CS: The third piece to my one-shot TerraVaan trilogy!
Firion: But don't worry, folks. CS will keep posting VaanTerra stuff.
Nel: Peace out!
Envy & Gaomon & Dorumon: CS owns nothing, yo!
Rapture Of Hearts: A Promise
The breeze felt nice on her hair as it bellowed freely in the air. Terra had removed her hair-tie, releasing the fibers to the wind, letting it blow and gust past her. The airship Vaan used was certainly magnificent, in her opinion, and even if in some eyes it was a piece of junk, just being with him was enough to turn it into a paradise.
"Enjoying the ride?" a familiar voice asked her. Terra turned, smiling at Vaan. "Oh, yes! The breeze up here is so wonderful!"
"Sure is," Vaan agreed shyly, intertwining his fingers behind his head, making that cute posture he always casually took.
"Yeah," Terra echoed, turning away to hide her blush. There was an awkward pause between the two, the silence looming over them with warm, fluzzy feeling in their chests.
Vaan then broke the silence with the sound of his boots and chain mail moving. Soon he was next to her, once again assuming the cute posture. "So," he began, letting the sentence hang.
"Yeah?" Terra asked.
"Uh." Vaan paused, looking down for a moment. "Well, this is awkward," he finally stated, scratching his head.
Terra giggled. "I guess so." She continued staring out, the breeze flipping her hair behind her.
Vaan chuckled, shaking his head. "You know, you're the only one to make me feel like this."
"Like what?"
"Uh . . ." Terra was looking at him curiously, wanting for him to fill in the gap. Clearing his throat, "Like . . . like warm . . . and fuzzy . . . Err . . . Ha, this isn't coming out right."
"No, it's okay." Terra began fiddling with her fingers. "I think I understand what you're getting at. I mean," she gestured helplessly. "I feel the same way. It . . . feels right when I'm near you."
"Oh, really?" Immediately, Vaan's face lightened up. "Guess the feeling's mutual, then."
Terra looked out again, sighing heavily. "It's nice, you know. Being with friends, traveling together and going on adventures." Her voice suddenly caught itself. Home . . .
Just how selfish was she?
Vaan immediately noticed the change in Terra, and he felt a rise of panic as her shoulders began to shake. "H-hey! What's wrong? I didn't do something wrong, did I?"
Terra shook her head sadly. "No, it's not you. I just . . ." She swallowed a sob. "I just realized I left my home behind!"
"Wha. . ." Then it hit him. Slowly, realization came, and with it, a sense of regret. He had been so excited, and relieved, to see Terra, that he had forgotten that she had come from another world. Guilt rising in his chest, he reached out and grasped her slender shoulder. She immediately turned around, leaning against his chest and sobbed. Slowly wrapping his arms around her, Vaan held her close, rocking her back and forth. "I promise," he said slowly. "I promise to get you home."
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Vaan asked, walking behind Terra. Terra looked down around nervously, trying to orient herself. "Um . . . I don't know."
"It's okay," Vaan stated, now proceeding to walk in front of her. "Come on, I think I remember where I found you."
Terra followed him as they walked down the winding streets. They would paused every now and then, seeing if either recognized the location.
The day passed by, and soon the sun began to disappear behind the mountains and buildings. Terra gripped Vaan's biceps, squeezing him gently. "Hey, Vaan, it's getting late. Maybe we should look for the portal tomorrow."
"I can't, Terra," Vaan said, shaking his head. "We need to get you home. You go and get some rest."
"But Vaan—"
"I made a promise, Terra," Vaan stated. "And I intend to complete it. When we were in Dissidia, all I wanted to do was go home. You probably did, too. And again, here we are." He reached out and grasped her slender shoulder gently. "I didn't keep my promise last time, Terra. This time, I want to see it through."
Terra could say nothing more. Vaan sent her to stay with Penelo, which she did. After a half-hearted dinner, Terra stared outside the bedroom, wondering what Vaan was doing. Still searching for the portal, most likely.
When she could no longer keep her eyes open, she drifted to sleep, resting her head on her elbow while she was still looking out the window, waiting for her knight-in-shining-armor.
"Terra, Terra, wake up."
A friendly hand shook her awake. She awoke to see Penelo, who quickly informed Vaan hadn't returned last night and was most likely sleeping in some alley covered in trash. Together the two split up to search up, Penelo taking the south while Terra took the north.
It didn't take the half-Esper to find him, curled up in a corner.
Terra stared at him, feeling the deepest sense of guilt. Here she is, getting sleep in a cozy place while he searched all night looking for a way home for her! But it was her home, not his, and yet he was running the extra mile to get her home.
What could make him want to do this for me? Terra asked herself. Can it be . . . love?
