Author's Note: Hi guys! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Thanks so much for reading this Halloween fic! I was taking a break from CinderAerith when this idea came into my head. I thought it was super cute, and I absolutely am a sucker for all of these ships, so I hope you enjoy it! There will be another chapter up tomorrow (Halloween) that will conclude the story. I hope you all enjoy it! Please kudos and leave comments if you do :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

Terra rarely got scared.

Sure, there were times that he was nervous: the Mark of Mastery exam had him at his wit's end (not that he'd ever let Aqua or Ven know). Any time that Eraqus would randomly test him on his abilities gave him a sudden burst of butterflies (again, not that he'd ever let his friends know that). But as soon as said events began, the nervousness went away as quickly as it came. Terra would usually be left wondering what he was so anxious about in the first place.

But this – this obnoxious feeling that made his heart pump as if he'd just ran a mile, felt like his mouth was full of cotton and the urge to go home as fast as he could – was just stupid.

Terra had told himself at least a hundred times: "Don't freak out. It'll be fine. Just ask her. Nice and simple."

Terra's life was full of irony. So he really shouldn't have been surprised that, when he did ask Aqua to meet him at the Bistro in Twilight Town, he could barely form the words to ask her in the first place. Looking at it now, he wasn't sure how he managed to do it in the first place. And yet, here he was. Sitting in a chair at a table for two, waiting for one of his best friends, sure he was going to keel over from a heart attack at any moment.

Terra took another sip of his drink, trying to get a handle on his nerves. The empty chair across from him seemed to taunt him: she's not gonna show up. You know that, right? The freckled lemonade he ordered for Aqua was sweating in the afternoon heat. How long had it been since he ordered that? Would the ice melt before she got here? Terra let out a soft groan, resting his head on the table with a soft thunk.

Get a grip, he argued to himself. There are worse things that could be happening right now.

"Terra?"

Terra raised his head immediately. Aqua had made it after all. She was looking at him curiously, a small smile on her face. Her short hair swayed slightly in the gentle breeze. Terra had the strange urge to touch it. He resorted to clenching his fist and smiling back at her. He hoped it looked like a smile – it felt more like a grimace.

"Hey," he said, gesturing to the seat across from him. "have a seat."

"Thanks," Aqua said, sitting down. Her eyes fell on the lemonade, and her smile grew. "did you order this for me?"

"Well, I knew it was your favorite, so..." the words seemed to come out of Terra's mouth much faster than usual.

"Thanks!" Aqua took a small sip before adding, "I'll pay you back."

"You don't have to," Terra mumbled, before taking a long sip of his own drink.

"I don't mind," Aqua insisted.

Terra couldn't help but smile at her. "It's fine, Aqua. Really."

As Aqua thanked him, Terra felt his heart skip a beat. She had always been pretty, with her royal blue hair, slender frame and gentle smile. But seeing her again for the first time in over a decade awoke something in Terra. He wasn't sure if it was the long separation, or if he was just seeing Aqua clearly for the first time, but the thought hit him with all the force of being struck by lightning:

She's beautiful.

The thought both scared and thrilled him, but he shoved it aside at the time. This was their first reunion, after all, and it was not a time to think things like that. Then was the time for embracing, tears, and gratitude. Terra had felt his heart close to bursting with love for his two best friends, who had never given up on him although he deserved it.

He and Ventus had bounced back to their friendship as if no time had passed at all. Ven was as cheerful as ever, although there was a maturity in his eyes Terra had never seen before. He suspected that more happened to Ven aside from sleeping for ten years, but he didn't push it. He knew Ven would come to him and Aqua on his own terms, and in his own time.

The friendship with him and Aqua was...different, somehow. And it wasn't just the look of exhaustion so apparent in her eyes. At first, Terra thought it was merely guilt on his part of her being in the Realm of Darkness for so long. But he had felt guilt before, and this was nothing like it (although he still felt it, deeply). The more time went on, the more Terra realized that this feeling was completely new.

