Welcome to what may or may not be my NaNoWriMo project. (Yes, it's not even November yet, I'm aware. I just have no self-control. |D;)

Admittedly, it's been a long time since I've actually tried my hand at mulitchapter project, never mind one that's as big as this one is shaping up to be. Anyway, regardless of how much I'll actually write in November, I'm going to try to stick with this story!

One thing I should note in the beginning: even though I'm using the games as base, I'm going to draw from basically all the sources we have for material, which means there may be elements from the mangas and the novels as well, though I will probably put something in the notes for people who haven't read either if that's the case. Also, some dialog may come from the japanese translation rather than the international one! If certain information doesn't line up or dialog choices are different to the english track – this is absolutely intentional!

That being said, I hope you are ready for this ride!

Enjoy!

- Beyond The Long Darkness -

- Prologue -

To say it's been a while since Aqua last felt anything resembling hope would be a flat-out lie, Aqua knows – she is painfully aware just how worn out she had been just before Mickey had found her.

She had been at peace then, just with the knowledge that Terra and Ven are both safe in the Outside World – but are they truly? – so ready to give in and let herself fade into the Darkness…

The past decade has been… challenging, to say the least; she'll be the first to admit it.

(Has it truly been so long? There is no reason to doubt Mickey's word on it, but still… slowly it's catching up to Aqua just how much time she has lost wandering the Dark Realm.)

But now… now that Mickey has found his Keyblade of Darkness and they are so close to the Door to Kingdom Hearts, she almost dares to hope… could she finally find her way back? Mickey may not know the way out, but his company is heartwarming – he is as optimistic as he is impulsive.

His mere presence chases away the loneliness that has weighted her down for so long.

She can't help but wonder though, about the identity of the Keybearer that will close the Door from the other side that Mickey had declared as already cast… Terra's whereabouts are unknown after all, and Ventus is still fast asleep…

"With this Key and the Key that Sora has on the other side, we can close the Door!" Mickey declares, answering that question and drawing Aqua back out of her thoughts (even with him here, it's still easy – too easy really – for her to get lost in her own musings, she thinks).

"Now, if Riku were here…"

But why would he be here, what would a child like him – maybe not a child, Aqua amends in thought, even though it seems almost like yesterday that she met that reserved boy Terra had chosen and his brightly smiling companion on those Islands – do in a place like this… what are those children doing mixed up in saving the worlds when they can hardly be older than Ventus was back before he'd gone to sleep.

Before she can even formulate that thought into a question, Mickey brightens and points ahead to a figure running along the barely lit path towards the Door in the distance: "There he is!"

He jumps forward a few steps, tail swinging in what seems equal part excitement and impatience as he turns back towards her: "Everything is ready now! Come on, Aqua, we'll–"

However, before Mickey can finish that sentence, the ground beneath them starts to tremble, an unholy sound echoing through the realm around them, one that Aqua has come to associate with mass accumulations of those damn Dwellers – Heartless, Mickey had called them Heartless – and surely enough, the Demon Tide rises into being behind them… but instead of going after the two of them, the Tide rushes straight over their heads towards the running boy ahead.

Aqua doesn't even hesitate to jump into action, Master Keeper in her hand before she even thinks about calling it, chains of light forming at her command.

"As if I'd let you-!" she shouts as she captures the core of the Tide, the chains keeping it neatly bound as her teeth grind together; keeping ahold of struggling Dwellers is even harder now than it had been during their earlier battle.

She knows for sure: she can't let them hurt the boy – or worse, escape into the Realm of Light.

"Just go!" she shouts, even as Mickey protests as though they have time to argue about this – they don't; he needs to close the Door, and she is going to buy him the time to get there.

She can't help the scream that escapes her when the Tide breaks free from her chains, and sweeps Mickey to the side and her off her feet, air rushing past her ears and for a second Aqua closes her eyes, bracing herself for impact–

It never comes.

