my friends were ready to sail out beyond our island on a big adventure... until the night the storm came. And Riku... he spoke something strange that wasn't like himself, and reached a hand out to me, before we were both smothered in darkness. I... I failed you, Aqua." he admitted now in further reflection, feeling very much like a student who had failed in the eyes of his teacher, his own blue orbs dropping back down in shame. "He went down a dark path, disappearing in the darkness, and I couldn't find him. I couldn't stay with him, couldn't keep him safe... couldn't protect him, from what was about to happen to us." he finished, leaving out how Riku had let darkness seep into his heart and turned against him, truly understanding how difficult and lonesome the path must have felt on his own. And yet, he sheepishly smiled, looking up as he positively added in afterthought, "But, everything's alright now. The worlds are safe, for the moment, at least."

Reaching into the large pockets of the long shorts of his special clothing, there was a clinking of something, and then Sora pulled out a hand-sized star in his fingerless-gloved hand. That's what it looked like, at first... the star was actually made of thalassa shells, sewn together through small holes with strong thread, and on one of the pink and yellow tear-droped shells was a small smiley face with infamously familiar hair spikes. The sight always made Sora smile, and he showed Aqua the lucky charm in his outstretched palm. "This is a lucky charm one of my... friends made for me, which gives good luck for a safe voyage... but it means more than that. Because it's hers, I made a promise to return it to her, so she would be sure that I was coming back to her. And I haven't broken that oath... and I'm not about to." he shared with her, curling his fingers around the charm, and clutching it to his chest as he closed his eyes. "Aqua," he stated confidently, before opening his eyes, "... I can't keep the same promise that we can make it out of here, but there are people out there like you, waiting for me to reconnect with them. And I have to keep that promise... but if we have to wait here a bit longer to figure it out, and our friends are on the other side where the Light is... then we'll have to be the Darkness, for them."

Even if they weren't leaving just yet, until Sora made the connection how to... he was still glad he had met her, and could be here for her now after she had given herself to the Darkness for others after all this time. He looked at her though, as there was still some questions of his own he wanted to ask, to fill in the gaps. "Aqua... how did you get here, and who are... Terra, and... Ven?"[LT:Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep - Aqua's Luck Charms]

[aqua]

It was surreal, hearing a voice other than her own comfort her. Aqua had spent years and years reassuring herself that all would be okay eventually, and the joy she felt proved too much as tears still streaked down her cheeks. The blue-haired keybearer smiled as Sora's equally blue eyes widened as he remembered when she met him long ago, and she hummed a bit of a giggle, knowing he was reminiscing about the same memory she was, although in her head she was comparing the young boy she remembered to the one sitting beside her. Despite the fact that he was older, Aqua realized not much had changed about him- he still had that boyish smile, and that bright light within. Her train of thought halted as Sora's eyes had that gleam of recognition, and his hands came to rest gently on her face as he wiped away the rest of her tears. She tried her best to give Sora that same smile she did all those years ago as he told her how he managed to remember her, but try as she might her smile looked more sad than happy- most likely the effect of years spent in the realm of darkness.

Her smile suddenly faded to a look of shock as Sora said he wanted to take her home. Did he really know how to get out of here? To get her out of this dim, bleak realm and take her to the sunny warmth of Destiny Islands? To take her home? Granted, her home didn't technically exist anymore, she saw to that herself, but to Aqua the realm of light was home enough. "Thank you." She said, and this time she really did smile as she had over a decade ago. Aqua could have hugged Sora once again, but her mood fell as soon as it lifted as Sora sighed and told her that he hadn't heard of Terra or Ven.

She should have known as much...

"It's alright..." Aqua said comfortingly to his apology, and knew that once she did return to the realm of light the first thing she would do would be to find them both. The blue-haired keybearer listened to Sora's story intently, laughing a little to herself as he described Terra as strange. She blinked in confusion as he described healing someone's sadness. Could it have been her own? She doubted it- from what Sora said, it sounded like shortly after the events of her and her friends' demise, and Terra and Ven's keyblades didn't save her from the Darksides until long after (at least, it felt that way to her) she had fallen into the darkness. She didn't interject, though, and continued to listen to his story, her expression becoming troubled as history began to repeat itself. He had failed her as she had failed Master Eraqus, although Aqua didn't blame Sora in the slightest. She narrowed her eyes in confusion at his statement that the worlds were safe- the hooded man had told her they had all fallen to darkness. She decided she'd believe Sora, since he was the one most recently in the realm of light, and actually had his memory. The affairs of the worlds aside, though- he had healed her sadness, and now she would heal his in return.

