#fairy tales as a whole were a big special interest for me but rapunzel just never missed for me

[minasweep]

everytime I see a tangled edit or clip I'm instantly possessed by the little girl I was in like 2010

[lyssala]

I’d Love You for a Thousand More

Pairing: Terra/Aqua, Kingdom Hearts

Setting: Pre-Canon to Post Canon

Rating: T (Slight language & Slight Sexual Implications)

Words:  11209

Notes: HAPPY TERRAQUA DAY <3 My otp of otps I couldn’t not do something for them that was both different and special! SO this is actually a prompt and request fill. @ceelihearts posted that they liked the idea of Terra asking Aqua to marry him a few times (like Flynn and Rapunzel), they also mentioned it would be cute to include childhood too and I couldn’t stop myself hahaha Also a while back an anon asked me for an in canon proposal for them so here you go too, anon! I enjoyed doing this one a lot, I had to be super creative to think of ways this would be feasible hahaha I hope you guys enjoy it too!

Special thanks to my Jason who beta read this for me after I whined at how long it came out LMAO Thank you for dealing with me being an anxious mess the whole time you read it and giving me the help I needed <3

 AO3

I’d Love You for a Thousand More

Or the Five Times Terra Told Aqua He’d Marry Her and the One Time She Said Yes

I.

Terra hated the days Master Eraqus made them sit up in the library to study. Not only was it boring on a rainy day but even more so when the sun was shining through the windows, the green grass of the fields and high mountains in the distance beckoning him away on some adventure. There was literally anything else Terra would rather be doing than reading a dull book with no pictures. He huffed as he flipped the page of his book, the black words blending into the paper as one giant blur.

He propped his elbow up on the wooden table, placing his chin in his hand so he could stare out the window instead. It seemed cruel punishment to have history lessons on such a warm and sunny day. All he wanted to do was just go outside and actually do something. He was ten years old now; he should be able to have more combat training than reading.

Terra stuck his tongue out slightly as he looked to the book once more. Maybe if he just got through it fast, Master would let him go outside. He tried to blink the words back to focus, but a slight giggle made him look up.

Aqua was sitting only one chair away. She was only a couple years younger than him, but even she looked small in the big library chair. She had one hand over her mouth as she watched him, an amused expression in her blue eyes.

“What?” Terra grunted.

“You look like you just ate a bug,” she replied.

“I think I’d rather eat bugs than read this book.”

Aqua giggled again, looking back to her own work in front of her. She was better at this sort of stuff, so she probably didn’t hate every bit of this lesson.

Terra looked to his book again though this time feeling a little better. It was nice to at least have her here; it was really boring when he had to have lessons alone before she came to live with them. He didn’t really know what to make of her at first. He was alone before Master Eraqus came and then they were alone here. Terra was used to the quiet and doing things on his own even if sometimes it made him sad to not have anyone to play with. Then Aqua came and she was talkative and liked to hang around him and was like this walking ball of sunshine at all times. He found her annoying really; who was that happy all the time? It wasn’t till he heard her crying one night alone in her room that he thought she might’ve been as lonely as he was. He tried a little harder after that.

It was a few years ago though, and he couldn’t imagine not being her friend now. He found she made everything a little better.

Granted she couldn’t do his reading for him so she wasn’t helping there. He sighed, dropping his head into the book. “This is terrible.”

“It’s not that bad.”  

“It is too.”

“The faster you finish the faster we can do something fun.”

“I know,” he groaned, picking his head back up. “But it’s impossible.”

Aqua looked like she was going to respond, probably with some answer like “no, it’s not” or “Master wouldn’t have given it to you if it was” but instead Terra watched her eyes light up as she looked over her book.

“What?” he asked, leaning over to try and see what she was looking at.

“It’s so pretty,” was her only answer.

Terra couldn’t see it and she wasn’t holding it up to show him so he climbed into the chair next to her, sitting up on his knees to look over her shoulder. Aqua was tracing her finger over the painted picture in the book, a woman surrounded by flowers in a flowing white dress. Figures, despite the fact she didn’t mind mud or bugs she still liked the girliest things sometimes. Still, there seemed to be something familiar about this picture, like he had seen it before.

“What is it?” he asked.

“A wedding,” she said proudly, probably trying to prove to him that she was actually doing her work.

“A wedding,” he repeated. “Like in fairy tales?”

“Well, yeah, but weddings happen in real life too.”

He supposed that made sense. It was just that he had only ever seen weddings at the end of fairy tales when the prince and princess were finally able to be together. “What happens in it then?” Terra wasn’t really sure why he asked at first, but he figured it was a good way not to have to go back to his own reading.

Aqua got an excited look on her face as she flipped back a few pages. “My readings have been on traditions, especially with keyblade wielders, this section was on marriage and weddings.”

He wrinkled his nose; traditions usually meant you had to do them. “Wait, does that mean you have to get married?” He didn’t really know what went into being married but he knew the couple usually kissed, and that was gross.

She paused for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just a lesson on what it’s like. You should only get married if you’re in love with someone.” Aqua looked back down to the book, a picture of a man and women dressed in whites with their hands wrapped in some sort of cloth together. “And you have to be an adult. I think. All these pictures are adults so I guess they have to be.”

“Does that mean Master is married?” Terra asked. The thought had never occurred to him before now, but Master Eraqus was an adult after all.

Aqua looked up at the ceiling, a sure sign she was thinking. “No, I don’t think so. I think if he did we’d see whoever he was married to. You usually live together.” She flipped the page really quick pointing to a picture of jewelry. “And rings, as a symbol of the bond you wear rings. Master doesn’t have any rings like that.”

“That’s true.” Terra reached a finger up to tap at his chin in thought. “So what’s it like? You just dress up fancy and give each other rings?”

“Umm…” Aqua looked over the pages, turning it again. “Well, yeah, and you read an oath in front of witnesses. There’s something with the keyblades you hold, something to do with the magic. It’s like, once you perform the ceremony you’re bonded together forever both cause you love each other and through the magic.”

That peaked his interested more than the actual wedding, but he knew that was mainly because neither him nor Aqua had been able to summon a keyblade yet.

“And then…you kiss.”

Terra leaned back on the chair. “Sounds gross.”

“It’s not gross,” she said, almost more defensively than she needed to be.

He arched an eyebrow at her. “What? Do you want to get married?”

Aqua crossed her arms against her chest, looking away from him but he caught the hint of red on her cheeks. “I don’t know, maybe. I’m not an adult, I can’t say.”

He leaned in to poke at her side. “Yes, you do, don’t lie to me.”

“Terra,” she whined, but she was laughing, her smile making her eyes bright again. He liked it when she smiled. “It would be nice to wear such a pretty dress.”

“Still gross.”

“It’s not gross.” She turned in her seat to face him better. “It’s like…” Aqua paused, glancing away before looking back. “It’s like spending the rest of your life with someone who makes you happy, it’s like never being alone again.”

That admittedly did sound a lot better. He remembered what it felt like to feel alone in this big castle, and he really didn’t like that. Spending time with someone who made him happy seemed really nice. “Well, in that case,” he said. “I’d marry you.”

Aqua blinked at him.

“Without the kissing,” Terra clarified, sticking his tongue out a little.

She clasped her hands over her mouth as she started to laugh, but he really didn’t know what was so funny. “You’re silly, Terra,” she giggled.

“What?” he asked. “It’s the truth. If I had to pick one person to spend the rest of my time with, it’d be you. Would you marry me?”

Aqua pulled her hands away from her mouth, a big smile on her lips as she watched him. She looked like she was going to answer him but what the answer was he’d never know.

“Sounds like you’re doing far more talking than reading.” Master’s voice echoing off the bookshelves was enough to send Terra scrambling back to his seat as Aqua quickly turned to her book.

Terra could hear Master Eraqus’ footsteps as he walked closer to where they were studying but even then Terra couldn’t resist glancing over at Aqua. She looked up at him too, smile still on her lips. He quickly looked down before they got caught again but he couldn’t stop his face from feeling hot.

He wondered what she would’ve said.

II.

Terra barely had time to swing his keyblade to block the blast of ice magic flying at him. The force nearly pushed him back, blowing cold air all around him and making his face tingle from the chill. Aqua had taken quite easily to magic, but she sometimes was eager when it came to using it. Another shot came at him, causing him to duck to avoid it.

A little too eager sometimes.

He tried to compose himself and figure out where she was on the training grounds before she decided to fire more magic at him. Blue was easy to catch out of the corner of his eyes; also he was used to looking for it for the past ten years. She was skirting the edges, keeping her distance and always moving. She’d keep range until she felt like she could get the upper hand in closer combat.

Terra admittedly wasn’t as good with magic as she was, and he knew it, but he made up for it with his own strength. It was frustrating at first when he a kid who could barely hold his keyblade up when he summoned it; where as Aqua had no issues learning to fight with hers which was lighter and more agile. It took time for a scrawny twelve year old to build up the strength to be able to fight like he could now, but he held himself very differently now at eighteen.

There.

Aqua hurried past some of the rocks on the outskirts of the rink. He wasn’t great with magic but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to use it; he quickly cast a fire spell towards her, sending it past her to hit the rocks. The impact was enough to knock her off her track.

Ven cheered from somewhere in the background but Master Eraqus must’ve shushed the blond boy because it was quiet again.

She skidded to a stop glancing over to Terra nd he didn’t miss the slightly impressed look in her eyes. It only lasted for a second because she was already coming at him. Terra met her, swinging his keyblade up to block her inevitable attack.

She jumped back slightly, her bangs falling into her face but she didn’t move to adjust. Aqua had only recently started wearing her hair short, saying it got too annoying when she was trying to fight. “Nice hit,” she said. “You surprised me.”

“Yeah, you too. Your ice magic is getting stronger, I felt like I was getting hit with a small blizzard,” he breathed, feeling a slight smirk pull at his lips. “If only you weren’t so afraid that you need to run away from me.”

Aqua arched her eyebrows, twirling her keyblade in her hand before grabbing down on it again. “Oh, is that how we’re going to play?”

He saw her feet shift, dust moving just a little. He steadied himself to brace his body. “Yep, you know it.”

She dove at him and if it was anyone else the speed would have surprised him but Aqua he knew. He was already there, pushing his keyblade against hers to knock her off balance. Granted, she knew him too so she landed just fine, darting around to his side to try and catching an opening. He wasn’t as fast as her due to the weight of his weapon but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to use it. He swung it around blocking her attack, and pushing her back to harshly she skidded in the dirt, making dust rise up.

Aqua tried to use that to her advantage and come at him from the other side but he saw it coming a mile away. He moved out of her way, swinging his keyblade at her now open side. Granted it wasn’t open for long as she gracefully twisted her body, almost like she was dancing, his keyblade hitting hers with a metallic clang. Despite her quick movements, the sudden twist managed to tangled her feet, causing her to hit the ground and slide back a little.

“C’mon, Aqua!” Ven shouted. “You got this !”

“Ventus, hush now,” Master Eraqus said.

Ven probably mumbled a sorry but Terra didn’t pay attention. Aqua was already pushing herself up to her feet, darting at him. He recognized the words on her lips and quickly ducked before ice shards hit him in the face. He swung at her, nearly catching her legs as she jumped towards him but she avoided it, flipping off to his side.

Terra reached the back of his hand up to his forehead, brushing off the beads of sweat. They often found themselves in stand offs like this which is probably what happened when you fought with someone so much you knew almost exactly what they would do. It only made it harder since it was that much more difficult to get knocked down.

“Not always so fast, are you,” he said, knowing she’d understand he was only egging her on and not critiquing her.

A pause before a smile crossed her lips. “You’d know wouldn’t you?”

He moved at her that time. While she blocked him, the force of his weight made her slip back before she could catch her balance again. “What was that now?”

