"Can I help you?" Asked a bubbly voice out of nowhere, causing Zack to jump. He steadied a rather large vase as it wobbled before turning around to find a young woman with thick braided auburn hair smiling brightly at him.

"Oh," was all that left his mouth as he blinked. "Well I'm looking for flowers."

The lady giggled at that. "I suppose you're in the right place then. For what occasion?"

Zack scratched his head. He was new at stuff like this and this was probably the first time he ever visited the local flower shop as far as he could remember. From the looks of this person's deep green apron, she was probably the florist that worked here. "I have a friend," he explained, "And she's… sort of in the hospital."

The florist nodded, settling down a bit. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I think I have what you need."

Zack smiled. "Thanks—" He squinted to read her nametag. "—Aerith. There's also something else too…"

-x-X-x-

IX: Not Alone

-x-X-x-

School had ended an hour ago that day. By then, the four of them had already returned to the hospital to spend the rest of it by Aqua's side. Ven was in the same room as his sister with the right side of his face buried within an open history book. A small pile of paper was laid on the floor—some of it was Ven's, and some of it was Aqua's, even though word spread quickly about what happened to her and most of the teachers were quick to excuse her absence.

With Aqua still unconscious, no one knew a single detail about what happened last night, but rumors spread fast and it didn't take long for almost everyone to believe that she was the only person to survive one of the many mysterious attacks that plagued the city. Normally it was a topic that many residents turned their heads away from. Most settled with denial, telling themselves that their beloved city was still the safe haven it always was. Few others knew better and it wouldn't be long before their paranoia spread.

Or at least, Terra entertained himself with the idea. Seeing Aqua out cold and bed-ridden was like a second wake-up call for him and he wondered if all of this could've been stopped somehow. Maybe he should've called, maybe he should've checked up on her somehow—

"How are you doing there?"

Terra looked up. Tifa was sitting right beside him for the last half hour and Zack had left for a break. "I'm fine," he answered curtly.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Don't even—you wear your heart on your sleeve, Terra. Looking at your face makes me wonder if Ven's the one who needs moral support here."

Terra scoffed when he looked away, crossing his arms. This was probably one of those attempts to relieve the silence and soothe his worries—not that he needed the help. "Then why'd you ask…?" He mumbled under his breath. "I'm doing fine," he repeated.

Tifa shook her head as she put away her novel. "Do you like her?"

Now that took Terra by surprise. He struggled to keep his face straight when he stammered, "W-what?"

The other's brow only arched further up. "I said do you like her? You know, Aqua."

"I think she's pretty," Terra blurted out dumbly without realizing what he was saying. Well, so much for composure.

"Now when you say it like that—" Tifa just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, even you can do better than that."

"I know, I know," he groaned, covering his face with both his hands. His cheeks were burning. "Why'd you have to ask me that now of all times?"

"I was just curious, but really now, do you?"

"No, I…" Terra trailed off. In truth, he wasn't really sure but he felt that a "no" would be easier to recant than a "yes". Did he really think of Aqua like that? He never asked himself that question in earnest—he never questioned the happy feeling that would rise in his chest every time she smiled at him (or actually anything to be honest), he never wondered how easy it was for her to bring him out of his bad days without her even knowing, and he never wondered why his classes seemed less drab over time. Every change, big or small, seemed natural to him and he never stopped to look back with second thoughts. "…I don't know."

Tifa smirked as she sat back, stretching out her arms. "Well it's not like you even have a chance with her. You don't exactly have the best history with women."

It took the brunet a moment to realize what she was referring to, but once he did, he almost jumped to his feet in indignity, flushing humorously. "What—? We were nine!"

The young woman only mockingly mirrored his indignation as she stuck out her tongue. "I offered you half my lunch and you threatened me—"

"Oh-h—" Terra laughed in defiance. "—Because breaking my jaw didn't make up for that."

"No, I dislocated it and that's only because you tried to hit me first!"

"Oh, that was funny," Zack interrupted cheerfully as he walked in with a giant bouquet of white lilies in his arms. "I miss the good old days when we found a half-starved Terra on the streets and he threatened to kill all of us until your dad thought it would be fantastic to make him my sparring partner. You know how it was—I was the best outlet for everyone's uncontrollable rage back in the day."

Terra groaned and Tifa laughed. "He just thought you'd learn better if you had an equal to fight with."

"I can live with that explanation, and here I was, harboring this grudge against your father for that."