His mind kept going back to when he fully came back to Ven and Aqua in the Keyblade Graveyard. For some reason, his mind didn't seem to remember that Ven was also there. It was just Aqua, completely radiant at his return. With the sunlight streaming behind her head, Aqua looked just like a blue-haired angel. When she cried, her tears looked like tiny precious gems. Her arms felt like a safe place to land, and her hugs had all the familiarity of home.

The only thing he could manage to say at the time was, "You never stopped lighting my way back."

And now that they were home, and things were as "back to normal" as they could get, Terra knew that what he had felt that day for Aqua went beyond friendship. Once the realization clicked, his thoughts and feelings were relentless: even Aqua giving him a simple smile sent him in a tizzy.

It was annoying. It was illogical. But it was also strangely blissful.

Which led to what was happening right now. A few days previous, Terra decided it was time to act. Him and Aqua were good enough friends, and he knew that even if she did not return his feelings their friendship would remain intact. At least, that's what he hoped with all of his heart.

"Thanks for coming," Terra said. He inwardly groaned at how awkward his voice sounded.

"Sure thing." Aqua set down her drink, then looked at him intently. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Quick to the point as always, Terra thought, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Well, it's just that...uh..."

Aqua cocked her head in slight concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Terra said quickly, trying to ignore how he could feel his heart pounding in his ears. Why was his mouth completely dry all of the sudden? Was that why the words couldn't seem to come out of his mouth? He quickly took another sip of his drink, only to realize that there was nothing left but ice. Annoyed, he put the glass aside and attempted to speak again. "Aqua, there's..." he swallowed hard. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you."

"Okay..." Aqua replied slowly, concern still showing in her voice.

Was it always this hot outside, or was Terra just now noticing it? He fidgeted with the collar of his shirt, trying to catch his breath. And what of their already existing friendship? Terra had heard stories of boys who told girls their real feelings, how the girl did not feel the same, and how it was forever awkward between the two. The sudden realization that Aqua would not only refuse his feelings but that things would never be the same between them made his blood run cold.

Looking into his best friend's face, Terra realized something vitally important: there was no way he could do this. At least, not right now. Pushing aside the fact that Aqua would pester him about it until he finally said it, Terra briefly looked around for a distraction.

As if a miracle from the heavens itself, he found one. "Hey, look!" he said, pointing behind Aqua.

Aqua turned in her chair to what Terra was pointing at. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. Two small children, a boy and a girl, were walking up the street. The boy wore a green tunic, white tights, a small green cap an a bow and quiver of arrows were strapped across his shoulder. The girl wore a long pink dress, long white gloves, and a crown on top of her head. Both were holding small buckets that were filled to the brim with various candies.

Sorry, Aqua, Terra silently apologized to her turned back. Maybe one of these days I'll tell you how I feel. He hoped that his best friend would understand. He let out a quiet sigh and picked up his drink, swirling the ice around in the bottom of the glass.

Coward.

"How cute," Aqua breathed. Terra could hear the smile in her voice. She turned back in her chair to face him. "I didn't realize it was so close to Halloween."

"Me neither," Terra replied, happy to have Aqua's voice drown out his thoughts. "it's been hard to keep track of things since we got back home."

Aqua nodded, taking another sip of lemonade. After swallowing she said, "Do you remember when Master Eraqus would take us to other worlds on Halloween?"

Terra felt himself smile. "Yeah. It was before Ven, wasn't it?"

Aqua nodded happily. "It was. It was after Ven came that Eraqus said we were too old for it." She let out a small sigh. "Good times."

"And I always got more candy than you," Terra said, smirking slightly.

Aqua raised an eyebrow. "Uh. No. I'm pretty sure that was me."

"No," Terra retorted slightly, his smirk widening. "We always counted our candy afterwards, remember? And I always had more."

Aqua shook her head, laughing a little. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Terra." She took a sip of her drink.

"You know I did," Terra said stubbornly.

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Not."

"Too!"

"Look," Aqua said, holding her hands up in surrender and laughing slightly. "I know I'm right, but if it bothers you that much we can do it again."

