Aqua (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wavesinherheart) wrote2012-09-17 11:12 pm
wavesinherheart) wrote2012-09-17 11:12 pm
(no subject)
[IC Information]
Character Name: Aqua
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Gender: Female
Age: 18ish (plus ~10 years in the realm of darkness, which doesn’t seem to have affected her appearance)
Species: Human
Appearance: Given some of the things to come out of the KH canon, Aqua’s outfit is actually fairly normal. The base layer is comprised of a black sleeveless (and turtlenecked) undershirt/corset thing, black shorts, and black leggings. Over these go a pair of purple straps that cross over her chest and a blue and white skirt that’s longer in the back in the front. Finishing the look is a pair of detached sleeves and a pair of armored shoes. On a non clothes-related front, she’s also easily notable for the fact that she has blue hair.
She keeps her Keyblade armor in a pair of armored panels that attach to her sleeves when it’s not in use. Or rather, she would if she still had her Keyblade armor. In the unlikely case that she manages to recover it, she will again store it there; in the meantime the armored panels that would hold it are little more than an unusual fashion choice.
Personality: Polite, kind, and more than a little serious, Aqua serves as the counterbalance to both Ven and Terra. This is not, however, to say that she cares any less for either of them. Like other Keyblade wielders (Sora, for example), her friends mean a great deal to her, and Ven and Terra mean even more than that, to the point that they could almost be considered her family. Not surprisingly then, threatening or badmouthing either of the two can be a quick way to get on her bad side, as more than one person has found out.
In addition to being naturally polite - something that serves her well over the course of her travels - she also takes responsibility very seriously. If someone asks her to do something she’ll do everything in her power to see it through to the end. It’s her responsibility, and she’s not one to let people down. Moreover, she holds herself to exacting standards to very nearly everything she does, whether or not it’s something she’s been asked to do. Doing anything other than what she sees as her best, whether intentionally or not and regardless of the situation at hand is something that is deeply embarrassing - not only for the fact the fact that it’s a personal failing but also for that fact that her failings reflect badly on her status as a Keyblade Master (and make her own Master look bad by comparison as well).
However, for all that she is a Keyblade Master and understands the responsibilities of such a position, she also shows a good deal of modesty. The only time she actually refers to herself with the title of Master, she’s directly issuing an ultimatum to the Xehanort-possessed Terra; in any of the other worlds she visits, she simply introduces herself as Aqua. This also extends out into the aforementioned politeness. If someone doesn’t want to speak about something she won’t press them, and she does her best to be understanding of things that people might not want to have brought up. She doesn’t always succeed, mind, but she does at least make the effort.
Unfortunately, her tendency to default to being perfectly polite and understanding, on top of the fact that she can be slightly awkward in more social situations can sometimes mean she comes across as being either aloof or cold. In general, however, she’s very much a kind individual at heart, no matter how she might unintentionally come across. Time and again we see her go to great lengths for her friends, regardless of whether they’re old or new. Similarly, that she doesn’t seem to need to think twice before running in to help her friends speaks volumes as to the lengths she’s willing to go to for those same friends.
Abilities: Keyblade: This is Aqua’s weapon of choice, and the weapon that she has trained the most extensively with, in keeping with her status as a Keyblade Master. However, at the point I’m apping her from the keyblade she has is not her usual Keyblade. While she still retains all the keychains she picked up over the course of her adventures, she sent her Keyblade with Terra when she saved him from falling into the darkness; the Keyblade she currently wields is that of her fallen Master.
On the off-chance she recovers her own Keyblade, she’ll be able to wield both it and her Master’s Keyblade but never at the same time, and by preference she’ll default to her own Keyblade.
Magic: Like Terra and Ven, Aqua has been trained in the use of various types of magic. In fact, of the three of them, she’s the one who shows the most ability with it - she has both some of the game’s best spells in her arsenal as well as the widest overall variety of spells. Her best spells are either Fire- or Blizzard-based, however, although she is both willing and capable of using any of the other commonly used elements as well, although she lacks either Ven or Terra’s affinity to wind- or earth-based magics, respectively (she does have a single attack that taps into more light based effects, but that particular attack isn’t purely magical).