"Oh give me a break you two," Terra grumbled darkly, although his eyes were smiling. "You're all exaggerating and I barely even remember any of it. Anyways, what's with the flowers, Zack?"

Zack visibly drooped as if Terra had just kicked his puppy. "It's our anniversary, don't you remember…?" Silence ensued and he snorted, rolling his eyes. "It's for Aqua, duh."

Terra was confident he had his fair share of awkward moments for the day when he scowled. Tifa was still chuckling when she asked, "Really now?"

"What?" Zack asked defensively, holding the flowers closer to his chest. "Everyone is getting her flowers! Well everyone except Axel; he told me he had to spend his last paycheck on replacing his oven after it caught fire last weekend, but he sends his condolences. Anyway, didn't you think of getting her flowers too? It's like common courtesy… or something." He scratched the back of his head.

"No," Tifa answered on his behalf before he could stop her. "He's in the middle of denying his true feelings at the moment."

"I'm not—what? I'm not denying anything," Terra said a little too quickly, paying no attention to the irony. He doubted the burning sensation returning to his cheeks did much to help his case. Then he stiffened. If the thought of getting flowers was enough to make him flush, then did those lilies in Zack's arms right now mean what he thought they meant…?

Zack was bemused but he just shrugged, unaware of his best friend's scrutiny. "Whatever, man. Other people are gonna stop by too, just saying. I want to be the first though." He winked at Terra, much to the other's chagrin and with that, slipped into the other room.

"That guy," both Terra and Tifa sighed in exasperation, shaking their heads.

-x-X-x-

The next day mirrored the last, but this time it was just Terra and Ven. Terra slumped back in his own chair with one leg resting on the other while his head tilted against a closed fist. His blue eyes constantly blurred and unblurred as he dozed in and out of his Humanities textbook. Ven was drooling on his math textbook—Terra had given up trying to teach him long division since he barely got the subject himself. Aqua would've been absolutely proud if she saw them now.

"T'rra…?" Ventus moaned tiredly.

"Huh?" Terra responded, shutting his book and giving up. Ansem was going to have to wait an extra day for his report, no big deal.

"What time is it?"

Terra checked his watch. "Four o'clock."

"Oh…" Ven sighed, "Sorry you have to wait here with me."

Terra reached over and ruffled his hair but the younger boy was too tired to protest. "I didn't feel like doing Kendo today, but Zack's subbing for me and Tifa said it'd be fine, so stop worrying your little head off."

"Sorry." He yawned. "Terra?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Ven rubbed his eyes as he frowned, laying his chin against the armrest to face him. For another minute, he just stayed like that and Terra frowned as he waited for him to go on.

"Come on, you can spit it out."

The younger boy huffed, pouting slightly. "There's something that I want to tell you. I didn't know who to talk to at first but… I think you're the right person." He paused as he looked uncertainly over at his sister. "I promised Aqua I wouldn't tell, but that was because she told me she would be fine... And she's not."

His frown deepened as he leaned in closer. Did he really have the right to listen in on what Ven had to say? Sure it was obvious that he was telling him out of his own free will, but it was apparently Aqua's secret and he felt that he certainly had no business poking around in that, especially not after she trusted him with so much. However, the tiny voice in his head pulled on his curiosity and the confliction in those sky blue eyes staring at him drew his concern. Ven was practically pleading with him. "What is it?"

Ventus lowered his conflicted gaze. "Aqua breaks curfew almost every night for something—she won't tell me what—it's so we can afford our bills, she says. I thought it would be okay but… " He bit his lip as he shook his head. "Aqua would be so mad if she knew I just told you."

"She breaks curfew…?" Terra didn't really expect that when he gripped the arm of his chair. If Ven was telling him this now, then it could only mean he was implying a connection—

"Sometimes she doesn't come home until a few hours before school starts. It's hard on her and I wish she would just—" He wasn't given a chance to finish when a soft groan sounded from the bed, interrupting him.

Sheets shifted around with a rustle and the beeping picked up slightly as the occupant of the hospital bed stirred. Ven and Terra watched in stunned silence as Aqua slowly sat up. Her movements were slow and visibly agonizing, but the tired smile on her lips was no doubt the best thing either of them have seen that entire week.

Her face warmed up at the sight of them as her smile brightened. "Good morning you two."

