Ven's POV

It was October already. 2 months since the heartless stopped going after Aqua, 4 months since Aqua lost the baby and 10 months since we decided to have a child. Time was going awfully fast and we've yet to get closer to our dream of having a family. With every passing month a small spark of hope died out inside of me.

On the other hand Aqua seemed to have returned to normal, she was doing her best to remain positive and optimistic that it was almost contagious. I can only wish her happy attitude helps me keep going.

While we still wanted to go pay that surprise visit to Terra, for one reason or another we'd always push it further back. Hopefully we can go soon and spend some quality time the three of us.

However with the recent start of autumn, mornings became chilly and cloudy and it took me great willpower to wake up. At this rate I won't be able to wake up during winter.

I woke up that morning when I felt something cuddle closer towards me. Opening my eyes groggily I saw Aqua had huddled closer for warmth, since yet again I took all the covers for myself while asleep.

Looking out the window I saw the sun could barely peek through the grey clouds, probably an omen for more rain today. I sat up and placed the covers above Aqua, feeling a little guilty when her cold hands graced my arm.

'I really need to stop doing that.'

I looked at the nightstand next to our bed and saw the still incomplete wayfinder Aqua had started to work on that day she went to Destiny Islands. So far it had two pink thalassa shells that were barely hanging together by a thread, slowly taking shape. A smile crossed my lips as I remembered who that was meant for.

"Ventus?"

I looked behind me to meet Aqua's eyes fluttering opening. "Sorry if I woke you up. You should stay a little longer, I took the covers again."

"Why not stay with me? You could help me get warm faster." She said with a coy smile.

This was the week Aqua began ovulating, I suppose she already wants to repeat last night. I chuckled, how could I say no to her? "Sure, why not."

I lied back down and cuddled to her side under the covers, making sure to be at her eye-level.

"I keep forgetting you are more of a summer person."

Not gonna lie, I'd rather spend a day under the sun than having to hide under huge layers of sweaters to manage through the days. "Sorry about that, are you sure you don't get cold during the night though? You might get sick."

Aqua smiled giving me a peck on the nose. "I'm sure, at least until winter comes. Besides, being next to you gets me warm enough."

Ah, hinting at it already?

"Hmm, warm you say…" I slithered my hand down between her legs and wasn't surprised at feeling wetness.

"V-Ven!" Aqua gasped in surprise.

I edged closer to her ear while slowly fingering her. "This wet already… what were you dreaming about?"

"Do I really have to say?" Her face was already turning red and her body was increasing in heat at a fast rate.

"That's fine, I think I get the idea." I gave her one last smirk before diving down beneath the covers.

"Are you sure you don't need another sweater? It looks like it will rain soon." Aqua asked me as she finished her breakfast, watching me get ready to head out to patrol for the day.

I put on my wristband and checked again I didn't forget my wayfinder. "I'm sure. Besides a little water never hurt anyone, I'll be fine." But most of all, I wouldn't be comfortable fighting heartless with a lot of layers of sweaters on me.

"Alright, but don't blame me if you later get sick." She teased, picking up her plate and standing up.

I stuck my tongue out stubbornly, earning an amused chuckle from her. "Remind me again, why are you going to Radiant Garden?" After we woke up Aqua told me she wanted to visit the latter for some errand she had to make. Not that I was worried she wouldn't be okay on her own, but I wanted to make an estimate on how long it would take her to come back.

"I wanted to talk to Merlin."

"Merlin? What for?"

Returning from the kitchen Aqua stood in front of me and fixed the neck of my jacket. "Terra has told me how much Merlin knows, so there were some things I wanted to ask. Hopefully if he's not busy I won't take long."

Ask some things? Could it be related to us trying to conceive? "Alright, be careful on your way there."

Aqua smiled and gave me a quick peck on the lips. "You too."

Aqua's POV

I still couldn't get used to the massive change Radiant Garden went through in a few years. It feels like almost yesterday when the place was filled with beautiful flowers and fountains, but now to look at the eerie looking castle in the distance and little to no gardens felt surreal. The bright side was, it was slowly returning to the way it used to be but it still had a lot to overcome.