In a less combat-oriented vein, she’s also the one who made the Wayfinders, and cast the charm on them that allows to be used to create D-Links, so it can be assumed that she has just as good a grasp on practical or experimental magic as she does combat magic, and may be capable of creating her own spells assuming she hasn’t done so already.
Command Styles: Depending on what she uses to defeat enemies, Aqua can sometimes channel her power into a secondary form. What effects this form has varies from form to form: some simply add an elemental effect to her attacks (fire, blizzard or thunder), while others change how she attacks (by drastically extending her range or making her attacks more aerial-based, for example). There’s even one based on icecream, although this is less likely to actually show up in game. And regardless of the physical effects on her attacks, all of them bring her to a new level over power. However, this power can only last so long and once it’s over, she’ll have to work on building it up again.
Shotlocks: Shotlocks are basically the Keybearer’s answers to swarms of enemies, especially ones that straight up combat magic can’t answer quite as well. Like command styles, the forms they can take varies, although they invariably involve some manner of projectile. Like Command Styles, they also have something of a charge time, although they aren’t dependent on what else she’s been using in the battle.
D-Links: Enabled by the charm on her Wayfinder, these are something like an interdimensional paopu fruit. Once Aqua has made a significant (positive) relationship with someone, a link is formed and she is capable of calling on their power in battle, no matter how many worlds apart they are. However, on arrival she will only retain previous D-Links if that character is present in the game. In particular, she’ll have D-Links with Ven, Terra, Stitch and (possibly) Mickey.
Perception: In addition to all of the above, Aqua seems to be unusually perceptive when it comes to matters of the heart. She’s able to tell that Cinderella’s stepmother and sisters have been taken over by their darkness, as well as being able to note both that Kairi is someone with a naturally high amount of light within her as well as getting a sort of feeling that she’s someone who should be protected. She can also tell that Terra’s passed the Keyblade on to a young Riku, although this may also be something that comes with being a Keyblade Master. However this ability seems only to be able to tell if someone lies at one of the two extremes and only shows up a handful of times in game - she won’t be identifying people with it left and right!
Items: In addition to the clothes on her back, Aqua also has her Wayfinder as well as Master Keeper - the Keyblade of her fallen master. Along with this, she also the various Keychains she picked up over the course of her journey, minus the one for Stormfall, which was attached to her Keyblade when she gave it up to save Terra. (For reference purposes, the individual Keychains are as follows: Rainfell, Destiny’s Embrace, the default chain for Master Keeper, Treasure Trove, Stroke of Midnight, Fairy Stars, Mark of a Hero, Hyperdrive, Pixie Petal, Sweetstack, Brightcrest, Ultima Weapon and Void Gear; however, by preference she will likely stick with one of the last four with the exception of Void Gear, which she will not use under any circumstances whatsoever.)
Beyond that however, she has absolutely nothing on her person.
History: While Aqua’s earliest years are a mystery, at some point in her young life she ended up as a apprentice under Master Eraqus, along with Terra. And for a good long while, this was how things were - the two of them training together. And then one day a strange man arrived in the Land of Departure with an unconscious young man in his arms. That boy was Ven, and he would end up as the third of their number - and with in short order, the three of them became friends.
Years passed. and within short order, Aqua and Terra were ready to try for their Mastery. The test itself was overseen not only by their master but also Master Xehanort. However, for all their not-inconsiderable ability, only Aqua passed the test - Terra had accidentally almost given in to his own darkness. Neither of the candidates are given much time to dwell on this, for not long thereafter, Eraqus receives a message from his old Master, Yen Sid. There’s a new threat in the world - one that feeds on negativity - and both Terra and Aqua are sent to look into the problem at hand. Aqua, however, is given further orders - should Terra show signs of truly falling into the darkness, she is to bring him back to Eraqus at once. Aqua agrees to this, but not before telling Eraqus that Terra isn’t as weak as he thinks.