She snorted, rolling her eyes but her amused smile was still there. “Cute, really cute, Terra.” Aqua spun out of his hold, skirting off to the side of him and making him whip around, blocking her attack just in time. “Being fast works just as well as being strong,” she said.

Terra heaved himself at her, pushing her back so she slid in the dirt. “You’re strong too.”

“Not like you.” Aqua positioned her feet before she started to run at him.

He recognized the set up and really he wanted to help her more than he wanted to win. So he ducked slightly when she pushed herself off the ground. It was a fast moment but it wasn’t the first time she practiced the move on him. He was ready to push his keyblade against hers as she flipped over his head, giving her the momentum to be able to land on her feet on the other side of him.  

“That’s not true,” he said, swinging low towards her legs while she was distracted from her landing but she skipped out of the way. “Your strength just doesn’t come from the fact you had to learn how to throw this thing around.”

She giggled slightly as she ran to his side, trying to get a quick hit but he blocked it; a little awkwardly though causing him to lose his balance. There’s no way she didn’t notice, not when she intentionally swung at him again to try and get him to fall.

He steadied himself even if by doing so she managed a hit on him, nearly taking his breath out. Terra winced as the sudden pain in his side, but moved to block her next swing so it wouldn’t happen again.

“I don’t know,” she said though she sounded a little winded, and he knew the feeling. The sun was high overhead. How long had they been at this today? “Maybe it’s better that way.”

“What are you talking about?” he grunted, resisting reaching to his side to see how bad the bruise would be. If she knew he felt it, she’d use it to her advantage.

She ran up to him, spinning around as she cast a spell. He would’ve blocked it but he recognized the green hue to it. The pain in his side eased immediately; which she really wasn’t supposed to do so he hoped Master didn’t see it or she’d probably get in trouble. Aqua swung at him but he blocked it easily. “Guys don’t like strong girls,” she said simply.

If they hadn’t been in the middle of training and if Master wasn’t watching Terra would’ve dropped the fight right there. For a second he thought she was just trying to catch him off guard but when he pushed her back he saw the way her eyes dropped down ever so slightly. “What?” he asked. “What makes you think that?”

She shrugged but she ran off to the side. He thought she’d go back to running the perimeter to avoid what she may’ve let slip and not actually wanted to talk to him about. It wasn’t always like that, they used to tell each other everything but for the past few years it got…confusing. Ven was usually a good distraction, coming in when the air got too tense between them or when the smallest things seemed to make something feel awkward when it never did before. Terra swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched her. He understood why, but it’s not like knowing made it easier to come to terms with his feelings for his best friend.  

Aqua veered off course, coming at him from behind but he twisted around, the sharp grind of the weapons hitting each other. “Books,” she answered with her teeth gritted from trying to push him back. “Fairy tales, princes and princesses. They’re all delicate, pretty girls.”

He was the one who managed to get her to skid backwards. She caught her balance fine, reaching up to brush her sweaty bangs from her face. She didn’t look quite as determined anymore, maybe a little sad and he hated it.

This was probably why Eraqus told them they probably shouldn’t have full conversations while they were sparring; an old habit from childhood Terra supposed.

“I’m not like that.” she continued, gripping her keyblade as she cast a water spell towards him.

He had to dive out of the way to not get hit with the blast but scrambled up to his feet in time to black her next swing. “You’re delusional,” he grunted, trying to catch his breath as he held his keyblade up against her force. “You’re not delicate that’s for sure.” Terra pushed her off of him as she twirled slightly away from him.

He wasn’t sure what it was because he was facing down with Aqua, looking as sweaty and dirty as he was; they weren’t even alone as there were two people watching them for technique and skills. Maybe it was an effort to make her feel better when he thought it was the stupidest thing to be bothering her or maybe because he wanted to say them, he wasn’t really sure but he opened his mouth anyways. “But you are pretty, beautiful and strong and there’s nothing wrong with that. Guys still like that. I am one, remember?”

She paused, watching him, like she never expected him to say that.

He took it to his advantage and quickly moved towards her but she wasn’t that stupid; as he should’ve know. Her keyblade was up and ready to block him. He should’ve left it at that really. There was no need for him to open his mouth again, and yet he still did.

“Anyone would be lucky to marry you. I would be.” It didn’t even make sense as he said it. “I mean to marry you. I’d be lucky to marry you…well, someone like you is…what I mean.”

Aqua was staring at him, wide eyed and maybe a little confused. It didn’t even make sense to him and he was the one who said it. He pushed her backwards, mostly to get out of this situation that had his face feeling like it was on fire.

He expected her to bounce back up but she didn’t. She caught the ground with her hand, dropping to one knee as she held her stomach; apparently in his panic he hit her a little too hard. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle it but he tried not to do it on purpose.

“It’s over!” Ven shouted, probably getting the okay from Eraqus to let the match end there.

Terra could hear the younger boy’s feet pounding towards them in the arena but Terra still couldn’t breathe; mostly because his stupid words were ringing in his head. He dismissed his keyblade and slowly walked to Aqua who was still panting, face towards the ground. Returning her earlier favor, he cast a quick healing spell on her before he reached his hand down to help her up.

Aqua dismissed her keyblade as she look at him. Her face was unreadable for a moment but she gave him a smile. “Nice match,” she said, reaching her hand up for his.

“Yeah, you too.” He pulled her up to her feet just as Ven ran over, exclaiming something so fast that Terra could barely understand him.

Aqua was quicker in understanding, giving Ven a nudge against his chin before she dismissed her keyblade. “Oh, yeah? You liked that?”

She looked over to Terra, who was unsure what he should say or if he should say anything at all. Aqua gave him a smile, a reassuring one almost to say, “the match and everything was just fine, don’t worry”. She turned to respond to Ven and the footsteps of Master Eraqus got closer as he’d want to go over their spar.

Aqua never brought it up what Terra said, and neither did he.

III.

His heart was pounding in his chest as he sat up in bed, sweat caked on his forehead even though it wasn’t very warm out. His legs were tangled in blankets, head swimming as he tried to blink in his surroundings. The window was open, blowing in a light breeze as he tried to calm his breathing.

He was home, in his room, just like it was before. It was the same bed, same night stand, same castle; he was home. His nightmares were still so vivid the lines blurred sometimes. In them he was still trapped, imprisoned unable to move, or to even speak. All he could do was watch in vain as Aqua and Ven were tormented at Terra’s own hands over and over again.

“Terra,” her voice called, his door swinging open. Aqua sounded worried, and her facial expression matched the sound when she stepped into his room far enough that he could see her in the moonlight. She paused, as if she wasn’t sure if she should keep coming to him.

It was a dream, it was just a dream, he repeated in his head. Even though he was still having a hard time catching his breath, the concern that shone in her eyes was enough. He could never dream up her looking at him like she cared so much for his well-being; his dreams were never that kind to him. He rubbed one hand over his face, the other gesturing for her to come over since she was probably waiting for his consent.

Aqua walked slowly, till she sat up on his bed, her legs almost brushing up against his. She didn’t say anything and neither did he; just his heavy breathing as he tried to calm himself down. It was admittedly easier when she was here. He might’ve still been working through what had happened to them, but everything was always better when Aqua was here; that never changed.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his throat was dry, like he hadn’t had water in days. “Did I wake you?”

She hesitated, pulling on the long sleeves of her shirt absent mindedly. “I wasn’t asleep.”

He nodded but it didn’t really make him feel any better. He saw the dark circles under her eyes to know she was telling the truth. Yet she was also leaving out the part where he must’ve been talking or shouting for her to even come in here in the first place. He decided he didn’t want to know whatever the case might’ve been.

“Nightmares?” she offered.

“Yeah,” he breathed, dropping his hands to his lap.

Aqua nodded in understanding but didn’t say anything else, she just sat there with her legs tucked up underneath her. He couldn’t tell if there was something she wanted to say or she was just worried about how he felt.

“You can go back to bed,” he said, realizing only after that he didn’t want to make her feel like she had to. “Ah, I mean, I don’t want to keep you up, I’ll be okay.”

She perked up a little bit, giving him a sort of smile. “That’s not how it works,” she tutted. “You know that. You used to keep me company when I had nightmares after I came here. I’m here to do the same.”

Terra leaned his head back against the backboard of his bed, feeling a little bit of relief that the air felt a little more normal between them. “I’m not sure sneaking down to the kitchen at two in the morning can solve this one.”

“I’m very offended that you don’t think food can’t solve everything.”

He snorted, a smile pulling at his lips despite his exhaustion. “Would you like to prove me wrong?”

“Don’t I always?”

Terra paused for a second but he saw the laughter start to bubble up in her even if she tried to keep it quiet. It was impossible not to laugh with her. “Fair point,” he said.

“I’ll be right back then,” she said as she kicked her legs off the bed, heading towards the door. Aqua stopped short though, turning back to him; this time he knew there was something she wanted to tell him. He knew it by the way her fingers fiddled with the hem of her shirt, the hesitation in the way she bit at her lower lip, the slight fear in her eyes at what she didn’t want to admit. “I…um…”

Aqua didn’t need to finish the sentence for him to understand. The castle was too dark at night for her not to remember being alone and lost. Terra felt a sting of pain in his chest; he never wanted her to feel afraid in her own home.

He kicked the blankets back, pushing himself out of bed. “I’ll come with you, okay?”

She nodded, her face looking relieved; if it was because he was coming or because she didn’t need to ask he wasn’t quite sure. Aqua followed him out of the room and he made sure to keep his steps even with hers. If she should start to feel lost at least there was a warm and real body there to remind her she was safe.

“Where’re you going?”

Terra paused to turn his head back down the hallway, Aqua stopping with him. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised at the blond hair and blue eyes poking out into the hallway. Ven looked a little tired but his voice was clear which was probably a sign he had been awake too.

“Kitchen for something to eat, wanna come?”

“Yeah!” Ven said far too excitedly for this hour.  

Terra turned back to start to walk again but was nearly knocked over by a force hitting into his back. He had to scramble to catch Ven’s legs as he grabbed onto Terra’s shoulders, Ven pulling himself up to sit up on Terra’s back.

“Do you feel better?” he snorted, catching blond out of the corner of his eyes.

“Yep,” Ven said, popping his lips on the word.

Aqua tried not to laugh but she wasn’t doing a very good job. She reached over to pull down Ven’s shirt where it had bunched up in his effort for a piggy back ride.

For a moment, it seemed so normal as they walked he familiar path they had so many times especially late at night. It used to be just be Terra and Aqua, and then Ven would tag along if he was awake to catch them. They knew all the quickest ways, which stair creaked loud enough to wake Master Eraqus, what foods wouldn’t smell too strongly for the aroma to float through the castle. Even though it was just the three of them now, Terra still skipped the creaky step and Aqua still pushed open the dining room door in the way she knew it wouldn’t make any noise.

Ven reached over to flick on the kitchen light, before jumping so his feet hit the ground. “I know exactly what to eat.”

“Of course you do,” Terra said, gesturing for Aqua to sit at the small table they had set up off to the side while he headed for the stove.

Ven pulled open the kitchen door and held out the remains of the chocolate cake Aqua baked yesterday for no reason other than she wanted it. He sat down next to her, removing the plastic though careful not to smudge the chocolate frosting on top.

“Plates?” Aqua asked but Ven shook his head.

“No, we eat cake like men, straight from the pan.”

“Okay, men,” Terra snorted as he filled a pot up with water. “Do you eat it with your hands too? Or do you want forks?”

Ven paused for a second. “Forks please.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Terra reached for the drawer pulling out two forks to pass to Aqua who was chuckling. Granted, there wasn’t much better than eating something Aqua made at two in the morning straight from the pan, he knew that from plenty of experience.

