~*Connect the Dots*~
Not just literally, metaphorically, too. But you just don't get it, do you?
~*X*~
It was dark out. But not really. Not quite. Olympus was too close to the Gods and Goddesses to actually be shrouded in shadow. In truth, it had simply grown dimmer temporarily so that the sky could change colors, revealing a burst of faraway gemstone lights against the heavens. The moon was a circular coin lost in the black well of an endless sea, surrounded on all sides by less extravagant things.
Unwilling to fall asleep, wandering outside the Coliseum and feeling rather restless, Zack Fair paced back and forth and frowned to himself. His gloved hands kept clasping and unclasping repeatedly, his expression in danger of becoming a scowl.
The young warrior was lost in thought on intense matters from his past, the hints of angelic feathers and fading hopes dancing on the edges of his mind. Occasionally, he would pause and grip his sword handle as if considering strangling the thing. However it would accomplish nothing, and it wasn't like it could breathe anyway.
Knee-deep in old memories of all kinds, Zack almost ended up missing her as he stalked from one end of the long, empty courtyard to the other, passing the golden gladiator statues for the umpteenth time that night. His blue eyes would have skipped right over her slender frame, had not her shoulder-guard caught a stray moonbeam and reflected it back as a sharp white glint.
Blinking away the unexpected light, he arched a brow in surprise before proceeding to narrow his eyes. The shadows reluctantly gave up their prize—a girl that he recognized, and knew.
Her reappearance instantly banished his bleak musings back to their iron-bound cages, at least for the time being, and he marveled at her ability to do that just by showing up. He was about to give her a shout, but stopped himself, observing her posture.
The Keybearer's feet were dragging a bit, her head lowered. She came to a stop in the intense shade of a sculpture, head sagging and shoulders slumped.
Wow. She looks exhausted.
Zack ran through a few options in his head for cheering her up, or at the very least finding out what her problem was. In the end, he decided to be straight-forward. Marching towards her, he crept up on the girl and noticed that her eyes were closed as she leaned heavily against the stone base. Yup, that was exhaustion all right.
"Hey, Aqua!" He greeted cheerfully, tapping her unarmored shoulder with one finger.
She turned around faster than he had expected, but there was no stunning flash of white radiance, no Keyblade coaxed into existence from whatever dimension of Light that it hailed from. Instead, she grimaced as if the action of moving was painful.
Regardless, she smiled—it was as fake as crocodile tears—her azure gaze weary. "Oh, hi, Zack."
Crossing his arms, the black-haired warrior made sure to give her a look that read, "I'm not buying this act for one second."
Sighing in defeat as the corners of her lips twitched up in authentic amusement, Aqua ran a hand through her cerulean hair. "I'm sorry, I've had a really long day," she explained.
"Back at the Coliseum already?"
"Letting off some steam. I haven't had any luck finding my friends today."
Zack's eyes zeroed in on the blue star pendant tightly clutched in her left hand. "Haven't seen Terra or Ven lately," he remarked in a sympathetic tone.
"No, don't worry. I'll find them." Aqua closed her eyes for so long that he began to wonder curiously if she would ever reopen them. With that, she made as if to head off into the night.
She looks ready to drop. I better…
Gently but firmly taking one of her arms, Zack said kindly, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem pretty tired."
Aqua paused, looking at him from over her shoulder. "I am," admitted the Keybearer. "But I don't have time to rest right now."
"Your friends were fine, last time I saw them. How about you take a break? I doubt they'll appreciate you, oh, I don't know…" He waved a hand absently. "Collapsing from exhaustion in the middle of battle."
She shook her head. "I can't, I really—"
Raising one finger, a perky grin on his face, he wagged it knowingly. "Terra and Ven can take care of themselves for one night. Don't you know sleep deprivation can lead to wrinkles? Girls like you are too young for stuff like that!"
