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The darkness stretches endlessly around her. Even still she takes these walks. It's her own sign of fighting; of not giving up and just waiting for someone to rescue her. She doesn't need a hero she just needs a sign. The man that she happened upon a year ago spoke of a young man that could be that sign. But she's not the type to sit around and wait for him to magically appear to save her from this... limbo.
Her heels ache and her shoulders slouch. She's tired. So very, very tired. Her heart is just as weary as she nears the dark shore once again. The familiar black rocks accented with blue glowing accents. The dark gray sand that meets the equally dark water drawing up and receding slowly.
The sight kills her every time.
She's walking in circles. Unable to keep her promises. Kept from her friends and her duty. It's these moments she finds it so hard to keep it together. To not rest against one of those rocks and cry like a baby. She just wants to go home. She wants to have things back to normal; her friends, her Master, her life.
The weight on her shoulders has her silver armored boots shuffling against the sand. Her tall and slender figure crumbles against the ground as she leans back on a large stone. She easily blends into the deep black rock with her navy, high-collared halter top and black corset and shorts. The only splashes of color are the white bell-sleeves, pink straps crossing over her chest with the Master emblem in the center, and the blue and white cloths tied around her waist. The cloths themselves fan out around her as she pulls her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and grasping at the black stockings on her legs.
Head resting against the rough rock, her blue hair parts to the left and trails down the back of her neck. And she knows if she were to look into a mirror that she's exactly like that day. Her time stilled by the effects the Realm of Darkness has. A sigh slips from her lips. Briefly she closes her eyes, hiding those bright sapphire eyes from the penetrating darkness around her.
It's the only time her body is allowed to rest and let her thoughts wander. More often than not they settle upon her life – prior to this stasis that she's trapped in. Her breath shudders out as she holds back the tears. There's no sense in crying. Those few moments upon first arriving she did just that, but now it feels as though there's nothing left.
Opening her eyes, she stares out over the water and the black sand. It glitters under the dull light of what could only be described as a moon for this realm. Just as she's about to close them once more she catches movement out of the corner of her eye. She launches to her feet only to stumble. Her legs feel heavy and it's hard to take the next step. Perhaps walking the length of the beach is only wearing her down.
The puddles of darkness quickly take shape now that they've been found out. They surround her so that she can't even dive into the water if she needed to get away. The large humanoid bodies are pitch black with glowing yellow eyes. The antennae on their heads are crooked like their five-clawed hands and boot-like feet. Blue veins run along their lean, muscular bodies just like the rocks around the area. They are nothing more than some of the guardians to the realm.
And they don't look the least bit friendly. Especially since she's never encountered them near the shore. It's only in the depths that she'll run across them. It has her worried. But she doesn't have time to consider the reasons. After all, it could be that they merely followed her.
The Master's Defender flashes into her hand and even all these years later, it's foreign in her grasp. Although it is much more powerful than her Stormfall had been. It makes her feel more powerful, but the heavy memory of her Master dampens the feeling. Even still, it's not much different than her own had been.
The shaft is a cylindrical, gray shaft that tapers outward at both ends. The guard is shaped with two small light gray boxes and a copper rod. However, the grip itself is square as opposed to the traditional slender cylinder. The teeth are shaped in the form of an "E". The token dangling from the guard brushes against her and she spares a glance down to it. The Master Mark is hypnotizing as it glints with each turn.
The sound of movement draws her attention to her enemies. They observe her patiently and she knows how strategic these can be. And with a dozen cutting off any exits she knows it's either win or defeat. She takes a deep breath and draws one hand up.
"Fire!"
The large Firaga spell surges straight for the middle spot between the two directly in front of her. It lands with a loud boom as the fireball explodes. The blast knocks them both back and acts as the signal for the others to charge. The spinning attacks surge towards her but she doesn't move.
Just as they get close she vanishes only to reappear behind them. One slash, two, and then the third. She finishes the combo with a twirl as the one she had targeted is slung toward the water – almost smacking into a few on the way. One Neoshadow is behind her in an instant, slashing it's claws at her back.
But she's prepared and sends up a barrier that encloses her completely – giving her a complete defense. The second it shimmers away she's already spinning back around. She holds her Keyblade high over her head as her cloths wrap tightly against her legs. The Blizzard magic that surges outward is far more superior than any other. The ground turns to slick ice as far as two Neoshadows out on each side. Spikes sprout from the ice and attempt to impale anything that's in range.
Three of the Heartless are caught in the spell and vanish in a wisp of black smoke. It only makes the remaining ones spread out. One dares to lunge towards her and she merely cartwheels away. But as her heels kick up off the ground they alight with Fire magic and burn the Neoshadow. It does all it can to brush off the fire and sink back into a black puddle – hurrying away to regroup.
Her muscles tremble and she grasps even harder at the hilt, willing herself to stay on her feet. But that one moment of hesitation is all it takes. A Neoshadow jumps into the air and sails toward her. She brings up Master's Defender and guards against the attack, following it with a parry. It's the only needed distraction.
Black claws slash at her three times and catch her on her right arm and left leg – which had been slightly shielded by the cloths. The fabric rips and she can only fall forward. Her knees buckle as she flips her body around in a last desperate move. "Freeze!"
