~*Fight the Shadows*~

She had to be strong, couldn't give in to the despair—since the moment she did, she'd lose.

Aqua fought to keep her breathing even, staring into the one golden eye of Braig. His other was covered by an eye-patch. Insipid scars traced the sides of his pale face, and his pointed ears made him seem even more alien. Despite the fact that she had just beaten him in battle, the darkly clad sharpshooter was smiling as if he was having the most fun in the world.

"Man, I gotta say…Keybearers are tough!" He sounded almost impressed. Shrugging, Braig added, "Just means I made the right choice."

Gritting her teeth, Aqua lifted her Keyblade and raced towards him.

"Well, I guess that's all the stalling he needs." Braig turned tail and pelted off, vanishing into the maze of alleys created by the dull gray mountains of the Keyblade Graveyard.

"What?" Aqua gasped, coming to a halt after it became clear she wouldn't be able to catch the enigmatic Braig. She tried to work past her weariness, shoving the cloudy haze away.

What is he stalling me for?

Deciding it wasn't important at the moment, she turned back to her poor frozen friend, his armored body encased in ice from a cruel magical attack by Master Xehanort. "Ven!"

Ventus's face was visible thanks to his missing helmet, and he struggled, growling, trying to move his limbs. He was making a little progress. His blue eyes suddenly flew open wide. "Aqua!"

She tensed, looking around, searching for the source of her friend's distress.

And from above, having had leaped off a cliff, plummeting downwards, came a black and red clad figure. He righted himself in midair and brought his gnarled Keyblade down on her head just as she looked up.

The world broke apart and disappeared into the bleak blackness of oblivion. She didn't even feel a thing.

She was floating…floating…in a world soft blues and lavenders.

A familiar voice. Ven's voice, from the past.

"I'm asking you this because we're friends. Please—destroy me."

Light flared into existence, bringing her, gasping, into the waking world.

Someone spoke in a concerned tone at her side. "Thank goodness. You're awake!"

Aqua moaned slightly, sitting up, her silver armor rattling a little as she shifted. She blinked, recognizing the gray and black garb of a close friend of hers and a fellow Keyblader. The young monarch King Mickey Mouse.

I…what happened? Vanitas! That's right; he came at me from—

"Ven!" She jumped to her feet, causing the world to rock alarmingly. She started looking around frantically, and Mickey mimicked her movements. The girl guessed that he must have arrived recently, if he didn't see where Vanitas had taken Ven. It was clear that her blonde friend was not where she had left him.

As her eyes roved farther, passing the dusty and drearily colored Keyblades thrust into the ancient soil (exactly where their masters had fallen) Aqua looked up an incline and saw a boy clothed in gray and bronze, his head of golden hair lowered.

Relief washed over her, so strong that she almost dropped to her knees. "Thank goodness! Ven…" Aqua sprinted towards the slope, climbing it easily and rushing towards him, azure eyes bright. "You're okay!"

Mickey followed at a slower pace, his muzzle creased in a thoughtful frown.

Coming to a stop in front of him, she smiled happily at her beloved friend. Ventus, however, didn't stir. She put her hands on her knees, crouching so that she was at his eye level. His head was still lowered. "Ven?" She prompted, her tone ever cheery.

The King wasn't quite so eager. His senses were warning him something was wrong. His eyes narrowed as he beheld the strange Keyblade Ventus was holding, the one that Aqua hadn't seen thanks to her excitement.

It was as if someone had taken two of the gold and silver Kingdom Keys, crossed them, let a long golden blade sprout from it, and then let a green-white sort of half-circle metal pattern form behind it, right above the joined handles. It was foreign and both graceful and intimidating at the same time.

But it wasn't a Keyblade—it was more like a sword.

As Aqua straightened, her face becoming worried, Ventus's head rose.

