#just wanted to draw eraqus with short hair

[dyushas]

I return two months later with another people standing image but this time it's Younger Character Designs for the Wayfinder Trio, because I don't think they should look exactly the same for four years straight of their adolescence. So this is how I imagine them when Ven had only just arrived in the Land of Departure

Thought-process notes under the cut (mild spoilers ig):

Terra:

-I think Terra is a creature of habit and has been dressing mostly the same since at least puberty, especially since his style is the most like Eraqus' (in my opinion) and I think most people would copy their parents less as they get closer to adulthood instead of more, but what do I know? Idk what I'm even talking about half the time. It's ultimately vibes, I just think that's his brand of autism. But I had to do it at least a little differently to justify the drawing

-Obviously he is like four years younger or something here so he's not as good at things yet or he would've just taken the Mark of Mastery then, so he's got a wrist brace to show he has fucked up his wrist. To show he's still not good at things. I am very intelligent

-I didn't want to draw the full arm piece but I pretend it's because he hasn't worked his way up to handling that much extra weight on one side yet

-I think the red shirt and the patterns look nice so I also did that

-Aqua cut his hair and she isn't that good at it

-I think he's meant to have brown eyes

Aqua:

-She's got so many flowy bits in her canon outfit and I think it probably took her awhile to achieve the kind of control needed for those to not just be a hazard, so at this point she's a younger teen and she isn't there yet, but she can still afford to add a bit of flair

-I was looking at ballet warm-up clothes like those trash bag shorts cause she's got this dancer thing going on

-She and Terra have the same style of shirt because I thought it would be cute and emphasize their closeness as well as the fact that Ven is somewhat of an outsider here at this point

-She has a knee thing. She hurt her knee. She probably fell trying to figure out that fuckass twirl she does sometimes or something

-She cut her own hair but had Terra help with the back. Mistakes were made

-Terra's nails are painted, too, I just drew him with the wrong hand position to show it. The two of them have been the only other kids around for a good while so they hang out when they're supposed to be asleep sometimes to study their keyblade stuff and then get distracted with something silly and joke back and forth, and they paint each other's nails and share clothes sometimes, although this is getting harder cause they're less and less the same size. And then the next day, Eraqus has to tell them off because Aqua is mad Terra's hogging the bathroom and now they're at each other's throats. Just the way it is

Ventus:

-I can write off everyone looking the same in the flashbacks in BBS cause it was a PSP game and they'd already made a lot of new character models so like. I can think "it was just a practicality thing, they probably didn't actually look the same back then" but Ventus also has the same outfit in UX and I pretend I do not see it. There's no way. He needs something else, his skin is sticking to his clothes. It's just not right, it's not ethical, he's only a boy

-I let him keep the waistcoat though cause it feels SO UX era, everyone in that damn game has a little waistcoat and then no one (?) in the console games does. So my thought process is that this one thing is for SURE from tha past and he just keeps wearing it. He's a little vintage

-He has shorts because ummm :P

-Sora had shorts both as a little baby in BBS and a larger baby in KH1, and then as he's been depicted as less kiddish and more teenaged they have him in those cropped pants now. So it's a Sora parallel. Shorts are just the little boys garment

-"But what if his legs get cold?" Well clearly I thought of that

-He has no armor bits because at this point in time he's just been through a lot of trauma and has only just woken up from a mild coma (for him), so he's all kinds of unwell and I don't think he's really doing any proper training yet. Eraqus already kind of babied him in the main story, so he was probably truly swaddled back then. He's dressed for COMFORT

-This meant he also needed different shoes so I drew some. They're not very remarkable

-I gave him a little jacket because I tried drawing him just without one and I didn't like it, he didn't look enough like he spends his days skulking around and looking sad and not getting to hit things with his keyblade, so I gave him something haori-adjacent like it's maybe something Eraqus had lying around and let him wear like how my mom starts putting her jackets on me when she thinks I'm acting sick. But it has black and white checks on the sleeves because I had to put them SOMEWHERE or else it wouldn't be right and every other option I could think of sounded ugly

-I CAN'T EXPLAIN THE LEGWARMERS, I just wanted him to have a unique silhouette that makes him look like he's been sitting the fuck around

-He just has the same hair as he had in UX, which is his original hair but shorter

That's it unless I forgot something in which case you can ask and I may or may not have an answer.

I might also draw Vanitas in this time period even though I'd just give him the same outfit he always has since it's a magic outfit or whatever, but like for the sake of imagining him Small. Vote now on your phones if I should or not so I can disregard it and do whatever I feel like anyway

[goldenchocobo]

BBS trio actual ages in KH3!

This started out as a way to rid myself of my artblock. I wanted to draw Xemnas, but had the *sudden realisation* 'hey.. this is just old Terra... I wonder what he would actually look like if he was his age'. I've seen 'brown haired Xemnas' around as well, which probably helped this. Terra's just Xemnas, with kinder eyes and more swoopy hair at the front, since Terra has luxurious locks.

Ven was surprisingly easy, if I'm going to be honest. I looked at the age progression of Lea and Isa, and tried to replicate that. The hair style comes from both a 'wind swept' look, as well as me watching a FFXVI stream and someone comparing the character of Joshua and Roxas haha.

Aqua was a little harder for me to draw as well as to come up with a hairstyle, but I think I managed well. I gave her a high pony-tail to kind of emulate Eraqus' topknot, since she's the Keyblade Master now.

Bonus:

You know I couldn't leave him out! Anyway- I had a lot of trouble figuring out Vanitas' hair. I flip-flopped between wanting something long and flowy- because I doubt he'd let anyone cut or trim his hair- or something short and punk-ish, since that's his whole attitude. I landed on short and punk-ish, but honestly I would not be surprised if he had long hair either. I then side-swept it to make it like Ventus'.... then I realised he looked like Zagreus from Hades... op. So I redrew him again... a couple times actually- Vanitas was truly hard to make a hairstyle I liked, but I managed to make a variation that I liked and doesn't look too much like Zagreus... I hope.

-

I hope one day we get to see these three (four) their actual age, but I don't think we will until the series' end.

[himmelszeit]

Haven’t been able to doodle content of these two since christmas but here’s another older silly comic~ -v-

[sweeteastart]

✨Day 7✨

for the @khoc-week 2021 !

Themes : 1. Home, 2. Genderswap, 3. What was your character creation like ?

Buckle up because this is going to be quite a long one this time around they were all pretty long posts until now but humour me x)

Mikana

1. For Mikana, spending time with Sakore, her sister and Nox, pretty much her adopted sibling, is the closest feeling to home. When she is with them, darkness, light and all her problems disappeared and she puts all her attention on them.

2. Genderbend Mikana is... Pretty much just Mikana lmao. He is has aloof and friendly. However, in this men form, you can much clearly see Lea's impact on her design ahaha. He name would maybe something like Miko ?

3. Mikana is the oldest kh character i created. She was created around the end of 2019, start of 2020. i got really invested in kh quick late compared to most,,, Really i first created her because i was, and still am, a big fan of Lea. You can see the inspiration i took from his design from her side hair and bang lmao.

Mikana, like all the character i draw, soon took a life of her own. The more i drew and imagined scenarios with her, the more her personality constructed itself without me realizing it (she is aloof, level-headed, family oriented). I truly build most of it throught an AU of mine named "Magical AU". Her clothing style which is really 70/80's s still on of the thing i like the most about her.

The khocweek2020 also helped a lot (pass time, family ties, short terms and long term goals,...) !

Sika

1. Eventually in the story, Sika just kinda absorb into the sea salt trio household. She lives with them like the others kids and is just like a sister for them all. However, even in this next found home found family go brrrr she has some difficulties waking up in the morning.

2. Sika as a boy would just be her sweet self as always. This design ended up turning out much softer and sweet than what I anticipated but I kinda love it. When I was thinking about names, I couldn't really think of much only Soka came to mind at first and that's just a ATLA character lmao so I just kept Sika. I think it's neutral enough to fit a male or female character :D

3. Sika is a special case to say the least. At first, she was one of my fiction character. I never published it anywhere but it was 45 pages long of slice of life of her living in Twilight Town and being Lea and Isa friend,,, Again, herpersonnality build herself up without me thinking much about it (she is bubbly, kind, responsible, ressourceful). But what's truly different about it was that i had her personnality BEFORE i created her appearance. It's really rare for me to do that.

HOWEVER i wasn't satisfied. My writing was too confused... So i scraped all 45 pages of writing i did. i had a hard time doing so because it represented DAYS of work for nothing. I started everything from the beginning. It was then that i truly integrated Orion and Erid properly into the story and created Master Ivi. Some keypoint are still the same but i changed the story quite a lot.

Bunny and Anis

1. Truly, Anis and Bunny always felt at home whenever they were with each other. This feeling extended to their significant other and close friends as they grew older. Whatever the house, what make them feel home is having the people taht matter to them by their side.

2. Bunny and Anis were REALLY a headache to do. Since they are identical twins I feared their genderbend would just look like any another. However, I quickly realized I could use their controsting personalities to my advantage. Bunny genderbend looks like a quiet and successful uncle while Anis genderbend looks like this fun but a bit unhinged aunt you love.

Their names would be Anise for Anis and Hare for Bunny,,,

3. At the beginning, Bunny was simply my Khux player character. I didn't do much art or think much about her or her story. Funnily enough, this is last year khocweek that truly made me flesh her out ! Without it, Bunny would most likely stayed a surface level character. Her name was also mostly a joke but ended up really like it.

When it comes to personality, she mostly have the player personality from KHux and follow the same story. Well except for the final sacrifice (Anis took on this part x)).

Anis was created not too long after last year khocweek. I was simply playing around with the male dressing interface, creating a sort of genderbend of Bunny and... Got attached to the character lmao. With his name, i stayed in the food related realm really i tend to mostly name my character after food... .

His peronnality was mostly created based on the dynamic energic and calm character have. Since Bunny is a very calm and silent person, having a twin brother loud and energetic could make out for funny and ridiculous situation. I really like the dynamic.

Pêche

1. I have yet to decide a definite end to Pêche's story. Their story is yet to find the comfort in hurt/comfort in the current state of her fanfic x) However I can vaguely imagine that someday, they would be have healed enough to trust the guardians of light.

2. Genderbend Pêche was really hard for me. Like some might have guessed Pêche's goes with neutral pronouns and have a generally androgyne appearance : the biggest reason is that I get the impression Pêche doesn't identify as anything. They are there suffering but hey they will have help and slowly heal from all the bad things they experienced. So I just altered their body shape a bit and cut their hair ?

3. Pêche wasn't a really serious character at first. For one, she was a fiction character and more importantly a sort of punching ball character. When i felt bad, i wrote her and felt better. But soon enough my brain started to really like her and from there, i couldn't help but fleshed her out. She needed a coherent story. Well coherent doesn't mean simple for me x) her story is a beautiful mess to understand.

Also i wanted to think about some kind of writing prompt i had : What if Xehanort had a student ? Eraqus as some but Xehanort never explicetly said he never had any so my brain went brrrrr ; What or when did Xehanort truly descended into darkness ? The old men is so intense in the game but Eraqus still think of him as good until he dies ??? It means Xehanort was at least okay for a bunch of time then, right ???? ; What if Xehanort succeded in completing a heart ? lmao this one made available so much angst i couldn't pass it,,,

So this is the end of my khocweek. Even with all my preparation I still had to rush the last few drawnings ahah. Anyways I had such a sweets and good week! I rarely have the occasion of talking about my ocs to strangers and have actual reactions. Interactions I get from the khocweek make my heart warms up 🥺 I thanks all the khocweek team and all the other talented participants from the bottom of my hearts 💜💜 I hope to be there next year and see some familiar ocs again 👀

[razorblade180]

Venqua Week:Music

“When you-gah! No, that’s not right. When- ugh! Come on Ventus, you can do this!” The boy said, frustratingly tuning a guitar. He had been at this for months now. It all started when Namine moved into the Land of Departure with him, Terra, and Aqua. The boy had stumbled upon her drawings and by extension, the arts itself. He was completely hooked. Outside of fighting, Ventus didn’t have much time to explore possible talents. He was determined to find a hobby he was good at! It took all of ten minutes of Namine teaching him about color theory for him to realize that maybe literal art wasn’t his calling.

That’s when Namine recommended music. Seemed like a good idea. He didn’t want to brag, but Ventus always thought he was a bit musically inclined. Between dancing and the ice cream beat machine, he thought learning an actual instrument would come easy. Wrong! It was critically difficult! Three months into learning guitar and his confidence was was fading like the golden sunset that washed over him as he sat at the edge of the trio’s stargazing spot. Ventus played a few more strings and sighed. It didn’t sound off. Honestly it never was. The problem was his nerves. Ventus was trying to be a perfectionist with the only song he’s been able to learn so far. All for a special someone, Aqua.

