Take the Pieces – Build them Skywards

Chapter IX

Disclaimer: I own no part of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix or Disney or Biffy Clyro's "Machines" lyrics.

Forewarning for spoilers and speculation based off of KH, KHII, CoM and BbS.

You've been warned. Feel free to back it up to the index before you ruin the game for yourselves like I did (those patiently awaiting the US release as of right now).

Thank you to all the reviewers as of right now. And a very special thanks for all of those who added this to their favorites… and such. It's so very kind of you, really… I'm no writer, that's for sure. This is just my pastime hobby… So it means a lot that people are actually fond of this… despite the downfalls.

To answer, I do plan on bringing Axel into the picture… but not just him.

I'll leave the hinting there.

The clarification of Terra, Ven and Roxas is coming up shortly. Might do some hinting within this chapter… but we'll see how it goes. I've found my new motivation to work on this. :3

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Everything is born from sleep…

Those born in the light… those born in the darkness…

Yes… Even you.

Aqua's head hurt.

In fact, her whole body felt wrecked. Torn into tiny pieces, then glued back together. She couldn't remember what happened before then. She definitely recalled landing in the meadow… but nothing that followed the arrival.

"Terra?" the first thing to come to her mind was her male companion. She knew he was with her when she was blown off the Gummi ship. Her cerulean blue irises fluttered open, as she gazed around her. Her surroundings consisted of sand, and giant rocks boarding what appeared to be the sea.

"The ocean…?" she thought to herself, lifting her weight slightly. Even the tiniest of movements harmed her so, as she hissed in pain, holding her right-bandaged arm with the support from her left. Once she regained composure, sh-

Wait… bandaged?

Blinking, she peered down at the cast. There was a splint within a lightweight fabric wrapped gently around her shattered arm. The same stuff was also around her right leg, apparently, and her waist also felt a bit stiffer.

Confused, she couldn't help but to sigh, bitterly. "What happened… to me?" All she could possibly think of is doing something really stupid to knock her out for a good few couple of hours. It wasn't long before she felt the familiar aura of Terra, returning with a bucket.

He smiled, kneeling beside her, glad she was finally awake. He, too, looked pretty roughed up… But not nearly as injured as she was. He could probably take it with greater ease, since he had a well-built body for powerful attacks. "You were sleeping soundly by the time we got here… How is the pain?" he asked, truly worried. She waved aside his question with a gesture of her good hand, and he nodded. "I'm just glad you're okay…"

She returned his smile evenly, even though she was still perplexed. She wanted to know what went down before… But on the other hand, she didn't want to bring it up to him. Something held the question back, although she was unsure what exactly was doing it. Instead, she tried to peer into the bucket. "What's that?"

"Oh…" he dumped the bucket out in front of her, revealing a wide assortment of seashells and other beached trinkets. "I found these while you slept. They're for you. I know how you like these sorts of things."

Aqua's eyes dazzled for a moment at the pretty stones and shells, taking one of the smooth white ones in her hand. She turned it around, and looked inside. It had a multihued, pearly texture, and a simple yet beautiful design around the edges. "They're lovely…" she remarked, seeming to take a liking to the white shell. "Thank you, Terra…" she felt her cheeks flush a bit, noticing his hand on her shoulder.

"You're welcome… Just relax now. It will take a while for you body to heal… Once you've replenished some of your magic, I'm sure you can fix those bones good as new," he said in an assuring tone, a tone she loved to hear from him, especially after all of these years.

The last time she remembered hearing his voice, it was full of bleakness and despair.

She liked it the way it was now… The Terra she knew before what had happened, eleven years back.

In fact… he was acting just like that Terra.

Almost as if he hadn't changed at all…

"By the way, Terra…" she spoke up after some time, Terra wandering down the beach a little ways off. He gave his attention to her, waiting for her to continue. "Where are we… exactly?"

He paused, shoving his hands in his pockets, turning around to face the breathing tides of the endless blue.

"…The Destiny Islands."

--

Sora, Roxas and Ven returned to Disney Castle. Rather than a casual greeting, the three boys were pushed by a series of magic brooms to the King's throne room. Mickey stood beside Queen Minnie, having a serious conversation from what it appeared to be. In almost perfect unison, they took their bows to Queen Minnie, and smiled graciously to them.