Gingerly, she nudged him with her hand. When he didn't move, she clearly picked him off the street, wrapping one arm around her neck and using her arm to support his waist. She carried him the best she could back to the place they were staying.
Hours could have pasted and Terra didn't seem to notice. She went back and forth, tending to Vaan's needs. When he finally awoke, one could say Terra wasn't very happy about his actions.
"You could have been hurt," she fused, rubbing his dirty cheek with a warm, wet rag. Vaan grunted as she rubbed it roughly against his skin.
"But I wasn't," he insisted, which only got him a harder rub. Vaan watched as Terra's brow furrowed further, and her frown lines sunk in deeper.
"Still, it was reckless to fall asleep in the street," she said. "Penelo and I were worried sick."
"I bet." Vaan sat up and touched his burning red cheek. It was very smooth from the rough rubs, thankfully, but still, it hurt. He looked at Terra, making eye-contact. "But like I said last night," he said, "I had made a promise to you, and I intend to keep it."
"Why?" Terra asked. "Why are you so persist on this? You don't have to risk yourself for this! It's my fault that I left. I got careless."
Vaan raised a hand to silence her. "Terra," he began slowly, "it's not just that. I . . . I made a promise to you before, but I . . ." He looked down at his boots shamefully. "I wasn't able to fulfill it. I told you I'd help you, but I ended up getting myself killed instead."
Terra stared at him for a moment. Then, picking up the rag and other items, she excused herself. "I'll be back." Vaan didn't respond, just continued looking down.
Once out of sight and hearing, Terra bit her lower lip. Promises, she thought. Are all men this serious about this stuff? As she began to put the individual stuff away, she continued to think, Tidus and Cloud . . . They had made promises to the ones they loved. . .
Closing her eyes with a sigh, she thought, Is it really that simple?
Returning, Terra saw Vaan had left the bed. He was brushing up, looking slightly better than when she had found him this morning.
But only slightly.
Terra slowly approached him, wanting to ask him a question about why a promise meant so much to him . . . Why a promise made such a difference, and got such a strong reaction from men. But before she could, Penelo stormed in, berating Vaan's recklessness. Not wanting to disturb the two, Terra went out the front door and waited for their return.
Once the rant was over, and Vaan complained he had become half-deaf, the two returned. Penelo had to excuse herself, saying she was going to ask Ashe if there were any leads on what to do about the portal to Terra's home. Vaan held out his hand, silently asking Terra for permission to hold it.
Accepting it, Terra and Vaan began their search hand-in-hand. All the while this was happening, Terra kept thinking, Love makes people do strange things. Celes and Locke both told me this. I . . . I risked my life for the children because I loved them but . . . it wasn't the same love. No, it was different somehow. This feeling towards Vaan . . . it's not like my love toward the children. For Vaan, I feel stronger around him, like as long as he's by my side, I could climb the highest mountain and come down without resting.
Puzzled, she continued to think, I said I love him, but what did I mean? I feel nervous, yet . . . so comfortable. He said I made him feel . . . warm and fuzzy. Do I feel the same way?
Nodding to herself, she concluded, Yes, I do. This must be love. But a different kind. Is there such a different kind? I think Celes mentioned that when she was teasing me over getting married . . .
Mentally slapping herself, she thought, Of course! So this is the other kind of love. The love that they felt towards a certain person. I get it now! Looking at their hands clasped hands, Terra continued, I love Vaan. But it's not like with the children. I feel affection towards them, but nothing this intense. I guess . . . oh, my . . . my thoughts shouldn't go there . . .
Blushing heavily, she didn't notice Vaan slipping his hand out of hers as she stopped walking. But what does love have to do with a promise? She didn't have an answer to that. When you love someone, you'll do crazy things . . . But working so hard that's you'd fall over on the street in the middle of the night? Does that count as crazy? Or what Penelo called stupid?
Come to think of it, why do men make such outrageous promises anyway? Tidus told his lover (and I do hope he remembers her name) that she'd just have whistle, and he'd come running. But how is that possible? Unless he can teleport, he wouldn't make it all the time. And Cloud promising to always coming to Tifa's rescue . . . Can he really do that? This is so confusing.
Looking up, hoping Vaan might be able to give her an answer, she suddenly realized that he was gone—and she was completely lost! She must have wandered aimlessly while thinking. Oh, no! Terra thought. What if I can't find my way back? Not only will I be lost from my homeworld, but I'll be lost from Vaan, too!
Panicking, Terra began to frantically look for any familiar landmark, any familiar or even friendly faces in the area.
It was at this time while Terra realized her dilemma that Vaan also ran frantically through the streets, searching for Terra.
I take my eyes off of her for just a few seconds, he cursed himself, and now I've lost her! Dang it!