He had always had certain feelings for his friend, but expressing them was beyond impossible. Any time he tried to show her a cooler, more mature side of himself it never worked out. He’d either screw up really hard, or Aqua would do her pretty little giggle while patting his head like he was some sort of puppy. He was not a puppy darn it! Ventus wanted to at least be a cooler, older anime. Something like a fox or a leopard. Just once, he wanted to leave Aqua speechless. He thought a singing to her would be his best bet. His face face grew redder at the thought of her listening to the song in awe, her deep blue eyes captivated by his feelings.

“Geez, I’m so hopeless.” He said, covering his face. Ventus turned his head towards his master’s keyblade that rested peacefully just several feet away. He wondered if Master Eraqus had any hidden talents? No way keyblade wielding was his only gift. If Aqua’s fighting style was any indication, the old man was probably a bunch of fun on the dance floor. The thought of him doing even half the moves Aqua did was enough to make Ventus laugh lightly. Once again he strummed his guitar. “Oh master, you think I stand a chance?”

“Stand a chance at what?” A voice asked from behind. Ven’s face went bright red, then pale in a less than a second when he realized it was Aqua. She smiled her beautiful smile like she always did and held a crown of flowers in her hand.

“A-Aqua!?” He stammered, “W-What brings you up here....!?” He wanted to hit himself right now. The answer to that was quite literally in front of him.

“Changing out Master Eraqus’s flowers” she answered anyways. Aqua walked over to the memorial and did just that. The old ones weren’t dead yet, but their color was obviously starting to fade. Still, they looked rather pretty. So pretty in fact, Aqua took it upon herself to sat right next to ventus and hang it around neck. “Wow, I’m a little surprised it passed your hair so easily. I thought it would sit on top.” She teased, ruffling the wild dew.

“Hey! It’s not that spiky! Also my head would have to massive for it to sit on top!” He pouted. Why is always a head rub!? This time he was minding his own business and still wound up like this. “Do you have a thing with my hair or something? You’re always doing stuff like this.”

“Of course. You always pout and turn red. It’s cute.” She answered, watching him get redder. Aqua couldn’t help herself. Teasing Ven like this was just irresistible. “So, what is it that you were trying to stand a chance in? Maybe I can help?”

“What? Oh! Umm it was nothing! Just talking aloud is all.” Lying was not a strength Ventus had.

“Really?” Aqua said sarcastically. She reached over to the guitar in his arms and ran her fingers across the strings, making a subtle but pleasant sound from it. “Nothing to do with the acoustic currently in your hands?” She looked at the blue eyes that were inches away and avoiding contact. Aqua tilted her head, a bit confused by Ven’s shyness. “Ven, I’m not a mind reader. Tell me what’s up?”

“If you read minds then you know mine only has you in it.” He thought to himself. “I’m just having a little trouble with a song I wanna sing. I learned all the notes and everything, but I get anxious anytime it comes to playing the whole thing.”

“How come?”

“I’m...self conscious is all.” It wasn’t a lie but it was certainly vague. “Any time I think about singing it the way I intend to, I get worried if it sounds bad or if I look like an idiot.” Ven could feel his heart beating so loudly that he was afraid Aqua might here it. Here being this close was nothing new, yet it too much to deal with.m right now moved back a little by pretending to readjust how he was sitting.

Aqua could the boys hand fidget a little. He wasn’t kidding at all about feeling anxious. She had never seen him so flustered when it came to things like this. Aqua had caught him a few times over the past few months really putting an effort into learning when nobody was around. She had even secretly caught him sneaking off early in the morning to find a place to practice. Learning this song must’ve been really important. For Aqua, that only left one response to this.

“Can I hear it?”

Ven was going to have a heart attack. “What!?”

“I wanna hear it.” She repeated, “We’re often our own worst critics. If you only play with no one around then you might always think it needs improvement, so let me hear it. I’ll give my honest opinion!” She said, excited to listen.

“That’s the one thing that scares me!!!” Ventus could not believe this was happening. How was he supposed to explain to her that she couldn’t listen because he was doing it all for her!? She even gave a valid reason for helping! “Oh, no I uh- you don’t have to do all that! Hehe, I just-” he stopped when he saw Aqua move to sit on her knees. His crush sat patiently with her hands resting her hands on her lap, a heart stealing smile still on her face. Here she was. Here they were. Two people bathed in the golden light of a sunset. Warm air and breath stealing views anywhere you looked. A gentle breeze made Aqua run a finger across her face. All attention was on him. Well, no time like the present right? Ven stood no chance of resisting with a face like that.

He sat facing her, legs crossed. He new his face was still red and the sound of his beating heart hadn’t gotten any calmer. However, a comfort came from that with a mix of excitement. An honest truth about his feelings. He really had fallen for her and wanting nothing more to express his feelings with all of his heart.

“Aqua...can I ask a favor?” He somehow managed to say. “Can you...close you eyes while I sing to you?”

The request was surprising but understandable. This was more about sound then sight anyways. “Okay.” She closed her eyes in earnest. “Ready...” For some reason Aqua felt herself get a little embarrassed as well. She hoped it didn’t show on her face.

Ventus took the deepest breath he could. Mustering his resolve and composing himself, Ventus began to strum.

🎶When you walk away, you don't hear me say

"Please, oh baby, don't go."

Simple and clean

Is the way that you're making me feel tonight

It's hard to let it go....🎶

Yeah, Aqua could totally feel herself starting to blush. Ven was only a few lyrics in, but she couldn’t think of a time she heard a more stunning voice.

🎶You're giving me, too many things, lately

You're all I need, oh~

You smiled at me and said...

"Don't get me wrong, I love you

But does that mean I have to meet your father?"

When we are older, you'll understand what I meant when I said

"No, I don't think life is quite that simple"

When you walk away, you don't hear me say

"Please, oh baby, don't go."

Simple and clean

Is the way that you're making me feel tonight

It's hard to let it go🎶

Ventus felt his nerves melt away as he kept playing. His mind was too focused on the notes to worry. Too focused on the girl in front of him. He was starting to find his stride.

The daily things, Like this and that and what is what

That keep us all... busy are confusing me~

That's when you came to me and said

"Wish I could prove I love you but does that mean I have to walk on water?"

When we are older, you'll understand it's enough when I say so

And maybe some things are that simple.

When-🎶

His serenade was unexpectedly cut short. Aqua had reached for his hand and stopped him from playing. Ven’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment, nothing but dread filled his thoughts. Did she hate it? Why else would he stop him midway. He would’ve asked, but Ventus couldn’t find the words. Not out of fear, but because of the look on Aqua’s face. Her calm demeanor was entirely gone. A the warmest smile Ven has ever laid eyes on was on her face with rose red cheeks. “A-Aqua...?” He finally spoke.

“S...sorry.” She spoke, “it’s just...well....” finding the words was a little difficult. Aqua couldn’t help but laugh at her own skittishness. “You confessing to me like this might be a little more than my heart can handle.” There, she said it. She watched a Ven’s eyes start getting bigger and bigger while his face tried rivaling hers in terms of red.

“Y...You knew I-”

“Of course.” Aqua giggled, “I watch you just as much as you watch me you know? Because...I like you...too. A lot.”

Ventus must’ve been dreaming. Chirithy has to have put him in a special dream. It’s the only way this made sense. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Like he was one to talk.

Aqua rubbed the back of her neck, “I’m not very good with this kind of stuff. Even though I had a feeling you liked me, I just couldn’t find the nerve. Then I started thinking about how I could be wrong and I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I kept finding reasons to keep quiet. But next thing I know is I started thinking more and more about these feelings sense we got back home and I-” Aqua jumped at the touch of Ven’s hand grab hers. She’s glad he did it, or else she might’ve rambled for hours.

A pressure weighed on their chest. One that was slowly pulling them together. The two of them couldn’t speak, only lean closer. They wanted the same thing. They knew it buy all the blushing moments and not so secret glances. Aqua moved the guitar away from Ven to get even closer. Ven invited the approach by tugging her hand closer to him. Her face had to be only inches away. Way to far for his liking. Aqua finally spoke.

“I think we should both close our eyes this time.” She said, flustered by her own suggestion. She was glad she managed to say it though. The moment his eyes closed, Aqua understood why he asked before. Filled with ease and courage, Aqua pressed her lips against the ones that had just serenaded her moments ago. Neither kept track how long they remained like this and neither cared. The only thing that mattered was it had finally happened; and it was only going to keep happening for many days to come.

[many thanks to @venquaweek because fun fact, I’ve had this music idea for three years and never wrote it 😂]

[mimiplaysgames]

Terra Week Day 6 (Free Day)

Summary: Sometimes, a ghost is a wish. | Word Count: 3,218

Read on AO3

A/N: For Terra Week 2021! You can find that account on Twitter!

~*~*~*~*~

The Tenets of a Master, Ch. 6

The Master’s bedroom is exactly as he left it many years ago. Bed made, dresser (now) dusty, curtains parted to let the sunlight in, walk-in closet neatly organized with not a single article of clothing in his hamper, as the Master was a fan of washing clothes every single day. Terra never found out why. 

Terra has rummaged through this drawer three times already and still he can’t find them. He’s looking for a stack of sepia-toned pictures, cradled in a small envelope, the ones on the top dated many years ago when the Master was a student, while the ones at the bottom chronicle some of his adult life when Terra and Aqua were children. He’s tried searching every drawer, every box, every cupboard, and has even looked under the mattress and in the pillow cases. He couldn’t have misremembered them, could he?

One of the things he’s surprised to find instead is a small, delicately furnished wooden box with a latch. Full of cigars. The Master never smoked, but maybe he liked to smell like them. Though Terra would never personally choose to keep a set in his dresser, smudging all his clothes. 

Sighing, Terra stands by the bed, taking another gander around the room to see if there’s a spot he could have missed. Maybe behind the mirror? No, not there. He slips his hands into his pockets, and finds something else. Folded over in four, the paper is crumpled, living in his pocket for the better part of a week. Naminé’s drawing of Xemnas is messier, the strokes of crayon meshed into each other that he’s less of a childish, crude figure and more of a smear. That ring of fire surrounding him stays closed. 

Terra grunts.

Here comes another headache, a tense pulse above his brow. Massaging it never helps. Suddenly, Terra is not in his Master’s old bedroom anymore. Suddenly, he’s standing high on a cliff overlooking a wasteland, talking to someone in a black cloak with the hood up. 

Now he’s back in the bedroom, the sun cutting shapes through the lace curtains with the breeze passing by. In a few minutes, the headache will go away. This is how it goes every single time.

Yes, it’s been a week since they left Radiant Garden. Only Ienzo uses the Gummiphone for contact, leaving long messages that take Terra too much time to reply back to. The rest of the team would prefer correspondence through letters, which is something Terra would rather do as well. He just hasn’t done so yet, focusing his attention on cleaning the castle as they start a new life without their old Master. Once that’s done, he promises himself to do so. 

It’s a shame, he knows he should make more of an effort (and promises that he would once he takes care of the Master). Xion sometimes texts him with pictures, some of them with Roxas, who still hasn’t made an effort to talk to him even though they played a good race at the beach (Terra didn’t even need to let him win—that kid is fast). That’s okay. Xion has offered to set Terra up with what she calls a Kingstagram account, and Terra supposes that’s okay, too. He just doesn’t know what that is or if it’s worth his time. 

In the end, he is still really bad at connecting with others, and he’s still out of pictures, and he still doesn’t know what to do with the Xemnas drawing. Any moment now, Aqua will come looking for him. They’re finally preparing for his memorial, to say goodbye to his Keyblade—

—And Terra has to say goodbye forever without ever seeing him again. What’s the point of staying linked to these memories if they do nothing for him? 

Why does looking at this drawing of Xemnas the only thing that gives him reminders?

Grunting, Terra rubs his face. Maybe it’s as good a time as any to text somebody now, distract himself so he calms down and do some good so he’s not completely isolated. He waits for his Gummiphone to turn on to the initial screen, the whirring of the machine the only noise accompanying him. How did Ven do this again? He clicks on his address book. Now he has to remember how to open a text and take a picture, particularly of the Xemnas drawing.

terra

did he ever call you an also-ran

Send.

Terra doesn’t expect Lea to answer right away. He probably will read the text, probably take the time he needs to register how he feels before painting his usual bright smile that he uses to play everyone. Maybe Terra has him all wrong. Maybe this is really offensive, and Lea would actually be upset. It’s not his intention.

The Gummiphone buzzes several times.

lea

see

i told isa the other day

the first time i saw you i thought you looked like an asshole

Terra snorts to himself quietly.

terra

is that your favorite word

lea

;3

So it’s all good. Terra breathes a sigh of relief, a smirk that’s warm on his cheeks. He doesn’t know if texting people randomly is the right way to go about doing this whole make-new-friends thing. It’s not as easy as walking up to somebody and saying hello anymore, but starting a new life doesn’t have a manual. 