"Hmph," he said, his voice distorted and amused. His burning yellow eyes glowed with a victorious light. Ventus's normal sky-blue gaze was nowhere to be seen. It was entirely eclipsed by the gold. He drew his arm back and lifted his mighty Keyblade, sending it straight for the unarmed Aqua's chest.

He was fast.

Mickey was far faster.

The Mouse King jumped, his star-themed Keyblade known as Shooting Star dipping down and hitting the blade, sending it sinking towards the ground. Mickey landed in front of his friend as she stumbled back, shocked, settling into a protective crouch.

Ventus's smug grin disappeared, becoming a twisted sneer of fury.

"That's not Ven!" Mickey declared, spreading his arms to make sure Aqua stayed behind him, at least until she summoned her Keyblade.

Aqua's breath hitched in her throat, and she fought back traitorous tears. Ven…no, no, no…Ven!

The blonde boy kept the X-Blade before him as tendrils of swirling Darkness and scarlet energy swept across his frame. Vanitas's familiar organic-looking ebony and crimson body suit covered Ventus's armor, the tattered white cloth that hung from his waist settling down as he said slowly, "That's right. I'm not Ventus." He lifted one hand and placed it on his chest. "I've taken over his heart!"

Mickey and Master Aqua gasped.

Ven's heart…taken over? But the biggest question is—is it still there? Can I bring Ven back? Can I free him from Vanitas?

She let her eyes rest on the abomination before her, the demon residing within her adopted little brother.

I have to try.

Raising his sword high, Vanitas went on. "With this X-Blade, I'll open the door, and all the worlds will be connected! Then, I'll aim for the heart of light—Kingdom Hearts—so Keybearers from the other worlds can assemble in this place!"

Aqua gazed up, watching the swirling clouds circling the blue, heart-shaped moon that resided over them. Horror choked her, closing her throat so that she could hardly take in air.

"And the legendary Keyblade Wars will begin once more!" Vanitas spread his arms wide, his simmering eyes flaring vividly with the depths of his insanity.

The Keyblades Wars…The result of that struggle is all around us! The ownerless Keyblades, left here to rot…this empty desert covered in ancient blood…Why? Why would anyone want another War?

Fury, instead of hopelessness, settled into every cell in her body.

No! I won't let that happen! Not now, not ever! He…is…going…down!

"Be quiet!" Aqua snapped, interrupting his tirade. She took two steps forward, letting Rain Storm, her signature silver Keyblade, come into her hand. She closed her fingers tightly around its trusted handle. "I'm not in the mood for your rambling! Give Ven his heart back!"

Or I'll make you.

Vanitas's only reply was a smirk. He arched his arm, extending his free hand and making the bring it on gesture with a scornful twitch of his fingers. A sickly pale orange and black glow surrounded him, engulfing his body as it channeled out of the X-Blade, the key to unlocking Kingdom Hearts.

He thinks he's invincible. Well…that'll be his downfall!

As Aqua steeled herself for Vanitas's first strike, she glanced at Mickey, standing faithfully at her side, unflinching.

I'm just glad that I have a friend here. I can't do this alone.

Vanitas shouted, jumping at her and slicing down. She threw up a magical barrier, causing him to bounce back. He narrowed his eyes, but before he could strike again, Mickey flipped in and delivered a stinging blow to his shoulder.

"Two against one?" chuckled the fiend wearing Ven's body. He disappeared in a dark ripple, reappearing behind Aqua and springing at her exposed back. If she hadn't been wearing armor, she could have dodged in time.

As it were—if she hadn't been wearing armor, she'd probably have had her spine severed.

The blow caused a shiver of pain to spread throughout her entire being, but Aqua's metal plates were designed to resist Darkness. She withstood the hit, raising another crystalline shield and retaliating with an arching swing.

As Mickey joined the fight, nimbly evading any attacks sent his way, Aqua thought he looked every inch a Keyblade Master, small as he was.

I guess, she mused distantly as Vanitas pointed his X-Blade towards them and began charging around, moving unnaturally fast, aided by the vile power that he drew upon. It doesn't matter what you are. Anyone can be a Keyblade Master.