Ven seemed to think the same as he sighed in contentment, reaching his fork for another bite.

Terra turned the stove on, getting the water ready to boil while he pulled open the cabinet filled with small vials and little bags. Most of the food had to get tossed since magic couldn’t preserve things from going bad after twelve years but he tried to restock some of their tea leaves when he could; especially ones that were calming to help with sleep. He pulled a few bags down and reached for three mugs that were drying on a nearby rack.

“There’s some cookies in the fridge, Terra,” Aqua said, covering her mouth slightly as she finished her bite. “I made them for you.”

“Well, thanks, I’ll grab them in a second.” He opened the first bag, pouring out what he needed to make a nice chamomile blend into the familiar clay pot that would hopefully soothe some of the restlessness they all had. Granted the two them were downing sugar right now so he wasn’t sure if this would do anything; as long as they were happy.

“Hey, Xion asked me a weird question the other day,” Ven said, barely audible because of the food in his mouth.

“Oh yeah?” Terra asked, looking up from the tea to glance at Aqua who was already looking back at him. To be fair, the things they had been through and the things new found friends had been through was the definition of weird. It really could be anything, but that didn’t stop the question from making the nerves in his stomach tighten. Aqua seemed to feel the same.

There were a lot of questions, and very little answers.

“Yeah,” Ven swallowed the bite of cake. “I meant to tell you earlier but I forgot.”

“Well, what is it?” Aqua asked, in an encouraging way, letting him know that they needed to have conversations about anything; she knew just as well not talking to each other is what got them into far bigger messes than they could’ve dreamed.

Ven reached take another forkful of cake. “She asked me if you guys were my parents.”

Terra fumbled the bag of herbs, knocking way too much into the pot. Aqua had a similar reaction as he could hear her choking slightly on her cake. That wasn’t exactly the question he was expecting.

“Which I mean, I told her no, cause you guys aren’t even that much older than me,” Ven continued, sitting up on the chair on his knees for better reach of the table. “I asked her why she thought that cause it was such a weird question, you know?”

Terra was trying to pour the tea leaves back into the bag and fix his mistake but he glanced over at the table.

“Oh?” Aqua asked, still trying to recover herself. “What did she say then?”

“She said that you guys just seemed like parents the way you looked out for me and everyone after, you know…” He paused for a second to get more cake. “After everything that happened. I asked her if maybe she meant you guys acted like you were married, cause you’re too young to have kids.”

Terra nearly dropped the bag of leaves again but he managed to keep it steady. He grabbed another blend to pour in but glanced over to the table. Aqua was still picking at the cake but he couldn’t see her face from here.

“Ah, Ven, you do realize you have to have, ah, a special relationship to get married right?” Aqua asked carefully.

He still had a mouth full of cake as he grinned at her. “Yep.”

When did he turn into such a smart ass? Terra was about to speak up to change the subject that was currently making his face feel hotter than it needed to be. Thankfully, the water broke to a boil next to him as a good distraction. He was well aware that his feelings never changed but now was really not time to face all of that head on.

Terra reached over to grab the pot and pour the water carefully into the teapot.

“Don’t talk with food in your mouth,” Aqua said, but it was very lighthearted; probably her effort to change the subject.

Ven audibly swallowed his food. “Yes, mom.”

“Ventus.”

It was too late, he had already dissolved into laughter because he apparently found himself hilarious.

“Alright, alright,” Terra said, carefully carrying over the mugs and the teapot as it brewed with the leaves. “How about balance the sugar some?”

Ven made a face but he grabbed a mug anyway. Terra placed one in front of Aqua but she was already moving out of her chair heading for the fridge. He put the teapot on a coaster between them to wait a few minutes longer but before he could even sit down on the chair next to hers, there was a plate of cookies placed in front of him.

“Dark chocolate and walnuts,” she said, sitting down again to pick up her fork.

“Gross,” Ven said, wrinkling his nose.

“Yeah, well, what if I said that cake you love so much was gross,” Terra snorted, pulling the plastic back so he could grab one of the cookies.

“Blasphemy.” Ven pointed his fork over to Terra.

He rolled his eyes but took a bite from the cookie. It tasted as to be expected from one of Aqua’s baked goods; which was in short, delicious. She should know this by now, but she was watching him for his reaction regardless. Maybe it was because it had been so long so wanted to make sure she could still do the things she used to or maybe because she was worried about him, he wasn’t sure. Terra looked over to Ven who was also watching for a reaction; Terra gave the blond a wink.

“Aqua,” he said, holding up the cookie slightly. “These are so good, I’d marry you right here and now.”

She stared at him for a second, but Ven quickly erupted into laughter making Terra crack a smile at her. “Oh, you two,” she said, though she had started to laugh too. “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not brothers.”

“See,” Ven said. “Terra agrees.”

Aqua didn’t say anything else, she just took another bite of cake while he popped the rest of his cookie in his mouth. He reached forward to grab the teapot so he could pour it in the mugs.

A joke, it really had been a joke to make the both of them laugh. It worked well enough but at the same time Terra felt a warm feeling in his chest that had nothing to do with the hot tea he was pouring for her.

He moved to pour Ven’s cup before Terra went back to his own. He knew right now they were still figuring out how to get control of their lives again right now, wounds had to be healed, and a sense of normality had to be found. Everything else could wait; it didn’t stop his breath from hitching in his throat when she looked over to him, holding her mug to her lips.

“Thank you, Terra.”

“No, thank you,” he paused as he leaned back in his chair with his own mug. “For looking after me.”

She gave him a smile that almost made the nightmares seem like a distant memory. “Of course, that’s what I do.”

Ven was ignoring the tea and still going for the cake. “You guys are so sappy.”

He was adamantly ignored, though Aqua did reach over to push at his head lightly. “Drink some tea,” she said instead. “You’ll get a stomachache if you eat too much of it.”

The nights were still so dark, and the future uncertain, but Terra knew they’d make it through together; like they always had before. Aqua kept one hand on her mug but reached the other under the table, finding Terra’s so she could lace her fingers through it. She gave him a squeeze, a reassurance almost as if she could read his mind.

Ven was blowing at his tea. “I saw that.”

IV.

The sun shone in through the window in Terra’s room, bright enough to make him wince even though he was still comfortable in bed with his eyes firmly closed. A part of him knew that meant he slept in way too late, but he was too warm and the blankets were too soft for him to care.

He rolled over onto his side and mostly expected the rest of the bed to be empty since it was already sunrise. Even in his half-awake state he was pleasantly surprised to feel a warm body still tucked under the blankets. She was usually up so much earlier than him, he didn’t expect her to still be in bed.

Not that he was about to complain. Terra wrapped his arm around Aqua’s waist, pulling her back against him and letting his face burying into the familiar scent of her vanilla shampoo. She chuckled slightly, reaching a hand up to brush by his cheek and into his hair.

“Good morning.” Her voice still sounded sleepy like she hadn’t even been awake for that long.

“Morning,” he mumbled into her hair. “I wasn’t expecting you to still be here.”

She hummed, fingers gently rubbing against his head. “What? I can’t be lazy like you?”

“I’m not lazy. I just like sleep.”

She laughed again and he couldn’t keep the smile from pulling at his lips. His days were so bright now that even the nights weren’t as hard. Granted, going to sleep with her by his side and knowing she’d still be there in the morning helped significantly. When she did get up before him, she never was too far away. Terra still wasn’t sure if he had actually done anything good enough in his life to deserve her but as long as she kept smiling and laughing like she did now he wouldn’t question it.

“Well, I hope you slept well, cause it’ll be a busy day.”

“Define busy.”

“We have the meeting to determine if there’s a need to reopen the schooling element here and if the castle is suited to hold students again.” She paused for a moment, probably to stifle a yawn with the way she was breathing. “The other option being to open the castle as a sanctuary for travelers to stop on their way through the worlds. It’ll depend on many different things so it’ll probably take a good part of the day for discussions and choices.”

Terra made a snoring noise.

She swatted him on the side of his head but he felt her laughing. “Stop it,” she snorted. “You signed up for this, Master Terra.”

“Yeah, well, Master Eraqus should’ve been more upfront about how many meetings I’d have to sit through when I was a kid.”

“He knew better than that.”

Terra laughed as she gently started to play with her hair again. He may’ve joked but this was the only life he ever really wanted. For a while there it didn’t seem like this would ever be possible yet here he was. He’d go through a million meetings if she was sitting next to him.

She wasn’t wrong through. They were standing on the brink of another life changing event. If they decided there were enough kids being able to summon keyblades again then the school would open its gates once more. There would be new responsibilities as both teachers and heads of the worlds that would be thrown at them. They wouldn’t be the only ones since they weren’t the only masters who even lived here. Riku and Kairi both agreed to be willing to stay here to teach where Ven and Sora preferred to be out in the field to explore and help people; though both were willing to commit part time should they be needed. Lea and Roxas were more conflicted, not sure anyone would want to learn from them and the other half of their family and friends lived in Twilight Town. On the other hand if the castle would function as a space for weary keyblade wielders to rest then not much would change really.

“How much time do we have?” he asked, really not wanting to move yet.

“Depends,” she said. “What time we need to be there, or what time someone will come and get us for breakfast?”

“Banking on the latter.”

She chuckled but fell silent, lacing her fingers with his hair. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head, no desire in him to be anywhere but here.

This would never be old. He lost her for so long, thinking he’d never get her back, something he’d never take for granted again. It just…was always her, and it always would be. He felt warmth fill his chest just at the thought, letting out a sigh.

Aqua twirled her fingers against him slightly, her acknowledgement she heard him.

He had come back from the brink of the worst, his hands stained with terrible things but she welcomed him home with open arms. It took time, and recovery, but it was always done in understanding and in love. It’s what it was. He loved her more than he knew how to say; even in the simplest moments, laying in his bed joking about their potentially long and boring day. He wanted to have long and boring days with her forever. He wanted her to know that.

Terra’s mind was still hazy from sleep, from the unique warmth she brought him, from the desire to just spend the rest of his life with the woman in his arms. The words were out of his mouth before he even knew it.

“Marry me.”

Aqua didn’t move, she just continued to carefully play with his hair.

He snapped his eyes open when he realized what he actually said aloud. Panic crawled up his throat so fast he had to swallow the lump that formed there. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, else but nothing came out.

Did she even hear him? Did he want her to have heard him? It wasn’t like he didn’t mean it; he knew that without a doubt. But at the same time that wasn’t exactly how he ever thought he’d ask her. He didn’t even think far enough ahead to know he didn’t have a ring or anything to give her.

She rolled over under his arm, turning so she could face him and he had to swallow hard again to face the reality of this situation.

“Is that your tactic to stay in bed longer?” she asked, a teasing look on her face.

Oh, okay, she thought he was just joking. It was a weird sense of utter relief and disappointment.

“Did it work?” he asked instead, hoping the heat in his face wasn’t as apparent as it felt.

“Almost,” she said, nudging her face up to kiss him.

That was admittedly better. He reached a hand up to her cheek, holding her there so he could kiss her back. She moved her hand down to his shoulder, fingers trailing down his arm. Aqua slid up closer, pressing herself against him. He dropped his hand to her hip, slipping under her shirt to hold her lower back firmly. The soft noise from her lips already had heat swirling in the pit of his stomach, forgetting his momentary embarrassment easily enough.

“You’re not making it easy,” he breathed as she pulled back enough to pepper her jaw with kisses.

She hummed, tracing circles on his skin while she arched her head back for him. Before he got a chance to do much more, he felt her kick his leg over her waist and push her weight into him. Terra pushed himself up on his elbows when his back hit the bed. Aqua sat up, her legs on either side of his hips, giving him a grin that took his breath away. He ran his hands up her bare legs, until he reached the hem of his shirt she was wearing.

“Maybe I don’t want to make it easy,” she said.