As though the chains he linked through Xemnas harbor resentment, he’s hit with another spasm of pain, drilling onto the side of his skull. Stars, they get intense sometimes, some of them downright gorey. He will not think about it. He will push it away. The pain subsides but only a bit, throbbing instead. 

It can’t end like this. He’s avoided going back to Naminé ever since just to keep trying and see Eraqus, one more time. One more. It’s not much to ask for, so why can’t the stars be more forgiving? He swears to them he’ll never ask for something again. 

Terra groans, pain hammering over his brow. What’s coming this time is going to knock him around, so he lowers himself to his knees. Several people dressed in extravagant embroidery, from some other world, being swallowed up by darkness, their hearts floating up to the sky and a small cry of Mister, is my mommy coming back? 

When it’s over, Terra sobs, keeping a heave from rupturing his chest and wiping dry tears. If Aqua comes in and sees him like this, she’ll freak—she’s already brewed so many potions and teas for him whenever he has an episode. 

He tries for the closet again. The Master kept his most expensive robes wrapped in plastic, preserving a faded scent of cedar. Terra takes the fabric, smooth as silk, and breathes into it. It’s weaker than last time. He could always spray it with the Master’s leftover cologne (his favorite), but it still wouldn’t smell exactly like him, and as Terra waits seconds for another memory to come, he realizes as soon as it hurts that it wouldn’t bother with giving him what he’s looking for. All he asks for is the sound of the Master’s voice, to see that smile move one more time so he makes sure he sears it into his mind for the rest of his life. 

Instead, a strong voice (Xehanort’s) talks about the Darkness making way for the Light, just like the expansive sky that is home to the stars. It was necessary to pursue it, he had said to someone. 

A single tear treads all the way to Terra’s jawline. He’s tried his best. No photos, no special memory. It’s like the Master doesn’t linger here anymore.

Defeated, Terra pulls his Gummiphone out, searching for Naminé’s entry. He won’t commit to an appointment. He’s only asking questions, wondering if there are better ways to maneuver through the memories so he gets what he wants. She doesn’t answer right away. 

He pulls himself up at the foot of the bed, aching like an older man even though he looks twenty in the mirrors. What lies.

Where else to find mementos? Terra has already looked through the Master’s study and his favorite spots in the library. The only place left is the attic. 

The attic sits atop the northeast tower. Terra is in the residential wing, in the southeast tower, so he has to travel several paces downstairs to make it over, just to climb all the way back up. Entirely built of wood, the attic has one stained-glass window that slices pastels through the floorboards. A lot of junk gets dumped up here—old knight statues from a Master that lived eight-hundred years ago or so, faded paintings that have names but aren’t recognizable anymore, couches that are stained and out of style, chests of outdated books and maps, and trinkets and gifts that litter everywhere else. Even Aqua can’t bear to let any of this go despite that none of it truly belongs to anybody. To her, it’s like rejecting their history. The Master probably had felt the same.

Before what happened, Master Eraqus was moving items up here, mostly stacks of papers. They were shoved in a leather binder, tied together with string. It’s a long shot the photos will be with them, but regardless, Terra begins the hunt. 

It’s not in the chest of crystals. Not by the old (creepy) dollhouse. Not with any of the broken phonograms, nor with the folded rugs that stack from floor to ceiling. 

But it’s right there, sitting neatly by a basket full of gold artifacts from worlds Terra has never been to and engraved in languages he doesn’t know, tied with a red string and stitched in handmade leather. When Terra pulls it open, he’s greeted by a handful of letters written to Eraqus about trouble in other worlds, asking for his help, and a stack of essays about the philosophy of the Keyblade, both in the common-tongue and the ancient. 

It’s nothing like reliving memories or watching them like footage, but Terra imagines the Master working late into the night on his desk with a quill, writing these essays slowly so he keeps his impeccable script. He’d read books with a glass of wine every night, and keep at it in the morning with a mug of coffee, hair unbrushed as usual but that’s fine when he keeps it in a short ponytail every day. He’d disappear every week to some other world, leaving Terra and Aqua with a nanny until they were old enough to take care of themselves. Considering what these people are writing about—missing circus animals, their neighborhood mountain being possessed, and even an early report of Unversed showing up in the woods—the Master used to be a busy man. 

Why did he have to die that day? Why can’t Terra keep the things that are supposed to come with home?

Terra sniffs. The smell of cedar comes up, as though the cologne was sprayed up here recently. Kicked up with a cloud of dust, as though the Master is here.

I am… well, for a short time at least.

Terra whips over his shoulder to find the Master behind him, a glow beaming through him as he checks the rust spreading on one of the oldest sets of armor. Picking up dust, Master Eraqus rubs it between his fingers.

This sorely needs urgent attention. I recommend some solvent and a spot of oil, he says, smiling at Terra as if it’s any other morning and breakfast will be announced soon. So many histories live here.

“Master?” Terra drops the papers.

Eraqus tsks his disapproval and like muscle memory, Terra immediately gathers the papers together, working on automatic mode, tucking them under his arm as if this is class and he has to be on his best behavior. When the Master approaches, he makes no noise: no thuds to his steps, no wind whooshed by his robe, gliding gracefully across the floor. Terra bows... though he cannot fight the urge to stare up. Terra has forgotten about the scar; it was on the Master’s face,  every single day, but he’s never heard the story behind it. An elephant accident. A run-in with pirates. Those were the contradicting explanations he’s heard every time he asks.

The Master looks down, motioning with his hand to stand up. Look at you. Almost as tall as I am.

“You’re here.”

The Master smiles. This is the happiest Terra remembers him being; he must not feel his chronic back pains anymore. You have spent your whole week following me. He gives Terra a mischievous knowing in his eyes. I suppose it would be rude of me not to return the gesture.

“I’m sorry,” Terra gasps, mouth gaped open for all the words he prepared, but now that the moment is passing by, he doesn’t know what to say anymore. He reaches out with a hand but stops himself, scared of what it would feel like to to pass right through the image. “I missed you.”

And I have missed you all so much, Eraqus says with contentment.

“I wish it never happened,” Terra chokes. “Sometimes, I wish I could find some way—”

Shhh. The Master shakes his head lovingly. Don’t. No longer shall you venture down the path of grief. You have already experienced first-hand what such curiosities could lead to. And you already know you don’t need to. 

“I know,” Terra whispers. “I know.”

When the Master smiles this time, he sighs and closes his eyes like he’s feeling the sun. I have reunited with so many of my old friends since. Such a peaceful existence. He opens them. Your friendships are something to cherish for as long as they can physically walk by your side, Terra. But who am I to lecture? You have always. Friends to love, who want to care for you. I am so proud.

So proud…

Tears, quiet and happy, fall like drops of spring, Terra hearing what he always yearned to hear since he was six years old, a comforting embrace that wants to tell him he can breathe again without feeling guilty. 

But he still does. Every living breath is guilty by association.

“She’s so happy now,” Terra whispers as if to justify his actions, remembering Aqua sparring for the first time with Rainfell in years, hesitant at first, unsure of how it’s going to react with spells, but it comes fast. It comes like drinking water, natural and needed. “I don’t regret anything.”

Which was why you were the perfect candidate when I had asked you to look after them. He smirks. I couldn’t have trusted anyone better for the responsibility. 

Terra swallows, searching for the courage not to ask, believing he shouldn’t. He’s weak. “I am?”

The smile falls. You are not weak. 

You are willing to bare it all for your friends. Your bonds with Aqua and Ven are unbreakable, a magical, special, living Light to behold. A forge stronger than chains, weightless and free. I am sorry for seeding so much doubt within you, when you have so much to offer. If only I wasn’t—it was my duty to do better. That is my shame. He shakes his head at himself. But you’ve been so dedicated to the past, Terra, he says, concerned but not disappointed. Too much so. I worry. 

Terra grimaces. “Ha, I never have any explanations for the dumb mistakes I make when I need to.”

You’ll find little answers in what lies behind you. The Master leans forward, pulling a small smile as he studies Terra’s eyes. But you are more than capable. Please do me the favor. Trace the past no longer. You have your bonds to nourish, and more to flower. Then he smiles more, an epiphany in his eyes like he wants to share a secret. Only in death did I realize what true Mastery really is. The living can be so foolish. 

“You weren’t a fool, Master.”

Master… A Master is a forever student. To deny this is to be blind to your faults. Eraqus laughs, his eyes rolling. What would I have said to my younger self. You don’t see that one in the books. 

“I don’t know, I… I think what I did for Aqua trumps any dream I had in becoming Master.”

Eraqus’s eyes glisten. Do you not see one when you look at yourself in the mirror? 

Terra bows his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

He feels a hand on his shoulder, warm and real. Terra could hug him. But he doesn’t, not when Eraqus slips something flat in his hand. 

Do take care of them. He holds Terra’s jaw. Chin up, son.

Footsteps climb up the stairs leading into the attic, and Terra is alone with a smooth piece of paper in one hand, the other wiping tears from his cheeks.

“Terra? You okay? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Aqua is carrying a finished wreath with purple flowers. She stops when she gasps, looking around the attic. “That smells like the Master’s cologne,” she whispers.

When Terra smiles, he cries more. “Look at this.”

A sepia-toned picture of Eraqus as a young boy, sitting on a window seat with a chess board laid out in front of him, all teeth from ear to ear, sincere and hopeful. He looks at the camera like it’s his best friend. 

Aqua’s eyes light up as she takes it, a tear for each eye. “Look at him. It’s so strange, but he was adorable.”

“Have you ever seen that one?”

“Never. It wasn’t with the others.”

“The others?”

She strokes the photo with her thumb. “Hm. I moved them into my room. I wanted to frame them.” She holds it to her chest. “Can I take this one?”

“For your room?”

“I’ve got one ready for yours. It’s that nice portrait that used to embarrass him.”

The one where he looked serious enough to judge someone to death. The Master had called it unsightly when it was presented to him.

“That one’s perfect.”

Aqua exhales deeply, shivering as tries to keep herself tall. “I’m so sad he’s gone, and... I don’t know. Sometimes I wish I had given him a Wayfinder. He feels so far away.”

He holds her chin softly, keeping it up as her heavy tears fall. “We could give him ours.”

She stops sobbing and stares through Terra when the realization hits her. She nods. “That’s a wonderful idea,” she says, nuzzling the wreath closer to her, her own little hug for the Master. 

Terra’s Gummiphone buzzes in his pocket. That has to be Naminé. 

“The wreath is beautiful,” he tells Aqua, and that grounds her back to reality. “You’ve done a marvelous job.”

“Thank you.” She strokes some of the leaves to keep them in place. “I’ll see you back at the front door?”

“Definitely.”

He’ll let her go downstairs first, pulling out the Gummiphone to read his new text. He’s going to tell Naminé that he’s changed his mind. He’s ready for an appointment.

[midnight0stars]

**This Side of You ~ Aqua x M!Reader NSFW**

Words: 2637

———————————

The door to your room swung open as you pushed your body against it. A twin sized bed was settled under the window, the covers ruffled and wrinkled from you scrambling to get up just a few hours before. You hadn’t meant to sleep through the first half hour of training, but Master Eraqus was sure you more than made up for it when you finally did arrive. Your muscles were sore, your legs wobbling with exhaustion, and the start of a migraine throbbed in your skull from a well placed hit by Terra during a sparring session.

Today just wasn’t your day.

With a sigh, you plopped your bag on the floor, uncaring as the contents spilled out of it as it impacted the ground. Your legs dragged forward, meeting with the edge of the bed and allowing you to belly flop on top of the plush comforter that welcomed you back with its warmth. It wouldn’t take much for you to drift away into your dreams, and part of you yearned for what you believed was a well deserved rest. But you couldn’t… There was still so much to be done that day and you were only excused to take a shower before heading back to study for an upcoming trial.

Grumbling, you rolled onto your back, your arm over your forehead. You gazed out the window beside your bed, able to see the shimmering lake and the birds dipping under its surface. The sight brought a smirk to your lips, recalling just a few nights before when you and Aqua had gone in for a dip of your own. She rarely misbehaved or did anything that she knew would upset Master Eraqus, but according to her, you brought out the worst in her. While she called it the worst, you preferred to think of it as her true self. The side of her that acted on her heart and her desired, without a care of her mounting responsibilities as an upcoming Keyblade Master.

You admired her. But you also loved being able to bring her out of her shell and see a part of her that no one else was privy to. She had been at training, as she was nearly everyday. The look she sent you when you arrived late should have made you feel embarrassed. Instead, you merely sent her a wink paired with a smirk and she averted her gaze with warmed cheeks. It didn’t take much to make her blush and you took full advantage of that any chance you got.

Oh what you’d do to have her there with you right then. She was probably off studying with Terra or mentoring Ventus, as she often was. There was usually no time for you until the others had gone to bed and she could breathe a sigh of relief at finally being on her own. Then she’d come find you.

