I think I rewrote this chapter like fifty times before I was satisfied.

I should be doing my Japanese Homework.

But I'm on here instead ha!

Enjoy!

Terra felt like doing nothing more than collapsing onto his bed after a mornings worth of hard work. He'd woken Ventus (Van was already awake) and checked to see how Sora and Roxas were feeling before making everyone breakfast. Not that he got to enjoy it. Eraqus had sent him out to feed the chickens and bring out the cattle, as well as water the horses and feed the pigs. Then he had to fix the roof and finish making lunch while he made sure that Vanitas didn't try to leave Ventus behind on their way to school and plant the new rows of vegetables that would keep them fed for spring.

Terra sighed, leaning back against the wall. Eraqus glanced at his exhausted son, clearly amused. "If you hadn't stayed up all night, you wouldn't be doing this you know," he chided gently, resuming his needlework on Sora's pants. Sora had an awful habit of ruining almost every article of clothing he owned.

Terra nodded tiredly. "I know, but I'm a warrior. I'm meant to be out in the fields fighting for my family's honor and defending this land. Training new recruits."

"I was a warrior once too Terra, in my younger years." Reminded his father, holding the pants up to the sun before deeming them well enough for wear. "And if there was anything I learned during those times, it was that family came first and before your country and family's honor."

His son fell silent, watching the horizon through the window with a serious expression. Eraqus sighed quietly, folding the clothes and gently pushing them off to the side. "Times are changing Terra; I know you're frustrated by my insistence over preserving our old ways and manners, but you must understand that while change is good, we cannot forget the lessons our family has learned through generations of living. I will teach you how fight like a warrior, but I will not have you going off to battles that serve no purpose. Your job is here, guarding our family."

Terra nodded solemnly, forcing himself to look his father in the eye. "I understand…"

Nodding curtly, Eraqus reached over and held out Terra's sword. "I gave this to you as a gift; a well-earned prize for learning and cherishing history. It is easy to forget the past sometimes; to make the same mistakes. I want to make sure that none of you make that mistake."

Terra stretched out and grasped the sword with confidence. "A sword that I will use to protect, right Father?"

Eraqus nodded, softening and seemingly glowing with pride. "Correct; now go. I suspect your brothers will be excused from class soon and you know as well as I do that Ventus would be abandoned and teased mercilessly if you let Vanitas walk him home."

Scowling at the thought, Terra nodded, getting to his feet. "I'll be back in time to cook dinner—"

"Don't worry about that; you're excused of chores for the rest of the day. I think you've paid off your punishment well enough." Eraqus waved an arm aimlessly towards the door. "Go, let them play and enjoy the day."

Terra smiled, grasping the sword tightly with excitement. "Thank you Father—oh! And before I forget—Kitsune's!"

"Yes? What about them?"

"Um…they're just like foxes, aren't they? Just in a human form?"

Eraqus' expression darkened. "Don't dare to tell that to a Kitsune, lest they decide to haunt your life for good Terra. Foxes are foxes, animals and nothing more. I hear that in some foreign lands however, foxes have their own history and powers as well. The word Kitsune is the rough translation but they are not the same and do not let others fool you with their idiocy. You must be very careful when handling Kitsune's. They are mischievous, cunning, and wise; many are known to take human forms when seducing men. If you find yourself near one again, I would advise you avoid contact if possible and if not, try your best not to insult them. A lifetime for them is a long time to hold a grudge."

Terra nodded, heart pounding against his chest nervously. "Alright, thank you."

Eraqus nodded wearily, closing his eyes tiredly before giving his son another look over. He was so young; yet so eager to learn and help the world. God forbid he makes the mistake between a fox and a Kitsune ever again; not only would he be one hand short with the children, only time would tell when it's wrath would end. Eraqus looked out the window instead, sighing deeply as he watched Terra make his way down their unevenly paved path.

"It was fortunate for you to meet one who took pity on you; however that may not be the case next time. Best be on your guard."