The girl wondered how many of the Keyblades in the dirt near them had belonged to something other than a human.

Aqua was finding it hard to locate an opening in Vanitas's intense assault, and as she backpedalled madly, parrying his strikes and blasting magic from her Keyblade's tip whenever she could, Mickey darted back in and flipped something bright and luminous from the tips of his gloved fingers.

Vanitas stumbled, hissing in pain as the Light permeated his shadowy form. He whipped around to combat the mouse, and as he was distracted, the female Keybearer dropped some magical tawny mines that flattened themselves to the ground. She followed this tactical maneuver up with a stinging smack from Rain Storm.

The possessed blonde countered by jumping into the air and unleashing a shockwave of dark power that spread out in all directions. Aqua tossed up another barrier and Mickey crossed his Keyblade before him, the Light flashing brilliantly all along its length.

As he landed, Vanitas idiotically collided with not just one, but three of the eight arcane bombs that lay in wait for him. He was blasted into the air, his eyes wide with surprise, caught in a chain reaction, unable to escape. Aqua twirled her Keyblade, tossing it and sending Rain Storm crashing headlong into Vanitas's chest. The boy staggered, and Mickey slipped past his guard, stars popping into existence, signaling every time his weapon successfully collided with its foe.

Their adversary quickly regained his composure, but Aqua could tell he was angry, frustrated, even.

Lifting one hand high, Vanitas released a pulse of gloomy shadows from his palm. A crescent shaped burst of raw energy was fired after Mickey, but before Aqua could assist him, the blonde was in front of her, grinning cruelly.

Aqua just managed to raise her guard in time to block a flurry of blows, though every impact made her stumble. She was about to call on the deepest depths of her magical strength when Vanitas suddenly smiled at her, blinking rapidly, confused.

"Aqua," he said, his tone puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"I…" It couldn't be, but he sounded just like Ven again! Her arms slackened slightly as she combated her shock.

Seizing the opportunity that her hesitation created, Vanitas kicked her fiercely in the chest, sending her onto her back. He cackled derisively, stabbing her deeply in the chest. Luckily, Aqua rolled to the side, ensuring that she didn't have her heart impaled, at least.

Her wounds were viciously serious. She slapped a hand to her torso, moving as fast as she could, twisting so that Vanitas was always in her sights.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! She berated herself. You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book!

Mickey finally shook off the murderous crescent that had been tailing him, and now he intercepted Vanitas before the deranged boy could torment Aqua any farther.

From now on, I will not listen to a word he says!

"Heal," she managed to gasp out, letting her Curaga magic swarm down her body and repair everything from her broken skin to her silver armor.

"What a shame, and I almost had you too!" Vanitas laughed, his words promising that he was enjoying every heartbeat of their battle. He gritted his teeth, trying to work past Mickey's uncontrolled flood of Keyblade swings.

The possessed blonde ducked into the gray earth itself, black and orange fire declaring his arrival as he burst out of the ground right in front of Aqua. Hot flames scorched her face, and she cartwheeled out of the way, springing nimbly to her feet again and countering with a strong Blizzard-type spell that blasted from Rain Fall's point.

Vanitas kicked off of the ground, rolling through the air and rotating his body so that the X-Blade blocked her Keyblade's next arc and Shooting Star's also. Just as he landed, he let loose with a rumbling explosion of pure light.

It took Aqua off guard, and she was knocked clean away. She slammed down hard, all of the breath leaving her body, and she heaved herself back to her feet, panting. Mickey was crumpled on the ground, but just as she turned to check on him, Vanitas began darting towards her.

Ven, if you're in there somewhere, fight! Fight him! Don't let Vanitas take your heart!

As she met her opponent's Keyblade with her own, she sent a silent prayer out to Terra as well, since he was undoubtedly fighting Master Xehanort at this moment. He had always been more experienced than her, but still…

Please, Terra, come back safe.