I landed on the market and saw it was as lively as usual. The stands were busy with people passing by seeing the displays, and merchants and kupos yelling out their sales. It always brought a smile to my face to visit this world.

I made my way through the market, waving a few people I recognized and walked down the stairs besides Scrooge's ice cream stand to where I knew Merlin's house would be.

'Hopefully he's not busy.' I thought to myself, making my way to his door. I knocked on the door, and quickly heard the ruffling of items being moved and hasty steps coming closer. The wooden door was opened and I found myself in front of a young blonde boy. I crouched to be closer to his eye level and smiled as friendly as possible. "Excuse me, is the wizard Merlin home?"

"Ah yes ma'am he's here! Wait just a moment." He replied with a nod and walked back inside. "Merlin! There's a pretty lady with blue hair looking for you!"

I smiled inwardly. For such a young age he seemed to be quite the gentleman.

"With blue hair you say?" I heard Merlin's voice as he came to see me. The moment we saw each other his eyes widened in realization and he smiled. "Oh if it isn't Aqua. Please come in my dear."

With a small bow I stepped inside.

"I sure hope Arthur behaved with you." He said as he moved a few books from chairs so we could both sit down.

So that was the boy's name? "Of course he did, he's a very courteous boy. Is he a pupil of yours?"

Merlin took off his glasses and wiped them with his sleeve. "Well not pupil exactly, but I'm helping him fulfill his role. You see, he is destined for greatness, but he still has a long way to go before that happens."

I looked back at Arthur and watched as he piled together books that were scattered on the floor. "Destined for greatness…" I wonder, can Merlin know this because he can see the future?

"Now, how can I help you dearie? I know for sure something is troubling you."

I gasped startled. He knows? How far does his knowledge go? "Yes, actually, I was hoping you could know the answer to something."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "Alrighty, what is it?"

I smiled nervously. "This may seem a little too personal but, do you know if either I or Ventus are infertile?" I know Merlin is a powerful and wise wizard, but was it even okay to ask him this kind of stuff? Hopefully he won't think it's weird…

"Infertile? Are you trying to conceive a child?" He inquired, slowly dragging his hand across his long beard. He didn't seem awkward or surprised by the question, so I guess he took it well.

I nodded. "We've been trying for almost a year now, but to no avail." From the corner of my eye I could see Arthur wearing a confused look; I suppose Merlin had yet to teach him this kind of topic, though he was still young for that.

Merlin squint his eyes and looked at me up and down, bringing his right hand to his chin in thought. "Well dearie I can tell you for sure you are not infertile. And as far as I know Ventus is not either."

"Really?" I asked in surprise. I'm not gonna lie, there have been times I had believed one of us was.

"Yes, and although I'm flattered you came to me for answers, why not go see a doctor my dear?"

Looking away in shame I sighed. "I have, it's just that I wasn't entirely sure if they were right. I wanted to be completely sure about it." I looked back at him, and I could see he slowly understood my situation. "But if we are not infertile, why can't we conceive?"

Merlin let out a whole hearted and amused laugh. "Nature works in mysterious ways, but it still knows what it is doing." I frowned, that wasn't exactly the answer I was hoping for. "However, if what concerns you is that you won't be able to raise a child, you have nothing to fear." He added with a smile.

I widened my eyes in shock. Could he mean… "W-What? But how do you-?"

"There are a lot of things I know my dear. I've seen into the future, and there is no mistake in what I saw." He placed a hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "But you have to remember that you need to keep on believing. Both of you."

I believe.

A smile made its way across my face, and I couldn't help to laugh in relief. "Thank you."

With a few more thanks, I exited Merlin's house in glee. I can't wait to tell Ven! He'll be really happy to hear this, and with how he's been with the change of weather he could really use some good news for a change.

"Aqua!"

I looked up and gasped in surprise at seeing Terra. "Terra!" I waved as I greeted, going towards him for a hug.

"What are you doing here? Are you by yourself?" He was quick to ask in excitement.

I nodded. "Yes, I came here to talk to Merlin. Ven stayed at Twilight Town since he has to patrol." Terra looked as great as ever, it was good to know life was treating him well.

