Chapter Seven: Going Out
I grab a few tea leaves and drop them into my cup of hot water before sitting beside Ven in the breakfast nook. My friend is yawning every few moments, his eyes only half open. I smile; he really is a hopeless sleepy head. I take a sip of my tea, instantly regretting it because of the still too hot liquid. Xemnas enters, looking wide awake and ready for whatever the day might bring. He smiles at Ven and I before grabbing one of the breakfast plates that Aeleus put out for everyone. He sits down beside me and starts eating. Dilan walks in, grabs a plate, and leaves again without so much as a good morning.
As I take another sip of my tea, Ventus lifts his plate and walks off, muttering something about seeing what Ienzo is up to. Nearly as soon as he's out of sight Xemnas turns to me.
"Aqua, I was wondering if I could persuade you to go out with me?"
I freeze, barely avoiding choking on my tea. I look at him in shock, to find him smiling, with an almost smug look on his face. Maybe I misheard him...
"What?" I ask, my voice coming out higher pitched than I was intending.
He smirks at me. "I'll rephrase slightly; will you go out with me this evening?"
I grip my cup tighter, my knuckles turning white as my face burns. "Y—you mean as a date?"
He frowns ever so slightly. "Yes."
I fight the urge to make up an excuse, any excuse, to flee the room. Where has this come from all of a sudden? A million thoughts fly through my head a I fight to find a response. I wonder if perhaps there were hints of this coming all along. The way he sometimes gaze at me eerily, how he likes to touch my cheek in greeting... I close my eyes briefly. How could I have been so blind?
I see him still awaiting my reply, twirling a spoon in his cup without looking at it. I get up, letting out a breath, partly to relax and partly from frustration with this situation.
"No...I'm sorry," I say, forcing myself to meet his now incredulous gaze.
He gets to his feet, frowning. "Why not?"
I blush and look away. There's no way he would understand my reasoning... I back up towards the doorway.
"It's just...there's—a lot going on right now, and I...can't," I say, fumbling over my words as I finally do make a quick be-line out of the kitchen.
I stare into the blue depths of my wayfinder, clutching it tightly in my hand. I sigh for what is quite possibly the hundredth time today. I wish I had been better prepared for Xemnas's question. I also wonder why he was so sure I would agree. My reasoning was rather silly. But I've had this fantasy since I was quite young, that Terra would be my first date. This thought has kept me from saying yes to anyone else. Which is, in its self, quite silly; because why would he ask me? I never gave him any indication that I wanted him to. And I know he's mentioned other girls that he has liked. Girl's he would like to take out if we ever had any free time from training. I chuckle darkly. If I was smart I suppose I should have taken Xemnas up on his offer, he basically is Terra.
Ienzo said I should treat him as I would Terra... I frown, looking down at my wayfinder once more before pocketing it. I hope I don't end up regretting this... Leaving my room I walk purposefully to Xemnas's door. I hesitate only briefly before knocking.
"Come in."
I open the door slowly and it takes me a moment to spot him. Stepping inside fully, I at last see him sitting in the window, staring out over the town. His face is reflected in the glass as he looks over at me; our eyes meet and he smiles.
"Hello, my friend," he says pleasantly, turning to face me. "What can I do for you?"
I don't quite meet his gaze as I respond. "I came to accept your offer...I'm sorry I didn't earlier."
"Are you certain?" he asks, clearly surprised. When I nod, he smiles, crossing the room in a couple meaningful strides. "I am very pleased to hear it. Come, we should only just be able to make it. I apologize but we missed the dinner reservation I made earlier."
He made a dinner reservation? He certainly didn't hold back in trying to make this a full blown date. I follow him from his room and he leads me down through the castle quickly, keeping silent until we reach a lower level. He takes me over to the area he did once before, and slips a disc into a slot on the computer, same as he did before. He proceeds to type some secret code. I wonder what purpose going down here has? However, I follow him down into the dark depths without comment. At last we reach the same sealed room as before. He enters into it and I follow.
"Go on take it," he tells me, referring to my armor. "Besides, you'll need it between worlds."