"Sora, you haven't failed me at all." Aqua said calmly, slowly turning her head from the sea to face him. "When I made you promise to save Riku, I was under the impression that I could also accomplish what I had said... which was a promise I had made to someone else as well." She sighed and continued, "I hadn't realized that it was already too late." Aqua gave Sora a small, comforting smile. "I'm very proud of you, Sora- I've been told about how you've saved the worlds, and that is not an easy feat."

Aqua tilted her head curiously as she heard a somewhat familiar sounding clinking noise as Sora reached into his pocket. Her eyes widened as he held in his hand a Wayfinder- a real one made out of seashells. She smiled and looked a little reminiscent as she heard the legend behind it, the same she had heard about so many years ago. She went to reach for hers but stopped, mildly surprised as he spoke with such conviction. There were more like her waiting... like Terra and Ven. But be the Darkness... if staying here meant her friends would remain in the Light, then she would stay as long as she could. Aqua slowly nodded in agreement. "Of course."

As she looked out over the ocean thinking of her friends, she almost didn't hear Sora's questions. "Well, it's a long story..." Aqua said with a chuckle, but her smile did not reach her eyes. Sora probably needed to know the full story if he was to save them all. Although they had all the time in the world, why would a story being long matter? The second question was far more easily answered. "They're my best friends." Aqua said, and pulled out her blue Wayfinder. "We all have a charm like yours. I made them in the hopes that if we were ever apart we would still be connected... but I was only expecting us to be worlds apart, not realms."

Closing her eyes, Aqua sighed before recounting her tale. "Worlds were being attacked by creatures that feed on negativity known as Unversed. Around that time, a keyblader by the name of Master Xehanort went missing. Terra and I were instructed to go investigate, although right after Terra left, Ven ran away to follow him. Our teacher, Master Eraqus, instructed me to bring Ven home... and Terra as well if his darkness got out of hand." Aqua said, and before continuing clutched her Wayfinder a little tighter. "Eventually, we all figured out what he was up to, but far too late... Master Xehanort wanted to create the X-Blade... which summons Kingdom Hearts directly to the wielder, and was the cause of a war a long time ago. Apparently, Ven was necessary for its creation, and fighting the Unversed would make him strong enough to become it. We all met at the Keyblade Graveyard to take Xehanort down but the three of us couldn't handle him and his apprentice, Vanitas. I was knocked out, and when I woke up, Terra and Xehanort were gone, and so was Vanitas. I saw Ven, though, or at least, I thought I did. Vanitas had merged with him and formed the X-Blade... after fighting him, Ven returned to his normal self but... without his heart and in a permanent sleep... I hid him until I could figure out how to get it back, and went to look for Terra."

"I found him in Radiant Garden. His heart had been overtaken by darkness and Xehanort possessed him. I fought him as well, although he fell into a dark pit. I dove in after him. I could only save one of us from falling to the darkness..." Aqua trailed off, as she looked down at her Wayfinder, which jingled slightly. "I've been here ever since."

[Sora]

So this was what forever was going to be like. No light, no warmth, no love. Just an endless sea of darkness that would stretch on forever, and the young man began to accept his and the young woman's fate, he had already cheated out of loosing his heart and escaping this realm far too many times. His luck had to run out eventually, and Sora wished silently to himself that reality wouldn't be so cruel, lashing out at them when they did not deserve it in the least for fighting for what was right and holy in the worlds. He heard a slight giggle from Aqua as he moved his gloved hands away, offering a small smile in return, one that failed at looking as sad as he felt inside as he resumed his seating position beside her. A cold slump slid over his throat as he looked away over the horizon, and settled chillingly and uncomfortably in his stomach, accepting his fate.

He could let Aqua just have this one moment though, a fleeting happiness of a far-off memory that was quickly dying out like the light of a fading star. The euphoria of being reunited with her had washed over him, and while he was far from content from being here when they could be in the Realm of Light, he let the ambiance of the softly crashing waves calm him and take him elsewhere. So he could keep hold of the feelings and treasured memories he had in his heart, remind himself they were real, to keep his sanity that it wasn't all a dream. After all, if Aqua had been here all these years and had kept it together, the time he had spent here was nothing compared to what she had been through. Trapped in this lunar prison on the border of an overwhelming abyss of darkness, no sound except the ones that she made, no companionship but the Heartless lurking far off in the shadows that wished to steal her heart.

