Summary: An Aquarra oneshot. "They had to do, these meetings at the edges of their worlds- where the raging Sea fought to expand its domain and where the tranquil Earth struggled to hold its own- They had to do, for it was all they had."
Disclaimer: Really, it should be obvious I don't own TT otherwise this pairing may possibly have been given some consideration... Maybe... O.o Also I don't own asanji's DeviantArt piece 'Of Earth and Sea,' which offered me so much inspiration.
A/N: An Aquarra (Aqualad/Terra) fic written for a request by Raven's Favorite Emotion. Sorry if it's not what you had in mind, RFE, but once inspiration struck I couldn't stop it. :) I hope you like it.
Anyways, if you dare to try reading this pairing, go on ahead! Hope you enjoy!
Where Ends Meet
By guardyanangel
In.
The waves crashed against the shore, the roaring water spreading itself over rock and sand with a hiss.
Out.
As quickly as they had come in, the waves receded, taking with them small pebbles and stones that were unable to fight the tide.
In.
Once more the waves rushed onto the coast, bringing with them a being that was human-like in form. The water trickled down the sides of the being, and yet at the same time the tides seemed a part of it, forming its shape, defining it, giving it life: Garth, Prince of the Seas. Aqualad, Marine Marvel.
Out.
The water returned to the seas, leaving its Prince to stand dripping on the sodden shores. Dark purple eyes studied the darkness, searching for something amongst the shadowed rocks that lined the beach.
In.
Again the ocean rose up onto the shoreline, carrying the Marine Marvel a few feet further up the coast. He rode the waves with ease, eyes still gazing into the darkness.
Out.
Away went the briny blue, the frothy white, and, almost like a magnetic force, they pulled out of the shadows another form, lither than Garth, apparition-like in its smallness: Tara, Maiden of Markovia. Terra, Daughter of the Earth.
In.
Aqualad was steps ahead of the water when it rushed in again, moving as quickly towards Markovia's Maiden as she moved towards him.
Out.
The water pulled away, having done its work, and proceeded to brush the outer edges of the coast.
In.
The Sea Prince pulled the Daughter of the Earth into his arms as swiftly and as gently as the waters of his domain touched the sand of the shore, murmuring a soft hello into her hair. She smelled of earth, of cool rock, of sun-stained beaches.
"Tara."
Out.
He felt the slight pull of her back as she craned her head backwards to gaze at him, pale blue eyes studying him. After locking eyes, she threw her arms around his neck. The emotion that rushed through him was so pure, so real, that it hurt. He heard her murmur a soft hello as she inhaled his scent- salt, fresh fish, sea breeze.
In.
He pulled her closer, as if he could not hold her tight enough. And perhaps it was true, for these brief, brief meetings beneath the light of the moon were never long enough for him to hold her and kiss her and drink in her scent- but they had to do. Yes, they had to do, these meetings at the edges of their worlds- where the raging Sea fought to expand its domain and where the tranquil Earth struggled to hold its own- They had to do, for it was all they had.
To stifle the pain this thought brought, he leaned down and captured her lips with his.
Out.
After a mind-dizzying moment, he pulled away, releasing a stunned breath. He knew that she understood the emotion behind the kiss- the desperation, the longing. She had told him before that she had felt it herself, ever since the day that they had first met- a chance encounter, a crime at the docks that required her team's attention and his willing assistance.
In.
In the calm after the battle they had been introduced- her to him as the newest member of the group, him to her as an old friend and ally. And somehow, in that moment when the Daughter of the Earth and the Prince of the Seas locked eyes, they fell in love.
Out.
It was illogical, really. Completely irrational. He lorded over the waters, whose powerful might ever chipped away at the edges of the earth, eroding rock and creating beaches. She held sway over the land, that unyielding force that ever defied the sea. There was no reason for them to view each other as anything more than casual allies.
But who said love ever needed reason?
In.
He smiled gently down at her now, watching as her emotions flickered across her face while she gazed at him. He caught a glimpse of love, and one of pain, and another of sadness. She had always been the most open at this time, under the light of the moon. She had always been the most vulnerable here, in this place where earth openly fought sea.
It was in this time and place that he had first seen her again after their introduction. He had been passing by when her golden hair caught his sight, for it was even more radiant beneath the benevolent glow of the moon. He had paused and observed her that, watching as she tossed stones into the water, a clear gift of earth to the sea.
Out.
He had returned night after night to see if she would be there- and night after night, she was. He would wait an unreasonable amount of time until she finally drifted out of the shadows and come to sit on a rock at the very edge of the ocean, and then he would just watch her.
One night, he finally revealed his presence, stepping out of the ocean into a shallower tide pool. If she had been surprised to see him, she had not shown it. Instead she greeted him quietly and asked him if he wanted to join her.
He did.
In.
They had talked deep into the night about many things- their friends, the afterlife, the brightness of the stars, their abilities (she did not wish to speak of that subject long), their love lives (he was surprisingly quiet about that matter), their families (neither of them wished to talk on that topic for any longer than necessary).