I smile at him before lifting the helmet, and touching the piece that puts my armor away. It vanishes in a flash of light. Now he really smiles. Still looking at me he holds out his palm, opening up a portal. He pulls his hood up and steps into it. Forcing myself to regard this whole thing optimistically, I follow, putting on my armor first. He walks slowly through the corridor, clearly not worried about running into anyone like Xehanort. I match my pace with his.
"Where are we going?" I ask with a smile. One he clearly can't see behind my mask.
He smiles slightly and keeps walking. "I think you will enjoy it, but we're cutting the time close."
Right when I'm tempted to ask again, he walks into another world gesturing with a finger that I follow him. I do so. I'm getting curious now. We step out in an alleyway of sorts which Xemnas proceeds to walk out of quickly. I follow, and understand why we entered from a remote spot. Adults and children run to and fro, shouting to one another with excitement. All wear coats even though it's a perfect temperature outside. Xemnas pulls down his hood one-handedly, shaking his long hair free from it as he walks up to a storefront where someone is selling long sandwiches. He gives the guy munny for two and then hands me one before immediately heading off across the way.
"Eat, we're running out of time," he tells me over his shoulder. He speeds his pace as he rounds a corner onto an even busier street.
I hurry after him, taking a bite as instructed while dodging a few kids running by, they're closely followed by a snowman the same size as them. Strange...but I've seen weirder things. Xemnas pulls open a door to a small shop and lets me go inside first. It's a nice little store, with lots of winter clothes and some other supplies. Xemnas lifts a long coat and looks it up and down before setting it on a countertop where a tall man stood. His back to me, he grabs a couple other things and also puts them on the counter. He lifts up three remaining coats and looks at me.
"Which would you like?"
I look at them briefly. "The...violet colored one."
"Good decision," he tells me with a smile and quickly buys them both.
He slips his coat overtop of his organization coat. Well, with all of the kids running around with coats too it must be going to get cold at some point. I slip mine on as well, taking another bite of the surprisingly good sandwich, made all the better since I didn't eat much of a lunch and no dinner yet.
Once out of the shop, Xemnas starts making his way towards what I originally thought was a mansion, but now appears much too big and grand to be one. It must be a castle. I'm surprised when he leads me directly into the courtyard, but with all of the people gathered around I suppose it's allowed? He walks through the crowd until he reaches a large water fountain, here he leans against it and sets the remains of his sandwich on the side. He lifts up the others things he bought finally; two pairs of ice skates. I laugh slightly.
"What are we going to do with those?" I ask, leaning against the water fountain beside him.
He hands me a pair. "Skate."
Still chuckling slightly I start lacing my pair up. Beside me, Xemnas does the same as he turns his gaze over towards the castles doors. The doors open and two soldiers step out, followed by someone who can only be the queen and perhaps her sister? There's definitely a familial resemblance. The queen steps into the middle of the courtyard, not too far from Xemnas and I, with a grin she raises her hands and the fountain behind us freezes. A gasp escapes me and I bump into Xemnas by accident, he only smiles as suddenly the ground is covered in ice. I see now... It takes me only a brief moment to find my balance on my skates. I smile at Xemnas, unable to help myself, and he returns it.
"I trust you still like skating?" Xemnas asks.
So he remembers more of Terra's past. And the many times we skated together. Hmm...since he has Terra's body, I wonder... I watch cautiously when he pushes off from the wall. He only makes it a couple feet before falling on his side. I laugh, skating over to him, and he stares at me incredulously as he tries to get to his feet. Reaching him I hold out my hand.
"You always were a hopeless skater," I say as he grabs my hand and uses it to help himself up. He doesn't quite meet my eye, showing his embarrassment.
Memory: Aqua's Point of View
"Come on Terra, you almost had it," I said. "Just try again."
I skated over to where my best friend had fallen once more, this time getting a mouthful of snow. I was trying so hard not to laugh, even so I couldn't help myself. Terra's always so good at everything, so sure of himself, that seeing him even after skating for an hour, still keep falling every few minutes is funny. Upon reaching him I hold out my hand, which he didn't hesitate to grab, pulling himself to his feet. I kept ahold of his hands until we were in the middle of the frozen lake.