He reached a hand up to the back of her head, pulling her down until her lips were on his. She groaned, her hands sliding up his shirt.  That was about the last of his willpower.

Until there was a loud knock at the door.

Aqua leaned her forehead against his with a sigh. Figures, he wasn’t sure why he was surprised.

“What?” Terra grunted, though he made no effort to actually move.

“You guys are taking too long,” Ven whined; which almost sounded strange since his voice was lower than it ever used to be and yet still so very Ven.

“So?” Terra asked.

“So I’m hungry.”

“You’re plenty capable of making your own food, Ventus.”

“How dare you deprive me a chance to have breakfast with my two favorite people.”

“You burnt the food you tried to cook didn’t you?”

Ven paused. “In my defense, I listened to Lea.”

Aqua chuckled as she tilted her head to press a quick kiss to Terra’s lips before she untangled herself from the blankets, to slip off the bed. “We’ll be right there, Ven.”

Terra reached up to rub at his face. He didn’t even have to have kids of his own to understand what it felt like to be a parent.

It was quiet outside but there also weren’t any footsteps walking away.

“Yes?” Aqua asked as she slipped on the leggings she had been wearing the night before.

“I don’t trust you.”

She rolled her eyes enough to make Terra try not to laugh. She grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open, revealing Ven standing there with one hand slapped over his eyes. It was strange to see Ven taller than Aqua; a part of Terra always thought Ven would stay small but it wasn’t the truth. Growing up is what kids did.

“You’re being so dramatic, shoo,” she said, pushing him lightly into the hall. “I’m coming.” She looked back to Terra who still hadn’t moved. “We’re coming.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, kicking his legs over the edge of the bed to push himself up.

Aqua was poking at Ven in the side to get him to start moving. Yet it was clear by the way he was laughing and swatting her away without actually walking, he was waiting for Terra to come too. He ran his hand through his hair as he stood up, stretching his arms over his head. Ven had started trying to tickle Aqua back, which she was always very weak to, her laugh ringing through the hallway as she tried to get him to stop.

Despite being pulled out of bed somewhat against his will, he still felt a smile on his lips. His own words rang in his head; that was the only laugh he needed to hear for the rest of his life. Next time he’d actually be prepared and ask her right.

V.

Destiny Island really was beautiful. Not only for the tropical trees, the familiar star shaped fruit, the warm ocean air, but also the waterfall splashing into the blue sea, the white sand that never got too hot. Then there was the vibrant sunset that would set over the horizon casting the most stunning colors Terra had ever seen. Romance admittedly wasn’t his strongest point, but he figured a sunset on the beach was a good place to start.

Now if he could only stop feeling like he was going to possibly vomit on the soft sand it might make it a little better.

He could hear the laughter behind him, the others either playing on the beach or snacking on the food that laid around. It wasn’t anything to celebrate really, just another year of lives lived to the fullest. It became a loose tradition to spend a day on the beach together at least once a year. It was a day when no one had to work or were traveling or too busy; just time to relax with the people you loved really.

Terra watched the waves crash against the beach as he sat in the sand, just out of the water’s reach. The breeze was both warm and cool at the same time, the salty air reminding him of all the times he came here; including the very first time. Riku and Sora were near babies and now they had been to hell and back. Well, they all had Terra supposed.

If he would’ve turned around he knew he’d see Ven hanging from one of the tree branches while Kairi tried to throw food up at him so he could catch it in his mouth. Lea would be lounging nearby, usually never too far from the food. Isa probably sitting up listening to both Xion and Sora exclaim stories Isa heard a million times but would never say otherwise. Riku and Roxas sparring with old wooden swords on the beach while Namine watched on from the sidelines. Aqua would be nearby braiding flowers into the younger girl’s blonde hair.

While the people who visited changed as time went on as they grew from children to young adults, the island never changed. It was still the same ocean, same beach, same feeling of peace, same tropical flowers, same bridges, and the same star shaped that grew on the trees here. Its legend was where Aqua got the idea for their wayfinders, something that helped them all when they needed it the most. He figured it was about as good of a place as any to tell the person you loved you wanted to be with them forever. It was pretty and symbolic, that was romantic right?

Terra didn’t feel particularly romantic; in fact most of the others - including Aqua - had spent most the day asking him what was wrong. Guesses ranged from eating something that made him feel sick to coming down with some sort of fever, but really he just didn’t know how to do this. He wanted to, that wasn’t the issue, it was coming up with something good enough to say that actually expressed how he felt about her. He didn’t even know if he had the right words. A part of him really wished he had talked to Ven first, he was much better at this sort of stuff. Then again the reason Terra didn’t tell Ven was because then Aqua would know before Terra even got a chance. Secrets weren’t Ven’s strong point.

The wind blew off the waves, making Terra’s hair blow around. It was long enough that he could pull it back a little which provided at least some relief from the heat of the island. He sighed as he watched the colors from the sunset illuminate the skies. It really was beautiful.

He heard footsteps in the sand behind him, but one side glance at long legs told him who it was. Aqua sat herself down next to him, already wearing a sweater over her shirt and shorts to keep her warm as the heat of the sun started to fade.

“Hi,” she said, leaning her head down against his shoulder.

“Hey.” He leaned his head over hers while she snaked her hands around his upper arm. Terra almost wanted to close his eyes and just fall asleep. “All done making sure the kids don’t accidentally kill each other?”

“That’s a full time job so they’re on their own now.”

He snorted, a smile pulling at his lips despite his heart nearly feeling like it was going to pound out of his chest. The sunset was going on, everyone was distracted. Aqua was with him now and he could feel the small wooden box he made in his pocket; it was as best as it was going to get.

“Is something bothering you, Terra?” she asked, her voice a little softer than before.

“Ah, no, not at all. Today has been really nice.” Of course, Aqua would always notice if he was acting any different than the normal way he did. It was nearly impossible to pull anything over her eyes.

She lifted her head, making him turn to look at her. Her forehead was a little furrowed, like she was worried. “You just seemed distant, or upset.”

He reached a hand up to rub at the wrinkles, making her laugh instead. “I’m fine, don’t worry so much. I’d tell you if something was wrong.”

Aqua was still smiling as she considered his words and seemed to believe him in the least. “Okay.” She looked back ahead, leaning her head on his shoulder again. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Very,” he said though it wasn’t so much in reference to the sunset, but the reflection of the sunset in her face.

“I could live here.”

“Like right here on the beach? Just set up a room and a bed right here?”

She swatted at his arm. “You know what I mean.”

“Is that really what you want?” he asked. “To live here near the beach?”

Aqua paused for a second, a small sigh falling from her lips. “No, it’s nice to visit but I love our home more.”

His throat felt a little dry as he knew he had a lead in here. Okay, it was okay, he was pretty sure she’d say yes, so he had nothing to worry about. Right? Though he supposed if she wasn’t ready she could say no.

Oh yeah, that thought process didn’t help him feel better in the least.

“Ah, yeah, me too.”

She hummed but didn’t say anything else, eyes just watching the sun start to sink below the horizon.

“It wouldn’t really matter though,” he breathed. “Anywhere with you is home.”

“Oh, that was pretty smooth.”

“Thank you,” he snorted;. She was the one person he never had to worry about having a conversation with, so why should this be any different? “It’s true though. Any place, any time, doesn’t matter.”

She started to trace some circles on his arm as she lifted her head, eyes looking to him with that soft smile of hers on her face. “Me too.” Maybe she knew, he couldn’t really tell. It was possible she’d know what he was trying to say without having to say it.

Terra shifted slightly, trying to make his pocket easier to get to without being obvious about it. “Do you remember when we were kids? And we had to study all those old traditions?”

Aqua nodded slowly, like she was a little unsure what he was getting at but was still being encouraging about it.

“You told me about weddings and I told you it sounded gross.”

She laughed aloud, recognition in her eyes. “Yes, you were so insistent.”

“I was ten, what did you expect?” he asked, unable to keep the laughter that bubbled up in him down. Maybe that was the nerves too; just a few more words, that’s all he needed. “I still said if I had to pick anyone, I’d marry you.”

She didn’t move or blink, eyes just watching him. His hand was nearly shaking as he tried to reach for his pocket, the words he said in his head a million times on the tip of his tongue.

Until he suddenly felt a torrent of water dump down over his head.

He froze. His hair was sticking down onto his face, and shirt and shorts already seeping with water. Even the sand under him was sticky with the excess water. Aqua gasped as she moved to quickly push her now wet hair from her face. He felt disoriented for a moment, but the hysterical laughter snapped him out of his surprise real quick.

Terra reached up to brush his sopping wet bangs from his face, turning around just in time to see Xion and Sora quickly toss empty buckets off to the side, with Roxas looking none too innocent behind them. All three of them were still laughing but slowly backing away like they knew what was probably coming.

It was impossible to be mad looking at their gleeful eyes as they laughed without a care in the world. Even though they just interrupted something he had been trying to get the courage to do all damn day. There was a time when these kids couldn’t be kids; they couldn’t laugh so freely and they couldn’t be teenagers. Terra could never get mad at them for just being happy to live life. That was all he was doing after all.

“It was their idea,” Xion snickered.

“What?! It was not!” Sora said, reaching over to push at her. “Entirely my idea.”

“Entirely,” Roxas repeated with a snort.

Aqua huffed as she shook her hands to get the excess water off. She didn’t look mad either, in fact she looked like she was going to start laughing at any second in pride of them being able to sneak up so soundly. “Ready then?” she asked, and he didn’t have to question what she meant.

Terra pushed himself to his feet. “You better hope you’re fast.”

The three cried out as they turned to run along the beach.

Terra reached a hand down to help Aqua up, before letting his feet slide in the sand to chase after them. She was on his heels, running just as fast.

He had been trying to pick the perfect time and moment, with the best setting. But as the kids ducked under one of the bridges, pushing each other alone while they laughed Terra thought maybe he didn’t need to pick the right moment. It would just happen when it was supposed to. Aqua was laughing next to him as the sun almost disappeared into the ocean, the stars and moon popping up in the sky. Ven was shouting out condolences to the trio who were still running away. It was still a good day, and would be a good night. Everything could still wait, time wasn’t an issue anymore.

For now, he had some teenagers to throw in the water.

VI.

There was nothing like the night sky in the Land of Departure. Terra could go to a million different worlds and the stars would never compare. He supposed he was biased though; he spent his whole life looking up at the stars with Aqua. Then Ven a little later on, and then the kids who would come to visit or stay with them here.

Sometimes he’d watch them from his room, sometimes from Aqua’s room when he had snuck in late at night, sometimes from the training areas on the cliff, or the windows of the library. But he thought his favorite might be from the fields in the summer time, when the nights were warm and the grass was green and fresh. From there it was almost like there was nothing but sky and stars. Again he could be biased since Aqua was currently sitting in front of him, nestled between his legs as her back rested up against his chest. He was leaning back slightly, hands propped up in the grass behind him as he watched a shooting star shoot across the sky.

“There was one,” she said, pointing upwards. “Did you see it?”

“Yeah, I did. What number is that now?”

She leaned her head back against his shoulder, her hair tickling his nose. “Three,” she sighed but even from his angle he could see the smile on her face as the moonlight reflected in it.

“Did you make all your wishes?” He tried not to yawn, knowing if he did she’d want to back inside but it was a long exhausting day so he knew he didn’t do a very good job hiding how tired he was. Still, the peace outside with just her was relaxing; he didn’t want to leave yet.

“Couldn’t tell you if I did.”

“I think Master  told us wishes don’t come true if you tell someone else, so he’d have a break from us telling him how much we wanted to be keyblade masters.”

Aqua chuckled. “That isn’t the only thing I wished for.”

“Oh yeah? What else did you wish for then?”