Instead Aqua finds herself tumbling over the ground after a blazing light cuts through the Dwellers that had her in their grip – blazing, yet gentle, and for a moment even Aqua herself is stunned as her hand falls into the pocket of her skirt and pulls free her glowing Wayfinder.

The bonds she's made… her friends have rescued her yet again, it seems.

("Terra, Ven… Thank you!")

There is no time to focus on that though, not when the Tide is still up in arms, and so Aqua rolls back on her feet, her grip tight on Master Keeper. At her side Mickey – he's somehow lost his shirt – has found his footing once more as well.

"Are you all right?" he asks a little breathless, and more than a little worried; but Aqua can't spare him more than a glance before she's already casting a Thundaga to scatter the Tide as it comes rushing at them.

"I'm fine!" she shouts back before rushing forward, Master Keeper moving in a blur that dispatches the small Shadows on the ground while she waits for her chance to strike the core of the Tide properly. "Mickey, go! You need to close that door for good!"

Even if she can't see him while her focus lies with the Tide, his hesitance lingers in the air before he makes a short noise of resignation, then finally relents and turns away.

"Take care, Aqua!" he says, just before he finally rushes off. "Once this is done, we'll go back together."

Aqua nods grimly as she watches the Tide swirl in circles above her head, and for a moment she thinks of Ven sleeping in his lonely chair, of Terra fighting the Darkness to the best of his ability… it doesn't matter how many times she has to face the Demon Tide if only it means that she'll find her way back to them, and even though Mickey is probably already too far away to hear her, she answers: "It's a promise!"

Every breath, every step that Riku has taken since waking in this dark world feels like a painful strain on his entire being – if he's to believe that strange voice that had told him to search for the door between the realms, he's just his Heart right now, so how he can even feel anything resembling pain is really beyond him, but here he is.

It does explain why he's been feeling so faint… like a shade of himself.

Why is he listening to any mysterious voice at this point though given how that had ended not too long ago…

Well, at least this voice had encouraged him to listen to his own actual Heart on the topic of Sora and Kairi, rather than to his damn insecurities.

Still, Riku thinks he might have grown a little stronger again ever since that conversation – knowing that Sora and Kairi are safe in spite of how terribly he's messed up does a lot to settle his mind and help him focus.

Kairi must have made it out of Hollow Bastion somehow, and Sora… he isn't sure how Sora might have regained his Heart, but if anyone could do it, it's his best friend.

When he actually spots the Door the voice had talked about ("It takes two Keys, two Hearts to close it", they had said), he manages to break into a sprint towards it – it's his fault that it's come this far after all; he shouldn't have listened to Maleficent, or Ansem for that matter; no matter how much their words soothed his wounded pride and justified him in his feeling of abandonment.

He should have stuck with Sora in Traverse Town, in spite of what Donald had to say about that, and maybe then things wouldn't have gone so horribly wrong; maybe then he wouldn't have put either of his friends in so much danger.

There's still a chance to set things right again though, to close the Door and make sure that no more Darkness escapes into the Outside World.

Then, when he's almost reached the Door something changes, a loud clicking sound reverberates in the air around him as the Doors swing open slightly and for a second Riku feels frozen in place. His whole being shivers as something slams into him – it's almost like being torn from his body all over again, except… except in reverse?

A second later he actually draws breath and can feel the air fill his lungs, instead of just feeling his being (Heart? Spirit?) going through the motion.

His body – this is his body, Sora must have defeated Ansem somehow – still hurts from the strain placed on it by this place he's found himself in (the Darkness?) and from the beating he'd received under Ansem's control, but it's still easier to move now.

Riku has just a few seconds to marvel at this before he picks up on Donald's panicked moaning ("The Heartless! Hurry!") through the crack between the doors, and one look around confirms that there are plenty of Heartless around him that he hadn't noticed before.

Well, he'll figure out what to do about them once he's done his job here, Riku thinks as he pushes himself to cross the last few steps to the Door, just in time to hear Sora exhausted note of "I can't–"

And well, he's not going to let Sora despair on his watch, so Riku says: "Don't give up!"

