Issei Hyoudou meets Aqua (Kingdom Hearts)

Issei Hyoudou was falling. Again.

He'd lost count of how many times this had happened since his journey through the many different worlds began. One minute he was strolling through Kuoh, casually looking for a store that sold fried chicken. The next, the Dimensional Watch on his wrist pulsed—tearing reality open like wet paper—and now—

Thud.

He landed flat on his back. Hard.

“Ugh… ten out of ten on the landing. Nailed it,” Issei groaned, wincing as he stared up at a sky that had no color at all—just endless, suffocating darkness.

It wasn’t blue. It wasn’t even night. No stars. No clouds. Only a single, distant light overhead—neither sun nor moon, yet bright enough to reveal the landscape. The ground beneath him mirrored the sky—pitch black, twisting in every direction.

Somewhere in the distance, he could hear water... but he couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

Pushing himself to his feet, Issei brushed off his red and black jacket and looked around, trying to make sense of it all.

“This… is new.”

With a sharp breath, he summoned the Boosted Gear. The red gauntlet materialized with a flash of emerald light across his left arm, the crimson metal catching the ghostly glow of the realm.

‘Where even am I?’ he thought, glancing at the shifting shadows. ‘This place feels weird... like a dream. Or a memory. Or maybe… a dream of a memory?’

Then—he saw it. A flicker of color in the distance.

A figure stood at the far edge of the mirrored plain, her blue and white fabric gently swaying, though the air itself felt unnervingly still.

A woman.

Issei moved toward her, instincts on edge but curiosity stronger. He needed answers of what this place was.

She stood with her back turned, short dark-blue hair glinting beneath the light above. Her posture was calm—yet there was something restrained in the way she stood, like a warrior who had forgotten how to rest. A quiet glow enveloped her—soft, pale, and... sad.

Issei slowed as he approached, then called out, “Hey! Are you okay?”

The woman turned.

Her expression was wary at first—defensive at the stranger. Her blue eyes narrowed slightly, sharp and assessing. But as she took him in, confusion flickered in her gaze. She didn’t recognize him nor was he a creature of darkness. A faint tension lingered in her shoulders, like a habit she couldn’t let go of.

“I’m fine,” she replied, voice calm and even. “You’re not from this realm. Are you lost?”

“Yup. That’s becoming a trend,” Issei muttered under his breath. Then, more clearly: “I’m Issei Hyoudou. Dimensional traveler, problem magnet, and I swear I didn’t mean to crash your… um… dreary home.”

She didn’t smile, but she didn’t summon a weapon either. Her eyes flicked to the Boosted Gear on his arm, studying the crimson artifact as it shimmered in the surreal light. Slowly, she stepped closer, the soft click of her armored boots echoing across the dark ground.

“You wield a strange power.” She muttered. “It doesn’t feel like darkness. Your Heart is... strong. Still full of light.”

Heart? Issei blinked. That’s… a new way of putting it.

“Okay.” He said, rubbing the back of his head, “You’re gonna have to help me out. I don’t exactly have a user manual for this place. Who are you? And where exactly is ‘here’?”

The woman studied him for a beat longer before speaking.

“My name is Aqua.” She said. “I’m a Keyblade Master. And this… is the Realm of Darkness.”

Issei’s brow furrowed. “Wow. Subtle name. Let me guess—it's a bad place?”

“Yes,” She answered plainly. “A place where light is easily swallowed, and time… doesn’t always move forward.”

He crossed his arms, glancing around. “That explains why it feels like I’ve been standing still since I got here. Everything feels… floaty.”

She was still watching him—not with suspicion now, but with something gentler. Caution, yes. But also curiosity.

“How did you get here?” she asked. “This isn’t a place just anyone can enter.”

Issei shrugged. “Like I said, I’m dimensional traveler. Except I don’t really control where I go. The watch I’m wearing? It opens portals and tosses me into different worlds whether I like it or not.”

He lifted the Dimensional Watch, its runes faintly glowing.

“I’ve been jumping dimensions for a while now. Usually I help out people who look like they’re in trouble and try not to make things worse.” He smirked. “Or try not to make it worse.”

Aqua’s gaze softened, just slightly. “You’ve seen other worlds?”

“Plenty. Some are amazing. Some terrifying. One had sentient vending machines.” He said. “I kind of miss that one.”

A flicker of a smile touched her lips—brief, but real.

“That power you carry.” She said, gesturing toward the Boosted Gear, “It’s overwhelming. But you aren’t corrupted by it.”

Issei glanced at the gauntlet and smiled. “Yeah, there’s a dragon inside this thing. Big, red, and cranky. But he’s my partner. My best friend.” His smile turned fond. “Well. Mostly.”

She tilted her head slightly as the person of the smile changed to look like dearly some missed friends. “You remind me of someone.”

“Oh? Let me guess—devastatingly handsome, excellent with women, and incredibly humble?”

“No,” she replied without missing a beat.

“…Ouch.”

“He was brave. Stubborn. Sometimes reckless. But always fought for others.”

The smile faded from Issei’s face. He recognized the weight in her words. The kind that only came from remembering someone lost.

“Someone close to you?” he asked, his voice quieter.

She nodded slowly. “Two someones.”

He didn’t press. He hadn’t experienced loss like that—not truly. But he could recognize grief when he saw it.

“You’ve been here alone?” he asked gently.

“For a long time.” She said, her eyes lowering.

The silence between them grew thick, and even the endless realm around them felt more still.

“Then maybe.” Issei said softly, stepping beside her. “It's about time that changed.”

Aqua turned toward him, really looking at him for the first time.

“You mean to help.”

“I always do.” He said with a familiar grin. “Even if I have no idea what I’m doing half the time.”

She actually laughed—a small, quiet sound. But it was genuine. It sounded like something she hadn’t heard in a very, very long time.

“Then it would be rude of me to reject your offer,” she said, a light returning to her voice. “Do you know how to leave this place?”

Issei’s Boosted Gear pulsed, as if sensing the question.

“Well, the Watch usually lets me return after a while,” he said. “If not… we’ll figure something out. Together.”

He turned to her, extending his hand with a mock formal flourish. “So then, Master Aqua… shall we?”

Aqua hesitated only a moment before placing her hand in his.

And just like that, for the first time in what felt like forever, Aqua walked forward with someone at her side.

And Issei—as always—strode confidently into the unknown, gauntlet ready, grin in place, and heart wide open for whatever chaos fate threw next.

It's been awhile since I did one of these. Thought it could be a nice change of pace. As always this is just an oneshot to see if I can do the character justice. But if people want a continuation I will. For this one or the others.