"Okay now, just balance," I said, letting go and skating energetically in a circle around him.
He held his hands away from his body. When he staid on his feet he grinned at me, before then frowning in a teasing way. "How come you're so good at this exactly? Are you sure this is your first time?"
I laughed in response. "Yes. How come you're so bad at this?"
He chuckled, playfully giving me a shove. However he made too sharp a motion and sent us both crashing to the ice. He tried to get to his feet then seemed to think better of it and crawled over to me.
"You okay? I'm sorry Aqua," he said. "I didn't expect to slip."
He's conscious as ever of not being rough. He's hardly changed at all from when I first met him five years ago. Apart from the deeper voice, height and overall confidence he now seemed to have but was lacking before. Five years? It's crazy how fast that time has flown by. I can't imagine life without him now.
"It's okay, Terra," I said.
He smiled when I started laughing upon noticing his snow covered hair. Getting up on my knees I brushed some of the snow out of it, and he smiled in response. I helped him up and we skated over to the edge of the ice. He sat down in the snow and I joined him, wrapping my coat more firmly around me.
"I'm really glad you're my friend Aqua," he said suddenly, staring up at the clouds darting past the moon. "Not sure I've ever told you this, but you're the first friend I've actually ever had."
I stared at him in shock. "Really?"
He looked away, his bangs falling into his face. Was something bothering him? When he looked past my shoulder, there was a faint sign of tears in his eyes. My own eyes widened.
"Terra?" I laid my hand on his arm and he blinks, meeting my eye. "Are you okay?"
"Aqua...what was your family like?" he asked.
"I just had my mom and dad, and they were pretty normal I guess," I said, taken aback. "Why the sudden interest?"
He shrugged, looking down at the snow. "Oh I dunno. I guess, I was just curious."
I've always been curious about his family, but I know better by now then to ask him anything else about them. All I know, and this makes me envy him ever so slightly, is that some of them are still alive. I don't know how many family members are, but at least one of his parents. Why he doesn't visit them, I don't know. But I hoped he would get to someday. He must have missed them greatly.
"Sorry it took me so long. You got tired of skating I take it?"
I jumped, looking over my shoulder. Master Eraqus stood directly behind me, holding a drink holder with three mugs in it. Terra's on his feet in an instant, a smile on his face. I get to my feet beside him.
"No problem Master Eraqus," he said, taking one of the drinks from the master.
I do as well, still watching my friend worriedly as I take a sip. I wouldn't know that he was still sad if it weren't for the fact that there was still a deep sorrow behind his blue eyes.
"Well then, lets finish these and head back," Master Eraqus said, also glancing at Terra oddly. When Terra looked down at his drink, the master glanced at me, raising an eyebrow in question. When I shrug, equally worried, he only smiles. "Come, let's go into town."
Aqua's Point of View: Present
"You mean Terra was?" Xemnas says, snapping my attention back to the present. His hands are still in mine, his eyes staring into the depths of my own. I look back at him, trying to figure out if this will make him angry, his tone had been dull, as if it contained no emotions. Which as I come to know Xemnas better can often mean concealed anger. Which I guess might be better than just blatant anger...
"Come on, I'll help you," I say with a smile, slowly skating backwards.
As he follows along carefully, I get the feeling he's going to catch on quicker than Terra did. Actually, Terra never really caught on at all. Even though we went many times when the Master had business in that world each year.
Almost an hour later and Xemnas seems to understand the basics, only falling on occasion. Usually when someone else races by him. This time when he falls I can't help but laugh at his frustrated expression. He scowls at me before chuckling himself. When he gets to his feet we both watch as the ice begins changing colors. I smile, watching the brilliant show. It's awhile before I notice Xemnas staring at me. He does that a lot, it's unnerving. I look up at him.
"Are you having fun?" he asks, touching my cheek with the lightest of touches.
I touch the hand that's still lingering on my cheek lightly before dropping it. "Yes, thank you, for bringing me here."