He was amazed at how easily the words slipped out when talking to her- he had always been a rather reserved person. She was amazed at how understanding he was, even if she spoke of her shortcomings- until then she had been met with nothing but scorn when she admitted her many mistakes.
Out.
They continued to meet again every night afterwards. He always managed to find away to stop by their meeting place at the approximated time. She always managed to find time to slip out unnoticed, to speak with him for an hour or a few hours.
In.
They found a surprising amount of comfort in each other. They laughed over it, sometimes- the spurned Maiden of Markovia and the disowned Prince of the Seas finding each other and (though they did not say it aloud in the beginning) falling in love.
Out.
They had both been surprised when those three little words had slipped out. One of them had blurted it one night mid-conversation, surprising the other into silence for a moment, before the sentiment was slowly and softly returned. They forgot which one of them had said it first- they had said it so many times since.
In.
He was the one who said it first, now- Lately it was always him who originally expressed the sentiment. Nowadays, she only spoke after he did, a sad smile on her face, her words a quiet echo of his own. Like the settling sand after the waves receded, like the pebbles that were pulled out to sea, she followed in his midst.
He knew she would not say it unless he did, so he spoke. "I love you."
Out.
He was surprised when she slipped out of his hold, so quickly and so it easily it was almost as if she was a wraith who held no physical form. Despite this, he managed to keep a steady grip on her hand, his eyes confused and hurt as she studied him with such deep sadness. Why did she not answer? "Don't you love me?"
In.
Her hand was so cold. Why had he not noticed that before? Her entire body quivered, so that it seemed her very edges were blurred. Why had she not said that she was cold?
Out.
A ghost of a smile touched her lips even as the sadness in her eyes deepened.
Her thin wrist fell from his grasp- she had always been too thin, too small, like something that was barely clinging to this world.
In.
She hugged herself, her golden hair sliding forward, flickering oddly in the moonlight. The moon's beams always made her look so pale. Sometimes he imagined he could see right through her.
Clear tears filled her eyes as she looked at him, her eyes begging him to understand and yet at the same time pleading him not to.
Out.
"Tara…"
In.
She seemed to be backing away from him, or disappearing. He could find no words to speak as she drifted, only reaching out one hand to her wordlessly. She shook her head slowly, tears streaming down her cheek.
A whisper, like the sea breeze brushing in his ear: "Garth…you have to let me go."
Out.
No.
In.
"Tara, no. Please."
Out.
Not again.
In.
Her hand- deathly cold- brushed his cheek.
Please, no.
Out.
"Garth, you know I'm not real."
In.
He always forgot this part.
Out.
He always forgot she was dead.
In.
Her ghost- for that was all the girl before him was, really- her ghost smiled sadly at him as the truth settled into his mind.
Out.
He released a shaking breath, wishing, not for the first time, that Atlanteans could cry.
In.
He inhaled slowly. Then, weakly: "Tara, please."
Out.
He could not let himself accept the truth-that the real girl he loved lay encased in cold stone miles beneath Jump City. That the apparition before him was not her. He could not let that be true.
He could not lose her twice.
In.
"You won't lose me."
Out.
She always could read his thoughts.
In.
Again: "Garth, you won't lose me."
Out.
He had been meeting with ghost-her for two months since he had learned of her death, content to be meeting with her phantom if he could not be with the real thing. It had cost him hours of sleep, and he drifted through the days half-awake, unable to stop even the simplest crime.
As much as he could not accept the truth, he knew the lies could not continue.
In.
Another unsteady inhalation, then…
Out.
Finally: "I know I won't."
In.
A true smile broke across her face then, and she kissed him gently one last time. "Thank you."
Out.
He nodded, unable to speak for the ache in his heart. He watched as her ghost-self slowly flickered away, then vanished, like sand carried away by a sea breeze.
In.
An echo, like the breaking tide: "I'll always love you, Garth."
A small smile touched his lips.
Out.
He turned back to the ocean, then, immersing himself in the cool blue waters, never looking back on the rocky beach where they had spent so much time together. He did not need to look back. He would not be needing to go back, to look for her.
She was with him still.
In.
Behind him, the Sea kissed the earthen shore, and the Earth gave a part of itself to the tides.
Out.
They were one.
In.
They would always be one here, on the shore, where ends meet.
A/N: Well, there you have it! My first Aquarra piece, and actually my first time writing 'Terra' in a while.
Normally I don't ship or write this pairing, but I've been facing a bit of writer's block with some of my other pieces and thought I'd try this challenge instead to see if it could get the creative juices flowing. It is a bit of a crack pairing, considering that as far as we know these two never met in cartoon (and maybe even comic) canon.
Even in spite of the pairing, this was an interesting thing for me to write. The 'Terra-is-actually-a-ghost' idea didn't occur to me until about halfway through, so I wrote the rest of it and then went back and added some hints. Cookies to you if you spotted said hints beforehand and guessed the truth! :)
Please review and tell me what you think!
~Guardy