As luck, or perhaps fate, would have it her search for the answers to the threat of the Unversed takes to her the same worlds Terra has recently been through. She meets (most of) the people he does, and over the course of her trip through the first few worlds, learns that Terra has not only been directly responsible for taking Princess Aurora’s heart, but also that he’s been standing ‘too close’ to the darkness.
Eventually, she arrives at Radiant Garden, where she meets a young Kairi and after rescuing her from the Unversed, casts a protective charm on her which she says will bring her to safety should she ever be lost in the darkness. (She also unwittingly passes the Keyblade on to Kairi during this brief interaction, but she doesn’t know this at the time.) As luck would have it, Terra and Ven also happen to be in Radiant Garden at the time, and they meet up after chasing down a particular nasty Unversed. After defeating it, Aqua accuses Terra of putting himself too close to the darkness. Needless to to say, it doesn’t precisely end well and after a brief and heated argument Terra storms off. Ven, on the other hand, refuses to return home with Aqua and instead goes to find Terra.
Left alone to contemplate the way things have turned out, Aqua eventually finds herself once again at the town square (slightly misnamed, as it’s actually more of a circle). There, she runs across a boy in a mask, who asks about Ven’s progress before picking a fight with her. In the end, Aqua wins, but the mysterious boy simply disappears into a corridor of darkness. Left with no other real options, Aqua once again leaves to follow after Terra and Ven.
Unfortunately, this time luck is not with her, and while she find traces of Terra and Ven wherever she goes (along with no small number of new friends) their paths don’t intersect again. Instead, the first person she finds that she’s met before is the boy in the mask, who she encounters for the second time in Neverland. This time, however, the fight takes more of a toll on her and after the fight, she proceeds to promptly pass out. Once she awakens from her brief trip to the land of unconsciousness, she returns once again to her search, only to find herself stopping at a world she’d never expected to stop at - Destiny Island. Not terribly surprisingly, she finds that Terra has already been there, and what’s more, he passed on the keyblade to a young Riku. Not wishing to be the cause of friends splitting up as she, Terra, and Ven have, she chooses to not pass the Keyblade to Sora, instead charging him with making sure that if Riku starts to get lost and wander down a dark path that he’ll keep him safe. That done, she returns to the Corridors Between, only to find a familiar face drifting in the darkness - that of King Mickey. Ever the gentleman, Aqua answers his near-incoherent ramblings and promises to take him back to his Master, Yen Sid.
Sadly, although he’s glad to see his apprentice safe, Yen Sid also passes on the most unfortunate of news. Master Eraqus has been struck down, at the hands of Master Xehanort and Terra. Understandably upset, Aqua asks where she can find Terra now. The answer Yen Sid give is that he’s heading for the Keyblade Graveyard, where once war was waged between Keyblades of Light and Darkness. Without so much as a word, Aqua turns to leave for the Keyblade Graveyard.
Once she arrives, she once again meets up with Terra and Ven, but this time the news is anything but good. Not only were Yen Sid’s words correct, but Master Xehanort intends to pit Ven against the boy in the mask and thus create the χ-blade and with it, unlock the heart of all worlds. Not intending to be part of this, Ven asks Aqua and Terra to put an end to him. Before either of them has a chance to respond, however, Master Xehanort himself arrives, with the masked boy at his side. And so begins the beginning of the end. In the fight that follows, Master Xehanort manages to freeze Ven so badly that he can barely and pull Terra off into a one-on-one battle with him out of Aqua’s line of sight. Meanwhile, one of Xehanort’s other pawns (a man by the name of Braig) jumps in to stall Aqua. She comes out victorious, but only just in time for the masked boy to strike her down out of nowhere. This time, when she awakes, it’s to find Mickey at her side. Ven, on the other hand, is initially nowhere to be seen, although in short order, they spot him not far away... holding the χ-blade in his had and with a nasty set of yellow eyes (which are invariably Bad News in KH-land). This new Ven raises his blade against Aqua, but against all odds, she manages to force the χ-blade to crack and then shatter.