Today though, you wondered if you could convince her otherwise.

It seemed that you weren’t the only one considering the option as a light knock on your door grabbed your attention. You pushed yourself to sit up, running your hand through your hair as you called back, “Uh, yeah, come in!”

The knob turned and the door creaked open as Aqua poked her head in. “I hope I’m not interrupting,  Y/N.”

“Aqua,” you greeted her as you stood up from the bed. “What’s up? Everything alright?”

“Of course,” she assured you, stepping in and shutting the door behind her as she leaned back against it. Her eyes danced over you, before settling on your collection of trinkets along your desk. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Alright?” you repeated, tilting your head to the side, before a throb of discomfort reminded you. “Ah, training?” When she nodded, you waved her off, hiding the wince of pain on your face. “It’s fine. I’m just having an off day.”

“We all have them from time to time,” she agreed, her hands clasping in front of her. “I can heal you if you need me to.”

“You really don’t have to worry about it,” you stepped towards her, brushing your fingers through her hair to push it back behind her ear and drawing her gaze back to you. “Plus, I don’t think Master would appreciate you undoing the lesson he was trying to teach me for sleeping in.”

She chuckled, leaning into your touch and bringing her hand up to yours along her cheek. “I imagine you’ve learned the errors of your ways.”

“One can only hope.” You sighed, smirking from her short laugh in response. “But, I mean, if you really want to heal me, I won’t stop you. I’d… actually really appreciate it.”

Her soft lips against your palm caused your breath to catch. Usually, you were the one initiating affection and making her breathless. You didn’t think you’d ever get used to her being the one to sweep you off your feet.

“I really want to,” she assured you, smiling softly as she laced her fingers in between yours.

A green, golden glow emanated from her palm, swirling around your arm as it traveled up your body. You took in a sharp breath, feeling the cool sensation of the spell seeping into your skin and undoing all the damage from the past week. Humming, you slipped your eyes shut, feeling as her soft hand cupped your cheek.

“I always forget how amazing this feels,” you murmured, your heart jumping from her breathy laugh.

“Just relax,” she whispered, her thumb caressing your cheek.

You hummed again, your eyes fluttering open to see her gazing back at you, a warmth covering her cheeks. She was beautiful.

Leaning forward, you felt her breath hitch just before your lips met. She whimpered, her hand tightening around yours as she kissed you back. The kiss broke, for just a moment. Your eyes danced over each other, your smiles turning into grins before you kissed again. Everything was perfect and you wished time could stand still. Of course, nothing could last forever as the moment your tongue ran along her bottom lip, her hand slid to your chest and pushed you back. The lock broke, both of you breathless as she averted her gaze from yours.

“We’re getting carried away,” she muttered, swallowing hard when you feathered your lips along her jawline. “W-We’re supposed to be on a short break to shower.” A whine came up her throat as you hummed against her skin, reaching her neck with your mouth. “Master will be expecting us back soon…”

“I know,” you murmured, pulling back just enough to see her eyes. A smirk tugged at the corner of your lips as you suggested, “Why don’t we take one together?”

She blinked, the warmth on her face darkening considerably as she darted her eyes away. “We’ll get caught.”

“Oh yeah, by who?” You asked, going back to kissing along her neck.

Her fingers hesitantly laced into your hair in a halfhearted attempt to pull you back, but they instead stayed there, allowing you to continue. “Ahh, Y/N, please,” she begged you, her head slinging back against the door.

You paused, fighting the urge to push her further. Taking in a breath, you pulled back, leaning your head against hers. “Alright… I won’t force you.”

Her breath shook as she licked her lips and swallowed. Fingers tightened in your hair before sliding away, settling instead on your arms. Her eyes betrayed her words, a sense of longing and disappointment in them that you had stopped.

“No one will know… right?” she asked, her voice barely audible between you.

Your lips curved into a smirk, “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

With a huff of breath, her hands gripped your shoulders, tugging you forward and crashing your lips together. You groaned in her mouth, your arms wasting no time to wrap around her hips and hoist her off the ground. Her hands cupped your face, fingers lacing into your hair as her legs wrapped around your waist.

The kiss broke, your eyes dancing over the other as you navigated towards your bathroom.

“You bring out the worst in me, you know.” she pointed out, swallowing your cheeky grin with her lips as she pulled you back into the kiss.

“Are you kidding?” You asked as you placed her back down along the tile in your bathroom. She leaned back against the wall, you leaning over her as you kissed her neck and murmured in her ear. “This is my favorite side of you.”

She took in an audible sharp breath, her fingers clawing at the back of your shirt to tug it off. You chuckled, pulling back and following her command, tossing the fabric away before your fingers undid the ties to her corset with practiced ease. The corset fell, followed by your pants as Aqua undid the buckle while you worked. You kissed her shortly, before turning to turn on the spray of the shower. By the time you turned back to her, she was just taking off her halter, freeing her breasts and making you breathless.

Before she could say anything, you were pressing her back against the wall, her breasts melded into your grasp. Her moan filled the bathroom, resonating off the tiles and mixing with the patter of the shower as the two of you waited for it to heat up. Kneeling down, you kissed down her neck and collar bone, keeping your eyes on hers as your swirled your tongue around her breast. She whimpered, biting her lip and slinging her head back.

You groaned, your hands sliding down her sides to her shorts. Hooking your fingers under the hem, you tugged them down along with her panties, leaving her completely bare for you. If it hadn’t been for the shower and constraining time limits, you would have gone further down, lavishing every inch of her until she was begging you to push her over the edge. Instead, you pulled back from her breasts, allowing your eyes to drift over her perfect body until her hands grabbed your wrists to pull you back to your feet.

“Less looking, more kissing,” she teased, giggling as you scoffed and kissed her.

“As you wish, milady,” you teased in return, sliding open the glass door to your shower.

Aqua went in first, humming as the heated water covered her body. You took a moment to admire her, taking notice of every curve and nuance to her form. It wasn’t often the you got the chance. One look from her though, and you were scrambling to get your briefs off and join her inside.

The hot water did little to douse your lust for her. Instead, it merely heightened it as your arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. She grinned, her hands lacing behind your neck as she pulled you down to her level to meet her lips. You hummed into her mouth, your hand drifting downwards to her hips and backside to press her up against you. She moaned, feeling your hardened shaft rubbing between you. Her hips rolled, making your breath hitch and the kiss break.

With a smirk, she lowered to her knees, making sure to grab the bottle of soap. Your chest heaved, lips parted as you waited to see what she had in store.

Perhaps this day wasn’t so bad after all.

Her tongue flicked along the head of your cock, matching the rhythm of her soap covered fingers as she stroked the rest of your length. You hissed, leaning back against the wall for support as the soap allowed her to move with slicked ease. Each little movement was sending your mind reeling and you wished it could last forever. But with a pop of her lips coming off of you, she stood back up, kissing along your abs and chest as her soapy hands traced the indents of your muscles.

“Oh, Aqua,” you whispered, your hand gripping the back of her neck once she was standing and pulling her to your lips.

Her breath caught, melting into a hum as your tongue danced alongside hers. Fingers wrapped back around your shaft, pumping and using the soap as the perfect lubricant. Blindly reaching over, you grabbed your bottle of soap, squeezing a generous amount into your hands before lathering them against her body. The kiss broke with a sharp gasp from Aqua as her breasts melded into your hands. With the soap, her nipples slipped between your fingers, making her a moaning mess.

Hearing her mesmerizing voice paired with the way her hand went pumping your shaft tightened the coil of pleasure building deep in your gut. Your legs trembled, your voice melding with hers whenever her thumb would accidentally slide over the head of your cock. Lips met back together, your tongues dancing and sliding against the other. One of your hands left her breast, wrapping around her back to pull her closer before your fingers trailed down between her legs.

She sharply moaned in your mouth as you met her folds. They were warm, begging to be touched and if her whines and whimpers in response were anything to go by, she had just been waiting for you to do this to her.

“Y-Y/N…!” She breathed out between your kisses, her voice trembling as her thighs tightened around your hand.

You hummed, slicking your fingers further in and sliding two inside of her. She gasped, her head slinging back and eyes slipping shut. You grinned, taking the opportunity to ravish her neck. Her hand laced in your hair, her voice filling the shower as her other hand continued to pump sporadically when she could focus on what she was doing.

“I want to hear you come, Aqua,” you murmured against her neck, suckling her skin.

“Ahh, Y/N,” she whimpered, her chest heaving and stuttering as you pushed her closer and closer to the edge. “I-I want to hear you, too.”

Your breath caught, melting into a long groan as her hand tightened over your cock. She quickened her motions, meeting your pace, until your voice cried out, breaking as you called out her name under your breath. Your legs trembled as you buried your face in her neck, cum spilling out of you and covering her hand.

Aqua’s hips rolled against your hand, watching as you came. You were sure she was saying something to you, sweet nothings and telling you how much she loved seeing you like this, but your mind was spinning too much to fully understand what she was trying to say. With a gasp, her body froze, her legs tightening around your hand as her head slung back.

She wasn’t as loud as she normally was, moaning your name under her breath as you continued to push your fingers in and out of her. All at once, her body went nearly limp against you. It was all it took to send you sliding to the floor of the shower with her leaning over you. Both of your chests heaved, your warm, naked bodies curled around each other as the afterglow of your orgasms washed over you.

“W-We’re going to be so late,” you mentioned, making Aqua sigh.

“Don’t remind me,” she grumbled, nuzzling against your chest.

You chuckled, your hand trailing up and down her back as the patter of the shower fell around you. There was so much waiting for the two of you outside your small temporary paradise, but all of that could wait. You’d make sure you got the brunt of whatever punishment was awaiting you for being late again. No matter what it ended up being, an afternoon with Aqua made all of it worthwhile.

[miss-tc-nova]

The First Move - Eraqus x Fem!Reader

It’s a little on the long side for my normal stuff, but meh. Eraqus brings out the lighter side of my writing at least. 

~~~~~

                Groaning, I kick at the alarm orb to shut it up. Dragging myself into the bathroom, I wash up and get ready for the day. I find Bragi and Hermod, both also groggy, in line for the bathroom when I step out.

                “Have you seen Eraqus?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

                Hermod shakes his head sleepily and Bragi replies with a tired smirk, “Nah. He’s probably waiting for his babysitter to wake him up.”

                Heaving a dramatic sigh, I prepare myself for the first challenge of the day. I approach the door next to my room and bang on the door. “Era. Eraqus, wake up!”

                “Just let him sleep in and deal with the consequences himself,” Urd yawns, coming upon us along with Vor and Xehanort.

                “I can’t,” I grumble. “Even if Eraqus gets punished, we’ll still get a lecture about looking after each other from the Master.”

                “So you’re a push over,” Xehanort yawns to which I scowl. “You wouldn’t have this problem if you stopped babying Eraqus.”

                “I don’t know if you can call it babying when she can literally throw him out of his room,” hums Urd. Vor giggles.

                Ignoring the rest of their jeers, I push my way into Eraqus’s room. The boy is sprawled across his bed, still fast asleep. Reaching down, I shake him. “Hey, it’s time to get up.” He’s resilient today. Huffing, I rip the pillow from beneath his head and beat him with it. “Wake up, you lazy bum!”

                He snaps awake, trying to cover his head. “I’m up! I’m up!”

                I throw the pillow on top of him. “You better be. Now go get ready.”

                Pushing himself off the bed, he stretches. “Alright, I’m going.”

                Eraqus and I have been friends for a long time. I’ve known him since before our training days. So we’ve been stuck together for years. There’s not much that I don’t know about him, down to his ridiculous habit of chewing on the strings of his robe. And I’m sure he knows all my little quirks. We know each other so well, I could probably pick him out of a line up by his bare ass. He’s been there for me for so long; I’ve probably grown mildly dependant on him, even if it looks the other way around.

                With other students and staff, I collect my breakfast in the cafeteria. I do my usual and gather breakfast for him as well, knowing that the slacker will get here when the food’s all gone. Before long, the others begin to gather at our usual table.  

                An arm reaches over my shoulder for the spare plate. Out of reaction, I move the plate further away and look back, but I didn’t expect him to be so close. My eyes catch on his, mesmerized by the flecks of silver scattered throughout his magical gray irises. I feel the warmth climbing up my spine. I’ve considered having feelings for him before, only to push them aside in favor of not ruining a friendship or distracting ourselves. So I’ve tried to ignore the fluttering in my chest and push aside the fantasies that intrude on my mind, but he makes it so difficult when he’s stupidly adorable and charming and I’m digging a hole.

                “Excuse you,” I grumble and turn away; hoping that he didn’t see the working blush across my face.

                He sits beside me and the sad puppy look comes up. “B-But!”

                “Nu-uh. I got this,” I tell him, trying to maintain my cool, especially in front of the others. “I got up, got ready, came down, and picked this out myself. This is mine.”

                “But!”

                I push my now empty bowl towards him. Eraqus gets the hint and scurries away with the bowl to dump it in the dirty dish bin. Returning, he sits attentively, hoping I’ve been appeased. I let my eyes roll, but relinquish the plate to which he happily digs in. I notice the snickers and glances from the others but elect to ignore them. Only a few short moments later, I drag Eraqus and his half-eaten bagel to class.

