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kh_drabbleChallenge: [296] Hypothetical
Title: The Paths Not Followed
Word Count: 440
Spoilers: Spoilers from BBS. Like, all the spoilers.
Characters: Aqua, Ven, Terra
Summary: Sometimes, the path not taken is more difficult.
if only she was faster
The darkness is curling around his legs, oozing around his waist. She can't move; her body aches and her throat throbs, and her keyblade is heavy in her hand. But she can't let him go. She came here to save him, didn't she? She promised Ven – Ven, who sleeps in a world of madness, devoid of a spark, lifeless – that she and Terra would return to wake him.
She pushes herself from the ground. Terra is staring at the sky, his only movement the frantic back and forth of his eyes. The darkness is consuming him; if she cannot reach him, she will lose him.
Without warning, he falls backwards. She reaches her hand out, screams, "Terra!" Then she is pulling him out of the dark, onto the warm stone and away from the swirling portal that almost took him from her.
if only he had listened
He shouldn't be here. His feet kick up dust that hangs in the air, obstructing his view of millions of keyblades sticking up from the ground like a twisted garden. If he stays, he knows his will bloom here, too; maybe Terra's and Aqua's, too.
He is no master; a novice should heed the words of his betters and stay away.
In the distance, he can see two figures. Terra. Aqua.
It's a matter of feet between them. Aqua looks up, spots him first, then Terra. He can continue walking, or he can acknowledge what they all know: if he continues, this will be his end.
Without a word, he dons his armor. Aqua takes a step towards him, but stops as he summons his glider. Aqua nods. Terra nods.
Ven leaves and doesn't look back.
if only he had trusted
"Darkness cannot be destroyed. It can only be channeled."
Xehanort is watching him with bright eyes and Terra feels something creeping into his heart. He clenches his fist and remembers the sound of Aqua's blade against his, sees the weakness the Master spoke of when he nearly sent darkness shooting at her.
Slowly, he shakes his head. "No," he says. "The Master is right; I need to overcome this weakness."
"It is no weakness," Xehanort scoffs, and his bright eyes are hard, cold. "It is a strength Eraqus forsakes in favor of his precious light. But the light cannot exist without the dark, Terra; you can master it, become more powerful than Eraqus dreamed. You could be so much more."
Terra bows. "Thank you, Master Xehanort, but I trust my master. I should be returning."
He feels the coldness of Xehanort's eyes follow him through the hall.
Title: The Paths Not Followed
Word Count: 440
Spoilers: Spoilers from BBS. Like, all the spoilers.
Characters: Aqua, Ven, Terra
Summary: Sometimes, the path not taken is more difficult.
if only she was faster
The darkness is curling around his legs, oozing around his waist. She can't move; her body aches and her throat throbs, and her keyblade is heavy in her hand. But she can't let him go. She came here to save him, didn't she? She promised Ven – Ven, who sleeps in a world of madness, devoid of a spark, lifeless – that she and Terra would return to wake him.
She pushes herself from the ground. Terra is staring at the sky, his only movement the frantic back and forth of his eyes. The darkness is consuming him; if she cannot reach him, she will lose him.
Without warning, he falls backwards. She reaches her hand out, screams, "Terra!" Then she is pulling him out of the dark, onto the warm stone and away from the swirling portal that almost took him from her.
if only he had listened
He shouldn't be here. His feet kick up dust that hangs in the air, obstructing his view of millions of keyblades sticking up from the ground like a twisted garden. If he stays, he knows his will bloom here, too; maybe Terra's and Aqua's, too.
He is no master; a novice should heed the words of his betters and stay away.
In the distance, he can see two figures. Terra. Aqua.
It's a matter of feet between them. Aqua looks up, spots him first, then Terra. He can continue walking, or he can acknowledge what they all know: if he continues, this will be his end.
Without a word, he dons his armor. Aqua takes a step towards him, but stops as he summons his glider. Aqua nods. Terra nods.
Ven leaves and doesn't look back.
if only he had trusted
"Darkness cannot be destroyed. It can only be channeled."
Xehanort is watching him with bright eyes and Terra feels something creeping into his heart. He clenches his fist and remembers the sound of Aqua's blade against his, sees the weakness the Master spoke of when he nearly sent darkness shooting at her.
Slowly, he shakes his head. "No," he says. "The Master is right; I need to overcome this weakness."
"It is no weakness," Xehanort scoffs, and his bright eyes are hard, cold. "It is a strength Eraqus forsakes in favor of his precious light. But the light cannot exist without the dark, Terra; you can master it, become more powerful than Eraqus dreamed. You could be so much more."
Terra bows. "Thank you, Master Xehanort, but I trust my master. I should be returning."
He feels the coldness of Xehanort's eyes follow him through the hall.
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