"I'm glad you all made it back safely!" she greeted, though the smile soon disappeared. "However… we have not been able to locate your two other friends, Terra or Aqua…" she notified them, regretfully.

"Yeah… we kinda figured," Sora said, scratching the back of his head. "We're trying to figure out where they went, but it's hard without a lead… or a trail to follow."

"There might not be one." Mickey stepped forward, a shadow cast over his features. "It seems they've disappeared from this dimension completely. And to make matters even worse…" the mouse pulled out his journal, flipping it open to a page with a strange heart-like symbol on it.

"This is…" Ven started, but unable to finish.

"You remember?" Mickey peered up at the youngest of the three previous apprentices.

"…" Ven thought for a moment. He then snapped his fingers. "Unverse!" Mickey nodded. "But wait… that means…"

"Yes…" the King shook his head, seemingly devastated. "A giant Unverse appeared… in another world. It seems as though Aqua and Terra were there for a short time… but they eventually disappeared, once the Unverse dissipated as well."

"Could it have swallowed them?" Ven's expression became fearful, but Mickey shook his head.

"I don't believe they were swallowed… But I do believe there is something very wrong here…"

"Giant… Unverse?" Sora immediately traced his memory back to the Groundshaker heartless he encountered in the Pride Lands. Could the two be connected?

As if the thought was read, Mickey elaborated, "This creature was much, much larger than any Groundshaker… They have no connection."

"Oh…"

"… You said… there is something very wrong…" Ven recalled, watching the mouse nod. "With Unverse in this day and age?"

"That… but there's something more." He tried to think of a better way to put it, and even had to think his words through before expressing them. "When I located Terra and Aqua… Terra had hardly any energy from the map. And Aqua…" he paused, closing his eyes for a few seconds. "… Aqua had traces of a dark energy in her aura…"

Ven seemed to have fallen into a state of disbelief, his posture reflecting his agitation. "Aqua? … Traces of darkness? … I don't believe you."

"Ven…" Roxas tried to ease him, but went unnoticed.

"Aqua would never give into the darkness! Her heart…" he clenched his fists, suddenly becoming angry. "Her heart is made up of light… She was always that way!"

"Ven, Ven… easy," Sora warned, showing some concern for the other matter. "You said Terra had hardly any energy?"

"Visible energy…" Mickey explained. "A translucent mark appeared, if you will…"

"What could that mean?" Roxas asked, mostly to prevent Ven from running his attitude by the King anymore.

"One of two things… Either he's only present in a form that has no physical presence to it… Or he is a figment of our memories…" The only response he earned from the three was a puzzled tilt of the head by each of them. "… Meaning… The Terra we see now exists because he had been thought of the way from a past life."

"Aqua and Ven brought him back at the Keyblade Graveyard…" Sora noted. "But… I fought him… A while ago… … I think… And…" He dug in the back of his mind for the exact memory of the fight. "Every time I hit his armor… I don't know, maybe it's just me… but… It was definitely hollow sounding."

Ven only stared at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. It took a few tries, but he was finally able to find his voice. "Are you telling me… that the Terra we see is nothing but an illusion?"

All but Ven exchanged a few glances. Suddenly, another figure appeared in a faint light; Xion. She smiled at the group, stepping out in a semi-solid form. "Ven… The reason why Terra is here is because you and Aqua brought back the reminiscence of him." A hint of sorrow filled her voice. "He's not real… His thoughts… his true feelings… They resided in the armor that Sora had fought… A Lingering Sentiment, the sentiment of Terra."

"The same armor we met at the Graveyard…? Are you sure…?" Sora asked, looking between Ven and Xion. Hesitant at first, she gave a brief nod.

"What about my friend, Terra?" Ven muttered. "Where is he…?"

"…" No one was sure how to answer, not even Xion.

"Your friend Terra has fallen into the darkness…" a voice came from the shadows. All four keybearers turned immediately, summoning their keyblades, Mickey as well, and Minnie simply stepped behind him. The voice laughed. "The darkness engulfed his heart… and he is left to sleep."