Then he grabs for the edge of the Door himself, putting all his remaining strength into pulling it closed.

"Come on, Sora! Together, we can do it!"

Together, the two of them have always been invincible after all… and maybe if Riku hadn't forgotten all about that, maybe then things would have been different.

The Door is slow to move, even with all four of them doing their best to move the Door's wings and Riku is acutely aware of the way the Heartless are gathering at his back, can hear the swish of small Shadows moving over the ground and the rumble of larger Heartless rising into being in the distance.

"It's hopeless!" Donald declares, even though they are almost there, even though it's just a few inches missing and Riku is almost ready to snap at him–

But then, there is a swooshing sound that Riku is familiar enough with; it's the sound of a Keyblade cutting through a Heartless and for a second, he turns his head to get a glance at just who's turned up to their rescue, just in time to see something (someone? A mouse!?) take stance at the top of a small hill.

"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy cry out in relief, solving this particular mystery… Riku had heard Maleficent mentioning their King off-hand once or twice; the fairy had been just a little irritated by the fact that she hadn't been able to pin down the King's location.

"Now, Sora!" the King says – and he knows this voice, Riku realizes, it's the same that had been talking to him earlier, that had assured him when he had worried about Sora and Kairi – and brandishes his gleaming Keyblade. "Let's close this door for good!"

"Close it, quick!" Donald agrees, his earlier despair now forgotten in light of his King's arrival, but nevertheless Sora hesitates, and for the first time Riku is forced to acknowledge what closing this door will mean for him and the King, that there is no way they can close this door and escape out through it at the same time…

(Maybe he deserves no less after all that's happened…)

Before he can even make up his mind for good, the King is already quick to assure them (or maybe just Sora): "Don't worry! There will always be a door to the light."

While Goofy affirms that they can trust in his, their King, Riku throws a glance around – there is some fighting going on somewhere behind the King, he can hear the sounds of the clash even here – so he shouts: "Now! They are coming!"

They can't delay closing the door for much longer, if they truly want to keep the Darkness away, even Riku knows that much.

That seems to be what gets those three wise guys on the other side moving, and just before the Door closes, when there is just a second for Riku to say something, to maybe apologize… he looks at Sora, and back at the mistakes he's made – things that a thousand apologies couldn't make up for – thinks about Kairi, who is somewhere in the Realm of Light and hopefully safe, and finally he says:

"Take care of her."

Because it's just Sora and Kairi without Riku now, because Riku cannot protect either of them anymore – but Sora will protect Kairi, he knows, even if Sora only nods in return; it's a promise after all.

Then the Door falls close and Riku takes a step back from it while the King waves his Keyblade to seal the Door, his eyes closing for a moment as he allows himself to relax – Sora and Kairi are truly safe now, he's fixed his mistake somewhat-

"Riku, watch out!"

He drops to the ground at the King's warning call, catching himself with one hand before pushing back up to his feet, hundreds of Shadows spilling over the space where he'd stood a second earlier – they aren't safe here, he knew that, he should know better than to just relax – and turns around to get a look at what has come to attack him and the King…

But instead of the King or a Heartless, he comes to face with a blue-haired woman who is cartwheeling over the ground towards him, her hand tight around her Keyblade as she comes up to her feet.

His eyes narrow for a second as a distant ache shoots through his heart – a longing pang that he's used to associate with missing Kairi… or well, Sora – his lips moving without permission as he says: "…Aqua, you–"

The woman turns back to him, surprise flickering through blue eyes – it probably mirrors his own pretty well because Riku has absolutely no idea how he knows her name (and it has to be hers, it feels right somehow), and he's even more certain of it when she frowns and asks:

"How do you–"

Before she can finish her sentence, the King joins them with his own Keyblade up and ready to block the Heartless' next attack: "Let's safe the talk for later; first we got to deal with the Heartless."