Aqua was nervously brushing down her furry tail meticulously, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds as if expecting someone to grab and drag her back home. A black tail swept across her face, twitching in annoyance. "Aqua, you can go, it's alright."

Aqua hissed in embarrassment, her face heating up instantly. Ignoring her flushed features, she pushed the tail out of her face. "Xion! I told you to stay home with Kairi and Naminé!"

"They fell asleep already," Xion answered simply, blue eyes studying Aqua. Locking her legs on the branch she was on, she swung down to look at her directly. "It's fine. I'll make sure no one knows where you went. It's a promise."

Aqua smiled softly, brushing back Xion's black bangs and nodding. "An oath I will hold you to, I think. Thank you Xion. What did I ever do to deserve such kindness?"

"Well, I'm your sister, for one…"

Terra glanced up at the sun tiredly, gripping his sword a little tighter with confidence as he strode up to the schoolhouse. A young woman in a black work dress stopped sweeping to look up, a smile gracing her features when she recognized him. "Terra! It's good to see you!" She exclaimed warmly, rushing over to embrace him.

He returned the embrace awkwardly, trying not injure either of them with her broom. "Are they still in class?"

"Yes, they are," she replied happily, swinging the broom back and forth between hands. "Why?"

He smiled weakly. "I was wondering if you could ask Zack to do me a favor?"

"We've been friends since childhood Terra, do we really need to ask?"

He smiled. "Ask him to watch Vanitas and Ventus for a while after class? I have something I need to take care of-"

Tifa shook her head, pushing him back towards the street. "Just go; we'll handle it. Zack has a way with kids either way; especially Ven."

Terra frowned, grumpily muttering, "It's not him I'm worried about."

She laughed, turning back to her chores. "Aerith is there too; she can handle him better than anyone can, I think. Van doesn't seem to mind her as much as everyone else."

Terra laughed boisterously. "I think I can agree with that," he murmured, waving over his shoulder as he made his way back to the bridge. Gripping the sword nervously, he ran his fingers over the scabbard meticulously, trying to focus on it rather than what awaited him under the tree. Was he doing the right thing? She didn't seem to mean any harm; besides, who would save someone from death and then ruin the rest of their life? It didn't make any sense. The girl herself went against all expectations by just saving him, let alone agreeing to meet him again.

He felt a lump gather in his throat as he saw the dying leaves of the cherry tree coming into view. Well, it was now of never he supposed. His heart was pounding a little harder than usual but curiosity got the best of him. Taking the last few steps, he hesitated. No one was there. Turning back towards the town, Terra began muttering a few curses under his breath. Of course she wouldn't meet him here again; she was a Kitsune. They were supposed to play trick on people, why would any of that change—

"You actually came back."

Terra jumped back, hand frantically reaching for his sword out of trained habit. Aqua tensed, her tail twitching; her weight shifting and balancing carefully in case she needed to bolt. Was Yen Sid right? Were humans really just angry violent creatures that would slay her kind if they had a chance?

Terra however, relaxed a bit. His hand dropped from his sword and he let out a whoosh of restrained breath. His shoulders slumped, weakly chuckling as he took a step closer. "You startled me," he murmured. "I didn't hear you come at all. Of course I came back; you asked me to."

"I did, didn't I…"She whispered softly, watching his hands carefully. "You are…a warrior?"

"Huh?" Terra glanced down at his weapon. "Oh, well…no, not really—"

"Then why do you carry that around?"

"Because I have to—"

"But if you aren't a warrior, why would you need it—"

Reality hit him. "Are…you scared?" Terra asked slowly. Her nervous movements were enough for him. Slowly, he let the sword drop. "It's alright; I use this sword to protect my family. It won't ever harm with good reason."

Aqua nodded silently. "I understand…Why did you come back?"

"What do you mean?"

"You came back despite knowing what I am; you must know the tales behind Kitsunes."

"I do, and that's why I came back," Terra insisted, stepping forward with a wide smile. "You saved me. I want to know why."

Aqua flinched, her face flushing at the proximity of their faces. Obviously he didn't know about personal boundaries. "Well I—I—"

He shook his head. "You don't need to tell me right now, I understand—"

"TERRA!"

