Velle sat in her room in the Land of Departure and stared out the window dreamily. She was reminiscing on the night she had with Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. The more she dwelled on it, the more she got suspicious.
"Was that a date?" she whispered to herself. The stars twinkled brightly overhead and Velle sighed happily. Just then she saw a star shoot across the sky. "A meteor shower!" She exclaimed, shooting up in bed to get a better look. Sure enough another star shot passed the window and then another. "Wow! I'm gonna go see if I can get a better view!"
Velle ran out of her room, down the hallway, and out the door. She hoped she wouldn't miss it if she hurried. Once Velle reached the fresh air she began to sprint to the summit. She sat on the ledge and watched the meteors shower down around her.
"Hey, what are you doing out here all alone?" She heard Ventus's voice from behind her.
Velle rolled her eyes ", Watching the meteor shower. Ventus, I don't need some knight in shining armor to protect me. In case you haven't noticed I'm training to be a knight myself." She grinned at the blonde boy who took a seat beside her and stared up at the sky.
Velle sat in her room in the Land of Departure and stared out the window dreamily. She was reminiscing on the night she had with Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. The more she dwelled on it, the more she started to think that she and Ventus had gone out on a date. The stars twinkled brightly overhead and Velle sighed happily. Just then she saw a star shoot across the sky.
"A meteor shower!" She exclaimed, shooting up in bed to get a better look. Sure enough another star shot passed the window and then another. "Wow! I'm gonna go see if I can get a better view!"
Velle ran out of her room, down the hallway, and out the door. She hoped she wouldn't miss it if she hurried. Once she reached the fresh air she began to sprint to the summit. She sat on the ledge and watched the meteors shower down around her.
"Hey, what are you doing out here all alone?" She heard Ventus's voice from behind her.
Velle rolled her eyes, "Watching the meteor shower. Ventus, I don't need some knight in shining armor to protect me. In case you haven't noticed I'm training to be a knight myself." She grinned at the blonde boy who took a seat beside her and stared up at the sky.
"I know, but... I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you. You're my best friend after all!" Ventus smiled back at her.
Velle felt herself blush slightly, thinking back to the Paopu Festival, was it a date? She shook her head defiantly, "But what kind of keyblade wielder would I be if I couldn't handle going outside in the dark on my own?"
Ventus chuckled, "I guess you're right."
"Well...what are you doing here?...Since you asked me." Velle questioned with playful glare.
Ventus looked up at the stars rocketing across the night sky above them. "You're kidding me right?" He asked sarcastically. "You know, I'd never miss something as cool as this!" Ventus grinned at her and she smiled back.
It had been a long night and the two fell into a comfortable silence as they stared up at the star show above. Velle felt Ventus's hand just barely beside her, grazing her pinky. The blonde yearned to reach out and hold it but he was too nervous. He frowned to himself, should he just come out and tell her how he felt without the song and dance?
The blonde recited what he might say to her in his mind.
"Velle, I'm in love with you... I think I fell in love with you the moment you hit me in the head when I first got here. You're not just funny and an amazing keyblade warrior to me...You're…" He looked her up and down from the corner of his eye, slowly drinking in the way her body curved. He bit his lip, the moonlight shone in her purple hair and seemed to light up her skin. "You're just perfect...so insanely perfect it drives me crazy sometimes...And I hope you feel the same, but even if you don't it won't change my feelings for you…" Ventus froze, that was a little too forward and unhinged. He decided against saying anything at all for fear of being rejected and ruining their relationship. Ventus turned his head to Velle when she let out a loud yawn.
"Tired?" He asked, amused.
"A little, it's pretty late." Velle admitted sheepishly.
"I can walk you back to the castle if you want?" he offered, ever the gentleman.
She glared at him playfully, "And miss the meteor shower? No way!"
Ventus shrugged with a laugh, "Well, alright. You're the boss I guess." A few minutes passed and Velle yawned again. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to the castle?" He tried again.
"I'm sure!" She glared at him playfully before she smiled, "I'm just gonna lay down in the grass and watch the stars." She decided, Ventus watched her stand from the ledge and walk a few feet back. She dropped herself to the ground and Ventus stood to join her.