Her good luck charms just had to work. They simply had to.

"Uh oh! Aqua, look out!" Mickey hared towards her, and Aqua cursed herself mentally for allowing her thoughts to distract her. Vanitas had warped and was now hurtling out of the sky.

A sphere of gold shot out of the Mouse King's Keyblade, and it caught the blonde's side, causing him to spin and just barely gain his balance in time to land, way off of his mark.

That's it! I'm done playing.

Aqua called forth all of her magical power, layering the energy across her Keyblade. Lightning began bolting down onto Vanitas, followed by fire and ice, blazing tendrils of rainbow-hued streaks, and any other spell she could think of.

She didn't miss the way his eyes widened slightly as he sought to avoid her attacks, though plenty of them found their target. Mickey's own Light-themed incantations chased him, and all the while they fought with their Keyblades.

Despite this, she was growing tired. The monarch of Disney Castle had to be also. But was their adversary?

Cartwheeling to elude Vanitas for as long as she could, Aqua's mind raced to find a solution, a way to defeat Vanitas once and for all. There had to be something they could do!

Zooming out of another portal came her aforementioned enemy. The Unversed's leader was thwarted again by Aqua's arcane shield, even when he tried to use some odd blue crystals that formed with the X-Blade's contact with the ground to break it.

Mickey extended his hand towards the Keyblade Master. "Come here!"

She ran to the mouse unquestioningly, and she gripped his offered palm. Aqua felt her body tremble as it reacted to the huge amount of Light that was flowing to her from Mickey. She offered what vitality she had to give, and together the duo generated a magical spell that she had never seen before.

Their feet actually left the ground, and to Vanitas's surprise, the two began spiraling swiftly. From their Keyblades came a beautiful but deadly swirl of glowing dust particles the color of the sky, and it was clear that this affected the possessed boy greatly, if his incoherent growls of pain were anything to go by. They finished with a small detonation of gold and blue, with created enough space between Aqua and Vanitas for the former to heal herself and her mousy companion.

"That's it," the abomination hissed quietly as they squared off yet again, smiling sardonically, as if enjoying a joke. "You're through!" With a furious cry, he released a mighty wave of wind from the X-Blade. Aqua and Mickey were sent flying backwards, and the girl smacked into a rock spire with enough force to cause quite a collection of stones to rain down on her unarmored head. The King landed just as harshly a few feet away, his tail not even stirring the dust. He had rolled into a ball to minimize impact damage, but at the moment he appeared unconscious.

She wasn't too far from that herself.

Sweat plastered Aqua's cerulean hair to her face, and she was breathing hard, her heart on overdrive as it struggled to supply her body with adequate oxygen.

Get up! Get up!

But no matter what she ordered herself to do, her body had reached its limit. She was too tired to do much of anything except fill her starving lungs with air. She was feeling hollow, empty—a familiar sensation that meant her magic was gone. It'd come back on its own, with time.

But she was out of time.

Vanitas strode to the edge of the hill they had met him on, grinning cockily, and to her alarm, not even appearing tired. His breathing was even, slow, calm. "What's wrong? Giving up already?" He asked mockingly with Ven's stolen face.

Aqua couldn't answer—she had no oxygen to do so. Instead, she pulled her blue star charm from her pocket and gazed at it. She had made it herself, and it belonged with Terra's red star and Ven's green. Memories of her dear friends seared themselves across the shadows that formed behind her eyelids every time she blinked.

My friends. My best friends. How can I give up now, when Ven is in danger? How can I give up now, when Terra is fighting for his life? It may be too late…

She closed her fingers around the star.

No! It's never too late. Help me…

"Terra, Ven…lend me your strength!" She pleaded softly. The five-pronged trinket in her grip glimmered, and then began to glow magnificently, causing her to open her eyes. Aqua watched, amazed, as Rain Storm lengthened, became so light that it was as if she was holding a feather, and then became entirely shrouded in an inferno of beautiful blue that was shimmering a stunning white at its core.