She turned her head to look over to him. “This.”

“What?”

Aqua shrugged. “Even when I was younger, I wished for a time when we could sit under the stars and not have to worry about anything else.”

Terra pushed himself up, moving his hands to wrap around her waist, making her giggle when her pressed his cheek to hers. “So even when you were a kid you had a crush on me, huh?”

“Stop it,” she snorted, reaching a hand up to push his face away. “You already knew that.”

“Yeah, can’t say I didn’t wish for the same thing once upon a time.”

“Ohh?” she said a little sing-songy “Terra had a crush on a girl.”

He squeezed her making her laugh again. “I did, even though she drove me crazy sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“I’m being very generous.”

Aqua chuckled as she leaned her head against his, a small sigh on her lips. It was quiet for a moment; just the sound of the crickets, the wind in the grass, the animals in the forest hidden from view.

“Terra, are you happy?”

At first he thought he didn’t hear her right. “What? Of course I am. This is what we always wanted.”

She shrugged, clearly not convinced enough with his answer. “I know, but we didn’t quite get here how we thought we would.” Aqua paused for a moment. “And they were childhood dreams, people change as they get older. Dreams change sometimes.”

“Have they changed for you?”

“No, no,” she said. “They never have. I’m happy, I’m very happy, but I want you to be too.”

It was a simple question really; making sure the person you loved was happy with life. Yet it was such an Aqua thing to worry about. He almost wondered how long it had taken her to actually ask him. It would be easy to answer her, to reassure her that he was happy here with their lives. He was, that wasn’t even a question in his mind, but the weight in his pocket was suddenly heavy, reminding him of its presence.

He waited and waited for the moment that would strike him the most; even taking the ring from the box so it wasn’t quite as obvious what he kept with him. This time though he found he wasn’t even nervous as he reached for the ring, pulling it out until he could hold between his fingers in front of them.

“My dreams have never changed,” he said.

She didn’t say anything, she just watched the way the small jewel caught the moonlight.

“Aqua?”

She made some sort of choked noise he assumed was her trying to answer him.

“Will you marry me?”

This time the noise was almost more like a choked cry, but she was nodding her head. “Yes, yes, of course.”

It seemed his nerves kicked in the last second nearly fumbling the ring. “What, really?”

“Yes, really, dummy,” she laughed, reaching one hand up to rub at her eyes. “I love you.”

Careful not to drop it in the dark field where Ven would absolutely never let Terra live down, he slid the ring on her finger. He didn’t even really have time to process what happened before Aqua turned in his arms. She wrapped hers around him so tightly she knocked him off balance, falling backwards into the soft grass.

Aqua pushed herself up, watching him with a smile he always got used to as one for him, eyes glistening in the moonlight. Terra didn’t always know what his path was, if he’d make the right choices if he’d make the wrong choices. This one, this one he knew was right.

“I love you too.”

She leaned down to kiss him as he reached his hand up through her hair. In that moment he thought even a million years wouldn’t be enough to tell her how much she meant to him. Since the day a six year old, blue haired girl walked in through the doors of the castle and taught him what it was like to have a friend, a companion, and a partner.

Terra was still more than willing to try.

[zdbztumble]

Penultima Raving (KH III Spoilers)

No, I haven’t finished the game yet.

I must be near the end, as I’ve ended up in the crazy windmill world from the opening sequence, but as there was quite a bit that happened in the short span of story progress I made today, I decided against waiting ‘til the finale to do another write-up.

Where I left off last time was Sora piecing himself together - literally - and then proceeding to rescue everyone but Kairi in the various Disney worlds. That Kairi didn’t need rescuing, but was in fact keeping Sora from fading away, and was there to guide him back to the realm of light, was a great idea. The line “you’re safe with me” was wonderful, and a good start to a pay-off on her promise to be the one to keep Sora safe this time. But a great sequence in isolation can’t achieve its full potential impact when the character arc that it’s a part of is so neglected prior to that point. And as for the follow-up to that moment...well, let’s come back to that.

I feel torn here, because there’s quite a bit in this section of the game that’s brilliant in concept and beautiful to look at. If the execution weren’t so spotty, then this post would be much shorter, and much more of a SQUEE! in text form.

Going point by point:

- The cutscene when you enter the Keyblade Graveyard the second time, opening in the same way as the first, was a bit confusing but not a bad idea. But having Terra defend his friends against Terranort was. If I’m just starting to get the hang of how the Xehanort Horcruxes and Sora’s “host to three hearts” business all work, I still can’t figure out how Terra’s heart relates to his possessed body. More importantly - after Sora goes through the hard work of rescuing everyone and turning the clock back, having another character rush in to claim the Hero Moment leaves him feeling like a bystander in his own story. This isn’t a new problem in this level; Sora was a glorified bystander in the two Disney fairy tale worlds. Other characters pointing out how special and important Sora is throughout the game, besides being annoying and actually undermining Sora’s special qualities, make it all the more obvious when he gets left out of important action.

- Surfing the Keyblade stream is fun, but it’d be more fun if the combat didn’t just amount to hitting a single button in rapid succession, and if it wasn’t made confusing as hell with a random shout-out to the mobile game.

- The multiple Demon Towers surrounding all our heroes made for a very dramatic visual and a formidable sense of menace. It’s a shame I never got a chance to see how challenging they actually were, because this entire sequence is left as a cutscene. I imagine there are serious technical challenges to putting together a battle where Mickey, Riku, Aqua, Ven, Kairi, and Axel are all battle partners to you along with Donald and Goofy, but this just makes me think again that a toggling system that let you battle as members of various parties would be a great solution.

On the other hand, this sequence gave us Master Yen Sid casting his Fantasia magic all over the place, and that was a truly unexpected pleasure. I don’t care much for him being a Keyblade Master on top of being a wizard, but seeing him be a wizard was amazing. Now all we need is a Sword in the Stone world where Merlin can cut loose.

- Splitting the party up and leaving Sora to find them in a maze is a great idea, as is pairing enemies that were formidable bosses in their own right together to face him. I didn’t find any of them that much of a challenge, but I think I’m overleveled (spent a bit too much time having fun with the ship battles in the Caribbean, I think.) The bigger problem with these battles was the pacing, with cutscenes interrupting the gameplay entirely too often. Each of the villains is given an almost-identical death sequence, and with pretty much none of them being likable (or even memorable in some cases), the efforts at giving these moments some pathos, and the attempts to create moments between the dying and Sora, all fall flat.

- Did I miss something about there being two Replikus? I have been so confused about this ever since the Big Hero 6 level. The one running around being an evil Organizer was confusing enough, but another one living inside Riku? And being able to spontaneously emerge from his body to neutralize the evil one and leave behind an empty replica for Namine, who is also in this game by the way? The fuck?

- This whole sequence serves as a great illustration of the problems that come with having too big a cast. Terra gets his Hero Moment back in the Graveyard (and virtually the same one in the maze), but he gets written out of the action pretty quick. Aqua and Ven do too, as do Axel, Mickey, Riku, Kairi (still not back to her yet); all the Keyblade Wielders of Light get shoved out of the way rather unceremoniously unless the time for their one brief flash of brilliance (if they even get one), while the bulk of the story is driven by the antagonists. But as I said, the members of Organization XIII are still not very interesting, and there are too many of them for any one to stand out.

- What the fuck is Xion doing back here? She barely made sense as a character in 358/2 Days, but her death was one of the very last to have any sense of permanence, and to give the concept any meaning in this world. That’s now undermined even worse than it already was. On top of that, it seems obvious to me now that all those conversations between Ansem and “Ansem” that I thought might be alluding to Kairi’s part were actually about this blank slate of a character.

- And now we’re back to Kairi.

Xehanort cutting her down didn’t surprise me. I’ve been expecting something like this to happen from early on in the game, though I wasn’t sure whether it would be Sora or Kairi who was killed. In part, this is because I stumbled on some sad fan art that, though lacking any description or anything to tell me that it was a moment from the actual game, was tagged “spoilers” and made me nervous. A bigger tell for me was the fact that most of the Disney movies used have a moment of sacrifice for a loved one. Meg shoves Hercules aside, and Herc in turn offers his life for Meg’s; Eugene gives up his chance to be healed to free Rapunzel from Mother Gothel; Anna rushes forward to take a blow for Elsa; and Tadashi and Baymax both sacrifice themselves in Big Hero 6. At World’s End also sees the lovers Will and Elizabeth cruelly separated by Will’s death, with Jack sacrificing his chance of immortality to give them some measure of happiness.

Between that, and all the taunting by Organization XIII, there was a sense of foreboding early on in my play-through that something was going to happen to Sora and/or Kairi, and for all the missteps in the handling of their relationship over the years, those kids are still cute as hell, so I was emotionally invested. But then, in each of the worlds where a death or sacrifice happens, no connection was made by Sora, or any other character, to him and his bond with Kairi. In previous games, moments of much less importance would set him or someone else off, but not here. In some cases, that makes sense (Sora wouldn’t even be aware of the sacrifices in Big Hero 6) but for those moments that he literally bares witness to, it seemed very strange. While that was something of a relief, as it made any potential death seem less likely, it was also annoying, as I’d given the game credit for selecting worlds with the same thematic idea as a neat bit of foreshadowing that seemed destined to be an unfulfilled coincidence.

Then, when Kairi leads Sora back to the realm of light, Sora has a brief flash of Eugene and Anna’s sacrifices, and the connection was finally made. (Will’s death gets left out of the count for some reason.) It was very little, very late in the game, but it was something, and I started expecting a death again. But this was after the neglect of Kairi’s character and of her relationship with Sora became apparent, and the emotional investment did not return - at least not in full force.

It is rather cliche, killing the heroine (or letting her die) to motivate the hero, but that’s not a reason not to do it if it can serve the story and be executed effectively. Given how important Sora and Kairi are to each other, it’s the ultimate extreme that you can take with their arc. So I can’t object to the idea out of hand. And had Kairi been kept a prominent presence throughout the game and her training as a Keyblade Wielder made apparent and meaningful, her being cut down after demonstrating skill and bravery would have made for an extremely powerful moment.

That’s not what we got.

What we got was everything I objected to in my last post about Kairi, with a vengeance, in this entire section of the game. While I didn’t have the same experience of her being an incompetent battle partner that others have (she even pulled off a quick heal in a pivotal moment), she (and Axel) could have been removed and I wouldn’t have had any more trouble with those bosses. Of all the Seven Lights, Kairi’s consistently the one with the least screen time and the least to do in the cutscenes. The way Xemnas and Xehanort handle her, she’s reduced to a prop, a passive object. And when the moment of slaying comes, it lacks the dramatic flare and emphasis that was given to the deaths of literally every single member of Organization XIII, or to the revivals of Terra and Xion. This - the death of our supposed tritagonist, who is the prime motivating force for our hero and who plays a vital role within this fictional universe as a Princess of Light - is quickly tossed out and moved past.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; this is not about Kairi being a favorite character of mine (until she’s developed more, I can’t call her that.) This is a character who is supposed to be important. Not just important, but central. You can’t maintain the credibility of that idea if you leave this character sidelined for game after game after game, and only ever trot her out for when the plot requires something to happen to her. Again, the moment where Kairi tells Sora “you’re safe with me” is a good moment. Sora’s cry of “why her?” is striking; the implication is, basically, “out of all my friends that you could have killed, she was the one I would choose to save,” and that is a powerful moment. But moments can’t cut it on an arc this important, not after three games disregarded it and this one spent nearly all its time on the convoluted mess of the villains’ scheming.

That no one in the development process of KH III (to say nothing of the games between it and II) ever realized this, or recognized the problems that it would cause at the climax of this, the culmination of the entire series up to this point, is truly baffling, and I can’t imagine that there’s any way that the story can dig itself out of this mess in the short time remaining on the game.