~~~~~ 

                My knees give and I end up on my ass, sighing in relief. Master Odin chuckles and tells us that training is done for the day. My partner in training flops down beside me, leaning against my back.

                “You were great today,” he huffs. “That blizzard spell was strong.”

                I huff between gasps, “Didn’t stop you from breaking out of it.”

                His head tilts back to rest on my shoulder, his wavy hair brushing my cheek. “Thank goodness. The last thing I want to be is a popsicle.”

                “Might make studying in peace a bit easier,” I say, poking at his face.

                “Oh come on. You’d get bored if I weren’t here.”

                “I do have hobbies outside of being bothered by you.”

                “You enjoy it.”

                I glance away in an attempt to hide my grin. “Whatever. Now get off me. You’re all sweaty.” Standing up, I leave him to flop onto his back from where he gives me a goofy grin. I raise a brow at him, hands on my hips. “I’m gonna go shower.”

                Throwing his feet over his head, Eraqus is back on his feet. “’Kay. Then you’ll do my homework after right?” I throw a glare at him and he puts his hands up with that cheeky grin. “Sorry! I mean help; you’ll help me with my homework, yeah?”

                Ignoring the lazy boy’s mischief, I amble off with Urd and Vor to clean up.

                “You know he’s using you, right?” Urd comments on our walk. I glance at her. “Everyone, including Eraqus, knows you won’t let him fall behind.”

                I sigh, “Considering I seem to be the class leader, I don’t know what else you expect me to do.”

                “Part of being a leader is encouraging people to stand on their own,” Vor sings, dancing a few steps ahead. But she suddenly turns back with a Cheshire grin. “But there are other reasons you dote over him, aren’t there.”

                “What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap.