At first, she was too astonished to do anything. Then, narrowing her eyes so that she only saw Vanitas, Aqua hunted for the very last of her vigor in the very depths of her heart. She yelled in fury—fury at him, at his Master, for the way things had gone so wrong since the Master Qualification Exam so long ago—and brought Rain Storm forward to challenge the X-Blade.

"No matter what you do, it's useless!" Vanitas sneered. He also brought his Keyblade down, and as it met Aqua's, an invisible but very real current emanated from the collision point, spreading across the entire Graveyard.

He was resisting her. One-handed. He was pressing his massive sword against her, and Aqua was finding it hard to keep her place as she tried to push him back, to keep him from sending her down.

Because the moment she fell, she would be dead.

I will not lose to him! This isn't about me—it's about them! Terra, Ven…If it's for them, I can do anything. That includes defeating him!

An infuriated cry of her own was escaping her lips, and Aqua stepped forward, gaining ground.

Vanitas looked shocked. At that moment, the X-Blade seemed to be losing some of its gold. Flakes burst from it, and a black ripple began to run down its length. The half-circle that decorated the back of it fractured, pieces disappearing from it.

"What?" The possessed boy's yellow eyes shot wide.

This is it!

Aqua's new strength, created by her determination, aided her as she flipped Rain Storm and sent the battered X-Blade into the sky. Vanitas shouted, aghast, and he sprawled onto his side as his weapon spun into the air.

Its Keychain waving wildly, the X-Blade sparked intensely, and a dazzling light coated it briefly before tentacles of white began cracking in every direction from it. Where every wisp of ivory touched the ground, fiery stains the color of snow took form. From their pits came small, transparent insignias shaped like Keyholes. They existed only momentarily before winking out of reality, like fireworks.

Placing her arms over her face, the girl closed her eyes tight and tried to weather the explosion of energy leaking from every angle of the fragmenting X-Blade.

Mickey, meanwhile, opened his eyes. He got to his feet, exhaling sharply as he beheld the spectacle. "Oh no! Its power has gone out of control!" He began cautiously scaling the hillside that led to the warzone, intent on helping his friend.

Aqua, regardless of what anyone else would have done, was endeavoring to see past the blinding light. She gasped as she spotted Ventus's body, still slumped, directly underneath the malfunctioning X-Blade. Darkness, black and deep purple, whooshed off of the boy.

Once more, he was Ven—wearing nothing but his bronze and gray armor.

Relief, mingled with terror, laced the female Keybearer's voice. "Ven!"

But there was no way. No way to get close to him without coming into contact with the X-Blade's uncontrolled tendrils. Every time they hit the ground, she was nearly rendered without sight. How could she get close enough without harming herself in the process? She'd never get Ven out that way.

Think! Think Aqua think! There is always a way!

With an almost musical chime, the X-Blade shone one last time before collapsing into a pathetic mixture of decaying burnt shards that faded out of existence, as if they had never been.

The force that it left behind only got worse.

As the white globe expanded, the wind whipping Aqua's hair and Mickey's tail around frantically, Ven was pushed by invisible hands farther away.

Aqua threw all caution to the winds.

She sprinted past Mickey, who had been at her side, also seeking a safe way to retrieve the blonde's body, and jumped after the limp form of her friend. The X-Blade's maelstrom seemed to even affect gravity, or else, it had its own, for she seemed to almost fly as she tried to grab Ven's hand. The desert landscape became a blur underneath her as she kept closing her fingers only millimeters from her companion's.

Ivory dust particles appeared, the snowy motes hovering near her as Aqua finally felt her hand slide into Ven's.

She held tight, and didn't let go, even when she began to scream as light crashed down on her.

Aqua felt…oddly. As if something was missing.