[mythicamagic]

Diabolik Fairy Tales - Chapter 4

AU - The Diabolik Lovers re-imagined as fairy tale characters. Each chapter will feature a different diaboy, as their dark natures become entwined with the original macabre fairy tales of the past. Includes smut with a nameless heroine (slight reader insert)

Rated M               Trailer is here          (you can read all my fics here on fanfiction.net or Ao3)

Chapter 1 - Yuma Mukami                            Chapter 2 - Shuu Sakamaki

Chapter 3 - Kanato Sakamaki                       Chapter 4 - Ayato Sakamaki

Chapter 5 - Ruki Mukami                                  Chapter 6 - Laito Sakamaki

Chapter 7 - Azusa Mukami                              Chapter 8 - Reiji Sakamaki

Chapter 9 - Kou Mukami                            Chapter 10 - Subaru Sakamaki (end)

Special thanks to @fyeahdialovers for this one. I owe you big time for all your editing help and Ayato advice ^^

Hair like Ribbon ~

An announcement had been made, by the king himself, regarding the fate of the land he'd ruled over for more than thirty years. Subjects had flocked to the courtyard. Peasants mixed with nobles. All desperately shoved to the front of the crowd, straining to hear the news. Once the last word was uttered, gossip spread like wildfire.

For reasons not divulged, the king would be abdicating the throne early, passing it down to one of his six sons. The kingdom had been expected to fall into the hands of the eldest, so this news shocked many in the lower rings. For the upper-class, it came as no surprise, considering Prince Shuu's infamous lethargy. Yet the conditions that the princes had to meet, in order to be selected, gave everyone pause.

The six sons would have to leave the castle and search for a priceless treasure. It would be paramount to any other held within the royal treasury. Whoever brought back the 'best' object, would gain the crown.

People interpreted this in many ways. Perhaps a dragon egg would win? Or a rare spell? Maybe even a captured magical creature.

Prince Ayato was practically bursting with joy. This was the chance he'd been waiting for his whole life. It was a simple task, cut and dry, and for once he was actually thankful to his bastard of a father. Why the fool had done it made little sense, but he wasn't going to complain. Suspicions be damned, he was winning this thing.

As the third in line for the throne, yet eldest of the triplets, he'd always been pulled in different directions for where his place should be. But now he had an answer to everything, and competition was something he excelled at.

Grinning viciously, he mounted his horse and set off into the remote wilds of his father's kingdom.

He'd never had a chance to prove himself in such a clear way before, so he didn't think much of riding all day and night in search of a spectacular find. Of course, he would have to bring something cool back, worthy of himself. He thought briefly of his brothers, and the conversation he'd shared with Laito.

"Let me guess, the buzzkill is gonna search for a lame plant of some kind." He'd sneered, eyes on his older brother, who was pouring over maps some distance away.

Laito had laughed lowly. "I wouldn't underestimate him, Ayato. I've heard delicious little details of what he got up to with the Mage's Dark Magic book."

"Tch." Ayato leaned back, frowning over his own map.

"How about you?" Laito's eyes had gleamed with interest.

"Like I'm gonna say. What if you steal my great idea?"

"I'm wounded that you would think so low of me, brother. Especially since I won't be participating in this farce. It'll be more fun to watch you all struggle."

Ayato frowned to himself as he urged his horse on. He didn't want to be manipulated by his father, but this was the easiest way to get what he wanted. And why wouldn't someone want the crown? Well, Ayato hardly cared what motivations his brothers had. He needed to win, that was all.

After dismounting, he cursed foully, complaining over saddle sores.

He'd heard rumor about a rare stone, located deep within the Eastern Forest. Alchemists had coveted it for some time, yet were unable to find any trace of it. That probably had something to do with its location, as the forest was infamous for trapping weary travelers within its many twists and turns.

A part of him longed for a servant to order around, but pride demanded that he brave the woods alone. Subaru had also set out by himself, with nothing but his fists and the clothes on his back.

Ayato snorted, swinging his sword through the dense undergrowth that blocked his way. He tugged his horse forward, gripping the reins tightly. It pulled against his hold, becoming more skittish and frightened the deeper they went into the forest.

"Oi, don't go wussing out on me. You belong to a great prince, have some pride! It's gonna reflect badly on me if you get all jittery from a bunch of twigs."

His horse continued to yank at the reins. Ayato rolled his eyes, glancing at the sky and feeling some of the sleep he'd put off start to creep into his tired body. He wasn't one for camping, though the idea of roughing it on his own had initially been exciting. Yet now that the situation was in front of him, Ayato wished that he'd stopped by a peasant's house before entering the forest, demanding shelter.

With night descending quickly, he made a fire and grabbed the half organised pack from his horse, sitting down on the grass heavily. He'd been walking through the Eastern Forest for some time now, with no trace of the rare stone anywhere. It was meant to be found in a glade, and could grant a person some kind of immense power. He wasn't worried though, he'd find it soon enough. Ayato rubbed his head, wearied as he took a swig from his water pouch.

He'd be happy just for a bed right then, or a hot meal. The leftovers in his pack had been eaten a little too quickly.

Just as he was about to settle in for the night, a rustle caught his attention. He sat up, thinking he's seen something in the shadows up ahead, a figure flitting through the trees. Quickly rising, he staggered from headrush, before grabbing his sword. He then glared at his horse.

"You better be here when I get back." He warned, before turning and running after the figure.

As he ran, knocking the bushes aside and roughly scraping his shoulder against a tree, he thought to himself that the figure must've been a hermit.

When the stranger came into view, just barely visible from the dimly lit sky, Ayato stopped, crouching low. He squinted as the figure's hood drew back to reveal an old hag, aged and haggard. She kept walking, and Ayato followed, curious.

His feet eventually stopped dead. Green eyes slid up to stare at a tall tower. It was made of aged white bricks, and stretched up into the darkening sky, standing alone among the trees.

A flash of memory resounded in his mind, that of building blocks piled high, but Ayato shook the thought away furiously. He crept closer, watching as the hag walked to the base of the tower which had no entrance, calling up to the high window:

"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"

To his surprise, a large fall of hair, twisted into a braid, swung down from the tower's only window. The hair was impossibly long, hitting the floor and pooling into a heap.

The old hag grabbed the braid and used one of the many ties adorning the locks as a foothold. Ayato stared, amazed as the hair began to slide up. He heard grunting, and the sound of something turning up above, like a crank, as the hag ascended into the air. She rose up to the tower window, before disappearing from sight.

Ayato stood there for a long while. Minutes slipped by, and as they did, his lips curled up at the edges, spreading wider to reveal teeth.

Some time after the hag descended, walking off into the gloom of the forest, he stood below the tower window. Reiterating the words that had caused the hair to fall, satisfaction puffed up inside him as it fell down into heap at his feet.

Mimicking what the hag had done, he was surprised to find that the hair was soft and sleek in his hands. He gripped the strands tight as the hair slid up, grunts of effort reaching his ears and the sound of a crack drawing closer. He glanced below at the ground, refusing to acknowledge the way sweat pricked the back of his neck, and instead focusing on the adrenaline that pumped through his veins.

The girl's eyes flew wide and disbelieving at the image of a stranger climbing through her window. Instead of wrinkles, or frail, weathered bones beneath a sweeping cloak, there was a lithe, athletic build, smooth skin, and a bright shock of red hair.

This person was a man. She'd never laid eyes on one before, but had heard plenty, as the old woman had a penchant for seizing every opportunity to gripe about them.

His lips curled up, and a pleasant voice rang out. "Yo." He said nonchalantly.

She blinked, heart stuttering with fear as she stared uncertainly. "U-um, hello?"

He leaped down from the window, before standing tall. "The name's Ayato Sakamaki."

Amazed, she stuttered, before introducing herself. The man's keen green eyes swept down her figure with interest. He then stepped forward and put his hands on his hips, sizing up her home. "So what's the story with this place; You live here?"

"Y-yes. Sorry but, I'm not sure you should be here. Does my mother know about this?" She glanced uncertainly at the window.

"Huh? I can go wherever I please. You happen to be talking to a Crown Prince." He jabbed a thumb at his chest, smirking as her eyes widened. Cherished memories spent pouring over fairy tales warmed her heart, and when she looked at him again, it was with a new light that went completely ignored by him. "Anyway, the tower doesn't really matter. What's the deal with your hair?"

Her eyes dropped to the fall of locks that were spun around the room, hanging from the rafters and wrapped around her bed posts like a monstrous snake. "Oh...I've never been allowed to cut it, or go outside." She fiddled with a piece of it, tucking the strand behind her ear. She shouldn't have been answering a stranger's questions, but if he was a prince then it felt only natural to.

"Ha? Seriously?"

When she nodded, he grinned, moving uncomfortably close. His green eyes were alight with something indiscernible but intense. She felt like shrinking under that keen stare, but having endured her mother for years, her feet remained firmly rooted in place."You've never been outside?"

"I was brought here when I was twelve. But my mother...she told me to forget about everything that came before then."

"Heh, and how much do you know about the world? Not much, I'm guessing." Prince Ayato peered at her. "Hmm, maybe if the hair thing isn't impressive enough, I can sell you as 'The Airhead Girl.''

"Sell?!" She sputtered.

"Figure of speech. Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep you close when we leave." He waved off her concern dismissively, as if batting a fly.

Her eyes shot wide. "But I barely know you, and I-I can't! I'm not even supposed to be talking with you."

He laughed, sounding young and carefree. It was so fresh and new she couldn't help but be drawn in by it. "Yeah, and your keeper has done a fine job of hiding you away. Really, I applaud them. But-" He bent close to her face, his scent filling her nose. It was spicy, overwhelming, and yet, somewhat inviting. "If you cared about that, you'd have obeyed them and not said a word to me when I climbed in, right? But you've been nothing but chatty. I think you wanna leave. You want to know what you're missing out on."

Her hands fretted at her sides, and she wet her lips, heart leaping when his eyes followed the action. His voice dropped, looking down at her hungrily. "I have a pretty good idea of why your guardian chose to lock you away."

She frowned, "You do? Why?"

Something in his laugh mirrored that of her mother's. Cruel and low. "Ahh...you're gonna be tons of fun." He leaned away, smiling to himself.

The girl didn't know what to make of his words, and stood lost in thought for a moment.

"Would you like a drink?" She suddenly blurted, remembering the manners an etiquette book had taught her.

He rose a brow, blinking in confusion, before shrugging.

Though she would loathe to admit it to her mother, in fear of punishment, the girl had allowed the prince to stay for the night. He'd slept in a tangle of limbs on her bed, having claimed it earlier as the most comfortable surface, and therefore, the only surface he would be sleeping on.

She'd acquiesced, but had stayed awake longer than he had. His snores were loud at first, but after turning over, he'd quieted into hushed breaths, frowning in his sleep. She knew this because she'd stayed attuned to him throughout the night. Without realizing it, she'd watched him from her position on the sofa, wondering about everything beyond the tower.

"When I win, I get the throne!" He'd bragged, before sobering and staring at her. "You'll definitely be the key to victory."

"Oh I don't know...is long hair really that impressive?"

"If I say so, then it is! I've stepped on it five times already. You'll win me the crown for sure, and then I'll-" He seemed to withdraw into himself for a moment. "I'll cast that guy into the streets, or better yet, kill him. Heh, I wonder which would hurt more?"

She didn't mind helping him achieve his goal of being crowned King, but the anxiety of leaving the tower kept her from sharing his enthusiasm. When sunlight began to peak in from her only window, the girl rose. She hesitated by her bed, gazing down at the prince with a small smile.

Another person in her home, whether or not it was a noisy one, was something she couldn't help but be enraptured by. Mother never slept in the tower. She couldn't remember seeing another person so unguarded, or hearing their breathing fall so quiet.