"You know that's a pretty good idea!" He commented and followed suit.
Velle giggled, "That's the only kind I have, Ven. Duh..." She went to lay down but Ven spoke up again.
"Y-you can put your head on my chest so you don't have to put it on the ground." He stuttered out quickly.
"Huh?" Velle looked at him and then the ground.
"Uh-you might get stuff in your hair." He stammered.
"Stuff?"
"Yeah like twigs and leaves, look you already have one in it now." Ventus pointed at a red leaf out of the sea of purple hair.
"I guess...thanks, Ven!" She grinned at the blonde boy who began to blush as she lowered her head onto his chest. Ventus found himself smiling contently, he reached one hand around her and picked the leaf out of her hair, throwing it to the wind. Velle felt like she was melting into the blonde, he was so comfortable under her head. She would have never fallen asleep out in the open but with Ventus she felt safe. That's the way he wanted her to feel around him, she found herself frowning.
"Ven," She started.
"Hm?" The boy hummed from underneath her perfectly content. She shifted her weight so she could look the blonde in the eye.
"I don't want you to think that this means I'm some helpless-"
"Damsel in Distress, yeah I know. You've said that." He chuckled, she bounced lightly on his chest from the reverb.
Velle blushed and scrunched up her face, "Well I'm not!"
Ventus combed her mane of purple hair with his hands and brushed it to the side, "I know, I never said I thought you were."
Velle pouted and put her head back down on his warm chest, looking up at the sky. "But you act like it..."
"I didn't mean to make it seem like I thought you couldn't handle yourself," Velle felt his arms encircle her tightly in a hug. "I just care, is all."
Velle blushed, her heartbeat quickened. It was almost unbearable how he was making her feel, like tiny little winged creatures were going to burst from her stomach out of her mouth. Velle shuddered at the thought, most people call them butterflies, but the way she thought of them made them sound like bugs.
"Are you cold?" Ventus asked quitely. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and Velle found herself placing one hand under her head touching her knight in shining armor's chest. She nodded in reply, even though she wasn't cold at all. As the meteor shower continued the two watched the sky in a comfortable silence until they drifted off to sleep.
Ventus looked up at the sky one more time before closing his eyes, "Why does this seem so familiar?" He thought as he fell asleep.
Ventus felt a presence hovering over them and he opened his eyes sleepily. Just then a murky image of Aqua came into view and he jumped slightly.
"Ven! You hopeless sleepy head!" she giggled, "And you hopeless romantic!" Aqua whispered with a cocked eyebrow, noticing Velle with her arms wrapped around Ventus, still asleep, preventing him from moving.
"I-uh..." Ventus stuttered out, he sighed after a moment and removed Velle's hand from him. He took off his jacket and folded it under her head. "Gimme a break Aqua." He muttered with a blush. Quickly, he stood and faced his friend.
"You know, you should have at least brought a blanket." Aqua snickered.
Ventus felt himself grow even more red, "I didn't know Velle was going to be out here too. I just wanted to watch the meteor shower."
"Whatever you say, Ven." She teased and ruffled his hair.
"Hey!" Ventus protested, he looked out to the sky and sighed. "But-did I dream that place up?" He whispered to himself, "It really felt like I'd been there before, looking up at the stars…"
Aqua ruffled his hair again and he shoved her hand off of him, playfully "'Cept you've always lived here with us." She reasoned. She knew better now than to try to make him remember his life before he came to train under Master Eraqus. She didn't want to hurt him like last time.
"Yeah…" Ventus frowned and looked down in thought, then he smiled back up at the older female, "I know."
Just then Velle started stirring in her sleep, she opened one eye to peak at who was making all the noise. When she saw Aqua she opened her eyes completely and sat up with a yawn and stretched.
"How long have we been out here?" She asked with another yawn.
"Not long, I was just telling Ven here he should have brought a blanket if you two were going to lay under the stars." Aqua snickered.
Velle blushed deeply, "It was my idea to lay in the grass, besides it wasn't like that. Right Ven?"
"Uhm-" Ventus stuttered ", No, nothin' like that!" He said weakly. Aqua giggled and winked discreetly at the blonde.
