Innocent Times – Terra

"Terra, are you okay?" Ven asked me.

"Yeah," I said, putting on a smile that looked more like a grimace as we walked to the Summit. We were going to meet Aqua there for a 'surprise,' which could be anything from one of her fancy art projects to… well, anything. I never knew what to think with Aqua, and that was part of the reason I didn't feel well.

I think I was getting a crush on my best friend. That was the weirdest thing to admit to myself, and of course there was no way to tell anyone else. Did this happen to other guys? Eraqus was like my father, and Ven was to young and innocent to know. Sometimes it stunk being marooned in the Land of Departure.

"Surprise!" My friends yelled when I reached the top. Lights were strung on a small table with a cake on it.

"Huh?" I grunted. A surprise party, but for what? It wasn't my birthday.

"Today's the anniversary of when we got our keyblades!" Aqua said, smiling at me. "Don't tell me you forgot about it this year, too."

"Oh, yeah. That." She rolled her eyes at me. Only a girl would get worked up about an anniversary.

"Who wants cake?" Ven asked, slicing the dessert.

"In a moment, Ven." Aqua waved a hand, taking mine with her other, and dragged me to the edge of the cliff out of Ven's sight.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to keep calm.

She rubbed the back of her hand awkwardly. "I wanted to… to ask…" She looked like she was struggling to find the right words, which was rare for Aqua, before giving up and putting on a defiant face. "Oh, forget this."

She threw her arms around me in a tight hug and kissed me quickly on the cheek, making my face feel like it had been covered in a blast of Firaga. "Do you feel like that sometimes, too?"

I pulled her into another hug, still not comfortable kissing my best friend. "…Yeah, something like that."

She smiled at me, and I smiled back. Maybe I wasn't such a weirdo.

We walked back to Ven, pretending like everything was normal, ready to start our innocent party. Just then I realized something-

I had another anniversary to keep track of now.