They froze, Terra wheeling around only to spot Ventus stumbling his way down the brick path. He hissed angrily, glancing back at Aqua nervously. "Ventus…."

"Terra!" Ventus was running unsteadily as fast as his short legs could carry him when the inevitable happened. Too focused on his brother up ahead, his foot snagged on a crack. The situation would have been funnier to watch if it wasn't Ventus escaping from school and he hadn't skinned his knee in the process. Terra groaned, picking up his sword and hurrying over. "Ventus…"

Aqua rushed past him, skidding to a stop in front of the crying blond and kneeling down before him. Her tail swished in front of his face, distracting him from his pain while her hand cupped over his knee. Whispering something Terra failed to hear, she smiled as a faint green glow appeared, the cut healed and skin good as new. Ventus smiled up at her, his tear stricken face just for show now. "Terra!" He chirped again, reaching up. Half conscious of his actions as he reached down to pick up his brother, Terra continued to stare at the Kitsune. "You…healed him?"

Aqua turned pink. "W-Was I not supposed to?"

"No, It's just…thank you," Terra breathed, relaxing muscles he hadn't even realized that were tense in the first place. "You didn't need to do that."

"Oh," Aqua averted her eyes momentarily, shuffling nervously. "Alright…"

"Why did you heal him? You didn't have to," Terra pressed quietly, hoping to coax her out of her comfort zone. He didn't expect her to respond so quickly though.

"It's not a matter of didn't have to or had to. It's the same with when you were drowning—" Terra subconsciously reached up to touch the slight bump on his head "—there was nothing to think about. It was just a reaction."

Terra chuckled, softening his gaze on her to the point where she blushed again. "Thank you very much then, it was very kind of you to do that." He murmured a little shyly, shifting Ventus's weight onto his other arm. "Even if Ventus's accident wasn't half as bad as mine, it was very kind of you to do so."

Aqua nodded softly, reaching out to pat Ventus on the head. She smiled and laughed as his comfortable smile turned into a pout and weakly swiped at her hand. "It was nice to meet you Ventus," she whispered before turning back to the bridge. "I have to go, but I'd like to meet you again Terra, considering our meeting was rather short."

"I'd like that."

She chuckled, waving over her shoulder as she walked back towards the cherry tree. Terra took that as his cue to glare down at his little brother. "What are you doing here Ventus?" He growled, ignoring that Ven looked like a sleepy kitten at the moment. Ventus yawned lazily, rubbing a small fist over his eye before answering. "I ran away; Zack wanted to play hide and go seek. I think I'm winning."

"You mean, you left him looking for you at school." Terra stated disapprovingly, his frown deepening. "Ventus…"

"Who was that pretty lady?"

The blood rose to Terra's cheeks in an instant, and he had to compose himself for a moment so his voice wouldn't squeak when he finally did speak. "Pretty lady? You mean Aqua?"

"Aqua," Ventus giggled, leaning back into Terra's chest and snuggling into his arm. "She was really nice."

Terra snickered, spotting Tifa, Zack, and Vanitas coming down the road, waving wildly. Well, everyone except Vanitas was. Van looked like he could care less what was going on. Terra leaned closer to his little brother until his lips were a few inches above his ear. "Ventus, how about this stays a secret between you and me, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because I want it to be a surprise," Terra replied simply.

Ventus yawned. "Okay…Hey Terra?"

"Yes Ventus?"

"Aqua is really pretty. I bet that's why you kept staring at her." Ven mumbled before finally dozing off.

Terra had no explanation for his intense blush by the time Tifa and Zack arrived, which only spurred their insane idea that he was meeting a lover of some sort. He could only hope that his father never got a breath about their misconceptions and crazy imaginations.

That took much longer than expected to write. Not that it was difficult, I just could not find myself satisfied with the chapter ha! Sorry guys. At least I know my next chapter is what I want it to be. Happy Late Thanksgiving and Early December Days!

I'm so sorry for all of you guys who are like me, and have to take finals these next two weeks.