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Sora demanded, stepping in front of the others.

"Sleep… him, and all the rest of you… poor unfortunates…" The concealed figure gazed up at Ven, and smirked. "But you… the youngest of your companions… You were lucky. You have woken… And so has the Master…" the voice sounded almost satisfied. "… But the Master is first… Always first for everything… Unfortunately, this one finished last… Let us start with that one."

"First? The Master?" Ven was befuddled. This mysterious person was talking in circles.

"… There are still others waiting for you… Young apprentice, will you be able to overcome the hardships you have yet to face?"

Sora blinked, noticing that he was the one being spoken to. "I know there are others… I'm dealing with this the best that I can!"

"Time is running thin…" the figure pulled an hourglass from the air, but the sand had froze in place. "It's not good to take momentary breaks…" the sand then began to trickle to the bottom of the glass. "You may take all the time in the world… but they can't. Instead, they are held in the frozen clutches of the hands… Care to thaw them out? I'm sure they'd appreciate the sensation to move on with the pace of life again…"

Silence.

". . . What, in the name of all that is light, was that supposed to mean. . . !?" Ven sounded exasperated, flailing his arms in the air. It seemed to catch everyone by surprise. "What are you trying to do!? Be some damned mysterious jerk who speaks in stupid, whipped-out-of-the-pocket, riddles!? I just want my friends back! But here you are, trying to mess with my head, telling me that they are going to be facing inevitable doom! What is wrong with you!?"

"… Actually… I think we just got our first real piece of advice," Xion realized that yes, it was a riddle, but it gave away a huge piece of the puzzle. To Ven's dismay, the figure had gone during his rant.

"… I don't get it." Sora freely admitted, the rest of the group sighing at his clueless, nervous grin.

"Time… In sleep, time doesn't pass. It stands still. Here, we have the power to use time and waste it away… Those who are in sleep haven't any time to spend… Being frozen… That was you, Ven… You remember?" Said boy thought as Xion spoke.

"Yeah, I was frozen… but that doesn't explain the 'thaw-out' part…"

"Yeah it does…" Roxas came in. "We've been given an order… First was Aqua, the Master…"

"… The first Master of the three of us…" Ven said aloud, his eyes unmoving from a tile on the ground. Xion nodded.

"The second… You… Frozen in time…and then to be thawed out…" Xion stopped speaking.

"One of us might think Terra is the third… but it's not him, is it?" Sora asked.

"… No… It's Axel…" All eyes turned to Roxas. "His specialty… Lies with the flames. Fire thaws out ice…"

"So Axel? Axel's the one we have to save?"

"Yeah… but Ven," Sora had his sole focus on the blond, "I don't know who that was… or what they want… but for now, we have nothing else to work from. We'll have to see where the riddle leads us…"

Untrusting to the stranger, Ven was not in full support of the idea. But he had faith in Sora, hence why he entrusted his heart with the brunet.

"… All right."

Sora smiled.

"Everything will work out… Just you wait."

--

It felt as though it had been well over three hours, but all Aqua knew was her magic was slowly returning to her. She could feel the energy surging throughout her veins, and it definitely made her feel more alive. Terra had disappeared somewhere, but she was unconcerned.

"As long as I know you're safe, Terra…" she smiled inwardly, taking her blue charm from her pocket. Something was strange though. She gazed at it awkwardly, noticing that it had hardly any reaction to Terra's charm.

It was then, something occurred to her.

Still weak, she gathered enough strength to summon her keyblade to use as a crutch, as she headed toward the ocean. She watched it for a while, before she noticed something different about it. Along the horizon line, a thin dark purple veil cast over the surface, eventually hitting the shore. Gasping slightly, Aqua leapt back, landing on her left knee, the keyblade serving as her right leg's support.

Searching for Terra, she shouted out to him. "Terra! There is something wrong…" she whispered the last part, though with no intention to. The darkness seemed to retreat a few inches, but shot back up, engulfing Aqua's form entirely. It was numbing, which served a good purpose as well, for she was easily able to forget her fractured limbs were even broken.

… Even regarding that fact, she refused to let that overtake her conscious. "No… the darkness can't serve such a purpose… a positive one? … I… I don't know…" her thoughts began to fade, as she was lulled into sleep.

