Within the Boundaries of War
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything along the lines of WWII. I am purely using my own knowledge about WWII.
1 – News of War
Terra smiled as he lounged with his two friends and watched the stars. He sat quietly, then jerked his head up in surprise. Aqua had stood up, and held something close to her chest. Her cobalt locks held close to her head and neck, danced as she shook her head. She turned around and a bright smile erupted as she glanced at her two best friends.
"Terra, Ventus, since tomorrow is a very big day, I have made something for us," she smiled, and held her hands close to her chest still.
Ventus and Terra both stood up, and gathered closer to Aqua to see her surprise. Ventus' young blue eyes widened in anticipation.
Aqua then opened her arms up, and her hands held three star-shaped nicknacks. One was blue, the other green, and the last one orange. The orange and blue ones were close to one another as she smiled brightly and handed Ventus' his green one. Then she beamed with happiness as she handed Terra, his.
Ventus held his up and inspected it carefully. "Aqua this is great! But what is it?" he asked
Aqua almost smiled, but she kept a stern expression. "Somewhere out there, there's a tree. With this star-shaped fruit. It's said if you share the fruit with someone, you and that person will have an unbreakable connection." she explained.
"I made these, for us. So we could have that unbreakable connection. I call them Wayfinders, 'cause we'll always find our way back to each other." she held her Wayfinder out.
Terra inspected Aqua's hands, and noticed Band-Aids wrapped around most of her fingers, some were covered by her fingerless gloves. He grabbed her free hand, and she winced.
"Aqua, your hands. What happened to them?" he asked as she snatched her hand away.
Aqua held a painful smile. "It's nothing really."
Ventus glanced down at his Wayfinder. "Thanks Aqua. I'll keep it with me all the time!" he smiled trying to change the subject off of Aqua.
Terra still worried about her hands. "Can you wield your keyblade? If you can't then we can't have the ceremony tomorrow!" he looked at his Wayfinder.
Aqua held Terra's shoulder. "Terra, really I'm fine. I can wield Rainfell fine."
Terra looked into Aqua's bright baby-blue eyes. "If you say so." he shrugged.
Ventus put his Wayfinder into his pocket. He then grabbed both of his friends shoulders. "Who ever wins tomorrow. I'll be rooting for both of you guys." he smiled and his deep blue eyes beamed.
Terra and Aqua looked at their younger friend. Aqua bent down to Ventus' height and grinned.
"Thank you Ven. I'll be rooting for you too when you go up for the Mark too." she ruffled his blonde hair.
Terra grinned. "Yeah, me too Ven. I bet you're up for some sparring?"
Ven nodded his head rapidly. He ran over into the wider plain and waited for Terra.
Aqua watched as her friends stood apart from each other, and she sat down on the bench behind her. "Don't hurt each other! And don't exert your strength so much Terra!" she yelled.
Terra laughed and focused on Ventus. "Thanks mom."
They sparred for what seemed like a short time, before Aqua stopped them. She stood up holding her Wayfinder, and walked over to them. They were both sweaty from the warm weather, and giddy from adrenaline.
She touched their shoulders. "We better head back before Master gets worried. Plus you two need to shower." she smiled lightly.
The trio walked back to their home and laughed and talked on the way there. Master Eraqus was waiting at the front door. He opened the door for his pupils, and then locked it behind him. The other residents of the Land of Departure, did the same, and closed their homes for the night.
Once she assumed Terra and Ventus were in bed, Aqua couldn't fall asleep. Her nerves were rapidly sending thoughts into her mind, causing her to twist and turn her body in her bed. She finally laid on her back, watching her ceiling fan spin. She sat up in her bed and looked at her bedside clock. It illuminated a light blue hue, and it told her that it was almost three in the morning. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Aqua felt her heartbeat all over her body, which felt like a thunderstorm. She finally decided to get up and do something. She lightly walked into their kitchens and grabbed some fruit to eat. She left with a bowl full of fresh fruit.
Aqua sighed and walked out to their porch and ate. She sat on a lounge chair and ate the fruit while watching the sky. She pulled her bare legs to her chest. The cool breeze chilled her skin and gave her goosebumps. She stuffed more fruit into her mouth and fixed her sleeping shorts. Her back slouched against the cushioned back rest of the lounger. Strong, bare, footsteps were tip-toeing behind her.
She stiffened, and slowly turned her head to see who it was. Terra arose out of the dark, closing the porch door behind himself. He looked at her and gave a little half smile of reassurance. She slouched back down and put her bowl on her lap.
"It's a little late." He began.
He walked over to the lounger parallel to Aqua's and took a seat. Terra sat down facing her. He hoped she was as nervous as him for tomorrow.
"I can't sleep. My nerves are going haywire." he confessed.
She looked to him and nodded her head. "Me too. I also came down to eat something. I eat when I get nervous. As you already know." she grinned.
Aqua took more fruit out of the bowl and chowed it down. Terra flashed a smile.