When she awakes yet again, she finds herself in Yen Sid’s tower. Ven is also there, although he refuses to wake - his heart is asleep. He needs a friend’s light to show him they way back from where he rests. However, there’s still one person missing. Terra. Despite anyone’s best attempts, he seems to have vanished from the face of the world. Believing she can find him again, Aqua sets off from Yen Sid’s Tower, taking the still sleeping Ven. He’ll need a safe place to sleep - and he has a place in mind, managing to raise his Keyblade despite being sound asleep and creating a portal for the two them, a portal that leads to the ruins of what had once been the Land of Departure. Remembering Eraqus’ advice, however, Aqua takes his Keyblade (left where he’d fallen) and seals the world away, turning into into a great castle. A castle that would leave all those who enter its doors lost to oblivion, with one exception: Aqua herself.
Ven thus safely taken care of, Aqua turns to Terra. In the end, she finds him in Radiant Garden, only he’s no long as he was. His once brown hair has turned silver, and his eyes are now the same shade of yellow as those of the possessed Ven. At first, she speaks to him as Terra, only to have her words answered by another: Master Xehanort, in a new body. Enraged, Aqua raises her keyblade not only to fight back, but also in the hopes that Terra is still in there somewhere. As it turns out, he is, and after a particularly grueling fight he manages to gain enough control to lock away his own heart before he very literally falls into the darkness. Much to her credit, Aqua doesn’t so much as blink before diving in after him. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, she is unable to rescue both Terra and herself and in an act born of desperation and a wish to save Terra from the darkness, she sends both her Keyblade and her armor with Terra at the expense of herself.
Her stay in the Realm of Darkness is not an easy one, but between one thing and another, Aqua manages to survive there for nearly ten years, until at last she comes to a shoreline at the end of darkness - and a strange person waiting there. It’s at some point after that first meeting that she finds herself rather abruptly in the Realm of Dreams
Character Name: Aqua
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Gender: Female
Age: 18ish (plus ~10 years in the realm of darkness, which doesn’t seem to have affected her appearance)
Species: Human
Appearance: Given some of the things to come out of the KH canon, Aqua’s outfit is actually fairly normal. The base layer is comprised of a black sleeveless (and turtlenecked) undershirt/corset thing, black shorts, and black leggings. Over these go a pair of purple straps that cross over her chest and a blue and white skirt that’s longer in the back in the front. Finishing the look is a pair of detached sleeves and a pair of armored shoes. On a non clothes-related front, she’s also easily notable for the fact that she has blue hair.
She keeps her Keyblade armor in a pair of armored panels that attach to her sleeves when it’s not in use. Or rather, she would if she still had her Keyblade armor. In the unlikely case that she manages to recover it, she will again store it there; in the meantime the armored panels that would hold it are little more than an unusual fashion choice.
Personality: Polite, kind, and more than a little serious, Aqua serves as the counterbalance to both Ven and Terra. This is not, however, to say that she cares any less for either of them. Like other Keyblade wielders (Sora, for example), her friends mean a great deal to her, and Ven and Terra mean even more than that, to the point that they could almost be considered her family. Not surprisingly then, threatening or badmouthing either of the two can be a quick way to get on her bad side, as more than one person has found out.
In addition to being naturally polite - something that serves her well over the course of her travels - she also takes responsibility very seriously. If someone asks her to do something she’ll do everything in her power to see it through to the end. It’s her responsibility, and she’s not one to let people down. Moreover, she holds herself to exacting standards to very nearly everything she does, whether or not it’s something she’s been asked to do. Doing anything other than what she sees as her best, whether intentionally or not and regardless of the situation at hand is something that is deeply embarrassing - not only for the fact the fact that it’s a personal failing but also for that fact that her failings reflect badly on her status as a Keyblade Master (and make her own Master look bad by comparison as well).