She made him breakfast and woke him up with a careful nudge to his leg. She didn't complain when he ate half of her meal in retaliation for waking him. As she cleared the plates away however, panic was starting to creep into her hands, making them shake.

She didn't want him to leave. To be left alone again after one night of company felt sickening.

"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"

The girl turned, eyes wide as she stared at the tower window. "She's back." Her throat became dry, and she quickly looked at the prince.

"Heh, so what are you gonna do now?" He asked, utterly calm, not worried in the slightest.

The need to escape had always been there, lurking in the back of her mind. Some days it was pitched into a low hum, barely noticeable, but today, it sang in her veins. A longing for freedom. For wide open spaces, where she could breath in fresh air and talk with people, to live like they did.

She became aware of the prince's proximity, as he drew close to her from behind. ""Hey, don't you feel lucky I found you?"

"Yes." She whispered, moving her hair over her shoulder and sliding it into the pulley system automatically.

"That luck will have been useless if you stay, but at least nothing will change, right?"

His words opened a cavern in her heart, her stomach twisting like the fall of her hair as it plummeted to the ground. There was a tug, signalling her guardian had stepped on.

She began to pull, barely feeling the strain of her muscles from years of her practiced art. Nothing will change.

Horror numbed her fingers, making her hands freeze mid-pull.

"Rapunzel? What's going on?" Came a disgruntled voice, confused as to why she'd stopped.

The girl inched forward, until she stood overlooking the edge of the tower, staring right into the eyes of her mother. Realization slowly dawned on the hag's face as she held onto the hair, swinging in the slight breeze.

"R-rapunzel? Why are you looking at me like that? Pull me up. Now."

She swallowed. "I know my parents were foolish people, and what happened between you was a 'fair' exchange. But...but why did you keep me up here for so long, mother? Why must I always be alone?"

"I-its for your own safety! Come now dear, you know the world of men is dangerous. Let me up and we can enjoy a nice brew together-"

"I don't care, mother." Her voice wavered. She tensed as Ayato chose that moment to lean around her. The heat of his chest pressing against her back sent butterflies scattering in her stomach.

He laughed, judging the distance between the hag and the ground with a grin. "That's quite a drop, huh?"

The hag's eyes snapped wide, mouth falling open. "F-foolish child! What have you done, inviting the company of a man into your midsts?"

"I don't care. Whatever dangers there are, I would rather face them. Better that than enduring one more day stuck in this- this prison!" The girl yelled, her fingers trembling.

"Stupid, ungrateful child! How dare y-"

Rapunzel's eyes widened as her grip slackened. Never in all her years had her grip failed. And yet she watched with a numb sort of fascination as the threads of hair passed through her fingers. The hag screamed. Slack hair was still clutched tight in her gnarled hands, fluttering like a kite's tail as she fell to the earth.

A sickening thud broke the spell.

The girl stared, breaths coming in short, gasping pants. She'd let go. She'd...killed Mother.

"Whoa, dropped like a stone, didn't she?" He glanced at her, before seeing her expression and sighing. "Well, come on. Don't wanna hang around here forever." Ayato muttered, grabbing her loose hair that hung over the side, pulling it back up like a rope.

He made no comment on the broken ends, most likely torn off by the Mother's hand. Instead, he stepped inside the tower, gathering the strands into an incredibly large bundle and stuffing them inside a sack. The girl stood frozen in the window, staring down at the body that lay below.

"Oi!" His voice was suddenly close to her ear, and she jumped, quickly staggering back from the edge and bumping into him. He shoved the sack into her arms and gestured behind him.

"Do you need anything else, or can we get a move on?"

She glanced dazedly around the suddenly too small room. It was packed near to bursting with fairy-tales and little knickknacks that had amused her for years. Her first pictures hung on the wall, some of handprints that she'd smeared onto paper as a toddler.

Instead of giving her comfort, the childish possessions now disturbed her more than anything. The need to leave, and never lay eyes on them again rose like bile in her throat.

She turned to him, desperate for assurance. "Once I win you the crown, what will happen to me afterwards?"

Ayato blinked, before smirking, eyes unreadable. "Let me worry about that."

His cryptic answer did nothing to inspire trust, but she nodded, uncertainty clinging to her like a second skin. "I don't need anything. Let's go, please."

After setting her feet on solid ground, the girl had once fantasized that she would enjoy it, celebrate it like a momentous feat. But in reality, she'd quickly made light of it in favor of moving as quickly away from the broken body of her mother as soon as possible.

Ayato remained unruffled as he strode forward, leading the way through the forest and away from the lonely tower. Rapunzel glanced behind her just once before it was lost from sight.

As they walked, she remained silent, lost in memories. The story of how she'd been traded as a baby in exchange for vegetables had been recited to her ever since she was young. While she knew that her mothe- captor, hadn't loved her, she'd still felt a degree of affection for the old woman.

Ayato's boisterous laughter startled her from her heavy thoughts.

"So you decided to stick around, huh? Knew you'd make the right choice."

She glanced up, stopping dead at the sight of a large animal. "I-is that a horse?"

Ayato patted the steed, grinning. "Sure is. Ah, you never seen one before?"

"I don't remember, but I've seen pictures in my books." Her arms tightened around the sack in her hands. The horse towered over her in height.

"Ohh, then you know all about them then, huh? Like the fact that they like to bite people's hands off?"

She blinked, gaze snapping to his deadly serious features. "Huh?"

"Oh yeah, they love to nibble on delicate young ladies hands the most. When prisoners are executed at the castle, we make sure to save the hands for the horses."

"K-keep it away!" She backed away when he drew close, grabbing her around the waist. She struggled for a moment, feeling herself being lifted into the air.

Ayato set her on the horse, lifting himself up and sitting down in the saddle in front of her. "Heh, don't fuss, idiot. Here you can hold on to me." He grabbed her arms and placed them around his waist, leering at her. "Make sure to grab on real tight-ack! Not that tight!"

After loosening her hold, he clicked his tongue. The horse started forward, quickening from a walk to a trot. When her hands made fists in his shirt, he laughed, and urged the beast on, until they were galloping through the trees at a breakneck speed. The girl kept a firm hold of the sack under her arm, though large strands of hair escaped and blew out into the wind, lashing behind them.

She pressed her face against his shoulder blades, feeling the air chill her bones. Yet she was grateful for the trembling of her shoulders, the bite of cold on her nose. Eventually the forest opened out into farmlands, and she drank in everything with starved eyes.

Ayato smirked to himself as her chest pressed against his back, feeling her racing heartbeat.

Both were hardly aware of the time that passed before the castle came into view. Her arms tightened around his waist as they rode through the main gate. She looked around them wearily, staring at the strangers that haggled their wares.

The prince glanced up at the castle by chance, setting eyes on a certain figure. Immediately, his good mood scattered. Karlheinz stood on the topmost balcony of the castle, overlooking the bustle of the courtyard. Ayato tensed, limbs turning rigid when those patronizing eyes turned their sights on him.

The girl patted his side lightly, "Who is that man?" She asked innocently.

Ayato kept his gaze upward. "You just keep your eyes on me. Don't concern yourself with anyone else. Got it?"

"Y-yes."

Karl Heinz's eyes slipped past him to the girl, and Ayato swiftly turned the horse, heading towards the stables. Something hung low and heavy in the pit of his stomach.

"What do you mean: You have to present me?"

"Just what I said! Geeze, don't you listen when people talk? I have to show what treasure I brought back for this ceremony thing."

There wasn't anything she could say when he'd already explained the reason she'd been welcomed into the castle. Then I really am like some sort of object…

Ayato sighed and tugged on a strand of her hair. She winced just as he grinned sharply. "I took care of you didn't I? You should show me a little gratitude."

The girl nodded quickly. "I am grateful you helped me escape the tower, more than you'll ever know."

He frowned down at her, as if puzzling over her answer. Finally, he loosened his regal clothing, tugging the material out until it was comfortable and scruffy. "Hm, as you should be." Once he was satisfied. he grabbed her by the arm and tugged her out onto the waiting stage.

The ceremony had been held before a large crowd. Each of the brothers had stood, presenting their finds to the kingdom, all the participants seeming annoyed. Putting on a show wasn't in their tastes, though Ayato certainly enjoyed the attention from the crowd. When it was his turn, he bid her to wave, and the girl smiled shyly, standing a bit behind him.

Ultimately, his confidence grew on her, to the point that she felt herself straighten up, engaging in bouts of eye contact. It felt so alien, to be around so many after being alone for so long, but his presence was assuring.

After the ceremony, Karlheinz announced that the winner would be selected the following day. Ayato griped and nagged, trudging along to dinner without noticing the girl trailing behind him.

She sat still during the feast, her eyes flitting from one guest to the next, before finding someone bent close to her face. "Oh~ Who's this?" A pleasant voice asked, his green eyes, though darker, struck a familiar chord with her.

"Are you one of Ayato's brothers?" She hadn't been able to see or interact with them during the ceremony, having stayed glued to Ayato's side.

"How cute, you refer to him without a title! Fufu, have you gone that far already?"

Although clueless, she was beginning to understand the gist of his words from the blush painting his cheeks. "H-how far?" The question slipped out without her consent.

"Oh you know~" The man drew closer, making her shrink back in her seat. "All the way." He purred, eyes raking down her form.

"Oi, Laito! Buzz off already, she's mine."

Laito chuckled, but none the less moved away, smiling at Ayato. "So Reiji brings back a rare gem of necromancy, Subaru coughs up an old artifact, and you bring back... a girl, is that right brother?"

Ayato grumbled in his seat. "She's not a normal girl, she has the longest hair ever. Besides I wasn't about to waste my time in a forest looking for some dumb rocks."

"I don't blame you. A woman is worth far more than any other treasure, and has a thousand other uses." Laito was saying, but it went mostly unheard.

The girl wasn't paying attention any more. Her eyes had risen from the feast, connecting by chance with that of the King's. Though he sat at the end of the long, ornate table, he stared at her with a fixated heat that bridged the distance. She felt stifled under that gaze.

His pale lips tilted up, the slight wrinkles under his eyes creasing.

She found herself replaying that single moment in her head, long after dinner had ended and she'd retired to her bed. Before sleeping, she locked the door of her room, not understanding where the need had arisen from.

Despite public expectation, the announcement that followed the ceremony a day later dubbed the eldest triplet the winner.

Several people went bust, having bet good money on Reiji winning the crown. Some expressed pity that the youngest hadn't won, having participated in order to have a say over his mother's welfare.

The girl had been happy, thinking that she'd managed to be useful. As for Ayato himself, he'd been in a daze ever since. She wished she could spend some time with him, but court officials had been prepping him for the coronation, making it difficult to get close.

Since then, she'd mostly been spending time in her room. Shut off again.

The insidious sensation of eyes had hung on her skin like sticky vapor ever since the dinner on that first day. Though she hadn't seen the king since then, she was constantly alert, uncertain of what had been in those eyes, or why they frightened her so. They made her unable to face going outside her room alone.

On one particular day however, those fears were realized. "The King has…requested an audience with me?"

An aged servant waited outside her door. "Yes dear."

She hesitated. "I don't understand, what for?"

"Why, for your company of course." Seeing the girl's furrowed brow deepen, the older woman leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering her voice. "This is a big opportunity for you! Many a fine woman has longed to be in the position you're in now. His Highness tends to the needs of his lovers exceptionally well. Even better than his wives."

A dull pang echoed in her heart. "Lovers…"

The maid left her standing alone in the hallway, mind turning impossibly fast. A tingling feeling on the nape of her neck pricked into a harsh bite, alerting her to eyes once more.

Her gaze locked with Ayato's.

Quiet, tense energy coiled inside her. She wanted to speak, to break the horrible silence. He had never looked at her like that before, or felt so remote and distant.