"Trick-or-Treating?" Terra asked, surprised.

Aqua nodded. "I was thinking about suggesting it anyways. Ven never got to experience it, and I know he would love it." She leaned across the table, mischief sparkling in her usual serene eyes. "So how about we make it a contest? You take the boys, and I take the girls. Whoever has the most candy combined wins?"

"Boys?" Terra asked, noticing the plural usage of the word. "Like Sora and Riku, too?"

"Yeah, and I'll take Kairi, Namine and Xion. It would be fun! And I was thinking of inviting them for a Halloween party anyways."

Terra smiled. "That sounds like a lot of fun. And you're right, I'm sure Ven would love it. And not just him, but Sora would go nuts." He leaned forward, getting close to her face. "But we should make some rules for it."

"Like what?" Aqua asked.

Terra thought for a moment, then suggested, "No visiting Halloween Town. That would technically be cheating, since they do Halloween year round anyways. And each person on the team can have no more than one bucket of candy, you and I included."

"That seems fair enough," Aqua said, shrugging. "On one condition." She grinned at Terra's puzzled look. "If my team wins, you have to tell me whatever you were going to say but clearly chickened out on."

Terra cast his eyes away, embarrassed. Sometimes Aqua was more analytical than he thought. "Fine," he said after a while.

Little did the two of them know that, a few tables away, a certain redhead was hiding behind a newspaper. Hearing their every word, he smirked to himself as he devised a plan.

The good news was, all of their friends would be able to make it. So it was that a few days later Terra, Aqua and Ventus waited for their friends outside their home. Ventus was bouncing on the balls of his feet, a wide smile on his face. Aqua was looking at a small list she had written down on a piece of paper. Terra merely kept his eyes on the horizon, determined not to stare at her.

"There they are!" Ven exclaimed, pointing to something in the distance.

The Gummi Ship sailed smoothly across the sky, a bright beacon of red against the now setting sun. It landed a small distance away from the three of them, and the door opened. Terra felt himself smile as his friends embarked.

There was Sora, with his wild brown hair and big smile; Kairi walking alongside him, her hair shorter than when he last saw her; Roxas, the spitting image of Ventus but with slightly darker hair; Xion following close behind him; Riku, glancing back inside the ship and gesturing to someone; and Namine, as fragile as a flower, hesitantly following Riku outside.

But it seemed that Namine was not the last one to embark. After she left the ship, a tall boy with wild hair followed her. His hands shoved deep in his pockets and smiling slightly, Lea made his way towards the rest of the group

Sora, Riku and Roxas made their way towards Terra. Sora was definitely more of a hugger, so Terra wasn't surprised when he felt arms wrap around his waist. He patted Sora on the back before simpy giving a handshake and half-hug to everyone else (Lea, whom Terra probably knew the least, gave him a fist bump).

Kairi immediately ran to Aqua when she saw her, embracing her friend in a tight hug. Xion gave Roxas a bright smile before walking up to Aqua and doing the same. Aqua smiled fondly at the two girls, ruffling their hair. She asked them a few questions that Terra didn't hear, and noticed Namine still standing in the distance. As if sensing how awkward the poor girl must feel, Aqua walked up to her, still smiling, and gently embraced her. Terra noticed the small smile on Namine's face grow. Kairi and Xion caught up to the two of them, and they all began talking excitedly. Aqua gave each one of the girls her full, undivided attention.

Aqua always tried her best to make everyone feel included. It was one of the many things Terra loved about her.

"Hellooooo? Earth to Terra!"

Terra blinked as he saw a hand wave in front of his face. He looked to see Lea standing in front of him, smirking slightly. "I mean, we all know how pretty Aqua is, but you're making it a bit too obvious." he teased.

Terra rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. "Good to see you, Lea. What're you doing here?"

"Heard Roxas talking about this the other day. I thought it'd be a good idea to help chaperone," Lea said, glancing away in slight embarrassment. "Hope that's okay?"