However, for all that she is a Keyblade Master and understands the responsibilities of such a position, she also shows a good deal of modesty. The only time she actually refers to herself with the title of Master, she’s directly issuing an ultimatum to the Xehanort-possessed Terra; in any of the other worlds she visits, she simply introduces herself as Aqua. This also extends out into the aforementioned politeness. If someone doesn’t want to speak about something she won’t press them, and she does her best to be understanding of things that people might not want to have brought up. She doesn’t always succeed, mind, but she does at least make the effort.
Unfortunately, her tendency to default to being perfectly polite and understanding, on top of the fact that she can be slightly awkward in more social situations can sometimes mean she comes across as being either aloof or cold. In general, however, she’s very much a kind individual at heart, no matter how she might unintentionally come across. Time and again we see her go to great lengths for her friends, regardless of whether they’re old or new. Similarly, that she doesn’t seem to need to think twice before running in to help her friends speaks volumes as to the lengths she’s willing to go to for those same friends.
Abilities: Keyblade: This is Aqua’s weapon of choice, and the weapon that she has trained the most extensively with, in keeping with her status as a Keyblade Master. However, at the point I’m apping her from the keyblade she has is not her usual Keyblade. While she still retains all the keychains she picked up over the course of her adventures, she sent her Keyblade with Terra when she saved him from falling into the darkness; the Keyblade she currently wields is that of her fallen Master.
On the off-chance she recovers her own Keyblade, she’ll be able to wield both it and her Master’s Keyblade but never at the same time, and by preference she’ll default to her own Keyblade.
Magic: Like Terra and Ven, Aqua has been trained in the use of various types of magic. In fact, of the three of them, she’s the one who shows the most ability with it - she has both some of the game’s best spells in her arsenal as well as the widest overall variety of spells. Her best spells are either Fire- or Blizzard-based, however, although she is both willing and capable of using any of the other commonly used elements as well, although she lacks either Ven or Terra’s affinity to wind- or earth-based magics, respectively (she does have a single attack that taps into more light based effects, but that particular attack isn’t purely magical).
In a less combat-oriented vein, she’s also the one who made the Wayfinders, and cast the charm on them that allows to be used to create D-Links, so it can be assumed that she has just as good a grasp on practical or experimental magic as she does combat magic, and may be capable of creating her own spells assuming she hasn’t done so already.
Command Styles: Depending on what she uses to defeat enemies, Aqua can sometimes channel her power into a secondary form. What effects this form has varies from form to form: some simply add an elemental effect to her attacks (fire, blizzard or thunder), while others change how she attacks (by drastically extending her range or making her attacks more aerial-based, for example). There’s even one based on icecream, although this is less likely to actually show up in game. And regardless of the physical effects on her attacks, all of them bring her to a new level over power. However, this power can only last so long and once it’s over, she’ll have to work on building it up again.
Shotlocks: Shotlocks are basically the Keybearer’s answers to swarms of enemies, especially ones that straight up combat magic can’t answer quite as well. Like command styles, the forms they can take varies, although they invariably involve some manner of projectile. Like Command Styles, they also have something of a charge time, although they aren’t dependent on what else she’s been using in the battle.
D-Links: Enabled by the charm on her Wayfinder, these are something like an interdimensional paopu fruit. Once Aqua has made a significant (positive) relationship with someone, a link is formed and she is capable of calling on their power in battle, no matter how many worlds apart they are. However, on arrival she will only retain previous D-Links if that character is present in the game. In particular, she’ll have D-Links with Ven, Terra, Stitch and (possibly) Mickey.
Perception: In addition to all of the above, Aqua seems to be unusually perceptive when it comes to matters of the heart. She’s able to tell that Cinderella’s stepmother and sisters have been taken over by their darkness, as well as being able to note both that Kairi is someone with a naturally high amount of light within her as well as getting a sort of feeling that she’s someone who should be protected. She can also tell that Terra’s passed the Keyblade on to a young Riku, although this may also be something that comes with being a Keyblade Master. However this ability seems only to be able to tell if someone lies at one of the two extremes and only shows up a handful of times in game - she won’t be identifying people with it left and right!