Then he turns to Riku, head tilting up and it's only then that Riku realizes that he's actually almost twice the height of the King (he'd seemed so much taller earlier): "I know you're exhausted, Riku, but right now we could use your help too!"

There is something so very earnest about his words – as though he has no idea what Riku has done, that he is a good part of why they are stuck here in first place… or maybe rather as though he knows and just doesn't care… – and there is no way that Riku can refuse him.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

The woman sends him a confused glance at the title that Riku ignores entirely, just like he ignores the alarmed gasp that escapes her when he shapes the Darkness into the Soul Eater.

Much as he would like to discard the Darkness and the sword made from it himself, it's all that he has right now to fight with.

It'll have to do.

Even after all the time – ten years apparently – that Aqua has spent fighting Heartless, even after all those Darksides she faced in the fallen Enchanted Dominion, she has to admit: The Demon Tide is a class of its own.

It's not an intelligent opponent, not like Vanitas or that pawn of Xehanort's in the Keyblade Graveyard, but one that moves entirely on instinct and in some ways that is just that much more dangerous.

Danger alone isn't enough to deter Aqua though, especially not when for the first time in ten years it feels like there might be an end in sight to her stay in this dreadful prison of a Realm – she and Mickey have made a promise now, and she intends to keep it.

The Demon Tide is, of course, utterly unimpressed even in the face of her determination.

It attacks in similar pattern as it had when they had fought it on the Island's shore, sometimes swirling patterns in the air, then rushing right at her again before it makes up its mind to try and make it past her.

Once the Tide almost makes it, but in its haste to escape towards the Door, it leaves the core open for Aqua to snare in her chains of light once more.

She isn't able to trap it for long without Mickey to give it another target but her to focus on, but it's enough to enrage the Tide and take its mind off the draw towards the Door to the Realm of Light.

Finally, the core starts to glow in angry red, which is as much encouragement as it is a warning. It won't be as easy to attack as before and its attacks will be much more vicious, but its health is fairly low at this point, so it won't take much more to defeat the Tide.

At the same time a bright light flashes from somewhere behind her and Aqua can't help a small smile, because she knows the feeling of a Lock turned closed. Mickey's done it, the Door has been sealed and there is no way for the Heartless to escape outside anymore.

The fight has moved closer towards where Mickey, Riku and the Door were before, has claimed more space now that the Tide has changed to its tornado-like form, but Aqua hadn't even realized how close she has gotten to the others until she comes out of a cartwheel and suddenly faces the silver-haired boy from the Islands.

His sea-green eyes widen a little almost as though he recognizes her, her name the first word that falls from his lips – how though, she hadn't told them her name back when they had met the first time, had she? And it has been so long for him, does he even remember her in first place?

Mickey arrives just before she can really ask Riku about that – "Let's safe the talk for later; first we got to deal with the Heartless." – and he is right of course, the Demon Tide has drawn back a little to prepare its next attack on them, so Aqua swallows her questions.

(Even though there are so many more adding themselves to her list in the span of the next few seconds – why is Riku summoning a sword of Darkness instead of a Keyblade and really, she wonders once more, why is the boy here with them in first place?

What had happened really in the Realm of Light… she'll have to grill Mickey about this properly once the Demon Tide is defeated for good – that and the honorific Riku had used.)

The Demon Tide approaches again as swirling tornado of Heartless, hiding the core just before hurling pieces of itself far into the air and at them, and Aqua has just enough time to share a glance with Mickey before she's on the move again.

There is really no dodging this attack she's learned during their fight at the Island's shore; all they can do is try to block as much of the damage as possible and then heal up once the Tide has run out of steam.

What she and Mickey both forgot to account for is Riku's presence in this fight though, and Aqua's heart clenches in ice-cold fear when she sees the boy trying to dodge his way towards the edge of the circle the Tide is drawing around them, apparently mindless of the damage he's taking, because she never sees him stop to block or heal up.

