To the End of Everything [211]
Challenge: [211] Apology
Title: To the End of Everything
Word Count: 452
Notes: There are some things even Kingdom Hearts can't make better. Implied spoilers for Birth By Sleep, or at least my guesses about it.
Aqua pulled off her helmet. She almost wiped her eyes, until she remembered she had gauntlets on. She shook her head, instead, trying to clear it, trying to clear away the sweat and blood and... and whatever else was in her eyes. She'd done it - they'd done it. They'd gotten to Kingdom Hearts and won. Kingdom Hearts would fix everything. That was what it was for. Now everything would be fine, they'd come back. He'd come back.
And there he was, standing on the strange shattered cloud-ground like he'd never been frozen. Like he'd never been hurt in his life. Not even wearing armor.
"Ven!"
"Hi, Princess." She was running toward him. "No, wait, don't..." She went right through him. There was nothing there to touch but a faint warmth in the air.
She turned around and stared at him. "…yeah. It's like this." He stuck a finger through the palm of his left hand, like light going through smoke. "I can't follow you home this time, Aqua. I'm sorry."
Aqua remembered the last look of fear frozen in his - in the eyes of his corpse. She shook her head again.
"Aqua, I..."
"You always broke everything."
"...yeah." There was a hint of a laugh in his voice. "And I thought you were a boy."
"You were such a klutz. You weren't strong enough, you couldn't keep up, you always got hurt. You were such an idiot for following me."
"Aqua, I'm sorry..."
"Thank you."
Ven dropped his eyes, and smiled, and shuffled his immaterial shoe against the immaterial ground. "Yeah." He looked up. "It'll be okay, I promise."
"Terra?"
"...it'll be okay. In the end. Don't be afraid." He put one hand behind his neck. "I should never have been alive," he said, not depressed like before, but rueful, smiling, like his birth had been just one more goofy blunder. "But it was such a rush, Aqua. I can't be sorry about it anymore. I'm just sorry for you."
"Do you have to go soon?" Aqua asked. In stories, conversations with the dead were always so short.
"I've got all the time in the world," Ven said. "You have to go. You're a princess, Princess. Remember? They need you. You have to go back."
"Can I at least rest first?" She was so tired.
But Ven laughed. "In your armor? You? You won't even sleep on the ground. Just close your eyes, and when you open them you'll be back on Xehanort's mountain." She hesitated, staring at him, memorizing him. He looked solid. He looked realer than anything. "Don't worry, Princess. You'll be back. Everyone comes back here in the end. Just close your eyes, okay?"
And she did.
Title: To the End of Everything
Word Count: 452
Notes: There are some things even Kingdom Hearts can't make better. Implied spoilers for Birth By Sleep, or at least my guesses about it.
Aqua pulled off her helmet. She almost wiped her eyes, until she remembered she had gauntlets on. She shook her head, instead, trying to clear it, trying to clear away the sweat and blood and... and whatever else was in her eyes. She'd done it - they'd done it. They'd gotten to Kingdom Hearts and won. Kingdom Hearts would fix everything. That was what it was for. Now everything would be fine, they'd come back. He'd come back.
And there he was, standing on the strange shattered cloud-ground like he'd never been frozen. Like he'd never been hurt in his life. Not even wearing armor.
"Ven!"
"Hi, Princess." She was running toward him. "No, wait, don't..." She went right through him. There was nothing there to touch but a faint warmth in the air.
She turned around and stared at him. "…yeah. It's like this." He stuck a finger through the palm of his left hand, like light going through smoke. "I can't follow you home this time, Aqua. I'm sorry."
Aqua remembered the last look of fear frozen in his - in the eyes of his corpse. She shook her head again.
"Aqua, I..."
"You always broke everything."
"...yeah." There was a hint of a laugh in his voice. "And I thought you were a boy."
"You were such a klutz. You weren't strong enough, you couldn't keep up, you always got hurt. You were such an idiot for following me."
"Aqua, I'm sorry..."
"Thank you."
Ven dropped his eyes, and smiled, and shuffled his immaterial shoe against the immaterial ground. "Yeah." He looked up. "It'll be okay, I promise."
"Terra?"
"...it'll be okay. In the end. Don't be afraid." He put one hand behind his neck. "I should never have been alive," he said, not depressed like before, but rueful, smiling, like his birth had been just one more goofy blunder. "But it was such a rush, Aqua. I can't be sorry about it anymore. I'm just sorry for you."
"Do you have to go soon?" Aqua asked. In stories, conversations with the dead were always so short.
"I've got all the time in the world," Ven said. "You have to go. You're a princess, Princess. Remember? They need you. You have to go back."
"Can I at least rest first?" She was so tired.
But Ven laughed. "In your armor? You? You won't even sleep on the ground. Just close your eyes, and when you open them you'll be back on Xehanort's mountain." She hesitated, staring at him, memorizing him. He looked solid. He looked realer than anything. "Don't worry, Princess. You'll be back. Everyone comes back here in the end. Just close your eyes, okay?"
And she did.