-x-X-x-

Aqua prepared herself for the bone-crushing hug from Ven, but when her younger brother threw his arms around her, he did so gently and she knew it probably took all of his will power not to squeeze her back into unconsciousness. He was warm against her and his spiky hair was soft under her chin. She smiled warmly as she held him, caressing his head gently even though her muscles ached beyond belief. She looked up to find Terra standing not too far from her, smiling as he watched them with his arms crossed.

She mouthed a thank you but he only shook his head, pointing beside her. She followed the gesture and a wonderful sight met her.

Her bedside table was laden with an array of flowers, cards, and boxes of chocolate. Another table had been pulled up to support several more bouquets and ornamental pots. A few balloons hung in the corner and Aqua could only guess that those and the pink daisies were from Kairi. Every name, every tiny card she saw with an embellished message filled her heart with little bursts of warmth—it was more than enough to make her forget about the pain.

Ventus sniffed and pulled away. His eyes were wet and he wiped them, mumbling incoherently. Aqua laughed softly as she kissed his forehead. "Why are you crying, silly?"

Tears left her own eyes as everything sunk in. The flowers and their scent touched her heart to no end and Aqua found herself sniffing and hiccupping while she continued to smile. All of it was too much and she didn't know how she was supposed to accept all of this. She never expected to wake up to some place warm; surrounded by Ven, Terra, and everyone else in the form of the gifts they left her.

Terra laughed softly as he brought their heads together and Aqua couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the sight of Terrahaving misty eyes.

"You two and the waterworks," he said, smiling deeply. "Didn't I tell you, Aqua? You're not alone."

Aqua wasn't sure what she was trying to say when she threw her arms around his neck but when she pulled away, the light in his eyes told her he understood and Aqua could only repeat Thank You within her head a hundred more times.

-x-X-x-

It wasn't long before the others showed up and Aqua was showered with several more hugs and little stories about what went on while she was out. According to them, she was asleep for over one and a half days, but she certainly didn't feel like the rest paid off—she barely had enough energy to do much more than laugh and smile with the others. She loved the company and she felt such an immense and heart-warming sense of appreciation for them, but her body couldn't help but slump in relief when the doctor asked for everyone to leave and allow her to rest. She knew they'd be back in a few hours to say goodnight, but the time to herself was enough to get her thinking.

She remembered her dream, but it felt so far-off and abstract that several details still seemed hazy to her. She didn't want to think about it, but Aqua knew she couldn't shy away from what happened in the past. However, she didn't know what happened on that fateful day, and she didn't know if her dream was a forgotten memory or just a nightmare. She hoped it was the latter—the thought of it alone was enough to chill her heart.

Aqua sighed and slipped her fingers through the buttoned front of her gown. For the first time in a while, her wounds were professionally dressed and they didn't seem as bad as before when she first got them, but she could only say that for the cuts and minor fractures—with or without magic, they would heal soon enough. However, the winding ridge of stitches that ran from her collar all the way down to her hip made her realize how lucky she was to be laying here, awake and alive. Her fingers traced the line where her severed skin met before pulling away. The moment she sat up, she knew her body was literally held together by the seams and she knew better than to let the others see, no matter how many questions they asked her.

She simply told them she could not remember.

Aqua only wanted to rest and spend her waking time with her friends. Frankly, she was sick of the Darkness, but things had to be done and she was the only one who could do them.

Closing her eyes, Aqua reached out with her consciousness.

Shio, Nami, please answer me…

Two faint blue lights appeared beneath her eyelids and Aqua immediately felt what little energy she had left drain.

'Miss, we're here.'

'Look at you, Miss… You're a master of magic and you don't even have enough power left to summon your own familiars. Please hurry with what you have to say.'

I know, but it's only temporary and this is important. Nami, I want you to find the Master and report my condition. And Shio…?

The orb of light on the left bobbed in response. 'Yes, Miss?'

Find the man named Axel, he owes me a favor…


A/N: For a Terqua story, Aqua sure kisses Ven an awful lot P:

Finals are tomorrow so I decided I might as well go ahead and publish this. I've decided to lower my guideline for chapter lengths. To avoid rambling fics, I think I'm gonna go from over 5000 words to 3000 words. It might be a bit hard, but I'll be able to do it :'D Unless you guys want me to stick with longer chapters, but you'd have to tell me that haha.

I'm totally in a Xemnas/Aqua mood *-* but stories for the pairing are so scarce... Lol maybe I can add one to a to-do list if I get any ideas :)

Next Chapter: Aqua juggles her life around while her beloved mentor questions the true meaning of "will" and "purpose".

Thanks for reading and please review! I'll see you all later :)