A/N: Lol, looks like someone's been heavily influenced by Twilight... Just kidding, kinda. :P

Thanks: TopazDragon98, HeartofFyrwinde, MonMonCandie, and Mystics Apprentice, my lovely beta reader.

~ He was quite sure that she was thinking he was a jerk who was excluding her from everything. He couldn't blame her, but he knew that it was better this way. He didn't want to put her in any kind of danger if he could help it. ~

J. - Jerk

The place was dark and eerily quiet, which was no wonder at this time of the night. Aqua was sleeping soundly, not even the slightest aware of the tall figure in the shadows that watched her silently. Terra knew he was very lucky to have found her here at all. He hadn't expected to find her in this world, but, after he had, he figured that it would do no harm to visit her at night—when he was sure that she would be asleep. Just visit, nothing more. Seeing her would be enough (or so he hoped).

His cobalt-blue eyes slowly traveled over the familiar contours of her face as he took in all the details of her, which he already knew by heart. Aqua was still as breathtakingly beautiful as he remembered. He'd never expected to encounter something different. Natural beauty never died, after all. The way the moonlight shone through the windows, hitting her glossy blue hair and flawless skin, was indescribable. Her long dark lashes reminded him of soft feathers. They were long enough to be able to caress her cheek, but because of their curl, they did not quite touch her skin. In other words, she was as pure as he was tainted—and that would never change.

He was glad to see she was alright, albeit exhausted. Those bags under her eyes didn't lie... And he felt like such a stalker now.

Terra automatically reached forward to brush a stray strand of brilliant-blue hair out of her face, but he changed his mind. Slowly, he let his hand fall back to his side again. If she woke up...he didn't think he could face her now. It would only lead to awkward questions to which he didn't even know the answers himself, or worse: another big fight. Honestly, the Keyblade wielder felt like he'd caused enough harm already. There was no need to make things even more complicated and nasty, even if the clean and smooth contours of her face had never looked this appealing before. But he'd promised himself to only look, not touch.

He was quite sure that she was thinking he was a jerk who was excluding her from everything. He couldn't blame her, but he knew that it was better this way. He didn't want to put her in any kind of danger if he could help it.

The brunet young man was fully aware that she was more than capable to take care of herself. Still, he'd promised himself long ago to take care of her, and nothing was going to change his mind.

Oh Aqua, if only you knew how much you really mean to me, how much I miss you. How much I...

What he wouldn't give to be able to just lie down next to her and pull her close to him. To hold her in his arms, just like the old days.* When all this was over, when he became a Master, he would finally tell her how he truly felt about her. He would promise her that he'd always be there to take care of her. Terra could make her the happiest woman in the world if she let him.

All he could do now, though, was hope that it wouldn't be too late by then. He simply couldn't bear the thought of losing Aqua to another man.

Eventually, Terra couldn't resist anymore; he knew that if he didn't leave now, he might do something stupid. So he bent forward and lightly kissed her temple, then her forehead, followed by the corner of her mouth. "Take good care of yourself, Aqua," he whispered, before silently retreating in the shadows again.

Aqua opened her eyes when she was sure that her friend was gone. "Will you, too?"

A/N: To think that there was a time when I didn't really like Terqua... (Bet you didn't expect to hear that lol.) For the people who might wonder why I chose those the places for Terra to kiss, by kissing her temple, he means to say that she means the world to him. If he kissed her on the lips, he knew she would wake up/he wouldn't be able to leave, so he chose for the second best option. Where I'm from, they say that a kiss on the forehead is bad, because it symbolizes being apart from each other, possibly even a breakup. Considering what happened at the end of BBS, I think this was fitting. Call me weird, but I think details like these matter. :P

*I also think that they secretly had a relationship before the Mark of Mastery exam (which explains the "Just like the old days" part). More of that will be found in chapter 24. :)

Next chapter: "Hey, you look like some kind of knight... in shining armor. Literally," Aqua noted, when the sun that reflected on Terra's armor almost blinded her. Terra chuckled, not seeming to notice the deeper meaning of what she had said.