It was happening… the darkness was taking control of her.

… Or rather, it was using control to take her.

"No… no good can come from darkness…"

"… Look what it did to Terra…"

"… Terra… where are you?"

--

--

--

Something cold was rushing against her skin…

"… Water…? … Maybe…" Aqua's once distant thoughts became clearer as she woke. Surely, this time, she was definitely awake. Except now, her body was not wrapped up. Her bones must have healed though, because she could move her right side limbs as easily as she was able to before.

It definitely felt as though she were trapped in a watery vortex. But as she opened her eyes, she realized she was falling down from nothingness. In fact, she wasn't even in water. Perhaps it was the thick miasma lingering in the empty space that made it feel heavier than it should, much like water.

As she slowed down upon nearing the end of her fall, she landed back on her feet. There she stood, in the center of what seemed to be like a never-ending blackness. Her eyes wandered, taking a single step ahead. As her armored boot hit the center, a burst of fragmented light hit her eyes. She shielded them with enough time to catch the shards turning into white doves, fluttering away into the darkness.

The platform had now taken the form of a stainglass, illustrated with her sleeping form, Master Eraqus, Terra and Ven's faces surrounding her, the three charms she had sewn on all sides of the circle, and many other representations pertaining to her innermost memories.

Aqua…

"… Master?"

She looked around, waiting for her Master's faint form to appear before her. Of course, it hadn't… But shortly, the image on the glass underfoot began to animate, causing Aqua to jump in surprise. The image of Eraqus smiled back at her.

"To see you again… it truly means the world to me…" On the verge of tears, Aqua knew that it was only his spirit speaking to her. It made her feel like she truly was alone, but in another sense, not.

"And to see you, Master Aqua… It has been so long… I had almost given up hope in speaking with you once more."

"Once more…?"

"… I can't stay here forever." Eraqus couldn't stand to see the helpless look on his apprentice's face. "But I must tell you something before I leave…"

"Master… anything… I wish for your departure not to be left in vain." Seeing him leave was devastating, but it was something she could make up by listening to his final request: a final mission for her to complete.

A single nod of the Master's head, and Aqua stood at full attention. "Master Aqua… For your final mission…"

He paused, noticing a stream of tears trickling down her cheeks, past her faint smile, dripping from her chin to the surface of the glass.

"… You are to allow your heart to guide you to do what you believe is right. For the realms, for your friends… and for yourself."

Her smile disappeared, as she stared down at the images beneath her. The face of Terra suddenly animated itself as well, nodding to her as if to tell her that everything would be fine. Ven's expression eventually followed Terra's, but he smiled at his blue-haired friend.

"Terra… Ven…" she muttered, her lips curving upwards to form that smile once more. She closed her eyes, the streams of tears turning into miniscule threads of light.

"Aqua… Let the light guide you out from this place… I know you will find your way. I put all of my trust in you… Farewell. And send my regards to the others."

With those last words, the whole stainglass faded into feather-like tiles, shattering upwards rather than downwards. Her body lifted from the platform, to the sky, away from the Awakening station forever.

The tears that had fallen eventually took on the form of free flying spirit wisps, taking off into the shadows below, with the heart of Master Eraqus.

…

"Huh… the sky seems further away… much further than usual…"

Ven opened one of his tired eyes. He was lying down in the Gummi ship, staring at the sky from the sky-roof. Even though he wasn't in space, it was still fun to look at. Sora approached him, taking a seat at his side.

"Going on adventures is fun, huh?" Sora asked, trying to lift his mood.

"Yeah…" Ven smiled. "When we all were to become Masters… I promised Terra and Aqua we would go on lots of adventures…"

"… Well, you still can! In fact…"

"… In fact what?"

"… You've been keeping your promise this whole time.

"Huh…"

Both boys stared up at the sky together, wondering just what was becoming of the distant worlds above.

They were also thinking of how they were going to save them all.

You've never truly been lost…

You were here, all along…

Right here... in my heart.

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Oh man… this was so much fun to type…

I may missed a few typos... it's 1:30 in the morning. Hah. xD

Reviews are kindly appreciated. Thank you!