"I can't believe that another Keyblade Master is coming tomorrow." he said looking down.
Aqua looked over at him. She scrunched her nose in surprise. "What? Another Keyblade Master? Why are they coming to observe our Mastery test?"
Terra shrugged. "Master didn't say who they were going to be. I'm not putting my hopes up too high, however."
Aqua jumped up. Her cerulean tresses flying, but close to her head. "Terra! This is great! That means we would have a higher chance of both of us becoming Masters, if this Visiting Keyblade Master finds potential in one of us!" she beamed with beauty.
Terra stopped to observe Aqua's quaint beauty. Her short hair hugging her head, her perfect skin, everything about her made him happy.
They locked eyes for the mere second before Terra looked away embarrassed. He shrugged again. "I don't think that has anything to do with anything Aqua. One of us is going to become a Keyblade Master, and the other isn't." he looked to the sky.
Aqua looked over, and could see doubt in his eyes. I'll be rooting for you.
She became flustered, at the thought of her saying that to him. Aqua covered her face, and looked away from Terra. The blue girl curled up on her chair and looked at the sky.
"If you win, I promise I won't be jealous." he smiled.
The chocolate haired boy chuckled. "Okay, maybe a little."
Aqua looked back over at him. Her smile was short lived, thus turning to a frown.
"Terra." she asked.
Terra turned her way. He laid on the lounge with his arms crossed.
"Do you think we were ever enemies in another life before?" the blue key wielder questioned, her hands folded.
He turned away to ponder at the question. "I dunno. Time and Space change and shift on their own way. I could give you a maybe."
Aqua brushed her bangs away. "I hope we weren't. We have such a wonderful friendship now." she whispered.
Long awkward pauses of silence plagued the two. Terra ruffled his brown hair, and stood up. Aqua stood up too, causing her to be too close to him. She blushed and held her hands to her face.
"We should probably sleep." he added.
She nodded her head quickly. Terra patted Aqua's head and walked back inside. The porcelain maiden sighed and took her bowl inside, sliding and locking the door behind her. She slowly walked back to her room, closing her door. Aqua observed the blue walls and colors inside her abode. She crawled onto her massive blue bed. Her eyes grew heavier and heavier until she fell asleep.
Terra couldn't sleep. He sat in bed, staring out his open window. The light breeze blew in the window, moving his curtains back and forth. His room had chocolate colored walls and orange things in it. He observed the things all around his well-sized room. Orange colored dressers and a desk lined the one side of his room. Then on the other side held a door to his bathroom, and closet.
Terra got up off of his brown sheeted bed and roughly picked up his alarm clock. It told him that it was three twenty five. He sighed and slumped back down on his bed, still holding his clock. He tightened his fist so much that his clock began to crack, and it eventually broke in his hand. The sharp plastic cut into his hand, and his wounds bled onto his brown bedspread. He sat up, and threw his broken alarm clock onto the carpeted floor. The fractured clock pieces bounced on the floor, and landed softly. Terra pulled the pieces of plastic out of his hand, and did the same to the other pieces by throwing them. He quietly swore at himself for exerting his nerves on his possessions. He then got up and walked slowly to his bathroom and cleaned himself up. The young man ran his torn hand underneath of running warm water. He struggled to grab a gauze wrap from his vanity drawer, and began to wrap his still wet hand. Terra did a very poor job of wrapping his wounds, since usually Aqua or Ventus did it for him. He looked at his hand and sighed. He looked into the mirror and observed his facial features. His deep blue eyes complimented his tan skin and brown hair.
He ruffled his hair and left his bathroom. The key wielder brushed the smaller plastic pieces off of his bedding and laid back down. His head rested on his pillow, and he faced the door. He shut his eyes, in the hope that he'd fall asleep faster.
C'mon Terra! Go to sleep! He thought and thought before he eventually closed his heavy eyelids and fell into a deep sleep.
Ventus awoke to the sound of his quiet alarm going off, and he bounced out of bed. He ran into his bathroom and quickly took a shower and threw his clothes on. He then ran out of his room and down into Terra's.
He opened Terra's door and softly began to wake him up.
"Terra! Psst! Terra!" the short blonde whispered, as he poked his friend.
The brown mass of a thing on Terra's bed laid still, quietly sleeping underneath all of his blankets. Terra's tan feet stuck out over the end of his bed, and his arms wrapped his blankets just under his face.
Ventus sighed quietly. "Terra! C'mon! You have to wake up now." he squeaked as he carefully shook Terra's shoulders.
Terra groaned and flipped onto his stomach. He pushed his head further into his pillow, trying to zone Ventus' greeting away.
"Terra, I don't want to get Aqua." Ven sighed.
Ventus crossed his arms. He walked slowly to Terra's closed door, and held the doorknob.
Terra still didn't move.
"Terra. You'd really be disappointing Aqua if you don't get ready." he added.
The brown mass turned away from the boy. Ventus shook his head. "Alright."