He made a tight turn, nearly knocking over a pedestrian. Apologizing over his shoulder, he continued to run through the city, looking into every nock and cranny for Terra.
Terra made another turn, and so it was a dead-end. Nuts! she cursed. Not another deadend. Whirling around, she ran out the alley and made another bolt for another route. I need to get back! Or otherwise I'm really in trouble!
Fueled by this panicked thought, Terra's legs gave another powerful sprint, sending her from alley to alley, street to street, in what seemed like a fruitless attempt at finding Vaan again.
When Vaan saw the heated air, he skidded to a halt, caught off guard.
This is it! Vaan thought. The compressed air, the blurred image, the strange noises emitted from the vortex's center.
He had made a turn at one of the alleys, hoping he might find Terra there. Instead, he had found what he had been looking for all last night—right when what he really needed was Terra!
Great! Vaan thought angrily. Now I'm really stuck. Do I stay here and wait for Terra to come to me? Or do I keep looking, and leave this portal just sitting here?
He looked at the portal hard. Then, taking a deep sigh, he turned around and bolted out of the alley.
"Vaan!" Terra called out. "Vaan, where are you?"
She barely jumped out of the way of one the larger creatures that inhabited this world. Fear gripped hold of her, and her breathing became faster and more shallow.
However, running in high heels is never a good idea, and Terra quickly found out. The heel on her left boot suddenly snapped, the boot still falling straight down. The force of the snap jerked her ankle, and her leg buckled underneath her.
Crying out, Terra held out both hands to stop her fall. With a heavy grunt, she landed on her knees, her left leg twisted underneath her, her arms both bent to absorb the impact. Shock-waves of pain echoed through her limbs as she slumped there, motionless, trying to orient herself while fighting back tears of agony.
She was in such pain and concentration that she didn't hear Vaan's voice calling out to her. She didn't even notice him until he placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at the friendly—yet concerned—face.
"Are you alright?" Vaan asked for who-knows-how-many-times. Terra bit her lower lip, nodding slowly.
Vaan shuffled around her, taking in the scene. Then, looking back at her, he said, "Looks like you twisted your ankle. Hey, I'll carry you back." Walking to her front, he turned his back, slumped down, hands out with palms facing up. Terra looked up.
"Come on," Vaan encouraged lightly. "Can't have you hobbling back, can I?"
"I guess so," Terra murmured. Slowly she lifted herself up so her weight was on her legs. Bad move. She cried out and went back onto all four, a tear trickling down her cheek. Vaan saw that, however, so gently, he slid back, reached out so his hands touched her waist. Sliding them down, he found her butt and used his hands as support. Nodding, he said, "Now just grab hold. Don't worry, I've got you."
Blushing madly, partly because Vaan's hands were on her butt, Terra took in a deep breath and threw her arms around Vaan's neck. Her weight again shifted, but this time she didn't feel any pain. Vaan's hands kept Terra's center away from her injured foot, and thus, no pressure was added.
Heaving her up, Vaan was careful to not let his hands slid down too low on her legs to avoid further injury. Silently, the two made their way back to the place they were staying, finding a shocked Penelo waiting. After exampling what had happened, Penelo got a bed ready and together the two laid Terra on her back.
Vaan slid a pillow underneath Terra's foot. He paused, frowning slightly.
"What's wrong?" Terra asked.
Vaan sighed, shaking his head. "Just thinking."
Terra leaned forward. "About what?"
When he didn't answer, Terra persisted, "Please, Vaan. You can tell me. I've told you everything. Now it's your turn." Her eyes locked with his. "You can trust me."
"It's not that I don't trust you . . ." Vaan admitted. "It's just I failed you again."
"No, you didn't," Terra insisted, shaking her head. "You saved me again. Although, this time it had to be from a broken heel."
"No, it's not that . . ." Vaan sighed. "I found your portal home, but I left it to find you." He shook his head angrily. "I should have paid attention to where I was going, but I just stumbled upon it. Now I don't know where it is."
Terra was silent for a moment. Seeing the distress in Vaan's eyes, the anger at himself, she reached out and touched Vaan's hand gingerly. "It's okay," she comforted. "It wasn't your fault."
"But I could have at least remembered where it was!" Vaan insisted. "Instead, I totally lost it!" He groaned. "Maybe I should ask the others to help. I'm hopeless . . ."
"You're not hopeless," Terra shouted. Her outcry caught Vaan by surprise, because he shut up and looked her in the eyes.
Terra didn't hesitate at all when she continued, "Vaan, you've done so much for me, but have you even considered that I want to pay you back?"
"Wha?" was all the boy could say.