                “Oh nothing.” She continues skipping down the hall and even Urd won’t stop smiling. They quickly change the subject despite my insistence.

~~~~~ 

                “For the love of-Eraqus!” I tear the book from beneath his face, which subsequently collides with the table.

                “Ow!” He sits up, frantically turning in his seat. “Fire! Daybreak Town! C! What subject is this?!” Regaining his senses, his silver eyes turn on me. Even though I’m standing over him with my arms folded, he sighs in relief and lets out a chuckle.

                “For someone who sleeps in on a regular basis, you sure take a lot of naps,” I growl. “Honestly, if we hadn’t been friends since we started walking, I would’ve left you two grades behind.”

                Propping an elbow on the table and resting a cheek against his palm, he answers, “I dunno. Just because you have ambition doesn’t make you mean. You’d probably drag me along by my feet even if we’d never met before.”

                I shake my head. “Gods, they were right.” He raises a brow. “You’re just using me because you’re lazy.”

                “Oh I dunno about thaaat,” he replies nonchalantly.

                I close my book and reach for another. “I really should just let you fall behind. Even if the Master lectures the rest of us, you might actually-”

                The second book slides away from me. “Woah woah. Okay, hold on. I’ll take it seriously.”

                “Oh really?” I scoff.

                “Yes. I swear.”

                I glance over him briefly. He genuinely seems to mean it, but I can’t be sure it’s not just my soft spot for him. “Prove it.”

                The boy glances around in search of a way to prove he’s serious. When it appears he’s got nothing, Eraqus looks to me, a look of uncertainty on his face. Before I can brush off his failed attempt to convince me to stay, surprise jolts through me like a thunder spell when he takes my wrist and pulls me into his lap.

                “E-Eraqus!” My skin is on fire and the rate of my heart is climbing.

                “Wait! Just-!” He taps at the book in my hands. “Explain the whole worlds-separating thing to me again!” Strong arms around my waist, he hugs me to him. “Please! I’ll pay attention this time!”

                Seeing as I’m not going to get free of Eraqus’s stronger grasp without some force and he’s practically begging me, I relent. This is so incredibly awkward, yet I find it notably comfortable. Even as I read aloud and explain the text to him, my thoughts keep trying to draw me to the closeness of the situation: his body against my side, the arms that never release me, his chin against my shoulder—my insides are a complete wreck. However, Eraqus is true to his words, focusing on our studying and participating in the conversation. It’s only after maybe an hour that his attention lulls.

                “And that’s how your ancestors settled Scala Ad Caelum,” I say, closing the book. “And that should be everything on our history homework.” His eyes blankly continue to stare at the book. “Eraqus?” Reaching up, I tap a finger against his nose. The boy flinches, his grip tightening on me. “You promised to pay attention.”

                “I am,” he grumbles, rubbing his face against my arm. “Uh, you said my ancestors settled Scala Ad Caelum.”

                “How?”

                “Uh…” He’s got no answer. “Okay, I started zoning out a bit near the end. I’m sorry.”

                It’s impossible for me to stay angry at that sheepish smile and I return it. “At least you made some progress.” I don’t know what possesses me to do so, but I let my fingers slide into his hair, pushing his bangs from his face. He emits an expression of serenity and I feel my temperature leap. My hand recoils and I pray that flush I feel isn’t visible on my face. “We should start our magic homework.”

                He peers up at me and my brain goes on high alert. His eyes are burning; the steel color almost molten. “I think we should take a break.”

                His voice is far more serious than usual and I’m sure he can see my fluster now. Still, I let my instincts react to his words rather than his tone. “Eraqus, we can’t keep-”

                “Just ten minutes.” I’m not going to be able to resist if he keeps talking like that. “There’s something else I want to focus on for a bit.” Before I can object, a hand behind my head pulls me closer. My heart might just explode and I’m terrified he can hear it as clearly as I can. “You know, I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting, for you to break. But you’re far more persistent than I thought.” My words catch in my throat, making me unable to respond. “And I just can’t take it anymore.”

                I can barely get his name out. “Eraqus?”

                I never would’ve come close to imagining just how soft and warm his lips are. Even if they are soft, there’s still form behind them which he uses to lead the kiss. My insides are turned to absolute mush and, had my mouth not been occupied, I’d be begging him for more.

                The kiss breaks with a soft click but no one backs away.

                “I really like you,” he whispers as if speaking any louder will ruin everything. “And I really, really want to be more than friends. And I know you do too. So please just admit it already.”

                I take a deep breath. For so long, I doused all budding emotions for this boy the moment they came up. I went about life as normal while convincing myself that he was just a close friend. But I guess there was a seedling that I’d missed, one that’s been growing in the background and hiding in plain sight, because I can’t find a reason to say no.

                “I don’t want to be just friends,” I admit.

                In the privacy of this moment, in the intimacy between us, that’s the brightest smile I’ve ever seen Eraqus wear. “Good.”

                He pulls me in again and I let myself indulge in the weightless feeling of bliss. And Eraqus is happy to let me lead, to let me satiate the hunger that’s bloomed within me. I never knew just how much I wanted this until he handed it to me and now I may never let him go.

                “I told you he was gonna make a move today.”

                With my entire body on fire, I tear away from Eraqus to see our classmates entering the study room. There’s the utmost look of smug victory on Xehanort’s face.

                “Hey guys,” Eraqus greets as if we weren’t just caught making out and I’m not still on his lap.

                Bragi walks past Xehanort. “Please. It was obvious she was in control.”

                “What are you guys…” I trail off because I’m not sure I want to know.

                Hermod leans against the wall, smiling. “They had a bet on who was going to confess first.”

                Vor pipes up, “Bragi was betting you’d make the first move.”

                Eraqus’s chuckle resets the fire crawling across my skin and he nuzzles up against my shoulder. “Then I guess Xehanort wins,” he hums.

                Xehanort looks all the more smug and Bragi’s jaw drops. “No way!”

                My face burns even more and I try to hide some of it behind a hand while the victor replies, “Boom. I win. There was no way she was gonna cave before Eraqus. Now pay up.”

                Bragi glowers as he digs through his pockets. “For years, you’ve taken the lead on almost everything but the one time I need you to be assertive, you let the class clown beat you to the punch.”

                I open my mouth to retort, but Eraqus just laughs. “He’s right, you know.”

                In retaliation, I pinch at his cheeks. “Oh yeah? How about I make you do the rest of your homework by yourself?”

                He turns it around on me with a sly smirk. “If I do, can I have another kiss?”

                “Looks like the class clown’s got our fearless leader on the ropes,” hums Urd, pointing out my returning blush.

                “I think it’s cute.” Vor earns a glare.

                Hermod finally kicks off the wall. “Okay guys, I think that’s enough. Let’s leave the love birds alone.” With that, he ushers the class out of the room, leaving me alone with Eraqus once again.

                “About that kiss…” Eraqus says suggestively.

                I turn on him, slowly drawing my tongue along his bottom lip. This time, it’s his turn to appear flustered. “Shut up.”

                “Yes ma’am.”

[kiddomhearts]

Ordinary Days

Summary: An ordinary day for the Hart Family. AO3 link

“Although my heart may be weak, it’s not alone. It’s grown with each new experience, and it’s found a home with all the friends I’ve made.”

“Be back by lunch!”

Sora quickly scampered down the steps, Xion and Roxas on his heels with goodbyes of their own. It was a race to see who would reach the corner first. Sora’s win streak had been going strong for the past three days but he knew his siblings could easily win if he wasn’t careful.

Of course, at that moment Roxas reached the corner first with Xion in a close second. He swore his siblings could teleport sometimes.

“Yeah Rox!” Xion cheered while their brother gave a tiny, but smug, smile. Sora stuck his tongue out but relented and handed over the gummiphone they shared between the three of them. Vanitas had pitched a fit that they had gotten one when he hadn’t gotten one until he was at least eight. But the triplets were much more outgoing than he had been at their age, their father had pointed out, so gummiphone it is.

Never mind that the triplets were technically supposed to keep together and that splitting up defeated the whole purpose of them sharing the phone.

With a quick wave, the triplets split down their respective paths. Sora was excited for the day ahead of him it was a Beach Day! Everyday was Beach Day except for Hospital Days, School Days, Party Days—well, most days were Beach Days. But this Beach Day was special because Namine was finally allowed out of the house!

What a perfect morning!

“Best friends are supposed to be honest with each other!”

“Aw, c’mon Rox! Lighten up a bit, it’ll be fine.”

Roxas leveled his best disbelieving stare at Lea. Too bad the redhead was too busy setting up his glowworm pile to notice. He tried not to give a weary sigh, he really did! He didn’t want to be mistaken for Isa after all who had already sighed for the fifth time just that second. But Lea made it hard not to sometimes.

“I don’t think Roxas believes you,” Xion commented distractedly. Her hands were already busy with her newest project (matching crochet scarves for the four of them) so she wasn’t really paying attention to them in the slightest.

Lea turned around dramatically, hand placed on his heart. “Oh Roxas, how you wound me! Do any of you have any faith in your old friend?”

“No,” Isa responded flatly. Roxas couldn’t very well verbally agree with Isa so he settled for glaring extra hard.

Then the smell hit him.

“Lea, is that lighter fluid?” Isa sharply asked. Xion’s head snapped up, throwing her project into her bag and scrambling away from the blast radius. Roxas had already put five feet between the glowworm monstrosity at the unfamiliar smell and put in an extra five at the name of the culprit.

“No?” Lea chuckled weakly. The matchbox in his hand wavered.

“Lea no.”

“Lea yes.”

Roxas wondered if Ienzo had any plans for before noon as he left the soon-to-be crime scene.

“You’re both my best friends.”

“Ta-da! What do you think?”

Xion clapped her hands together in amazement as Kairi showed off her latest friendship bracelet. It was a pink and white crocheted thing that resembled a mit more than a bracelet. But Kairi was still learning and they knew that any of her friends would wear it with pride anyway.

“It’s a bit wide,” Namine laughed. Kairi pouted and stuck out her tongue but couldn’t keep up her expression as they all descended into giggles. Xion was glad that Kairi and Namine decided to stick around after lunch. It was a shame that Aqua couldn’t be there too.

Dusk gave a soft bark from where he laid at Xion’s feet, tail wagging a staccato beat against the floor. Xion reached down to pet his head, earning a few licks in return. She’d have to walk him soon.

“And done.” Namine sat back and clutched her sketchbook to her chest. They waited patiently for the blonde to show off her latest work, knowing she was notoriously shy about it. The wait proved fruitful when she finally turned the sketchbook around to them.

The drawing was of Xion, Kairi, and Namine, all done in the finest crayons hand-me-downs and couch cushions could buy. They were holding hands at the beach with smiles on their faces. Although…

“Why am I in a coat?” Xion questioned. Namine shrugged. It had just seemed right at the time.

A nudge at her foot was all the warning she could get before Vanitas poked his head in from down the hall. He seemed surprised, probably not expecting the visitors. He picked up Flood as the irritable rabbit hopped back to him with his mission accomplished.

“Hey, uh… keep it down in here, okay?” And with that, he left just as quickly. Xion figured that wasn’t what her brother wanted to say but Kairi and Namine made him uncomfortable. He’ll come to her later though.

Packing things up, Xion went to grab the leash for Dusk. It only took a few moments before they were ready and out the door. Chatting among themselves, they kept close to the shaded areas as they met up with Sora and Riku.

It was a nice afternoon walk.

“Hmph, it’s always about your friends, isn’t it?”

“Cut it out, I know you’re hungry.”

Flood honked at that, already in the deserted kitchen and parked right next to the fruit bowl. Hareraiser was running circles around Vanitas and forcing him to take careful steps unless he wanted to trip. He would glare at the insufferable rodents but it had long since had an effect.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you little lump of evil,” he muttered. Flood huffed at that but at least Hareraiser had stopped. They both stared expectedly at him as he grabbed a banana. Quickly peeling and breaking off half of it, he grabbed a butter knife (stupid Ven and his stupid safety rules) and divide the half into little pieces. The smaller pile then went into Flood’s bowl while the larger bile went into Hareraiser’s bowl.

Flood gave him the stink eye but he rolled his eyes at that. The little rat could sulk all he wanted, he wasn’t getting his favorite today. (Because Vanitas had forgotten to add strawberries to the grocery list last week.) But oh how his tune changed when Hareraiser gave his bowl an experimental sniff.

Rabbits situated, Vanitas sat down at the empty kitchen table. It had been a boring day with Ven not around except for lunch. But even that was awkward since Ven’s ‘besties’ (barf) had tagged along. He had hid stayed in his room for the most part.

It was warm in here, he realized. Had someone turned off the AC? Probably Xion, she was all about going green or whatever it was. Or Ven, he was always the responsible one… Maybe Roxas, he was…

A soft but firm nip jolted him back to awareness. He had slumped a bit onto the table as he had begun to nod off. Flood sat attentively at his heels, the nipper in question, while Hareraiser had hopped into his lap. A glance at the clock showed that he was only out for a few minutes at most.

Scratching Flood then Hareraiser (between the eyes and down the back, respectively), he stood up and headed for his room. At least if he fell asleep in there, he’d have his bed. But he already knew he was going to be up for at least a couple of hours, feeling refreshed even with that small nap.

At least it was a quiet evening.

“At least I have some!”

“Look, look! A shooting star!”

Ventus hopped around excitedly, too wired from his short nap earlier to properly peer through the telescope. Aqua and Terra chuckled at his antics as they had already expected this. Eraqus had turned in for the night a while ago.

The picnic blanket beneath them was soft when Ven finally tired and flopped down onto it. His eyes were still trained above him though. Meteor showers, while not common, still seemed to happen unnaturally often on the shores of Destiny Islands.

He could hear the far off sounds of Sora’s shrieking laughter and the faint splashes from the tiny wavepools that Xion and Roxas were exploring. It was a shame that Vanitas didn’t stay for longer. But he knew how shy (no matter how much his brother denied it) his brother was. He’d bet that Vanitas was already holed up in his room at home with those spoiled (another thing his brother denied) rabbits of his.

A faint brush across his head had him tilting his head back. Aqua smiled at him, continuing brushing her hand through his hair, and he grinned in return. Terra mumbled something off to the side and Ventus bet that he had already somehow messed up the telescope settings in those five seconds.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Aqua asked rhetorically. Ventus just nodded at that, not wanting to break the calm mood. It was Terra’s increasingly frustrated cries that eventually had them leaving their nice spot.Within moments, Aqua had the telescope sorted out.

“I tried that.”

“Obviously not.”

“It’s like a bunch of dandelions,” Ventus interrupted, looking back up at the night sky. The two blinked and then looked at each other with fond expressions. Ventus had a soft spot for the plants, even going so far as to have a special spot for them in his little garden in the back of his house. But…

“They’re still weeds Ven,” Terra teased, Aqua shaking her head.

Before he could reply, there was a sharp whistle that cut through the air before the sky lit up further. With colors this time. The two conspicuously absent troublemakers were found not far down the beach, especially as Isa’s roar filled the air.

“LEA!”

Another ordinary night for another ordinary day.

[lyssala]

Parental

Pairing: Terra/Aqua

Rating: K

Words: 4140

Notes: Another one that ended up vastly different than I originally intended lmao I wrote the memory and then started the present part and went OH YOU KNOW WHAT haha One of my favorite tropes for female characters is that super badass lady who don’t need anyone to be who they are but they still have this sweet maternal way about them. I love mama Aqua, you can see it so easily in the way she interacts with Ven and the other kids. I just thought it was a sweet idea for her to secretly enjoy the thought of children herself (and in turn getting flustered over the idea lmao)

AO3

Aqua loved her home very much; she wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else but she absolutely loved it when Master would say the words:

“Go on and get ready, we’re leaving in a few minutes.”

It always meant they were getting to leave their world, even if just for a few hours. She and Terra would race back to their rooms to change into clothing less appropriate for training and more appropriate for seeing people in. Then they’d race back to docking bay where Terra almost always won, she had no idea how.

Usually it wasn’t for exciting reasons; normally meetings or formally meeting other masters or people in high ranks. But traveling to new worlds was always exciting. Even standing in front of the ship, Aqua could barely keep a bounce out of her step. Terra seemed a little calmer as he stood next to her, his arms crossed against his chest. She looked up at him to see his eyes looking out at the new area but before she could follow his gaze something caught her off guard.

When did he get so tall?

Aqua swore just the other day they were even heights. Yeah sure she knew he was fourteen now, but still.

“I want you both to be on your best behavior,” Master told them, drawing their attention back to him. “I have to be in a meeting for a little bit so I’m letting the two of you have your free time in town until I’m done.”