"Well if you're done why don't we go grab some ice cream and talk for a while? My treat."

I looked back at the sky and saw the bright sun shining down. It was kind of ironic how Twilight Town was awfully cloudy today. "Sure, ice cream sounds good."

We made our way to Scrooge's stand while having some light pep talk, and got two sea salt ice cream popsicles. Twilight Town has great business with these, but I haven't eaten one in a while because of the weather.

Looking for a nice spot, Terra and I settled for a place that had a full view of the castle.

"So what have you been up to Terra? It's been quite some time since I last saw you."

Terra took a fearless bite to the popsicle, clearly not affected by the ice. "Actually, not much. Merlin just took Arthur in and I've been helping him out whenever he needs me. Did you meet Arthur by the way?"

"Yes I did." I replied with a nod. "Though I'm surprised, Merlin said Arthur was destined for greatness, yet he looks so young."

"Destined to be king, to be exact."

I widened my eyes. "King? But he is still just a boy!" Was Merlin going to have him under his wing for that long? How far ahead was he planning anyway?

Terra shrugged. "You know how Merlin is. I thought the same thing, but I want to believe he knows what he's doing. Besides Arthur does seem to have potential; I've talked to him a couple of times and he's a good kid." At least I wasn't the only one thinking that.

"I'm curious now, I wonder if we'll get to see him as a king." I thought out loud.

"Other than that," Terra continued. "Everything has been awfully boring."

I raised my eyebrows surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I barely have anything to do here anymore. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great Radiant Garden is still recovering. But with the Restoration Committee, and the defensive system up and running, there's nothing here for me to do. They are more than enough to keep this place safe." He explained, finishing his ice cream.

It is understandable. With Roxas gone to travel and explore the worlds, Ven and I are the only ones taking care of Twilight Town, so we do the little job there is. "I get what you mean." I agreed. "I'd probably feel the same if I was in your place."

"That's why I'm considering going back to the Land of Departure."

"What? I thought you placed Riku in charge of the Land of Departure just so you could come here. What was the point of that then?"

Terra sighed, looking visibly upset. "I needed time to recover."

I softened my eyes. I understood now. After all Terra had gone through, even after we managed to restore our home world he must have been left with emotional and mental damage. "And do you feel ready to go back?"

Terra looked up towards the castle and chuckled. "I do." He said as he turned back at me with a confident smile.

I smiled back in relief. "That's great. I'm sure Riku will be glad to hear that, and Ven too for sure."

"Oh, how's Ven doing? Everything ok with you guys in Twilight Town?"

I suppose this was as a good time as any other to update Terra on the recent events. "Yeah, but you'll never guess the trouble we just went through." I started to explain how the heartless started attacking more often and even followed me to Destiny Islands, and how finally Ven and I managed to get everything back under control.

Terra wore a concerned look, taken aback all of that had happened and he never found out. "I'm glad you guys are okay now but, Aqua, if you were not feeling all right you could have come to me too."

"I did think about it, but I didn't really want to talk to anyone." I replied with a sad smile. "But I should have known better than that. Ven was right, I can't let things like these bottled up inside me. I understand that now."

It was almost ironic, how after Ven encouraged me to stay strong I started to feel something wrong with him. "However…" I began and Terra frowned. "Lately, I've noticed Ven is not being quite himself."

"What do you mean?" Terra edged closer to my side, clearly concerned for Ven.

I finished my ice cream with one last bite and looked at the blank stick pensively. "Like, he's starting to lose hope. It's not obvious, but I can tell." I sighed, I know exactly why he's like this. "I think it's because we still can't conceive."

Terra frowned sadly, looking at me with sympathy. "You guys sill having trouble with that huh?"

I nodded and he let out a deep sigh, resting his arms on his knees. "I was hoping it wouldn't be for long. But like I told Ven a few months back, you shouldn't give up until at least a year has gone by."

"It's been 10 months." We were awfully close to the 12 months. I still believed we could do it, even more after what Merlin told me, but what about Ven?

Terra let out a small chuckle, and looked at me with a reassuring smile. "I believe in you. I know you guys can make it."