Her lips parted. "Ayato." Why did her voice shake? Was she guilty of something?

The prince stared at her a moment longer, before stalking forward.

Her heart thundered in her chest as his hand slammed onto the wall beside her. "Oi…that just now." He finally spoke, hair spilling into his eyes. When he looked up, the locks parted, revealing sharp, glaring green. Somehow, they burned with an inner light.

"You didn't invite it. Did you? His interest." His usual jovial tone had been replaced with one that made her tremble. When she didn't answer, he leaned forward until their foreheads pressed together. The act elicited no warmth or happiness. Her skull ached from being pressed back into the hard surface of the wall behind her.

"You didn't do anything while I wasn't looking, right? Because if you did, nothing will save you." There was a deadly promise in his voice. Hot breath fanned over her lips.

"I wouldn't do that!" She yelled, but words didn't seem to reach him.

She broke the barrier of touch and grabbed his shirt. "Ayato, I don't want to go, please- don't make me! I don't understand what it is he wants from me."

His fingers snapped over hers, crushing them under his larger hands as he pried them off himself. "He wants to fuck you! Why else would he call you to his room?" He spat, the harsh words striking a chord within her. Hadn't Ayato said she belonged to him?"

"W-what? But-but"

"Damn it, stop blubbering." He sneered and backed away slightly, muttering to himself. "That fucking bastard…"

"Ayato, can't you stop this? You're King now aren't you?" She soothed her voice from a less confrontational one, but he seemed too lost in his own frustration to be calmed.

"Not yet I'm not! Shit. He knows I can't do anything to stop him until after the coronation. That's why he's doing this now." He ran a hand through disheveled red locks.

"Please, I don't want this-"

His gaze snapped to hers. "Like he gives a crap what you want."

Her head bowed forward. Hopelessness threatened to overwhelm her. "I won't…"

"Ha?"

Her body was strung tight, her fists shaking at her sides. "I refuse to let him touch me." She jolted roughly in his hold, twisting out of reach and disappearing down the hall before he had a chance to stop her.

Ayato grit his teeth, kicking the wall and feeling a dull thrum race up his leg from the impact.

The building blocks stacked impossibly high flashed in his minds eye. They tilted precariously, threatening to fall.

He wouldn't stand for it. She was his! The bastard knew that, but he just wanted to fuck with him, as always.

Just like that bitch…

"Do you want to go back to the bottom of the lake, Ayato?"

His mind refused to quiet throughout the rest of the day. When guests began to filter in for the informal banquet, he barely noticed.

The girl didn't show up to the feast. Her absence drilled into his thoughts. Come to think of it, when was that special meeting between her and his old man taking place?

His back snapped straight. Was she with him already?

He sucked in a sharp breath, the glass in his hand drawing his attention. The water trembled, as if something was shaking the ground. Like a force was coming no one could stop. Yeah, that was him wasn't it? He wasn't a kid anymore, he could- he could-

"I have no need of you, if you're utterly worthless to me."

Ayato stifled a phantom choke, trying to ignore the sensation of water filling his lungs. This was bullshit. He wasn't doing this, not now.

Why did he still feel like this when he'd finally achieved something of worth? He'd be crowned king soon! The hell was he doing, thinking of these things again?

But a flash of his father's face made the taste of victory turn sickly sour. No, there was no victory if that bastard was still breathing. What's more, he was thinking of satisfying himself inside that girl, the one he'd claimed as his own…

Ayato set down the glass, hands balling into fists. Don't underestimate me, old man. It pisses me off.

Laito glanced away from his conversation with a beautiful brunette to look at his brother, but Ayato had vanished.

Everything lay calm and still that morning. Not a ripple disturbed the motionless surface of the nearby lake. Sunlight blazed, scaling the walls of the castle and bathing every surface in a gentle glow. The kingdom's flag fluttered atop the massive structure.

Further down, stray strands of hair gently swayed in the breeze. The rest of the locks were twisted into a heavy fall, thrown over the side of the King's balcony.

And there, swinging lightly, hung the body of Karlheinz.

A guard who'd been on patrol all night, glanced up by chance whilst walking through the main courtyard. At first, disbelief had severed any action from his brain, but the moment the light hit the body in such a way that it highlighted the king's blank expression, the guard sprung into action.

Chaos descended on the kingdom in the form of frantic footfalls, yells, cries of alarm, thinking that an assassin had killed their king. It was only after the initial terror had subsided that attention was paid to the hair wrapped around his neck.

All blame immediately focused on the girl named Rapunzel.

Officials within the court hushed this information, wanting to handle the situation delicately. Several of them made their way to the throne room, panic quickening their steps.

When the door was cast open, the men stopped, taking in the image before them.

Prince Ayato comfortably lounged on the intricately carved throne, his leg thrown over the armrest. The murderer of the king sat happily on his lap, utterly clueless to their entrance. Ayato held her close, his gaze slanting up to meet the officials who stared at the couple in horror.

"What's with you?"

One man began, his voice shaking. "Y-your Highness, it pains me to say this with such little decorum but-"

"Your father, the former King, has been murdered." Interrupted another.

The girl on his lap glanced at them, her fingers threading in Ayato's loose shirt. He regarded them snidely, eyes filled with boredom. "Really?"

"Yes, Your Highness. We also have reason to believe that the girl with you has-"

"Heh, The King is Dead, Long live the King, right?" Ayato interrupted, moving his leg down and straightening in his seat.

Several of the officials looked at him with shock. "W-what?"

Other's kept a level gaze, expecting this reaction.

Ayato's hand slid up the girl's side, passing her ribs to caress the back of her neck. "This girl isn't someone the kingdom should worry about. She's mine. So I'll do what I want with her." His fingers tangled in her hair, tightening his grip on the cut locks.

Unflinching green eyes challenged any of them to protest.

The court officials didn't dare say a word. Speculation spread throughout the interior of the castle. Noblemen and guards felt they knew the truth, but none were certain in what really happened, save for the five brothers who stood on the sidelines, watching Ayato's coronation.

"It's as if he's carrying the murder weapon around with him. Does he have no tact?" Reiji frowned as Ayato stood close to the girl, the heavy crown adorning his head.

Kanato's nodded dazedly. "I wonder why he doesn't get rid of her?"

The crowd assembled cheered for their new king, the roar of shouts drowning out Laito's quiet chuckle. "I hope your building blocks don't tip over, Ayato. Be sure to mind them carefully."

Slim fingers twirled short strands around absentmindedly. The girl read on, various notes adorning her desk, all regarding the kingdom's welfare and upkeep. Days once spent idle in the tower were now crammed full of study, meetings and research. Yet Rapunzel had never been happier.

Her mind absorbed the information like a sponge. Her love of books had made her useful in attending to things within the kingdom that Ayato didn't have an interest in.

Turning a page, her heart clenched, fingers freezing. Karlheinz's handwriting stared back at her.

She slowly, carefully, shut the book. Another reason of why she drowned herself in work began to crack the surface of her placid expression.

"Dear, the King requests an audience with you." A kind voice called out.

The girl jumped, weaving through nightmares in order to focus on the old maid. "A-Ayato needs me?"

All it took was a single nod, and she was already rising, clearing away her things. When she found that he awaited her in his quarters, she took a steadying breath, trying not to think of that night.

Yet with every step she took, her past self shadowed her footsteps. She could see herself walking to Karlheinz's bedchamber, like a lost lamb going to the slaughter. She'd entered, found him waiting inside, that kind, false smile on pale lips-

"Enter." A voice called, snapping her out of her daze.

Realizing she hadn't knocked, and was instead loitering outside his room, the girl quickly opened the door. Ayato stood by the window, arms crossed.

"You're late."

She rose a brow. "I wasn't aware we had plans?"

He released a sigh before grabbing the curtain, slowly sliding it shut. "You know what I mean. You've kept me waiting long enough."

When he drew in close, enough for her to heart to flutter, she stepped back. "Waiting for...what?"

His lips turned down into a frown. Grabbing her roughly by the arms, air rushed out of her lungs as she fell back onto the bed with a thud. He stood in-between her legs, shoving a knee between her thighs and prying them apart.

"Don't play innocent. You should thank my generosity. If it weren't for me, you'd have been exec-"

"Please don't remind me of it!" She wailed, gripping his forearms and squeezing her eyes shut.

A squeak escaped from her when his lips collided against her mouth. His tongue slid past her lips the moment she gave in, and he moaned as he tasted her deeply. The girl clung to him, feeling his muscles shift as he pushed her deeper into the mattress. Something nudged insistently against her, and she gasped, pulling back from their kiss.

"I'll burn any trace of him away." He said solemnly.

A hush fell over them. Their breaths intermingled. Ayato's gaze slid to her chest, which rapidly rose and fell with each pant. She knew now what that gaze meant, and her stomach fluttered. Spending the better part of her childhood with only fairy tale books, her knowledge about the intimacies shared in bed were limited and naturally, her curiosity took over when she'd come across certain books in the library.

But this wasn't like how they'd described it in the books. He shed her clothes and impatiently waited as she attempted to strip him, growling when she took longer than he wanted. Once his bare skin touched hers, her body flamed alight. A wetness and tightening need swelled inside her core. Instinctively, she rocked her hips against his, desperate to relieve the ache.

It was clumsy and rough at first. Teeth knocked, blunt nails scratched, biting into skin harshly, before hard fingers thrust and prodded their way into places that had her back arching.

"Heh, that's not a bad face you're making, it's actually kind of arousing." He murmured, voice muffled as he retracted his tongue from between her thighs.

He shifted above her, and she closed her eyes, a furious blush spread over her face. She could hear his pants, could feel his fingers press over her skin, and when his hands lifted her thighs so her legs could wrap around him, a noise escaped her throat. That prodding that she felt earlier returned, only this time, it felt hotter and more real.

When he slid inside her, her eyes opened on reflex, and she tensed, expecting it to hurt, but he just smirked at her. His fingers only had to press against her sex to be coated in her fluids. "Can't pretend you're not enjoying it now, huh?"

And then he began to move. The sensation of him thrusting inside her built the ache in her core, until it consumed her entire body. Her fingers slid into his red hair, feeling its softness soak with sweat as he grunted and moved.

As the ache inside her curled her toes, white hot heat coxed her higher, and higher- until ravenous, soul splitting pleasure drowned out all thought.

Without the barriers of her mind, memories came rushing in.

She saw it all. The way her body had shaken violently, throwing off Karl's hands before he'd been able to do anything more than kiss her. Wrong, all wrong! Her mind had screamed. Fairy tales lining the walls of the tower bled into her vision. Those stories had become her sole comfort in her isolation. To the point that they'd become her obsession.

When a prince had stepped through her window, she'd felt a thin veil of relief and peace wash over her. It'd been perfect. He was the same as her books by association of his title. She'd implicitly trusted him without needing any other reason.

So then, when had the situation turned so sour? Why did a King embrace her? Only a prince was supposed to have her.

The rest was a red haze. She recalled her fingers wrapping around his neck, squeezing and squeezing as panic surged through her bloodstream. In another flash, they were struggling on the floor, her hair wound around his neck.

Then the voice of Ayato had startled her, his green eyes wide. Karlheinz had been coughing, retching on the floor, gasping for air.

She dimly remembered Ayato's voice calming her as they'd manoeuvred the king over to the balcony. And then...

Strands of hair had twisted into a rope, strung tight around his neck as it gave a sickening snap. His head had lolled to the side, eyes glazed and vacant.

Ayato had brushed his fingers through her hair afterwards, muttering incoherent things as he'd cut her locks free with bloody scissors. Everything else was a blur, except for the few words that he echoed now, locked inside her and panting torn, ragged breaths.

"You're mine. And mine alone."