Aqua tried not to let out an audible noise but judging by the way Terra snorted in laughter it didn’t work super well.

“But…” Master Eraqus held up one finger. “That doesn’t mean you’re not being watched, so behave and try not to cause any trouble.”

“Us? Master, how could you think such things?” Terra asked, feigning such innocence Aqua rolled her eyes.

“Us?” Master Eraqus arched an eyebrow. “Don’t lump Aqua in, I was talking to you.”

Terra’s shoulders slumped but she knew he wasn’t actually upset. “Harsh.”

Master chuckled as he reached to ruffle Terra’s hair. “Go on now, stay together and be safe.”

Aqua couldn’t hold in it any longer, she ran past them heading towards the town before she turned to jog backwards. “C’mon, Terra, don’t be so slow!”

There was a glint in his eyes that she knew all too well. He couldn’t ever resist a challenge. “Slow? Excuse me?” He was already chasing after her when she turned to run again.

Master might’ve called something after them but Aqua honestly didn’t hear what it was, she was already skidding to a stop onto the main street of the town, Terra not too far behind her.

“Told you not to be slow,” she said as she turned around to face him, hands victoriously placed on her hips.

“You had a head start,” he said.

She laughed a little but turned back around to look at the busy street in front of them. People were going about their daily lives, running errands, shopping, cleaning, getting from one place to another.  Aqua’s world was so quiet all the time; it was always exhilarating to be in a world so bustling with people and things to do.

She didn’t even realize she was staring until Terra started to walk a head. Despite how happy she felt, her heart started to sink at seeing his retreating back. He was her best friend, and yet lately he had been taking more time to himself, running off on his own without her. She always tried to not let it bother her, knowing she had stronger feelings for him than he probably had for her but that didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt. It made her feel like she was losing the one person who meant the world to her.

Aqua hurried to catch up. She knew they were told to stay together but she didn’t want him to feel like he had to spend time with her. As much as it made her want to cry on a public street surrounded by strangers she had to give him the option. “Hey, if you…you know wanna go do something else it’s okay. I mean, I’ll be okay on my own.”

Terra turned to her, an amused sort of look on his face. “What? You trying to get rid of me?”

“No,” Aqua said, probably more defensively than she needed to. “I just meant…” She honestly had no idea what she meant.

“It’s fine,” he said, reaching a hand up to push at her head lightly. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Umm…” She looked around the area, trying to remember where things were, and trying to ignore the much lighter feeling in her chest. “The overlook.” She pointed forward where she could almost see the cliffs over the vast ocean of this world.

“Alright,” he said, starting to make his way through the street nearly full of people.

She followed after him quickly trying to stay by his side, you know, like she was told to do and all but the closer they got to the market place, the harder it was to actually do that. People weren’t being rude but they had places to be and things to do, so pushing themselves between any gaps in the crowd they could probably didn’t seem all that problematic.

There were vendors calling out their goods, women and men all around moving to get to which booth they wanted to. Some laughter caught her ear, making her turn her head behind them. It was a mother with a little baby wrapped against her chest, her hand holding the much smaller hand of a toddler who was giggling as they walked. It wasn’t unusual Aqua supposed, this was a town full of people but she didn’t see young children very often. Seeing them with their mother who was speaking to the little girl as she gently rubbed the baby’s back, all smiling and happy, made Aqua’s chest feel warm in kinda a weird way.

She looked back to where she was going and nearly ran into the back of someone. She quickly looked around for Terra but he wasn’t anywhere in sight. One moment she had been walking with him and the next thing she knew she was surrounded by people she didn’t know. They weren’t pushing or anything, just trying to get to the market. She tried to look up to see if she could see his head anywhere but she couldn’t see past the crowd of people.

She tried to keep moving her way through, kinda remembering the way to the cliffs. She was more than capable enough to get there on her own but she couldn’t stop the sinking feeling in her stomach. Had Terra even noticed she was gone? The answer was probably yes, but also that he knew she could get there on her own and probably went on without her. It was the truth, but it still made her feel stupid.

Aqua took in a breath and started to maneuver her way through the crowd but before she could get very far a hand grabbed a hold of hers, pulling her through the thick crowd of people. When she finally could breathe again, she saw she was standing on the other end of the street, past the busiest part. Terra’s hand was still holding onto hers and almost unreadable expression on his face.

Before her face had a chance to heat up over the fact that he was still holding her hand, that he did come back from her, he gave her slight smirk. “You’re getting too short, Aqua, I could barely see you in that crowd.”

“I am not getting too short,” she said, using her free hand to hit him in the arm. “You’re too tall, but apparently not tall enough since I couldn’t see you either.”

He opened his mouth to respond but he was cut off before he actually could.

“A flower for your girlfriend?” a flower seller asked, coming up in between them.

Aqua almost felt her face turn as red as the flower the woman was holding at the implication she was giving. Aqua couldn’t even stutter to deny it, she could only stare and barely be able to glace over at Terra.

He seemed a little surprised, like he was caught off guard by the question but he recovered far better than she did. “No, thanks,” he said simply. He did let go of her hand, much to her relief and disappointment all rolled up in one, moving his hand to the back of her head to push her slightly. “Keep moving before you get lost again.”

“I didn’t get lost,” she grunted, crossing her arms against her chest. “Maybe you got lost.”

He snorted but he didn’t say anything else. It didn’t matter too much, because a few moments later Aqua was completely distracted by the ocean.

She ran the last few feet to the overlook built for people to sit and enjoy the view. She went right up to the railing, kicking her feet in between the bars so she could pull herself up and get a better view over the fence.

They had a lake and streams back home but it wasn’t the ocean. There was just something about the salt air, the way the waves crashed against the cliffs, the sea foam bubbling on the edge of the water; not to mention the giant waterfall in the distance that poured off a tall cliff, making it loud and soothing.

There was that laughter again. When Aqua turned her head, she saw that small family again. She watched the little girl climb up into the lap of a man who judging by his happy greeting was her father. He picked her up, swinging her above his head as the woman sat down next to him. He leaned in to kiss her when he placed the toddler in his lap and Aqua quickly turned away.

Terra eventually caught up, leaning his back against the railing next to her though he didn’t seem too interested in it.

“Do you not like it?” she asked, her face feeling unusually warm as she could still hear the happy family talking behind them.

“It’s just water,” he shrugged.

“It’s not just water. It’s a whole ocean full of water with its own creatures and life system to support them. And it’s pretty, just look at it.” She gestured down to the water rippling in the wind. “It moves like…I dunno, like its dancing or something.”

Terra didn’t look towards the water, but he did look at her. She expected some sarcastic response but instead he smiled. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

She gripped her hands down on the railing. In that moment, Aqua thought maybe his smile was nicer than even the ocean. She wondered if it would look as bright as that man’s did, if Terra had a little girl to swing into his arms too. Aqua could almost see him much older than now, tall and strong and holding a cooing child over his head, small hands reaching out to him. Maybe she’d have vibrant blue eyes like his, and maybe she’d have blue hair.

Aqua forced herself out of her mental image with a cringe so hard she couldn’t help but curl her body slightly around the railing, hiding her face that she could feel was burning up from Terra. Oh gods. She couldn’t believe she just thought that. It was more embarrassing than she even knew how to comprehend. If he ever knew…

“Hey, you got sun burn already?” Terra said, reaching a hand out to her chin to tilt her face over to him.

“No!” she exclaimed far louder than she needed to, but her heart was still racing in her chest, pounding in her ears. “I’m fine.”

He arched an eyebrow. “You don’t look fine.”

“I am.”

Terra didn’t look like he bought it at all but he shrugged, looking back out over the area.

Aqua placed her chin on the railing and closed her eyes, letting the salty air blow over her face. Sometimes she wished she could just stop feeling the way she did about him. She wished it would just go away.

“Please behave yourselves!” Aqua called after the retreating backs of her students. It didn’t look like any of them were paying attention any more, not after being let loose to do as they pleased in the town.

At least Sora turned around to give her a thumbs up before Lea grabbed the back of his collar, dragging him off with the rest of them. When even Ven was out of sight she sighed, feeling a mixture of pride and dread.

“You worry too much.”

“I do not worry too much,” she said, glancing over at Terra who was leaning against nearby railing.

“They all did plenty fine before they ever knew you, I’m pretty sure they’ll be perfectly okay in a contained town for the day.”

He was probably right, and yeah, sure, maybe she worried too much. She was pretty sure if she vocalized that, Terra would reaffirm there was no maybe about it. They were all much older than she and Terra were when they were given more freedoms in regards to training and she had seen them all triumph in ways that shouldn’t even be possible. They had barely been living in the castle for half a year and yet she still felt a desire to protect them all, to make sure they always were smiling and happy.

“I guess,” she relented.

Terra rolled his eyes as he straightened his back. “They’re fine. We were always fine, weren’t we?”

He had a point. “Mostly.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

She still knew he was right but she crossed her arms against her chest anyways. “And why aren’t you worrying more? You’re just as responsible now.” She paused for a second looking over to him. “Master Terra.”

After all this time, it did feel very nice to finally be able to call him with the title she always knew he deserved. He passed the exam with no problems what so ever, just like she said he would and she had no problem reminding him of that.

He tilted his head up towards her, a sly sort of smile on his lips. He reached his hands out to place them on her shoulders, leaning in so his chest was against her back, his lips close to her ear. “Oh, please, keep calling me that.”

“Oh, knock it off,” she breathed, though it was a little hard to ignore the shivers on her spine with his warm breath so close to her neck. Aqua did manage to elbow him in the gut though it admittedly wasn’t too hard.

“Relax,” he chuckled, pressing his hands down on her shoulders. “They’re not babies, they’re teenagers. C’mon, I’m not letting you stand here all day and wait for them to come back.” He dropped his hands from her shoulders, just to grab her hand instead.

Aqua started to follow after the last place she saw the kids go, it was a fairly big world after all, chances are they wouldn’t run into them.

“The opposite direction, Aqua,” Terra said, though he sounded more amused then mad as he tugged at her hand.

He was probably right, she was being ridiculous. She followed after where he led, down some other streets to another open area of the town, some sort of performance center in the middle of the large clearing. She heard the waves of the ocean crashing against the side of the cliffs even from she was.  They weren’t her children, they were her students; even Ven more like a brother than anything. Once they passed their exams they’d move on, she was there to teach them and help them grow. It was never to be permanent.

Terra walked over to the edge of the area, dropping her hand to lean over the railing overlooking the vast ocean. He seemed content enough so she leaned her back up against the railing near where he was standing, eyes looking out over the people walking through.

She didn’t know why, considering she didn’t even know some of the kids all that long but the thought made her want to cry. Even Ven would be able to be a master himself soon. He wasn’t that small scared child who came to them so long ago.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Terra asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she waved him off, though she really felt ridiculous now that she couldn’t even mask her feelings from him.

“Liar.”

When she looked over to him, he was watching her with those deep eyes of his, like he could see right through her. She didn’t have it in her heart to lie to him.

“Ven’s gonna be a master soon too.” Hearing the word’s aloud like that made her feel like she was going to exclaim in joy for him or start to actually cry.

“Yeah, he is,” Terra said, clearly not quite following.

“So will the other kids.”

“Yeah, that’s very true.”

“I don’t want them to.”

He laughed, he actually laughed and she was about ready to hit him. “Yes, you absolutely do. You want them to move on and be the best people they can be. That’s why you agreed to teach them even though we had barely had the world back together. That’s why you’ll accept the next group of students that may come our way, and the next, and so on. That’s who you are.”

Terra was unsurprisingly right. She didn’t actually want them to stay because that would mean they wouldn’t be able to live their lives to the fullest potential she knew each one of them had. “Then why does it feel so bad?”

He had this knowing smile on his face. “You’ve always been a very maternal person, Aqua. You always took care of me even though I was older than you. You took care of Ven when he had no one else in the world. You took care of these kids to help them reach the next part of their lives. It is what makes you a good teacher, because you genuinely care about them and raising them to be good people. But that also mean you have to watch them leave your care, and yeah, sometimes that may be sad, it’s for a good reason. Hell, I don’t even know how I’ll feel watching them move on, especially Ven. He’ll probably stick around with us, but even then he’s not a child anymore.”

It was against her will, but she felt her face heat up at his choice of words. Maternal, he said, like a mother. Aqua looked away, towards the ocean and the cool breeze blowing over her. He wasn’t really saying anything she didn’t already know about herself but there was something about Terra calling her motherly that made her both want to hide her face in embarrassment and also feel a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure why her emotions seemed to be all over the place today but it was hard to feel any way than how she was feeling.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said.

“Probably?” he snorted and that time he did get hit on the chest.

He didn’t say anything else and neither did she. Aqua took to looking around the plaza again, watching the people as they came and went, some hurried like they had something to attend to and others more leisurely wandering. There were individuals, there were couples, there were groups, and there were families. Children chasing the birds in the center of the area, teenagers looking over the edge of the railing, babies cooing as their parents entertained them.

It was a carefully guarded secret of Aqua’s, one she held very close to her heart and never let anyone else have. She had a feeling Master Eraqus might’ve known but no one else, not Ven and especially not Terra.

She very well knew keyblade wielders didn’t live conventional lives. They were protectors, they were peace keepers. They had a job that required travel and careful negotiations; it required battle and the ever lingering danger of Darkness. A lot of the masters she had known in her life weren’t married and didn’t have families; there were a few exceptions of course but not many. She knew from a very young age, it would probably never happen but she could never quite let it go.

Aqua never wanted to give up the life she loved so much but as she watched a small child run into the arms of his father, she couldn’t deny that part of her who always wanted that too. She never dared tell anyone she wanted the house, the husband, the children knowing the answer would be doubt that it would be the best thing for anyone. She understood, she did; she saw what the people she loved, what she went through. Their lives would always be hard. It was safe right now sure, but peace was never a guarantee.

She looked back over at Terra who was still watching the water. She couldn’t quite tell if he had anything on his mind or if he was just enjoying the break. The wind blew his hair around slightly. It was longer than it even used to be, so much so that he was starting to pull it back. It reminded her so much of their master that Terra had to have known it too. Maybe it was his way of paying tribute to the man who trained them, and really the only father the two of them ever knew.

Aqua wondered if Terra ever noticed how much he took after Master Eraqus, not just as a person but as a teacher too. Terra was always patient when he needed to be and strict when he needed to be. He encouraged them but let them learn on their own and never accepted “I can’t do it” as an answer. He took care of Ven and those kids just as much as she ever did.

Though she’d still never admit it, she barely did to herself let alone to him, sometimes watching Terra interact with them she couldn’t help but imagine how he’d be with his own children. The thought used to make her almost cringe from embarrassment knowing the look he’d probably give her if he ever found out. Now it made her face flush with a mix of embarrassment and a strange sort of pleasure knowing that at the current time if he ever chose to have children, it would be with her.

Aqua knew she shouldn’t because the likeliness for her small little dream world to happen was rather slim but she couldn’t help but see it so easily. Sometimes she could see it as herself playing with Master Eraqus before Terra even came to live with them, smiling and laughing over a game she made up, Master Eraqus playing along effortlessly. Sometimes it was Terra with a little girl who looked like him, playing with just as much enthusiasm and joy, making the child feel just like Aqua did when she looked up at their master.

It was a silly thought maybe, but it made her smile.  

Terra glanced over; an amused sort of smile on his face that nearly made Aqua jump, some silly notion in her head that he could actually read her mind. “What?” he asked.