Items: In addition to the clothes on her back, Aqua also has her Wayfinder as well as Master Keeper - the Keyblade of her fallen master. Along with this, she also the various Keychains she picked up over the course of her journey, minus the one for Stormfall, which was attached to her Keyblade when she gave it up to save Terra. (For reference purposes, the individual Keychains are as follows: Rainfell, Destiny’s Embrace, the default chain for Master Keeper, Treasure Trove, Stroke of Midnight, Fairy Stars, Mark of a Hero, Hyperdrive, Pixie Petal, Sweetstack, Brightcrest, Ultima Weapon and Void Gear; however, by preference she will likely stick with one of the last four with the exception of Void Gear, which she will not use under any circumstances whatsoever.)
Beyond that however, she has absolutely nothing on her person.
History: While Aqua’s earliest years are a mystery, at some point in her young life she ended up as a apprentice under Master Eraqus, along with Terra. And for a good long while, this was how things were - the two of them training together. And then one day a strange man arrived in the Land of Departure with an unconscious young man in his arms. That boy was Ven, and he would end up as the third of their number - and with in short order, the three of them became friends.
Years passed. and within short order, Aqua and Terra were ready to try for their Mastery. The test itself was overseen not only by their master but also Master Xehanort. However, for all their not-inconsiderable ability, only Aqua passed the test - Terra had accidentally almost given in to his own darkness. Neither of the candidates are given much time to dwell on this, for not long thereafter, Eraqus receives a message from his old Master, Yen Sid. There’s a new threat in the world - one that feeds on negativity - and both Terra and Aqua are sent to look into the problem at hand. Aqua, however, is given further orders - should Terra show signs of truly falling into the darkness, she is to bring him back to Eraqus at once. Aqua agrees to this, but not before telling Eraqus that Terra isn’t as weak as he thinks.
As luck, or perhaps fate, would have it her search for the answers to the threat of the Unversed takes to her the same worlds Terra has recently been through. She meets (most of) the people he does, and over the course of her trip through the first few worlds, learns that Terra has not only been directly responsible for taking Princess Aurora’s heart, but also that he’s been standing ‘too close’ to the darkness.
Eventually, she arrives at Radiant Garden, where she meets a young Kairi and after rescuing her from the Unversed, casts a protective charm on her which she says will bring her to safety should she ever be lost in the darkness. (She also unwittingly passes the Keyblade on to Kairi during this brief interaction, but she doesn’t know this at the time.) As luck would have it, Terra and Ven also happen to be in Radiant Garden at the time, and they meet up after chasing down a particular nasty Unversed. After defeating it, Aqua accuses Terra of putting himself too close to the darkness. Needless to to say, it doesn’t precisely end well and after a brief and heated argument Terra storms off. Ven, on the other hand, refuses to return home with Aqua and instead goes to find Terra.
Left alone to contemplate the way things have turned out, Aqua eventually finds herself once again at the town square (slightly misnamed, as it’s actually more of a circle). There, she runs across a boy in a mask, who asks about Ven’s progress before picking a fight with her. In the end, Aqua wins, but the mysterious boy simply disappears into a corridor of darkness. Left with no other real options, Aqua once again leaves to follow after Terra and Ven.
Unfortunately, this time luck is not with her, and while she find traces of Terra and Ven wherever she goes (along with no small number of new friends) their paths don’t intersect again. Instead, the first person she finds that she’s met before is the boy in the mask, who she encounters for the second time in Neverland. This time, however, the fight takes more of a toll on her and after the fight, she proceeds to promptly pass out. Once she awakens from her brief trip to the land of unconsciousness, she returns once again to her search, only to find herself stopping at a world she’d never expected to stop at - Destiny Island. Not terribly surprisingly, she finds that Terra has already been there, and what’s more, he passed on the keyblade to a young Riku. Not wishing to be the cause of friends splitting up as she, Terra, and Ven have, she chooses to not pass the Keyblade to Sora, instead charging him with making sure that if Riku starts to get lost and wander down a dark path that he’ll keep him safe. That done, she returns to the Corridors Between, only to find a familiar face drifting in the darkness - that of King Mickey. Ever the gentleman, Aqua answers his near-incoherent ramblings and promises to take him back to his Master, Yen Sid.