She sends a barrier spell his way when he looks like he's just about to fall over – he had already seemed exhausted at the start of the fight, to be honest – then double-jumps up and slides through the air towards him.

"Thanks." Riku mumbles when she arrives and casts first another Barrier around them to repel the attacking globs of Shadows, then a Curaga to get him back on his feet.

"I've never seen Shadows act anything like this before…" he says then with a frown, his back pressed against hers, while the blobs keep raining down against her magic.

"Were they ever anything more than mindless beasts?" Aqua asks, mostly rhetorical while bringing up Master Keeper to break the Barrier in a counter and force the blobs to give them a little breathing space.

"No, but–"

Aqua shakes her head sharply, cutting Riku off: "Get ready. The Tide is going to be vulnerable once this attack ends."

And indeed, true to her prediction, the attack ends just a moment later and the core of the Tide just hovers before them, stunned and exhausted from the intense attack, so Aqua breaks away from Riku and storms at Heartless.

Mickey is already by her side when she makes it to the core, his Keyblade a whirl of action as they cut at the Heartless again and again and again, and with every connecting hit her heart grows a little lighter; they are going to make it past this beast, they are going to go home–

"Watch out!" shouts Riku from somewhere behind them, just in time for Aqua to push and flip backwards and out of the way of the swirling Shadows that rise to protect the core.

There isn't much life left in the Tide; she knows this, so she lifts her Keyblade and takes aim, focusing all her remaining magic into one vicious Prism Rain and a second later, rainbow-colored orbs spin through the air before clashing right into the core.

An eerie moan escapes the conglomerate of Heartless as they collapse in on themselves, dissolving into wisps of Darkness and finally Aqua allows herself to sigh, tension draining from her body.

The fight is over… they are safe.

Mickey steps up beside her, dismissing his new Keyblade into a swirl of lights: "Well, I guess that's that. Now, to find our way back home–"

The sound of something, someone slumping abruptly to the ground cuts him off and Aqua turns just in time to see Riku's eyelids flicker, a small groan escaping the boy before his eyes close and his breath evens out.

She's by his side a second later to check on him – "Heal," she whispers and pushes the energy of another Curaga into them all, but it's not enough to wake the boy.

When she looks up at Mickey, he doesn't seem surprised at all.

"I suppose that's to be expected… between being pushed out of his body, being cast into this Realm and this fight just now, it's actually surprising that he held on so well," he says, then takes a step closer to study the boy with a gentle smile. "I knew he had to be a stubborn one when I couldn't get through to him at first, but the extend of it surprises even me."

Aqua turns the boy to rest the back of his head against her legs, absently brushing back his silver bangs as she processes those words and wordlessly reassesses his age – he's definitely younger than Ven was, when he had run off despite their Master's command.

There is so much that she wants to ask… about Riku and about what's happened in the Realm of Light… but then she settles for a teasing tone: "You know, you have a lot of explaining to do… Your Majesty."

Mickey just laughs at that, one hand coming up to scratch the back of his head and well… at least he does have the grace to look sheepish: "Well, you know that's not really that big a deal usually, unless I'm home."

Aqua nods at that, of course it would be 'a big deal' considering that he's apparently a King in his home world (Queen Minnie's husband, possibly? She certainly wouldn't be surprised).

"I know what you mean… though, we got to keep moving too! The Heartless won't leave us alone for long if we stay put. Besides, we got to find that door to the light."

"Yes…" Aqua says and turns the boy so that she can pull him up on her back, grunting faintly as his dead-weight settles against her frame; he is a little heavier than Ven was, she thinks.

"Let's go find our way home!"

- To Be Continued -

First of all, all the thanks to The Boyfriend for giving me feedback and being ruthless on pointing out my typos.

Second, I usually post an update about the progress of my writing every other day on tumblr (iceboundary)! Feel free to send me an ask if you have a questions or want to chat about the story!

Also, please consider leaving a review! :3