Death of Aqua

The battle between Vanitas and Aqua in Neverland was not going well for Aqua. As skilled a mage as the blue-haired girl was, she couldn't compete with dark Keyblade wielder's swordplay. Battered, cut, and tired, Aqua could barely stand as Vanitas advanced on her. Aqua focused all of her energy into her Keyblade and cast one last Fire spell. The spell hit the mark and Vanitas appeared to be consumed in flames. Aqua leads against Keyblade in exhaustion with a sigh of relief, "Finally…it's over. He's finished."

"Not quite." Vanitas appeared behind Aqua almost unscathed. Aqua whirled around to face Vanitas but he just sliced her across the stomach and backhanded her a few feet away. Aqua landed hard, the pain was too much to take. She used up the last of her power in that last attack. She couldn't get up to fight; she couldn't even move to crawl away. All she could do is lay there and watch Vanitas come at her. He stood over Aqua's beaten and bloody body and raised his Void gear Keyblade, the tip pointed directly at her heart. Aqua was going to die. She knew it. Her killer knew it. She couldn't see Vanitas' eyes behind his mask, but she knew she wouldn't see any pity or remorse; but maybe there would be a smile. Vanitas raised his Keyblade higher, he looked into his victim's eyes and could see worry, but not for herself. So just to make her last moments as painful as possible, "I'll be sure to tell Ventus goodbye for you," and stabbed his Keyblade into her chest.

Vanitas removed his Keyblade and took a swing to clean the blood off it. He looked down at Aqua's dying form. The beautiful Keyblade master's once pristine skin bruised and cut. Crimson pain flowing from the opening between her breasts and the slash on her belly. Aqua's guess was right, he was smiling. Beneath his mask Vanitas' yellow eyes where transfixed on her. Then he turned his back, "Guess I was right. You are pathetic." He walks into a Corridor of Darkness to leave his enemy to die.

Aqua could feel her life slowly fading away. She looked out to the ocean surrounding Neverland and saw the Sun gleaming on the water. She had a vision of her friends, Terra and Ventus. She tried to reach out to them. But, of course, there was nothing to touch. Her hand fell limp to the ground. Her eyes stayed fixed on the sea. "It was such a beautiful day to." Water was her namesake. She always found it comforting. Strange how, even at death, it has the same effect. It made her smile. In her final moments, her mind turns to her friends, and she gives them one last message, "Terra. Ven. I'm sorry." She shed a single tear as she closed her eyes. And then, she was gone.

As they traversed the Lanes In Between Terra and Ventus felt a strange sadness. Something terrible had just happened, but they don't know what. They turn their Keyblade gliders around and head back to Neverland.

Terra was the first to arrive. He spotted Peter Pan and the Lost Boys in the Indian village, all standing around Aqua's dead body. He ran right over to them and kneelt down beside his fallen ally. "Wha…What happened! Who did this!"

"Terra!" Ventus ran up to the morning group. "Terra, what…" Ventus sees Terra cradling the bloody and lifeless body in his arms. "Oh my god! What happened!"

Peter walked up to him, "We found her like this a few minutes ago. Ven, Terra…I'm so sorry." Peter didn't know what to say. The Lost Boys were completely speechless. They had never seen a dead body before; at least not a fresh one. And defiantly not one belonging to someone they knew personally. Even jealous Tinkerbelle was upset by the sight.

Ventus walked over to his friends and sat down on the opposite side of Terra. He took Aqua's hand in his, tears streaming down his face, praying against all logic that she would give him some sort of reaction. She didn't. "Who would do something like this?"

"I know who," Terra said with a growl, "Vanitas."

"Him again…"

Terra and Ventus sat with their fellow apprentice in a veil of infinite sadness. Peter came up to them, "So what are you guy going to do?"

Terra scoops Aqua up and holds her bridal style. "We're taking her home, to the Land of Departure." Terra and Ventus active their Keyblade armor and gliders. Terra puts Aqua on the back of his and the two leave Neverland behind.