The three friends stood and walked back over to the ledge from before. They took a seat Velle, then Ven, then Aqua. "Hey Aqua."
"Hm?" She asked from beside him.
"Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?"
"Hm, well they say…" She began to respond but someone cut her off.
"That every star up there is another world." The three friends turned to see Terra standing behind them.
"Terra," Aqua greeted happily.
"Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own." He walked closer to them, "'' The light is their hearts and it's shining down on us like a million lanterns."
Ven shifted slightly to face him completely "What? I don't get it."
Velle giggled at the confused blonde. "In other words, they're just like you Ven."
Ventus stood and walked over to Terra, "What does that mean?"
Terra chuckled, "You'll find out someday, I'm sure."
"I wanna know now!" Ventus said, stomping his feet childishly.
Terra smirked, "You're too young to know now!"
"Quit treating me like a kid!" The blonde growled. Aqua looked at the boys with a warm smile, they were like brothers. And she began to snicker at their argument.
"Hey! What are you laughing at!" Terra asked playfully.
She calmed herself slightly, "I can't help it, Velle wouldn't these two make the weirdest brothers?"
"Huh?" They asked confused, the group began to laugh at the thought as the meteors continued to shower down from above. After a while the night became calm and silent but the friends did not leave the summit.
Suddenly Aqua stood, "Oh, yeah! Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow." She reached in her pockets and fumbled for something, Aqua pulled out four star shaped charms. "I made us good luck charms!" She tossed an orange one to Terra, and a green one to Ventus, purple to Velle, and kept the blue one for herself.
"We get one too?" Ventus asked excitedly and he held his charm next to Velle's to show her it.
"Of course! One for each of us!" She confirmed, "Somewhere out there in the stars, there's that world with the tree with star shaped fruit! And the fruit represents an unbreakable connection, so as long as you and a friend carry good luck charms shaped just like it nothing can ever drive you apart...You'll always find your way back to each other." She smiled to herself and turned to face her three friends.
"Technically...I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had!" She chuckled.
Terra rolled his eyes playfully, "Oy, sometimes you're such a girl!"
"Hey! What do you mean sometimes?" Aqua snapped.
Velle giggled and rounded on Terra, "Yeah! And what's so bad about being a girl!? Huh Terra!"
"I..um-I..." Terra stuttered, wishing he hadn't opened his mouth.
Ventus pouted, "So, this isn't a real good luck charm?"
Aqua walked closer to him, "Well that's yet to be seen, but I did work a little magic on it."
"Really!? What?" Ventus asked with excitement.
Aqua held her charm up to the moon and let it's light shine down through it. "An unbreakable connection!"
"Wow, thanks Aqua!" Velle gushed, "This is amazing, I'll cherish it forever!" She hugged the older female tightly and Aqua smiled down warmly on her while brushing her purple hair down flatter. Aqua had always thought of Velle like a little sister, especially after she and Ventus joined Master Eraqus.
"Well, tomorrow's the exam." Terra said, walking forward a bit.
"There's no way I'm gonna miss this! I'm coming to cheer you guys on!" Velle exclaimed with excitement.
"Yeah me too!" Ventus quipped. "We can meet in the courtyard and go together, Velle!"
"I don't know…" Aqua mumbled. Terra put his hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay Aqua, what could possibly happen?" Terra chuckled.
"Yeah besides I'm just as strong as you guys!" Ventus said proudly pointing to his chest with his thumb.
Velle snickered, "You wish!"
"Hey!" Ventus shouted in protest, the three friends fell into laughter at his expense. "Come on guys!" He mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well since none of us are tired, anyone wanna spar?" Terra asked with a grin.
"I can take ya!" Ventus said, summoning his keyblade, Wayward Wind, with a large grin. They fought for a few minutes, clashing keyblades. Aqua stepped up brandishing her own keyblade, Rainfell.
"Well that's fine if you're fighting one on one, but you need to know how to handle a crowd too." The four of them took turns sparring until all that was left was Ventus and Velle.
"Hey we're gonna head back," Terra called over to them.
"Huh?" Ventus looked at Velle quickly.
"Yeah, us too!" They raced to catch up with their friends and the four companions walked back towards the castle.
...
That would be the last night we ever spent beneath the same stars.
...