"How's she doing?" Ventus kept his voice respectfully quiet, but, like every time he stepped into this room, his tone was hopeful and his optimism obvious.

Aside from his movements as he crossed the small space, the scene was an unnaturally still one. Terra, hands folded and elbows on his knees, shot Ven an upward glance from where he sat in the bedside chair, seeming to break from some deep train of thought. "Same," he answered. He sounded a little gruff, making Ven's smile waver.

"Oh. Well... it hasn't been that long, y'know? Just give her some more time. Whatever happened, maybe she needs the rest." Terra made a sound that didn't come off as neutral as he had probably intended; Ven knew what he was thinking.

"The Master hasn't told you anything?" Terra asked after a moment.

"Huh-uh." Shaking his head, Ven took a seat on the mattress edge. Unlike Terra, he wasn't keen on keeping a timid distance. "But I didn't ask."

Terra nodded once, lightly. When it came to Eraqus, they both knew when a matter was closed to discussion. Respect overruled curiosity, so neither of them pushed for more details beyond what few they had been given.

Instead, they just did what they could. It didn't feel like much, just watching and waiting, but they couldn't stand to just leave her alone up here, either.

Ven looked again at the figure lying on top of the tidy sheets, motionless except for the gentle rise and fall of her chest. She was a few years younger, he guessed. Skinny, pale, but pretty, with hair a shocking shade of blue. The kind of color Ven imagined the sea would be, now that he thought about it. Her sleeping face was blank, neither pained nor ill, but not happy, either. As empty and still as stone.

"Aqua." Ven said it quietly, more a thoughtful repetition spoken to himself than an address. Her name was the only thing she had managed to tell them in those moments after her arrival. Not long after, she had ended up like this with no change since. "It's a pretty name, isn't it?" he mused, looking sidelong at Terra.

"Mm." There was little heart in the reply, and now Terra wasn't even looking at her. His gaze was fixed on some vague place on the floor.

Ven frowned, concerned - but then quickly turned it into a skeptical look. "Hey, make sure you don't let her see your face like that. I know I wouldn't want to wake up to it."

The teasing worked, partially. A weary smile tugged at Terra's mouth, breaking that solemn spell. "You're probably cheerful enough for both of us, anyway."

"Obviously," Ven shot back with a grin. They both laughed. Silence fell again soon after, but it felt lighter this time, at least.

"What if she-" Terra started suddenly, but trailed off without finishing the thought. This time Ven did turn serious, his stare earnest.

"She'll wake up, Terra," he assured him. "We'll figure something out - us and the Master, if we have to."

"It's not that." Ducking his head slightly, Terra heaved a quiet sigh as his broad shoulders actually slumped a couple inches. "After what happened, I wouldn't blame her if..."

"If what?"

Terra hesitated. "Maybe you and Master Eraqus would... you know, do better. Helping her out."

Ven cocked an eyebrow, but after a couple heartbeats he caught the meaning there. "Hey - c'mon, you don't think she's mad at you, do you?" Terra didn't respond. "It was an accident, Terra! You know that!"

"Accident or not, I still-"

"I'd have done the same thing, y'know," Ven pointed out, crossing his arms and fixing his best friend with a firm look. "You just beat me to it. So stop trying to sound so mature and cheer up."

Terra stared at him, but then just shook his head - and couldn't hide his smirk. "Man, you're really annoying sometimes. You know that?"

"Annoying, or right?"

"Both." He leaned over and gave a playful shove, which Ven returned.

"Besides, you know what Master Eraqus says," Ven reminded him, sitting back on the bed again. "Darkness always finds its way-"

"-into a wounded heart. I remember." With a quiet snort, Terra regarded him skeptically. "Now who's trying to sound mature?"

"I'm trying to keep you from moping! That's different!"

"Heh, sure."

Ven made a face, growling half-heartedly. "But seriously," he said, "why don't you go train for a while or something? Get some fresh air." When Terra glanced uncertainly at Aqua, Ven dropped his previous annoyance and smiled again, adding more gently, "Don't worry, I'll stay with her. I'll let you know if anything changes."

Slowly, Terra nodded, although he took several seconds to finally stand. "Yeah." He clapped Ven lightly on the shoulder, giving a brief squeeze - and a briefer smile - before turning away. "Thanks, Ven. I'll be back in a bit."

"...Don't worry," Ven told Aqua a moment later, once Terra was out of sight, "he's not the sulky type. He'll pull himself together by the time you wake up."

She remained unresponsive, so Ven glanced around the room thoughtfully in search of something to talk about. There was always the chance that she could hear him, even if just a little, so maybe talking would help her feel better. "You'll like it here," he went on. "Terra's a really good guy, and the Master's nice, too. He's kinda strict, but he's the best teacher there is."