“What?”

“You were staring at me with that sappy face of yours.”

She felt her face heat up a little at being semi-caught. He didn’t know what it was but he knew it was something.

“Oh, you’re blushing, now I really wanna know.”

“Terra,” she started as a warning but it really lacked any force.

He dropped it easily enough, just a smile and a shake of his head. She turned around so she was facing the ocean too, leaning in to nudge her shoulder against his.

“Finally stopped worrying then?” he asked, eyes glancing over at him.

The answer was probably no but she didn’t know if there would be a day she wouldn’t worry about Ven and her very first students. “They’re gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, course they will,” he said, no ounce of doubt in his voice.

Aqua leaned her head over against his shoulder causing him to lean down to nudge his head on hers. She really was happy just how her life was, but maybe one day she’d be able to share the one thing she never shared with anyone before with him.

[mimiplaysgames]

And There Are Storms We Cannot Weather (Ch. 3)

Pairing: Terranort x Anti-Aqua Rating: M Word Count: 3,303

Summary: Terranort baits her into following him—straight to Castle Oblivion.

Read on AO3

A/N: First fic of 2021 and I had to give it to the dark OTP. I spent weeks insecure about this chapter, but it’s thanks to @lyssala​ for reading through it and assuaging my fears. This is honestly the end of... the easiest part of this fic ljgfjlgfjfklgj I’ve really got my work cut out for me. Thank you all for your patience, feels like it’s been a while!

~*~*~*~*~

My Worst Brings Out The Best In You

Waking up is nothing like how she remembers it to be. Soreness ruptures her back, and her skin jolts as she peels off of knuckles of stone that dug in all night. She barely remembers if she dreamt. What she really can’t recall is if there’s such a thing as a refreshing morning. 

To top it all off, her ass is numb. Aqua groans when she stands up, stretching as hot gusts blow into the cave, throwing dust to her legs, caking the armor, nudging the shadows as they stir. Besides the wind rolling pebbles along, there’s no noise to enjoy in the Badlands, all the sun glaring down on bleached red sand.

The first thing she does is not breakfast (she must), nor a wash (she should), but to close her eyes, reading darkness. Maybe he woke up, too. 

He did.

He’s here.

Aqua shushes her Heartless. They’re squirming, reacting to the way her heart is pounding. At the mouth of the cave, Aqua surveys where she should go. The Badlands splay out with endless sunlight, no shade to cover her except for a passing dust storm. It’s not a view she’d share with anyone; it’s the worst place to sneak around. She’d be like a marker with a giant arrow, her shadow stretching to grotesque proportions depending on the way the light hits her.  If she’s going to titter around this exposed, she’d better make it count.

She starts by running then she fades away into clouds of smoke, magnetized to the nearest cool spot beneath a plateau, a stark, black slice across the dirt. Here she’ll recover and look for a different spot. As long as it heads in the same direction. 

It’s after the third resting place, a tunnel cutting through a mountain, that she notices she’s heading towards the Graveyard. Well, if she heads west she’d reach it. But her gut feeling—a twinge in her nostrils—veers her slightly north. When Aqua steps out amidst a precipice, she spots a gathering of oddly skinny rock towers stretching to touch the sky. No natural force could have made them.

On each of these towers stands a cloaked figure. Different heights, different hierarchies, with hearts inexperienced, lost, angry, bored, apathetic. There’s one with a third mind. Regardless, they all reflect the image of an old man somehow, like a plague they’ve infected themselves with. 

Ah, there he is, wearing black like all the rest. 

She inches closer, melting into a shadow cut off by a boulder, peeking over the edge. On the tallest tower is someone she hates to recognize. The only one without a hood. Bald. Old. Breathing with the excitement of a bully crushing dirt into another child’s hair. He’s about to land something big and Aqua knows what it is but she doesn’t care anymore. She just wants him dead for stealing.

Xehanort waves a hand and Aqua ducks back. He couldn’t have seen her. 

But when she risks a glance, most of the figures burst into a fire of purple and black, disappearing. 

Except for the only one she wants, of course.

In the end, it doesn’t matter if they knew she was there. Aqua thrusts forward, gliding over the sand, flying up parallel to one of the rock towers until she gracefully floats back on her feet at the top. 

He stands across from her, a field of what looks like ruins in the distance behind him. He takes off his hood and draws a proud smirk on his face.

“I’ve proposed they take care of you,” he says, proceeding to undress his gloves one finger at a time.

It’s a funny way of saying he asked them to get rid of her, and maybe Aqua should be nervous about it, but she tells herself that she can handle twelve nameless men. That is, until she thinks about their empty spots in this ritual circle.

Is this supposed to intimidate her? She has to hand it to him, he’s got spine. “Looks like they left you to do it yourself.”

There’s a flash—a knot at the edge of one eyebrow—of a shot of rage, like he’s about to chew her head off. Then he flashes teeth. He smiles too much.

“Then we shall begin,” he says, rolling his shoulders. “Mind a detour?”

Energy sparks at the tips of her fingers, readying a Keyblade but she stops short of summoning it. A detour? He’s not making a move. Aqua leads a staredown, watching for signs of what he’s plotting.

But he doesn’t plot. He steps backward off his pillar with that ridiculous gremlin smile as if to let himself fall. An inky doorway swirls open and swallows him whole. 

Aqua bursts across the chasm, throwing herself into the same portal. She won’t lose him this time.

She lands on a muddy, brittle pathway suspended in the air, where clouds blot the sky so there’s no horizon to see. She lands on what could have been where she first conjured her very own Rainfell. Where she slapped Terra in the face that one and only time. Where she made love to him, where she picked up her Master’s abandoned Keyblade for the first and last time—it’s all erased here, ground and packaged into a single path where even the mountains eroded to dust. It’s worse than the Badlands. It’s home. 

The castle stands in the same condition she left it in years ago: painted the color of stale, crusty shit and topped with a bright turquoise roof, like a surprise gift to give your worst enemy. Warped with upright towers, towers that jut out to the side, and towers that hang upside down, it’s disjointed and bizarre, a puzzle with mismatched pieces forced together. Which is exactly the point: let the intruder wander, let him be lost, let him forget and enjoy the oblivion. 

He has thrown away his cloak at the entrance of the castle, Terra’s armor adorning his left arm. He has his back to her but there’s a tension in his shoulders as though he’s pretending not to notice she’s behind him. 

There’s one reason, and one only, why he’d bring her here. Aqua readies the Keyblade.

“Like an animal,” he quips. She can imagine him snickering. “Always prepared to deal the first blow.”

She strikes. He dodges. She’s right—he is snickering, making a show of gripping the door handle like bait asking to get caught. “Stop,” she hisses. Which is stupid. Of course he wouldn’t.

Of course he’d turn the handle. Of course he’d glance at her, tilting his head as an invitation to come inside with him. 

“You don’t have the right!” she yells.

He laughs, leaving the door open for her. 

Terra. She could lose him today, forever. If they spend hours wandering the rooms of this castle, they’d lose memories with no way to predict which ones go first. The painful? The nostalgic? Either way, there’s no such thing as Terra and Aqua holding hands if they are gone.

Aqua tackles the front door before it slams in her face. It’s heavy, resisting her at first before swaying momentum and throwing her off balance. Instead of a grand entrance hall with a proud foyer, luscious stained glass displays, mirrored marbled stairways, and a warm hello, it’s just one room. 

An empty blank room, so clean that she’s the stain, framed by polished sculptures and a rose dais she doesn’t recognize. It’s not like she had a design in mind when she transformed the castle. There’s no memory of where this came from, no record of it ever written. Not even from Eraqus, who had an idea and not a clue. She takes one step; it echoes like a screech. The white on white on white glare back. The walls stand like sterilized canvases, starched for a bleed of whatever color in exchange for a few of her thoughts. They know. This isn’t home. There’s nothing here. Just him.

“Lest you forget, this was my home, too.” He smiles.

Aqua nearly spits that it isn’t, wasn’t, never will be, but that isn’t true, is it? He’s pleased with himself, leaning on the door on the opposite side with his elbow propped up as though the castle is a casual friend he’s embracing.

“Now, isn’t this exactly where you would prefer me to be?” he asks. 

“Acting like an idiot?”

“Somewhere familiar. Old family. Fond memories. A place to call your sanctuary.”

She shrugs it off. “Not much of a spectacle anymore.”

His eyebrows worm one by one. He’s lucky he has Terra’s face, otherwise she’d shave them. “But a spectacle worth revisiting.”

“There’s nothing left,” she snaps. “This place is empty.”

He strokes a finger on the door, a gesture that is halfway between Is that so? and Not so fast. “Except one room.”

Hunger churns in his eyes and she’s uncomfortable with the way he’s looking at her, like he’s about to drag her by her ankles. 

“Don’t bother asking. It’s not like you’d ever see it,” she says.

His nostrils flare, surveying disgust as he scans the room from floor to ceiling. There’s a ferocity there, an ignition of something ready to deteriorate. Aqua settles for what’s coming, claws extending as they fasten her Keyblade. If she tears flesh today, so be it. It will only be a little. 

How he gets himself to smirk the next moment is a secret she’d have to learn. “Then a bargain. The Chamber of Waking, and I won’t harm him.”

Aqua grunts and cuts an arc through the air with her Keyblade, firing a sphere of energy dark enough to absorb light. He blocks it with a wave of his hand and he chuckles like there’s not a day worth living if you’re not close to dying. 

Summoning his giant Keyblade, he swings back, rupturing the tile beneath him as it cracks and crumbles towards her. She dodges, but an explosion bursts from beneath and knocks her off balance. As she turns over to stand up, he’s already looming over her. 

They’re in a tight space, the walls knitting together and forcing them to take intimate strikes and forgo the fancy spells. Tinks and shears and blasts echo as though one hit is actually three, the sound of their blades bashing against each other. Her Heartless can’t form a congregation here. He doesn’t bother with his Guardian either, too cumbersome and clunky to maneuver inside.

He’s slower than her, but the close proximity means she’s running out of space to dodge his wide reach. Every hit he throws is the force of a boulder destroying a mountain as it avalanches, testing her balance, stealing the seconds that she needs to steady herself and parry the next. 

She readies a spell. He blows the tile beneath them, an earthquake tripping her feet.

Every curse she scrambles with—a Sleep, Confusion, anything to throw him off—does nothing, as though he’s feasting on her efforts. She should’ve known better.

It’s fine. Aqua’s tough without her Heartless, tough without needing to trust anyone but herself. Glowing with an icy hotness that burns like frozen snow on exposed skin, she’s about to multiply—

“You will not,” he says.

He pummels into her like a canon, his armored hand around her throat as she collides back onto the door behind her. Not the front door, no—she’s foolish and distracted enough not to notice that he’s been circling her in this small, square room. He’s pinning her against the other, the one that would lead to Ven but wouldn’t. It creaks under the weight of her body and the pressure of his strength.

“I could lock you up in this purgatory,” he whispers, his breath brushing her cheek, her nose, her lips. Smiling. “Or you could take me to him.”

Aqua pants, her fingers scratching the surface of the door. The thought of being left behind—

Like choked breath, she stops the moment she sees the proud expression on his face. 

It’s a bluff.

Calm down. He wants to scare her. It’s a bluff. 

He needs her to get inside regardless, even if he doesn’t know everything. That you need the Master’s Defender at all is a secret only shared with those who wield it. He wouldn’t know. Despite how desperately she wants to dig her way out, Aqua keeps her chin high, staring him down. She scoffs through her nose. 

His eyes twinkle as he reads her. Aqua tries not to lead him on with any assumptions. Keep it stoic.

But there’s something about the way she’s doing it that’s betraying her. She’s failing with every second that he blinks. “Ah,” he cooes, “you do not have the means—”

Claws into flesh—she pierces his wrist, right through the leather in between the metal, and he yelps. Pulls off of her. She closes the gap with black fire and cold fingers and the intent to rip an iceberg in half. He has his arms over his head, his Keyblade forgotten as he pathetically defends himself against a rabid monster flailing at him.

All she sees is the opportunity to take back. Priming a sharp hand over his face (and at such the perfect angle to peel it off his skull), she lunges forward and pins him under her. Reaches to his waist. Pulls the orange Wayfinder out of his pocket.

He yells and throws her off of him. His pupils shrink to nothing, his Keyblade burning with an unnatural color. He’s clutching his chest as though his heart is pounding too quickly and is about to plop dead. Aqua is on her knees, the Wayfinder’s chain threaded around her red knuckles.

Move. She needs to move while he towers over her, a trickle of drool seeping from his lips, his white hair messy. He’s manic, searching her and searching the floor and searching the walls, moaning. Aqua has to move. Aqua sits frozen. 

Has he forgotten where he is? 

Is this… 

She whispers his name, barely audible.

For a moment, he stares past her. He growls and throws himself on her, the back of her head hitting the floor. Pupils so small his eyes are golden orbs, two little false lights in the dark, tempting you to go deeper into the fog where a monster waits. Like the Guardian’s, watching her take her last breath underwater. As though he knows no weapons, or no magic, he squeezes a fist around her hand, his fingers prying the Wayfinder out of hers with such strength that he could amputate them. Aqua chooses her fingers and lets go. 

Once he has it back in his possession, he stumbles off of her, heaving and hunched over. With the Wayfinder to his chest, his pupils slowly grow back. Brows knitted, lips quivering, eyes lost. That’s not a face Xehanort would make. 

Then he runs. He bolts down the terrace, disappearing in a cloud of smoke, leaving Aqua on the floor, leaving the doors open. Terra’s body is traveling like a shooting star. She can feel it propel somewhere in the far sky, where the stars hover above the clouds. She could follow him, fight more and more and more until she drags him to the ocean kicking and screaming and losing.

But it aches.

But she’s tired. She’s fought, and they’ve matched the same games over and over, with nothing to show for them except sore throats and scratched cheeks and defeated bodies slumped over floors like they weren’t dignified Keyblade wielders but wronged children.

It aches. It aches more than anything the Realm of Darkness threw at her, as though a hollow has cracked inside, collapsing her lungs into a pit of gravity and threatening to take the rest. If this is how it feels to be human again, why bother going back? What good is it to pretend that fate is kind and hearts are strong and one day he’ll realize what just happened and wake up with his blue eyes?

Instead, she should try to find Ven on her own, without her Master’s Defender. Her heart will lead the way, let her keep her memories. Or she’d lose it all, walking in circles, be the ghost that haunts this castle and create a legend that will keep her name immortal. It’s a stupid idea.

Aqua rolls over to her side, the tile underneath jutting into her hips and ribs. The doors he left open frame the outside, a dry and empty nightmare. She misses the sound of pattering, the smell of moisture, the promise of green every year. The Land of Departure certainly had its dreary days when the clouds were thick, but the light never dimmed. It would rain and all would be clear, the raindrops bulbous as they pummeled and exploded into miniature puddles.

Maybe the reason why the dirt is so rancid here is because rain never fell on Castle Oblivion. If she and Terra were caught under an onslaught, they’d continue to par. Water never stopped her flow and he couldn’t be bothered to slow down. 

There was one obnoxious day when Terra grabbed her elbow and dragged her to the front porch, just under the awning in an effort to keep dry but it was futile—they were still pricked by frigid droplets. Beneath the rain, his blue eyes were less noticeable. His dark hair weighed heavy but it was thick enough to perk up if with less gusto. He smirked at her, and she knew what it meant.

She smacked his arm while he glanced through the entrance as he watched for signs of someone coming. If the Master, they’d be in trouble. If Ven, they’d have to suffer relentless teasing, and maybe pay off his blackmail. 

When Terra was sure no one would see them, he went for it in spite of her whispered giggles and hushes. A warmth on his lips that burned on hers when the rest of her was cold, drenched, and shivering. 

I wanted to know what you taste like in the rain. 

He had tasted like water, a spring from the mountain.

She was close to Terra today. She’s sure of it. 

Tied to her sashes is her blue Waydfinder in immaculate condition, glass stronger than metal with a vibrance that’s foreign to her. 

It sits in her claw, blood red framing its brilliant shine. She’s done so well not to stare at it every time she felt nostalgic, but here she is now: a damn mess, with scales that cover skin, rough and pointed at the tips. Cold with layers of calloused leather that never molts unless she tears it off, building on top of her knuckles that folds as she retracts her claws, like there’s something slithering beneath. Her hands are now beyond repair, so thick that she’s unable to feel what she touches. 

I’m ugly, she realizes, keeping her claws contracted so they don’t scratch the surface of her Wayfinder. It’s still pretty. 

Dull stars float down to the entrance of the castle. Not stars, but a plethora of orbs, pairs of them as her Heartless pile on top of each other and funnel inside, squirming themselves free. It would have been easier for them to make a line. They’re silly, sometimes. 

Something small butts its head into her—the six-year-old, scratching the tile as it makes space up against her belly. It lets her wrap her arm around it. Another Heartless nuzzles up to her chin. One sits at the crown of her head, and another nestles at the small of her back. More tack on, forming a seabed to let her rest. 

It would’ve been lonely otherwise. The night seems flippant now, impatient for the sun to come up in a world where it can’t shine.