The chunk of ice slams down in the middle of three of the Heartless and disables their movements before skewering them. But that doesn't affect the remaining six. Especially the closest one to her. It's already closing in on her with quick, sliding steps.
Or, that is, until a fireball soars from above and slams into its head. The Neoshadow stumbles back just in time for the sharp edge of a rather large blade to slash through it. The tall man that appears destroys the Heartless before turning towards her. He extends a helping hand and a lopsided grin. "Wanna call it quits?"
She shakes her head while taking his hand, allowing him to pull her up to her feet. The second she's steady he spins around so that they're back to back. Her brain is spinning even after launching towards the three that are before her. Her memories are all she has and even still she's finding it hard to place this man's face.
But her heart swears to her that he's more than just familiar.
Even so she refuses to focus on it at the moment, not while enemies are at her front door. Just as she gets close she jumps into the air. Light surges around her feet and she's able to jump again, launching up even higher. Above them, she locks her eyes on the one in the middle. "Ha!" She cries out as the Thunder magic crackles over her skin. It builds quickly and from the tip of her Keyblade comes a large string of electricity that slams into the Neoshadow.
One immediately sinks into a pool of darkness, evading her attack, while the other is caught in the blast. They both vanish in plumes of smoke as she lands on the ground. She slides across the sand and digs her heels in to come to a stop. As she does her eyes lock onto the man opposite of her. Each attack is sure and deliberate, leading to the next while at the same time she can't help but hold her breath while watching him. His broad strokes leave such openness for attack that she finds herself beginning to run over to him.
Only one Neoshadow stands left before him and it refuses to give up. It slips into the ground and moves straight for her. At the last second it pops up from the ground and swipes. She guards against it with merely her Keyblade and falls into its trap. Those long black claws scrape along the length of the blade, refusing to let her get away. The Neoshadow from before rushes toward her in a spinning attack. The man's eyes widen and he can't ready a spell fast enough.
"Aqua! Watch out!"
The mention of her name from his lips has her faltering more than she ever would have. The Neoshadow slams into her side before dropping back into a stance on the ground. Aqua is thrown towards the water with Master's Defender flying from her grasp. She falls hard against the ground and the vibration of pain rockets through each and every joint. She can't stop the cry that breaks from her lips nor the tears that gather at the corners of her eyes at the sight of her Master's Keyblade crashing into the water.
The dark surface swallows it whole and all that's left is a small glimmer of light – to which that disappears quickly as well. She curls her fingers into the sand and struggles to take a breath. Years, years, she has wielded that in hopes of making it out and returning to her friends. It's the only Keyblade that can unlock her home and free one of her friends from his throne of sleep. To have it lost to her has her chest tightening to the point where she doesn't know if she can breathe.
Behind her, the man finishes off the remaining Neoshadows in a simple cross slash of four swipes. They vanish like the ones before and finally leave the two alone. The man catches his breath as he stabs his sword into the ground and walks over to her with his boots crunching against the sand. He kneels beside her and reaches out, cupping his hand on her shoulder.
"Aqua... I'm sorry."
She pushes herself up onto her hands and knees, trying to keep the tears from falling. But as she turns to look at him, to try and thank him, her breath catches in her throat. He's the last person she thought to see here. In fact, she never thought she'd see him again and he's so different than before. His short black hair spikes backward while only a single bundle of strands arches over his right eye. He's taller and the evident muscles are barely hid under the black, sleeveless sweater.
His pants tighten about his legs as he drops onto the ground. He's the opposite of when she left him. But even so, she's happy to see him; a physical link to what she once had.
"Do you need a Cure?"
She shakes her head. After all, that's the last thing on her mind regardless of how bad the scratches burn. "Zack, why are you here?"
He grins at her despite the bleak situation. "I came for that date."
Aqua looks away from him as she gathers herself into sitting next to him. Even the mention of their promise has a light shade of pink dusting her cheeks. The water laps up the shore, dangerously close to where they sit in the dark sand. She stares out over the water, struggling to keep the hope alive in her heart. It's then that she hears Zack sigh.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
Her eyes meet with his, "What?"
He rests an elbow on his leg to prop up his face. "Not that I meant to end up here. I just couldn't beat him... But Aqua, you-" He stops himself to reach out instead. With his free hand he brushes a gloved finger across her cheek. Little does she know he wipes away a tear. "You should smile."
She honestly tries. At first it won't come but after she glances his way it's almost effortless with his contagious smile beaming over at her. It's so bright from the darkness that she's used to that she turns her head away from him. "I guess it's been so long, I almost forgot how."
Her fingers curl against the sand when suddenly his is atop hers, squeezing softly. "We'll get out of here. Then we can go find Terra and Ven."
At that she has to meet his eyes and she sees the brightly burning hope that resides in them. She almost wants to ask what happened to him, what made him grow up into the man she sees before her. He's still childish in the way he grins at her, but the confident and reassurance that he shows beneath it has her heart warming again.
Now she thinks she can do this. With a friend at her side again she can overcome what has been laid out before her. The door will open and she'll be free, Zack as well. She smiles, a true smile this time, at him. Her other hand falls atop the one he has cupped over hers. "Thank you Zack."