Without further ado, he took her free hand and led her off towards the Coliseum. The huge battle arena had spare rooms for the combatants, and not just for the monsters, either. They would do for one night, though Zack usually acquired lodging elsewhere. Aqua was complaining feebly behind him, but the boy paid no mind to her indignant mutterings.
After all, if he didn't get her to rest, who would?
"Are you hungry? You're not starving yourself, are you?" Zack smiled teasingly.
"No," she replied just as her stomach chose that moment to grumble.
They stopped in the middle of a stone corridor, its pale yellow walls lit by burning torches. "What am I going to do with you?" He jokingly lamented. "It's as if you're trying, really trying, to work yourself to death."
Aqua yawned, turning away in a halfhearted attempt to hide it."No, no," she muttered weakly.
Zack applied his palm to his face, exhaling once, long and slow until his lungs ached. Opening one bright blue eye, he said, "Let's get something to eat. Terra will have my skin if he finds out I let you leave like this."
Once more, he ignored her complaints and dragged her bodily after him, though she didn't put up much resistance besides the occasional weary mutter. Opening a door, he took one of the torches from outside and placed it in an empty bracket. Its orangey glow illuminated the room, revealing a desk, a table, and a bed along with a perfectly square window.
"No one's using this. Sit down and I'll be right back." Zack flashed her a quick thumbs up as the disoriented Keyblade Master gave in and sat on the bed. Her eyes narrowed faintly, but he couldn't tell if it was from annoyance or something else entirely.
He put on a burst of speed and practically flew down the steps, exiting the coliseum and directing himself towards the nearby village. As he ran, he mused.
Aqua was so…elegant. He had no trouble calling to mind her graceful fighting style, almost as if she was waltzing with her opponent instead of beating the stuffing out of it. Not only was she a powerful fighter, she was more than willing to run herself ragged for the benefits of her friends. She wasn't just brave, strong, and determined, she was compassionate and kind too!
Zack slowed down, seeking to catch his breath, running a hand through his spiky black hair. Way to crush on a girl, Fair. Not bothered by even his own thoughts, he merely smiled before moving on. There actually was a place still open this late at night; he knew this because it was a popular spot for people to go after late night Coliseum matches. He brought some random things, idly wondering if Aqua was a vegetarian, dropping the required munny into the shopkeeper's hands.
He actually expected her to be asleep by the time he returned, but to his shock, he found her still awake and active. She was staring up at the ceiling, blinking slowly, arms folded behind her head. As the door creaked, betraying his presence, she sat up and flashed him a grateful grin.
"Thank you," she told him quietly, accepting the offered pastry. He suspected it was some kind of pita bread. Who knew? He certainly didn't.
Sitting down beside her, Zack unhurriedly munched away on a pita of his own, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. Swallowing, he asked casually, "How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Not die of starvation."
Aqua's resulting laugh was a soft sound that glided from her throat. "It was hard, I'll tell you that," she teased, her tone light.
He twirled one bread roll between his hands, tossing it into the air and catching it deftly again. He wasn't entirely sure what to say, which was kind of unusual when it came to the Keybearer, since Aqua definitely had a friendly, casual feel to her. Underneath all of that warmth was a core of steel that would bend for nothing. Her spirit, he supposed, was the right word.
"Didn't anyone teach you not to play with your food?" She cracked her first genuine smile of the evening.
His only response was an innocent look as he popped it into his mouth. "Want me to go?"
Shaking her head, Aqua stood, still clearly dazed and tired. "One more thing, first." Walking over to the window, the Keybearer folded her arms on the sill and craned her head heavenward, surveying the sky. Zack went to stand beside her, and he tried to follow her gaze, attempting to find what was so intently trapping her concentration, but he failed to see any difference between the cold, silver, crystal stars.
As if reading his mind—or perhaps, his flummoxed expression—she said slowly and clearly, "The Land of Departure. My home. Right there." One finger was raised, and this time Zack did see what she was staring at. One star, a little brighter than the rest, with a golden tint to it rather than just shining, pure white.
