Okay, I got a 10/10 on the last chapter! So happy! This chapter is like the last one, but in Terra's POV.

Thanks to all my reviewers, and hope everyone enjoys!


*Save*

"I saved her for nothing," Terra murmured, turning on his side to burrow deeper into his forest green sheets. The moonlight filtering into his bedroom through the open window landed gracefully on Aqua's picture.

As much as he'd tried to forget, he couldn't. When he first laid eyes on her, or rather, bumped into her, he believed he was seeing a ghost. Hair the color of the ocean, eyes the color of the sky; he'd only ever seen a girl like that once before.

The little girl he'd befriended when he was living on the streets had hair like that. She had quickly become friends with Terra, for she was lonely. He liked the companionship, tired of being without family. She made him feel like there was someone he could talk to. Like he wasn't alone.

But it didn't last long. The girl came to him one day, her face red from crying. He hugged her tight and promised to protect her. They were all each other had.

But it was no use. She had to return home to her parents eventually. She loved her parents and her parents loved her, but some things could not be avoided. When the child turned seven, the government would obtain custody of her, forcing her to leave the care of her loving parents.

The day she turned seven, Terra cried. A man had come, his yellow eyes fierce as he demanded she be returned to her rightful 'owners'. He'd stood by, watching as her parents sobbed, embracing the child for all it was worth. Terra stepped forward.

For a seven-year old, he spoke brave words. Or, at least, that's what the man had told him.

"I'll go." And he had sealed the deal. The government could have Aqua for one year, for they would not negotiate whether Aqua would be released fully or not. At the end of the year, Terra would take the girl's place.

Master Eraqus had arrived at the house then, to oversee the operation. He felt a fatherly bond toward the boy that cared so deeply for his friend. Eraqus decided that the boy would train under him, and the girl would go to the science facility at DtD.

An assassin, Terra thought, glaring out his window. He made a poor bargain back then. But at least he'd saved Aqua.

Or had he, he wondered, staring at the file. To save a friend, only to kill her later.

"I… I'm sorry, Aqua," Terra whispered, his words lost in the howling wind.

"Why are you sorry?" Terra sat up in his bed, facing the direction of the voice.

"Master Eraqus!" Terra said in surprise. "I didn't see you there."

Eraqus chuckled, moving into the room to sit in a chair beside Terra's bed. "You realize that you are an assassin. You should be more observant."

Terra smiled. "I'll commit it to memory."

Master Eraqus glanced around the room, his eyes drawn to the picture of Aqua placed on an end table. "You remember her. I was afraid of that."

Terra lowered his head, staring at his bed spread. "I didn't remember her. If I had, I wouldn't have accepted the mission."

Master Eraqus sighed heavily. "Terra, son, you must put aside your feelings. As an assassin, you must be professional."

"I took her out on a date, today," Terra admitted sadly. "We kind of 'bumped' into each other on the street. I recognized her, but she gave me an alias. I gave her an alias, too. I don't think either of us realized that at the time, though."

Master Eraqus leaned forward. "Well, what happened?"

"I kissed her. A couple of times, actually. I promised to call her. Then I came back here, found out who she was, and called her back."

"What did you talk about?" Master Eraqus inquired.

"I asked her out Friday," Terra confessed. "Which was stupid."

"Yes, it was," Master Eraqus agreed. "But you did it anyway."

"I thought that maybe there could be another way! Maybe I could convince her to leave S.E.A. or something."

Master Eraqus shook his head. "You must not be naïve, Terra. You may be the captain of your team, but you are young and still have much to learn. There are some things that cannot be avoided."

Terra picked at a loose thread in his blanket. "I hate it."

Master Eraqus furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about Terra."

Terra raised his gaze. "I hate it! I hate killing people! I joined this damn agency to save her, and now you're telling me that I have to murder her anyways!?"

Master Eraqus winced. "Terra, I could not have foreseen her joining our enemy company, Terra. I apologize that this must be done."

"But it didn't have to be this way!" Terra cried indignantly. "If it hadn't been for you, I would be having fun, being normal, not going around slaughtering people."

"If it hadn't been for me, you would have died! You would be suffering out on the streets, cold and hungry!" Eraqus glared back at Terra, but Terra would not falter.

"But I wouldn't have to kill her."

Master Eraqus stood up, moving toward the door. "Terra, don't be senseless. You've been doing this for years. Now some girl from the past pops up and you're letting all your hard work fly out the window."

"You're wrong," Terra whispered darkly. "If I kill her, all of my hard work will have gone out the window. Don't you see? I became an assassin to protect her! If I kill her now, it will have been for nothing! I would have given up my life, my innocence, my happiness for nothing!"

Master Eraqus shook his head. "I'm truly sorry that it has come to this, Terra. I do see you as my son, and I want you to be happy. Unfortunately, your happiness will have to be on hold for the time being. This is in everyone's best interest."

"We're doing the world good, huh?" Terra murmured, but he didn't convince himself. How could an assassin be good for the world?

Terra waited until he could hear his dorm door close before he got up and moved to the window. He knew that Master Eraqus believed the work that RoD did was good for the world, and Terra believed it, too. But some of the – devices that the company resorted to seemed extreme.

"Can I save her?" Terra wondered aloud. "Or is it better to obey my orders?"

Terra didn't have the answer, but he'd never given up without a fight. He would find a way to somehow overcome this obstacle. He wouldn't let all of his efforts go to waste, not after losing eleven years of his life to murder.

"I'll saved you once, Aqua, and I'll save you again."


Eraqus seems a lil OOC in this, but I actually based this scene off one from BBS; I got the idea from the scene where Master E wants to destroy Ven for the greater good, but Terra jumps in to protect. Luckily, I didn't let Eraqus die in this one ;)

Hope you enjoyed. If so, drop a review!