Letting the Water Flow

Opening Up

Trust me, Aqua, While Nyce's smile carried confidence in his gambit, he also recognized that things weren't exactly going according to his original plan, starting with that face-off earlier. Now he holds his hand out, hoping that his companion would accept his offer.

What followed was Aqua breaking eye contact, when her head drifted back towards her arms, engrossed in her options, "No," His fears were confirmed, when that single response, broke in through his eardrums, and stabbed at his conviction, "That's not happening, Nyce."

"Huh, ... Hey, wait." Think of something quick, man! "But you agreed to the terms before the match, right? What about your honor?"

"On the condition that it's reasonable!" Aqua sprang up to glare straight into his eyes, able to see the grey pigment, while her own pupils flared up in resentment, How dare he accuse me of dishonor, after all I've done! "What right do you have to criticize me about honor, if you've never sacrificed yourself for someone else in your life?!"

Her eyes bore right through him in search of darkness, as if she was facing a traitor, a secret ally of Xehanort. Yet, as much as she tried to find anything dark in him, she only saw dispirited eyes and a somber face, matching his grey tones. The misplaced acrimony in her attack rebounded through her spirit, where she hastily backed off from her aggressive stance. She shook herself out of her hostility, before slowing to a lax stance. She pressed both of her hands across her chest as a sharp pain brewed within her heart, mocking her for making the same mistake as before, back when she could feel the Sun.

"I'm sorry ..." The return of that timid voice drew stark contrast to the decisive roar from earlier, as her gaze didn't wish to meet with Nyce's again, "Please, don't hate me ..."

"Aqua," Her return to her closed off shell heightened his resolve, "It's okay. I just want you to reconsi-"

"Isn't it unreasonable to take the time to play such games. And how can such an intimate gesture be reasonable?" She spurred out half-hearted questions, desperate to avoid returning to his plea.

"But ... you enjoyed it right?"

No response as she pivoted on her heel and went over to Nyce's sword to yank it out of the ground. She retrieved her keyblade without looking back.

"Listen, Aqua, I know you laughed for the first time in a long time. I bet there's nothing funny in this place to laugh about."

"Why would I need to laugh?"

"Because you need to take your mind off of the Realm of Darkness, for once since you've been down here."

"I am completely fine, Nyce, I've survived long enough on my own, and I don't need any help from some stranger, so -"

Her sentence was cut short when she felt a firm grip on her left arm, to which she turned back to see Nyce, his face filled with resolute concern, before he lessened his grasp, taking in a deep breath before continuing.

"That's a lie, Aqua, and you know it is. You're too exhausted to keep maintaining such a draining alertness, to the point, where you're starting to think about giving yourself up to the darkness."

She winced at that statement, before wrestling her arm free, "That's not -"

"It's been far too long hasn't it? I know it is. You've been waiting for help for such a long time, after somebody discovered you were in here. Yet, nobody ever came, not even a sign ... And that really hurts inside," Nyce could only hope that Aqua doesn't completely shut herself off from him, "Am I right?"

She avoided making eye contact, only standing just shy away from him, turning her back towards him to face the open ocean, taking in the brightness. Silence allowed both of them to hear the waves crashing onto the shore, yet Aqua felt each wave more than Nyce ever could.