He grins in response to this. The first time I've actually seen him grin. It makes him look even more like Terra, with his eyes filled with happiness. I look down, to find that the ice is no longer changing colors. Everyone cheers around me, and following in their example I clap. Xemnas does as well. And the ice disappears suddenly. It drops us on the ground, a very small drop, but it enough to send Xemnas sprawling on the ground again. He glares at the ground and I burst out laughing. Sitting beside him I begin unlacing my skates and he quickly does the same. Most likely happy to be rid of them. Once we both have our shoes back on he puts the skates over his shoulder, pulls his organization hood up and then holds out his hand towards me with a small smile. I can't help but hesitate to put mine in his, frowning. Noticing, Xemnas starts to pull his hand back but I grab it before he can. We head back towards the same alleyway as before, with Xemnas clearly taking his time. It begins snowing around us, sending children bouncing around us with excitement. I smile at them. How nice it would be, to be a child again, without a care in the world...
Reaching the alley, Xemnas holds out the hand that isn't holding mine and opens a portal. I put on my armor and walk with him into its depths. He again takes his time walking through the swirling depths.
"Yes?" I ask.
"Did you get enough to eat? We were interrupted," he says.
I take off my armor as soon as we step out into Radiant Garden. He pulls down his hood still watching me.
I smile. "I'm good don't worry. Thanks for taking me...out."
He smiles, almost smirks by my hesitancy to say the last word. I chuckle, seeing all of the snow on his shoulders and coat. I brush off one of his shoulders, and he does the same for my hair. We walk inside the quiet castle. It's almost pitch black inside and seemingly empty. Taking off my coat I walk up towards my room, hearing Xemnas's boots behind me. I quickly become aware of the fact that his eyes are watching me in the darkness again. We reach the door to his room and I turn to smile at him.
"Goodnight Xemnas, thanks again," I say. "I hope you had fun too."
Xemnas nods, stepping towards me. "Of course I did."
I'm glad to hear that. I was worried with as many times as he kept falling that he wasn't having fun. With one last smile at him I turn around and start walking towards my own room. A moment later and I hear Xemnas striding towards me. Surprise causes me to step back into the wall when he walks all of the way up to me. He grabs one of my hands in his before bringing his face down to mine. A million thoughts flood my mind, but before I can react in any way, he's kissing me. His lips hardly gentle as they move against mine. What's more is even though there's a place in the back of my mind that wants to push him away, I can't make myself. My hand that isn't in his becomes tangled in his long hair. I lean against him, trying and failing to suppress a feeling of joy and odd unwillingness to let this end. What's wrong with me? He isn't even really Terra. Not exactly, anyway. And then it's over. Xemnas pulls back sharply, looking into the darkness. I suddenly realized why he moved, hearing a noise in the direction he's staring.
"Who's there?" he calls softly.
At first I can't tell who it is, but when he passes over a swath of moonlight I see his face. Even. He scowls, glaring first at Xemnas and than I.
"This is not a 'make-out hall.' If you must, then take it behind closed doors children," Even tells us, seemingly genuinely irritated.
"Why thank you for the clarification, Even. But none of us here are children," Xemnas says cooly. "Besides I didn't think anyone would be over this way."
"Yes well, my room is directly over there, I just finished with an experiment—" Even says, seeming to stop himself from saying anything more. "Goodnight."
A chuckle escapes me, because of Even's incredulous expression and Xemnas's distinctly irritated one. Even pays me no heed, simply walking into his own room and letting the door shut loudly behind him. Xemnas looks surprised at me, but he chuckles slightly as well.
My thoughts turn serious as I gaze at him. What exactly was I thinking? His eyes, in their typical amber color gaze back at me, reminding me again how he's half Xehanort. Why does what just happened feel like a betrayal of Terra? It's not like he was waiting for me. He never once in my memory, hinted that he thought of me as anything besides a friend, or perhaps a sister.
"Goodnight, Aqua," Xemnas says, breaking me from my thoughts. He strokes my cheek gently with a smile, his eyes filled with happiness, before walking back towards his room.
As soon as I hear his door shut I lean back against the wall shakily. Pulling the wayfinder from my pocket. I can't help but think that things have just become even more complicated. Perhaps nothing more so than the ever swirling thoughts in my own head.