He leaned back on his hands, idly studying the ceiling. "I've never really known any girls," he admitted. For as long as Ven could remember, it had always been Eraqus, Terra, and himself. Xehanort's recent visit was pretty out of the norm. "Just some of the shopkeepers in town, but we don't go all the way over there too much. And they're a lot older than you, anyway."

Perking up slightly, he turned and smiled at her. "Oh, yeah! We'll have to figure out what your favorite food is! I do most of the cooking now, so I'll fix whatever you want - that way we can really celebrate when you wake up!" After a moment his lips twisted thoughtfully, almost sourly. "But... don't listen to Terra if he mentions the fish stick incident. That was once, and nothing actually burned down. Deep-frying from scratch is actually a lot harder than it sounds." Or maybe he needed a more clear-cut cookbook. Whatever the case, it wasn't something Ven had been able to live down yet.

"Anyway," he went on more casually, "I wonder what you like to do, Aqua. We train a lot, but we have other hobbies, too." He began kicking his legs absently - and lightly, so as not to shake the bed - and then broke into a grin. "Hey, maybe you'll be the one who can beat Master Eraqus at chess! He taught both of us, but Terra has more of a knack for it... but even he's never come close."

It was usually more of a rainy day pastime as far as the boys were concerned, although Eraqus encouraged it as a good thinking exercise. Terra more closely shared his head for strategy; as impulsive as Ven was by nature, he tended to think in the moment, acting with less foresight and more towards what was in front of him. That was probably why Terra had more wins between the two of them, but it was always in good, competitive fun.

"I guess we'll have a lot to show you, huh?" Ven mused. His expression turned sympathetic as he watched Aqua again. She couldn't remember anything, Eraqus had said. Nothing but her name. If - when she awoke, there was no telling if her memory would recover or not. If it did, that was great. If it didn't...

Well, that was getting ahead of things.

Carefully, Ven reached over to take Aqua's hand in his. It was small and warm, but the skin on her palm and fingertips wasn't too unlike his own: a little rough, a little worn. Her hands had known a Keyblade, and pretty well.

"We'll take it easy," he assured her quietly. "One day at a time."

Those days came and went. Ven and Terra checked on her several times from morning until evening - sometimes together, sometimes separately; in passing, but they would also make time to sit and stay with her for a while. Terra still showed signs of feeling guilty, but around Ven, at least, they were minimal, and he soon joined in on the one-sided conversations.

Aqua's condition didn't change. She never stirred, never budged, never gave a sign of life other than that slow, rhythmic breathing. Eraqus also visited her daily, but he never had any good news to give. "But tomorrow brings new hope," he would always say.

One evening, however, he crossed paths with Ven and Terra as he was leaving Aqua's room. When their faces fell at the reported lack of change, their Master added, "Continue as you've been doing. She may not respond, but companionship and compassion strengthen the heart - and right now, Aqua needs that strength more than any treatment."

With renewed determination, the boys did just that.

But days turned into weeks, and finally a whole month had passed since Aqua's arrival. Even Ven's hopeful attitude was feeling the strain of being tested by time, and his visits were starting to leave an anxious aftertaste. Terra's mood, previously lifted, had dropped again.

Still, they kept visiting. They kept talking, if only to each other, and Ven, at least, kept smiling. The room was too depressing otherwise. He'd also taken to holding Aqua's hand more often than not - although Terra still stayed at arm's length or more - because had their roles been reversed, Ven figured, he would have taken comfort in a friendly touch, anything to remind him that he was still anchored to this world.

One bright morning, he paid Aqua a solo visit, a quick check-in as he was heading back up to his room. This time, he didn't sit with her - he didn't even speak for a few minutes, but simply watched her, his expression the most solemn he'd allowed it to be around her thus far.

"Come on, Aqua," he said quietly, almost in a whisper. "I know you can do it." He waited a moment more, as if that latest wish might have been enough; and then he turned to be on his way.

As he reached the door, a low sound made him stop. On reflex he glanced over his shoulder, puzzled and searching for the source; as accustomed as he had become to Aqua's state, he didn't even look at her first, so he started when he realized that she had moved.

Not just moved, but sat up - her motions were stiff and slow, her bright eyes tired and distant, but she was up. She was awake.

"Aqua!" Ven was at her side in a heartbeat, grinning from ear to ear. Excited relief flooded his voice. "Aqua, you're really awake!" A second later he was back at the door and leaning into the hall. "Terra! Master! Aqua's awake!"

NOTE: Obviously, I took a few creative liberties with this AU, namely parts of Ven's personality. Since he and Terra now grew up together and are a lot closer in age, I figured there's less hero worship and more typical brotherly sass between them; hence why Ven doesn't hesitate to tease and call Terra out in this situation, and actually behaves more like the older one a couple of times. Just in case anyone was wondering!