Ventus turned the doorknob slowly and opened it. The teen walked out of his friends room and walked a very short distance to Aqua's. He knocked softly on her door and she opened it. Aqua stood tall behind the door in her regular outfit.
"Good morning Ven." she yawned.
Ventus looked up at his female companion. "It's Terra," he whispered.
Aqua frowned and put a finger to Ven's mouth. "No need to say anymore." she smiled.
The blue girl nicely walked out of her room, then slammed her door. She marched over to Terra's room, and threw the door open.
"Terra! Get up!" she shouted.
She ran to his bed and ripped his blankets and bedsheets off of him. Terra awoke quickly to find the fiery maiden to the end of his bed.
"Aqua! What the hell!" he shouted standing up. He went to face her.
Aqua stood firm and tall. "Terra, get ready. Master Eraqus asked us to be ready an hour earlier!" she belted.
Terra grit his teeth. He didn't like it when Aqua entered his room uninvited to wake him. "Thanks for the notice, Blue!"
Her hands balled. "You shouldn't be relying on me anymore Terra! You're almost nineteen years old and you can't even remember your own Mark of Mastery Test! I can't believe you would do this to the Master, or Ven," she snapped, and tried to contain herself.
Or even me. She thought, but she caught a glimpse of Terra's wounded hand.
"Terra, your hand." she added, reaching for it.
He pulled his hand away. "It's nothing. You should worry about yourself, and not me." he remarked.
The blue girl eventually grabbed his wrist. "Not so fast."
She turned his wrist around, revealing his torn hand and poor wrapping around it. She moved the wrapping to show an infected group of cuts and gashes in the young man's hand.
"Terra! This is bad! What happened?" she stammered.
Her blue eyes pierced through him, and he looked away. "I broke my alarm clock last night from nerves. That's why I didn't get up. I also didn't want to bother you or Ven." he confessed.
Aqua smiled. "You are so incredibly strong," she groaned.
"Get dressed, and I'll heal you." she lowered his arm, and moved back.
She walked away from him and towards the open door. "I'm sorry about freaking out." she trembled.
She turned back to him. "Better get going then. I'll be waiting in the great hall then."
Aqua smiled and closed his door.
After Terra finished, he greeted his friends in the hall, and Aqua began to heal his hand, just like she said.
Ventus watched as Aqua revealed Terra's harsh infected hand. She sighed, and began to cast Curaga on his hand.
"Since you're healing my hand, I want you to heal yours." Terra added in the silence.
Aqua smirked. "No. My hands are fine."
Terra grabbed Aqua's free hand and turned it over. "They don't look fine."
She tore her hand from his grasp. "I'm fine. Really." she growled.
Ventus sighed. The younger boy's sigh drew Aqua and Terra's attention to him.
"Ven? Are you alright?" The porcelain maiden asked, her attention focused back on her injured friend.
Terra put his other hand on Ven's shoulder. "Yeah. There's something up, isn't there?"
Ventus delicately pulled his friend's hand off of him. "You guys have been arguing a lot more recently and I was worried,"
"Ven, we're fine-" Terra began.
"It's probably just nerves or something. I shouldn't worry." Ventus interrupted, shaking his head in doubt.
Aqua stayed quiet. She finished healing Terra's hand and looked at the ground. "I'm pleased to think that you'd worry about us, Ven, but you should worry about yourself." she smiled, trying to be happy from the wicked thoughts that swirled in her head.
Ven smiled. "You're right. I'll still be a little worried though."
Master Eraqus entered the room with another person, a man, very old, with another figure trailing behind him. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus all stood up quickly, trying to show hospitality to their mysterious guests. The old man snickered at the sight of the three, especially Ventus. Master Eraqus stopped before his pupils and held a stern face.
"Aqua, Terra, Ventus," he began.
"This is Master Xehanort. He is a very old friend of mine and he is to be here to observe your Mark of Mastery Test."
Master Xehanort stood hunched over, his murky orange eyes illuminated his colored skin. "Pleased to meet you three." He moved to the side to reveal the mysterious figure behind him.
The mysterious figure was the size of a teenager, his body was however built for his age. His head was covered by a helmet, and his clothing was a black armor, with a red X going across his chest.
Xehanort held his hand out. "This is my own pupil. He is training vigorously, and he begged to come along to see your Mastery Test. For educational purposes only." his voice quaked.
Eraqus continued. "Xehanort is the one who requested that we fill you in to what is happening in the outer worlds too." he hesitated.
"The worlds are in a state of war. Between the light and darkness." he explained.
The three pupils of his jumped. Aqua's eyes widened. "War?! Why?" she exclaimed.
Her Master held a frown at her interruption. "Because, Aqua, the Darkness wants to reign supreme."
Xehanort folded his hands behind his back. "Eraqus, perhaps we shall begin the test,"
The old, bent man continued. "So we don't have to remain on this subject much longer."
Master Eraqus nodded. "He is correct. We shall hold our conversing later until after the testing. Aqua,Terra?"
A/N: Chapter 2 coming soon!