"Going back there, once you find your friends?" He ventured.
"Yes." Aqua closed her eyes, folding one hand into a fist which settled over her heart.
Zack blinked at the Keybearer thoughtfully, his eyes slanting themselves just a bit. "…Want me to help?"
Her neck cracked audibly as she turned to look at him, surprised. "Thank you, I really mean it, but I don't want to interrupt your training."
He inclined his head in a sort of half-nod, acknowledging the fact that she clearly wasn't going to budge on this matter. "Well, for what it's worth, good luck."
Aqua smiled again, and something corny-clever occurred to him at that moment in time.
"There. Perfect."
"What is?"
Smirking a bit, he gestured at her. "Here we are, watching the stars, and then you smile. The missing star is suddenly back!"
She blushed deep red, just like she had when he asked her on a date earlier, lowering her head and hunching her shoulders as she stammered unceasingly. Zack sighed in mocking exasperation, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder.
"I'm just kidding, Aqua." Well, not really, but he'd never get a coherent sentence out of her at all if he didn't say something.
"I…uh…know…" Her eyes screwed themselves shut tight for a few heartbeats, and then she reopened them and seemed to have relaxed. "I've heard legends about Olympus."
"Which ones?" He let her obvious subject change slide by unchallenged.
Aqua spoke haltingly as she gathered the necessary information from her memory. "Heroes of Olympus get their portrait in the sky, right? A constellation?"
"That's it," Zack agreed readily. He traced a complicated design in the sky for her entertainment, grinning like the lunatic he was. "A constellation…I want one, too."
"You'll get one. Then I can see you no matter which world I'm on."
The idea satisfied him, and he happily beamed at her whilst she did the same. Her confidence in him meant a lot also. He felt like he could defeat anything at that moment. A platoon of soldiers, monsters, Unversed…
Aqua motioned for him to follow her, and he sat beside her on the bed again. This time, she swung her legs fully onto the mattress and they lied there, side by side, their shoulders touching. She took her blue star pendant out, which was engraved with silver calligraphy, and showed him it. "My friends and I, we have stars, wherever we go. This way, we can stay connected. Like our own constellation."
Zack could tell that the trinket meant a lot to her, just from her tone, and he nodded seriously. He was a little astonished that she was so easily lying next to him, but maybe she was just too sleep deprived to honestly notice what she was doing.
A part of him hoped she was perfectly aware.
"Would you like one, Zack?"
He could barely comprehend the depth of emotion that went along with that simple star, and here she was offering to make him a part of her friendship circle. Her friends that, he guessed, she had known since she was a little girl. They had met recently, in comparison, and yet she was…she was…
Touched, Zack smiled. "I'm honored."
Aqua yawned again, putting her charm away. Her voice was decidedly drowsy. "What color?"
"Surprise me."
"All right…"
Zack pondered about the stars outside, and whether or not he would ever get his own constellation. A picture in the heavens…Aqua could see him everywhere, then. Might be a little unnecessary, since he'd have a pendant of his own soon, but still…
"These charms of yours, they're like one big connect the dots. All of our hearts together," Zack mused aloud.
Her reply? She just turned over, one hand on his chest, burying her face into his neck. All while asleep.
Surprised, he looked at Aqua from the edges of his eyes. Good, she was getting some rest and therefore not running herself into the ground…She was going to freak out in the morning. He sort of looked forward to it.
She could create star charms that bound destinies together, pity she couldn't see his obvious affection for her. Man oh man, what was a boy to do?
"Sweet dreams, Aqua," he told her quietly before closing his eyes himself.
Author's Note: Written to celebrate Birth by Sleep in English! XD I haven't actually played any game with Zack in it. Seriously. But I've gotten requests from people wanting to see something like this, so this is my best effort. Please keep that in mind-I have not played any game with Zack in it.
Review, though. Tell me what you think!