familiarity --- open

[masteraqua]

A single thought broke through the deluge of darkness she was drenched in, like a pebble atop water, the shockwaves stirring the sleeping recesses of her mind. A low, drowsy groan slipped through clenched teeth, while a hand pulled close to her chest as if to still her reviving heart back into the steady thrum it had been at before. Thick, dark lashes quivered slightly, gently brushing against her cheeks as if to encourage her to open her eyes. But the moment the slightest crack opened between her eyelids, they flicked shut immediately and she let out a weak whine of protest as white-hot tendrils dove into her brain, accompanying each attempt at thought with a searing agony.

After a long moment of recovering, sapphire orbs were unveiled, while her trembling hand rose to shield them from the light. Wait…light? But she had been in such utter blackness before…only a glowing moon…what was that place? What was this place? The female lowered her arm and pushed herself into a sitting position, staring down at the rough concrete surface she had been lying on. As she observed her surroundings, the painful pulsating in her head increased, and she pressed a palm to her temple.

Memories flashed behind her eyes, memories too muddled and jumbled together to truly make out. Blond hair. Soft, blond hair. Arranged in messy spikes splaying all around. What was his name? It hurt to remember. V…Va…no, that wasn’t it. Ven. Yes, Ventus. He was her friend. Her best friend. But…there was another friend blurred over by her fuzzy mind. Cobalt eyes. What color was his hair…it was usually brown, but it flashed silver…and now his eyes were gold. And blue. And gold again.

Where were they? Where were Ven and the brown-haired man? His name started with a T, of that she was certain. Te…Terra! That was it. They were the only names she could recall. And they were the only ones that mattered. She had to find them. She had to make sure they were both alright.

The bluenette stood shakily, massaging her head as if it could drive away the pain. What was she doing here? So many questions, and such a startling lack of answers. This wasn’t normal. Where were her memories? They repeated in her thoughts, flicking back and forth shrouded over with a thick blur, as if deeply buried beneath the crooks and chasms of her mind. She was suddenly a little child, holding onto a man who she instantly recognized as the Master’s neck and crying pitifully into his shirt. Clinging to his leg as a younger version of Terra peered down at her curiously. Ven, with his spiked yellow hair, only this time his eyes were dull, empty. Sitting beside the two on a cliff-face, overlooking a night sky.

The throbbing in her brain was unbearable, but she continued with her brutal unearthing of the forgotten images. She watched as Terra walked away from her, beseeching him to listen to her. Ventus calling her awful. And then Ven again, frozen solid in her arms. A white room. Golden eyes. A crushing pressure on her neck. An altered version of Terra bringing his weapon to his chest and stabbing himself with it. Darkness. Darkness.

She whimpered, clapping a hand on the wall beside her for support. What had happened to them? What had happened to her? She almost didn’t want to know, squeezing her eyes shut and taking long, quivering breaths. The agony resided to a little more than a dull pounding, and she finally took the time to truly assess her surroundings. A castle in ruins, the outlines of a dilapidated factory behind it. Something about this world was familiar…but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. Then again, she wouldn’t be too surprised if she had been there before. There were quite a variety of places in the shreds of memories that had flicked by. Perhaps this had been one of them?

She shook her head, quickly running her tongue over her lips and taking a couple of tentative steps forward. No use in sitting here pondering. Might as well find someone to talk to.