"You saved me from Kefka. I would have still been a Chaos warrior. But because of you, I'm not." Terra took in a breath. "I owe you so much, Vaan. You gave me the ability to see I can be whoever I want to be. If I don't want to fight, I don't have to. For so long, I've just been taking orders. You gave me the hope I needed to reach Cosmos on my own, and that's been one of the biggest blessings you could have ever given me.
"You freed me not just from Kefka, but from myself as well. And now you're putting so much effort into getting me. You think you didn't fulfill your promise to me, but really you did. You gave me a chance to a life I never though I could get." She put her hand over her heart. "Now it's my turn to promise something to you."
"But Terra—" Vaan was cut off by Terra's dismissively wave.
"I want to," Terra stated. "I want to make this promise to you, Vaan, in return for all you've done. It's my turn to help you. It's my turn to give you something." She closed her eyes, then opened them, those eyes once empty now filled with an energy she had felt once before, when thinking of the children in that small village.
Yes, that's what it means to make a promise, she thought. "I promise, Vaan, to be by your side whenever you need me, whenever, wherever, for whatever reason, I'll come running."
Vaan was silent, then his face broke into a smile as he replied, "Thanks, Terra, but for now," he winked, "maybe you should just fly. Running isn't a good idea in your current state."
"Oh." Terra looked at her ankle, then giggled sheepishly. "Guess I was lost in the moment. My bad."
Vaan laughed. "Well, either way, we're gonna find your way back home." He took her hand into his and gave it a little squeeze. "Together. Then you won't have to go too far to find me."
"I won't run off," Terra replied, smiling sweetly.
The two then realized how close their faces were. Blushing, Vaan pulled back a little, but Terra beckoned him back. "Wait, don't."
"Huh?" But Vaan obeyed, leaning forward again. Their faces were really close, and before either could rethink their standing, their lips touched.
It wasn't the greatest kiss in the world. It wasn't intense, or passionate by any means, and not even that long. When they parted, both would silently wish for the other to continue. But footfalls in the hallway turned their attention, as Penelo stated that some strange air compression was found in the alley, and Ashe believed it was the portal they were looking for.
Vaan and Terra shared a smile, with Terra's eyes saying, 'See? Told you.' Vaan's expression replied, 'Don't start,' but they both ended up laughing in the end.
"So is this it?" Terra asked, looking at Vaan sadly.
Vaan shook his head. "Nah. This is just the beginning. For some reason, this portal seems to be permanent. It forever links our two worlds."
"I hope so." Terra stared at the compressed air. Suddenly, she whirled around and gave Vaan a quick peek on the cheek. "I've got another promise for you. I'll come back, no matter what. Even if that portal closes, I'll find a way back."
"Same here, Terra." Vaan then lead her to the portal. Terra reached out and touched the whirling air. Giving a final smile to Vaan, she leaned forward and hopped through.
Terra was immediately swamped by her friends, who had apparently been looking for her since two nights ago. Apologizing, Terra told them of her adventure to another world. She then looked back, noticing the portal was still there.
Locke noticed her look. He and Celes gave each other a glance, both nodding. They then glanced at everyone else, who also gave their nods.
Finally, Celes said, "Terra, if you want to go back . . ." She cleared her throat quickly. "That is, if you want to be with Vaan, you're more than welcome to return to him."
"Are you sure?" Terra asked.
"Everyone here can plainly see you love him," Locke chuckled. "Go on. We'll be fine. And if you ever feel like visiting, don't hesitant to come back here. We'll be waiting."
Terra stared in shock at her friends. Then, giving a huge smiling, she hugged them and cried, "Thank you!" before jumping back into the portal.
Celes gave a sigh. "It's going to be lonely without her around."
Locke arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"She's the only other female in our little group." Celes gave a shrug. "Oh, well. She'll be happier. That we can be sure."
Vaan was still standing near the portal when Terra returned. He didn't see it coming; no, actually, he hoped to see it coming, he hoped to see her again. So when she came jumping through, he, through pure reaction, caught her.
Without warning, Terra threw her arms around his neck and cried out, "Vaan, they're alright with it! I can stay!"
"Huh? Th-that's great! No, better than great!" Vaan helped her to her feet and guided her along. "You sure they're fine with it."
"They said so, yes." Terra was practically on Cloud Nine. "Vaan, now we can be together without warning about jumping between two worlds."
"But are you sure about this?" Vaan turned her head so he could see her eyes. "I mean, you're not said about not being on your own world."
"I'll miss my friends, and the children, yes." Terra sighed. "But if that portal is permanent, then I can always just jump back and forth. No need to worry."
"Alright." Vaan thought for a moment. "Do they have airships on your world?"
"Yes."
"Do you think I could fly one?"
"I'd have to ask Siegfried, but I think so."
"I hope so." Vaan laughed. "Though even I can't, I still have you."
"Yeah." Terra kissed him fully on the lips. "Same here."