When they arrive in the Land of Departure, Master Eraqus was happy to see his wayward students return home. But that happiness disappeared when he saw Terra carrying Aqua's lifeless body in his arms. Eraqus was devastated to see his former apprentice dead. "What…how...who did this?" Terra and Ventus explain everything they knew about the masked boy named Vanitas. How he had been after Ventus for some reason, what Master Xehanort said about him. The inclusion of Xehanort disturbed Eraqus. But he had other things to concern himself with. "Why bring her here?"

Terra stepped forward. "I thought it would only be appropriate to have her buried here."

"I see. Very well, we'll have her final resting place be in the training area. A place you three have spent so much time together. I think it will be a good burial site for her."

The three Keyblade wielders all bury their comrade that night. "…A girl who meant so much to all of us, and touched the hearts of everyone who met her. Aqua was truly a unique young woman. Brave and kind, with a beauty and inner light that could not be out shown easily. She will be missed dearly." Eraqus' eulogy touched both of the girl's friends. Ventus wept openly, Terra on the other hand tried to keep up a stoic appearance, but a few tears slipped through.

"That was beautiful, Master." Ventus said with his eyes downcast. Terra just nodded.

"Thank you Ventus."

Ventus walked towards Aqua's grave and placed her blue Wayfinder around the Land of Departure emblem on top of the tombstone. Terra got a serious look on his face then walked away from the grave. Ventus calls out to him, "Terra, where are you going?"

"To find Vanitas. And make him pay for what he did to Aqua." Before Ventus or Eraqus could do anything, Terra activated his Keyblade Armor and flew out of the Land of Departure.

"Terra! Wait!" He turns to Eraqus, "Don't worry I'll find him," and activated his armor to follow his friend.

Eraqus tried to call to his youngest apprentice, "No, Ventus!" But he was gone. Eraqus didn't want to lose any more of his pupils, so, after so many years; he used his own armor to follow them.

In Radiant Gardens, little Kairi was helping her grandmother clean the castle, Hollow Bastion. She was in the library at the time. She told her grandmother she wanted to help organize the books, but since she couldn't read yet, it would have been a fruitless effort. So she had to just wipe down the two tables. It was a small job, but she was just happy to be helping in some way. So much so she actually cleaned them at least three times already.

As Kairi ran down the stairs to clean the table for a fourth time, She was suddenly hit with a strange and inexplicable sadness. Kairi burst into tears without warning and couldn't figure out why. All she did know was that she couldn't stop.

The lord of Hollow Bastion, Ansem the Wise, came into the library for a book he needed for his research. He found instead the sobbing granddaughter of one of his servants. He approached the girl and tried to consult her, "Why hello, my dear. You are Eas' granddaughter, yes?"

Kairi nodded her head in between sobs.

"Could you tell me your name?' It would only be proper to learn this child's name if he's to help her.

"K-Kairi."

"Is there something troubling you Kairi?"

"N-no, I-I mean, I don't…know. I just…I just…" It was hard to understand the girl with her crying like this. "Some-something's wrong!"

"What's wrong my dear?"

"I…don't…know. Aqua! Something…happened…to…Aquaaaaaa!"

"Do you know what happed to this Aqua?" Kairi shook her head. "Did someone tell you something happened?" She shook her head again. "Then how do you know something bad happed?"

Kairi put her hand on her chest, "I can just feel it, In my heart. I-I-I just knowwwww!" Kairi started wailing again, and Ansem wasn't sure what to do. If it one thing he couldn't figure out, it's how to deal with crying children.

Thankfully, Kairi's grandmother, Eas, came to get the crying child. "Oh, Kairi, darling. What's wrong sweetie?"

"Aquaaaa! Something's…wroooooooong!"

Kairi continued to cry even as Eas picked her up and started to rock her back and forth. "It's okay honey. What's wrong? Who's Aqua?"

Ansem walked over to explain things, "Aqua is apparently her friend. Something seems to have occurred but she is unsure what. She only knows that her heart tells her it's true."

"Oh, well I'm sure your friend is fine honey."

"She's not! She's not!" Eas carried Kairi off as the small girl continued to insist on the misfortune her friend is suffering. Ansem looked at the servant's grandchild with interest. There is something special about that child. To sense something with your heart that your mind can't comprehend, Ansem's curiosity was peeked.