She then realized that her armor wasn't on, and she wasn't as heavy as usual because of it. She blinked her eyes open slowly, amazed at the fact that she had actually rested. As her gaze searched the room she was in, the memories of recent events kicked in.

Sitting up, she murmured, "Where am I?"

It appeared to be some kind of tower. The walls were a deep honey color, and shelves filled with books in unfamiliar languages lined the walls. A high chair was behind her, standing guard over a large desk. The windows were shaped like stars and moons.

A stern, slow, strong voice spoke. "You lost consciousness, and was drifting along the sky pathways with Ventus…"

Turning, Aqua saw a tall, imposing old man with a gray beard. He was dressed in blue robes, and on his head rested a matching hat emblazoned with yellow celestial symbols. As the world ceased being so cloudy, the girl saw that, leaning against the wall, still not yet awake, was Ven.

Someone who was awake however was King Mickey Mouse, beaming at her, obviously glad to see she was okay.

"Mickey found you, and brought you here," continued the sorcerer. He closed his eyes. "Unfortunately, we could not find Terra."

Aqua's heart sank. Terra. Where are you?

"I see…" The Keyblade Master said softly. She shook her head, leaning towards the comatose Ventus and shaking him gently. "Ven!"

No reaction.

"Ventus!" She repeated, using his full name that she knew he hated being called by his friends.

He was breathing smoothly, but that was all.

Seeing her actions were meaningless, she withdrew her hand.

Oh no. What have I done? What if Vanitas is gone—but so is Ven's heart?

"It seems that his heart is asleep," the sorcerer, Yen Sid, observed. Mickey was frowning, unhappy.

"Will he wake up?" Aqua was surprised by how her voice didn't shake, even though she just wanted to curl up and cry.

Yen Sid closed his eyes and dipped his head. "That, I do not know…I cannot sense Ventus's heart."

She let this news sink in, fighting back panic. If she gave in to the shadows, she'd probably have a break down and never emerge from it.

And that won't help Terra or Ven.

"If his heart returns, he may be able to awaken…"

Grabbing onto this new hope, Aqua felt a little better.

"But if it does not return, he may never wake again…"

She had guessed such a thing, but regardless, Aqua was petrified just at the thought of it. Ven, happy, lovable Ven, never to smile again? "That can't be…" She spoke the words of denial like a charm against evil.

Her heart, still strong despite everything, refused to give in. So long as it didn't, neither would she.

Never.

"I'll protect him—until the day he awakes." Aqua looked into his familiar, beloved face. "No matter what," she promised.

Yen Sid remarked, "Your job now is not to protect your friends, but rather, to believe in them." He turned away. "Right now, Ventus is sleeping on the border between Darkness and Light. That is precisely why you, who stand on the side of Light, should believe in him. Treasure the bond you share with him. That way, if the day he awakens arrives—"

Not if. When.

"—Ventus will be drawn back by his bonds with his friends." The sorcerer went to sit in his elegantly carved throne, folding his hands in his lap. He turned his graying head to gaze at Aqua. "To the world of light."

Mickey's face brightened, and Aqua marveled that it took so little to do so.

"Then, I'm sure my bond with Ven will help out!" The Mouse King grinned. "I'll treasure the bond between us too." He gestured towards the unconscious boy. "That way, Ven will be lured back by the bond he shares with both me and Aqua."

Aqua nodded, grateful towards the monarch. "And one other person, too." At Mickey's questioning glance, she added, "Terra."

His tail and ears lowered. "But…we couldn't find Terra…"

She smiled, reaching into her pocket. "No…but I'm sure I will."

Keyblade Master Aqua closed both of her hands over the blue star charm.

I swear it.

Because it was requested! Here we have it, another Birth by Sleep boss fight! Special thanks as always to strwbrymilk on YouTube for the translated videos!

Still, I repeated one line from all the other boss stories I did (with a slight variation). That, and my running joke is all of these one-shots begin with a F.

Drop a review on your way out!