Sadly, although he’s glad to see his apprentice safe, Yen Sid also passes on the most unfortunate of news. Master Eraqus has been struck down, at the hands of Master Xehanort and Terra. Understandably upset, Aqua asks where she can find Terra now. The answer Yen Sid give is that he’s heading for the Keyblade Graveyard, where once war was waged between Keyblades of Light and Darkness. Without so much as a word, Aqua turns to leave for the Keyblade Graveyard.
Once she arrives, she once again meets up with Terra and Ven, but this time the news is anything but good. Not only were Yen Sid’s words correct, but Master Xehanort intends to pit Ven against the boy in the mask and thus create the χ-blade and with it, unlock the heart of all worlds. Not intending to be part of this, Ven asks Aqua and Terra to put an end to him. Before either of them has a chance to respond, however, Master Xehanort himself arrives, with the masked boy at his side. And so begins the beginning of the end. In the fight that follows, Master Xehanort manages to freeze Ven so badly that he can barely and pull Terra off into a one-on-one battle with him out of Aqua’s line of sight. Meanwhile, one of Xehanort’s other pawns (a man by the name of Braig) jumps in to stall Aqua. She comes out victorious, but only just in time for the masked boy to strike her down out of nowhere. This time, when she awakes, it’s to find Mickey at her side. Ven, on the other hand, is initially nowhere to be seen, although in short order, they spot him not far away... holding the χ-blade in his had and with a nasty set of yellow eyes (which are invariably Bad News in KH-land). This new Ven raises his blade against Aqua, but against all odds, she manages to force the χ-blade to crack and then shatter.
When she awakes yet again, she finds herself in Yen Sid’s tower. Ven is also there, although he refuses to wake - his heart is asleep. He needs a friend’s light to show him they way back from where he rests. However, there’s still one person missing. Terra. Despite anyone’s best attempts, he seems to have vanished from the face of the world. Believing she can find him again, Aqua sets off from Yen Sid’s Tower, taking the still sleeping Ven. He’ll need a safe place to sleep - and he has a place in mind, managing to raise his Keyblade despite being sound asleep and creating a portal for the two them, a portal that leads to the ruins of what had once been the Land of Departure. Remembering Eraqus’ advice, however, Aqua takes his Keyblade (left where he’d fallen) and seals the world away, turning into into a great castle. A castle that would leave all those who enter its doors lost to oblivion, with one exception: Aqua herself.
Ven thus safely taken care of, Aqua turns to Terra. In the end, she finds him in Radiant Garden, only he’s no long as he was. His once brown hair has turned silver, and his eyes are now the same shade of yellow as those of the possessed Ven. At first, she speaks to him as Terra, only to have her words answered by another: Master Xehanort, in a new body. Enraged, Aqua raises her keyblade not only to fight back, but also in the hopes that Terra is still in there somewhere. As it turns out, he is, and after a particularly grueling fight he manages to gain enough control to lock away his own heart before he very literally falls into the darkness. Much to her credit, Aqua doesn’t so much as blink before diving in after him. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, she is unable to rescue both Terra and herself and in an act born of desperation and a wish to save Terra from the darkness, she sends both her Keyblade and her armor with Terra at the expense of herself.
Her stay in the Realm of Darkness is not an easy one, but between one thing and another, Aqua manages to survive there for nearly ten years, until at last she comes to a shoreline at the end of darkness - and a strange person waiting there. It’s at some point after that first meeting that she finds herself rather abruptly in the Realm of Dreams