So if she could keep it together without loosing her marbles, he could too, and now he was here she wouldn't suffer anymore from her loneliness. He could make noise for her of another human being by talking to her, listening to her to keep her from going stir crazy, and he realized that's what he should be doing now to be there for her as she spoke. He was surprised to hear he had not failed her, for she had failed to accomplish a promise as well, and his azure eyes blinked in curiosity. What did she mean by that, exactly? But now was not the time to pry or for answers, and he could find out in his own time, accepting that with the fact what was done was done. Riku had conquered his darkness for a reason, and he had saved the worlds with him, and he smiled at Aqua. "Naww, it's all in a day's work, making some friends and wiping out some Heartless." he replied rather modestly, scratching the back of his head.

He turned away from the look in her eye, a scarlet blush flushing his cheeks slightly, the contagious grin he sported on his expression fading as he turned back to the dark horizon. He traced the points of the lucky charm in his hand, contemplating, before he returned the charm to his pocket. He would have to wait just a little bit longer to keep his promise, and hated the idea of keeping people waiting... or now that he was stuck where he was on this beach, it was his turn to do the waiting, as Aqua had. Even if someone had found them, would they just be stuck here like himself? A soft sigh escaped his lips as his smile receded, disappearing slightly into the low shadows cast by the moon before them, the cold racing icy fingers of chill across his skin.

His questions could not have come at a more better time, as he listened once more to Aqua's hushed whispers in the dark, smile perking up again at her first response. "I'm not going anywhere." he humored her, and settled back after that to listen to the very long story, azure orbs glancing the lucky charm she pulled out that was the same familar hue of her cerulean hair and eyes. The clutching of her fingers around it did not go unnoticed, and only emphasized the pain and regret he could kiss etched in Aqua's features as she recounted it all. When she had finished, he took a moment to absorb it all, slowly taking in the unfamiliar references and creating images in his mind. But one name stood out from them all, and his grimace slowly shifted into an expression of anger, his fists also clenching in his lap unconsciously as he looked down at them. "Xehanort... You...! You started all of this! Because of you, Riku and Kairi... and Ven and Terra..." he said vehemently to the villain who could not hear him, his voice soft but filled with anger, thinking about all he had done and the lives he had made suffer. He made no mistake, there couldn't be two Xehanorts... unless it was like when there were two Ansems, with one imposter... but thinking of that only would leave him confused. Mickey had told him long ago how he had met the impostor long ago but couldn't remember... maybe Aqua had met him too and this was the same one, before he had split into a Heartless and a Nobody he had both defeated, which eased his tensed nerves slightly. Taking a moment to calm himself, the rage washed away as he let go of the tight breath he had been holding in his chest, the gentle smile returning as he looked at Aqua in forethought. She had suffered too, and he reached his hand over to hers, touching the Wayfinder she was still clutching onto. "Don't worry Aqua, you won't need to worry anymore. I met Anse... I mean, a Xehanort too, but that's a story for another time. First, we're going to help find your friends. I don't know where Ven's heart is, but you don't need a lucky charm to stay connected to it. Our hearts are connected... I lost my heart once, but deep within the darkness a light shone within, and I heard a voice that brought me back. If you just keep calling out to your friends, and remember how you see them in your heart, they will come back to you. Just like I did, for you."

As if reacting to his meaningful and profound words, a small light began to glow in the distance, small at first but bright enough to make Sora's head turn and notice. "Aqua, look!" he cried, his voice suddenly rejuvenated with joy and exuberance, tears welling at the corner of his eyes and making them watery. Across the dark salty water, the light was growing and expanding, the rays stretching out and forming the shape of a doorway. With a chime, the door opened a pathway before them, and Sora could not believe the miracle had come to save them a second time from this gloomy realm. It was harder to believe than seeing another user of the dark that didn't have silver hair and aquamarine eyes. It had been Aqua's Wayfinder... no, his heart responding to it, as Riku had said which had opened this gateway. Standing up and dusting the sand off his shorts, he extended a hand down to Aqua, his smile turning into a confident silly grin. "C'mon Aqua, let's go home. We'll go together." he spok thoughtfully, and took her hand comfortably in his without a second thought.

Sora could hear more crashing of waves, and a unforgettable warmth and light that was all too familiar, and with that stepped through the threshold with the lost keyblade master as the light enveloped them both to turn everything into blinding white.

Sora and Aqua have left the thread, and the thread has ended.

(OOC: Thank you Aqua for such a lovely and wonderful thread, and thank you all who read and looked at this thread for voting it as a Thread of the Month! It wouldn't have been possible without you all, and I appreciate everything that you bring to this site! Yatta!)