006 ☆ video/action in Destiny Islands

[lightguiding]

[The video of the nightmare abruptly starts as the communicator clatters to the floor, dropped by its owner. Aqua is thrown back against a large rock face with a dull smack, debris dislodging from the impact around her. It's all she can do to keep her grip on her Master's Keyblade. Stepping into view is a masked boy with a strange, red and black

Comments

[video, 1/2]

[abracadabrapon]

!

[These damned dreams...was there no one unaffected by them? Setsuna opens her mouth to say something - perhaps, to ask if Aqua was ok - but she stops herself. Instead her eyes merely narrow with determination as she turns off the communicator.

She had to do something, and quick.]

[action, 2/2]

[abracadabrapon]

Pluto Crystal Power, Make-Up!

[From...well, somewhere around the islands, a glowing figure emerges, Garnet Rod in hand, running to where she hoped the epicenter of this new dream was. If she was sensing it correctly.

She has been foolish enough to let her dream nearly destroy her. If she could prevent the same from happening to others...!]

[action]

[lightguiding]

[If Aqua spots the glowing figure, she doesn't pay much heed to it. As the dust cloud clears from the Mega Flare's explosion, she double jumps over the heads of her two adversaries. But she lands on her still-frozen leg, which buckles beneath her and sends her crashing to the ground. It's all she can do to roll out of the way of their spells to evade them.]

[action]

[sechstel]

[From a logical standpoint, he shouldn't be throwing all caution to the wind for one person, especially after that earlier accidental feed. However, the woman had aided him previously when he had been but a child and he really had no reason not to aid her in return. Of course there was also no reason to aid her either beyond the vague notion of returning the favor after a fashion. Certainly she appeared to be in far more danger than he had been as a child, but then there was no telling what might have happened to him had she not stepped in.

Regardless, he leaves his current location within Agrabah and steps out on the beach of Destiny Islands. To his surprise he sees no men around her, but it didn't take long to realize just what was occurring and he made certain to keep an eye on her actions as he sought out the source of the illusion which she appeared to be suffering from.]

[action] This worked the best logically, to me. Tell me if I need to change!

[protohero]

AQUA!!!

[Unlike almost everyone else who could see the video, Ven knows what's going on there. How Vanitas came back doesn't matter at the moment; all that matters is getting to Aqua.]

[His legs still don't work right, but now they at least moved, and he'd reclaimed his armor from Sora and strapped it on out of habit. So now he drags himself to the window in Sora's bedroom, summons his Keyblade, and then throws it up into the air, hitting the button on his shoulder at the same time. The magic of the Keyblade makes the green and gold armor appear around his body out of thin air, and he literally falls out of the window onto his glider as it swoops around to pick him up. Not at all the way it should be, but it'll get him where he needs to go, quickly.]

[action]

[abracadabrapon]

[Well, it just so happens that Pluto is running right by that window, and she sees Ven falling out of it!]

Aah--

[...and right onto his glider. Well. Pluto can't help but smile, as it's actually quite impressive.]

--I see. Coming along?

[action]

[lightguiding]

[Aqua still doesn't notice Zexion or any intruders on her nightmare. She's back on her feet, using her magic to make herself float for brief periods to compensate for her immobile leg as she trades blows and casts spells. Vanitas -- the helmeted boy -- is taking advantage of her slowness by beginning an onslaught of teleporting, disappearing and reappearing to slash and strike at her sides and back.

One hit nearly catches her full-force in the chest, so she stops merely deflecting his attacks and unleashes a Raging Storm spell, which causes pillars of fire to encircle her and drives him away. But the spell will only hold for so long, and it's two against one.]

[action]

[sechstel]

[He's silently glad he's kept his distance from the lady once the fire is summoned by her and then finally spies the thing responsible for her distressing illusion. Unfortunately his first attack was dodged by the annoying little thing. Casting an area-of-effect spell was out for him since it would defeat his purpose of trying to aid Aqua if he ended up accidentally hitting her with the spell he was using to destroy the duck. Perhaps he could trick the thing into dodging into an attack.

Considering his experience at destroying these things already, Zexion chose the spells most likely to work and launched them in the order desired. The result causes the duck to be caught in third attack, the fire consuming it and cremating it in short order.]

[action]

[protohero]

[His face is obscured by his helmet, but there's no mistaking Ven's determination from his pose, even if he's not precisely standing.]

I've gotta get to Aqua!

[And off he goes, shooting straight for his friend.]

[action]

[abracadabrapon]

Then I shall aid you!

[And she takes off running as well!]

[action]

[lightguiding]

[The two of them are too late to arrive; Xehanort had fired a Thundaga spell at her with enough strength to tear through her own defensive spell. But the hit doesn't land; Zexion was just in time with destroying the duck before the spell could strike home. Aqua awakes with a start to find she had fallen asleep on the beach of Destiny Islands. At first she wonders if it was all just a dream, but her battle wounds still ache. More worringly, as she sits up, she realises her leg is still frozen solid.

Heart pounding, she springs to her feet using her good leg, eyes falling on Zexion. A cloaked man -- like the one she'd fought in the Land of Departure, or the one she met in the realm of darkness. It's impossible to tell if he's friend or foe, so she summons her Keyblade to hand once more.]

Who are you? What's going on?

[action]

[sechstel]

[While he has nothing really against explaining just what had happened to her, he remains silent and with one hand opens a portal behind him. Actually answering her question would only reveal his identity to the woman and he'd rather not do that until it was unavoidable. Thus since she seemed to be awake and out of danger, he merely turned and exited via the portal to return to the castle, the portal closing behind him seconds after he vanished from her sight. She would be able to take care of herself from there on out he was certain. ]

[action]

[protohero]

[Ven has absolutely no idea who Pluto is, but since she's willing to help him, he's not going to argue. He nods once, the movement big in order to be communicated through the armor, then sends the glider flying at breakneck speed towards the beach, holding on for dear life.]

[And when he gets there, he barely waits for the armor and glider to retract next to Aqua before starting to cast Curaga at her.]

Aqua! Are you okay?! Where are they?! Where did they go?!

[action] I FAIL FOREVER YES

[abracadabrapon]

[Pluto, also, does not wait. She quickly looks around for the source of what happened. Only to find that it was already destroyed.

Curious.]

Who were those two?

[action]

[lightguiding]

[Aqua ignores the questions initially, her eyes fixed on the spot the cloaked man had gone. Who was that man? But there are multiple possibilities, none of them conclusive. She dismisses her Keyblade, the weapon disappearing in a flash of light, and answers Ven.]

I'm fine. This should wear off soon. [She crouches down to her frozen leg to examine it, but there's not a lot she can do for it except wait. She looks up at Pluto.] It doesn't matter. They weren't real -- it was just a nightmare.

[action]

[protohero]

Yeah right, Aqua, your leg is frozen! Hit it against something, you can break it if I did.

[Okay, that's not a happy memory, but it's truthful.]

So they're not back? They were just... illusions?