Terra let out a grateful sigh. "Actually, that would be helpful. Thank you," he said. And he truly meant it. Lea simply nodded with a smile. "Did you all get here okay?" Terra asked, changing the subject.

"A bit cramped, but we're here," Lea replied, stretching slightly.

"A bit?" Roxas snorted. "We could barely breathe since you were taking up so much space!"

"What do you mean?" Terra asked, a small laugh escaping him.

"This dork didn't think there wouldn't be enough room for seven people on the ship." Riku said, lightly punching Sora in the shoulder.

"It fits me, Donald and Goofy just fine!" Sora replied, giving Riku a playful glare.

"Because there's three of you, not seven." Riku pointed out, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Well, if Lea didn't insist upon sprawling across our laps and taking a nap -" Sora said, gesturing to the tallest of the group, "we would've at least had some wiggle room!"

Terra laughed. "Lea, what?"

Lea shrugged. "Just trying to make room for everyone. And I needed a nap."

"And you drooled on my leg," Roxas murmured. Terra couldn't hide his laughter after that.

"Okay, everyone!" Aqua shouted, clapping her hands to get their attention. "First of all, thank you all so much for coming. We've been wanting to have you all over here for a while, but things have just been busy. Sorry about that. But Terra and I had an idea that we thought would be fun."

"It was completely your idea." Terra pointed out.

Aqua ignored him. "Master Eraqus used to take Terra and I trick-or-treating to other worlds. But by the time Ven came along, he decided we were too old for it." She glanced at Ventus, who looked flabbergasted at the thought of having missed out on such a fun opportunity. "But now that we're all back together again, we thought we could split into teams and see who could bring home the most candy."

"What's trick-or-treating?" Terra heard Roxas ask Lea. Lea briefly explained what to do, and Roxas nodded, his face lighting up at the thought of a contest.

"I'll take the girls, and Terra will take the boys," Aqua continued. "You guys all have costumes, right?" The group nodded. "Great! We have made a few rules, but Terra will explain those."

Terra stepped forward, glancing at his friends. "First of all, no stopping in Halloween Town. The place is off limits since they celebrate Halloween year-round. Second, only one bucket of candy per person. Since there are more boys than girls, my team will have two less buckets just to make it equal. Third, be back by midnight. And no rough housing or cheating."

"And just have fun," Aqua said with a smile. "So let's all get changed and get going!"

Aqua looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She wasn't used to dressing up, or wearing any makeup, but tonight was a special occasion. A knee-length white dress hugged her figure, and the small cap on her head looked great with her blue hair. That'll do, she said to herself. She had heard of women doctors and healers in other worlds, and with the few things she had in her closet it seemed like the best option. The three other girls were getting ready in the bathroom.

Despite the excitement of the evening, Aqua's mind kept returning to what Terra was going to tell her at the Bistro. What on earth could have made him so nervous? And why would he try to distract her?

"Kairi, I don't know about this," Aqua heard Namine say quietly from inside the bathroom.

"Namine, you look great!" Kairi reassured. "it fits you perfectly!"

"Trust us," Xion said gently, "you look just like one." Aqua heard Namine let out a small giggle.

"You girls about ready?" Aqua asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Yep! Here I come!" Kairi shouted.

The door to the bathroom opened, and she stepped out. Aqua had to blink a few times to make sure she was seeing correctly. Kairi was adorned in dark greys, reds and blacks. Her face was covered in white makeup, her lips painted bright red. When she smiled, Aqua saw sharp teeth. Despite knowing they were fake, the sight of Kairi as a vampire was a bit strange considering her bubbly personality.

"What do you think?" Kairi asked, swishing her cape over her shoulder.

"It looks great," Aqua said, smiling. "Xion, Namine, are you ready?"

The other two stepped out a bit more hesitantly. Xion had a pointed hat atop her head, a long black dress, and a broomstick clutched in one hand. With her big blue eyes and innocent demeanor, she made an adorable witch. In stark contrast beside her stood Namine, wearing a knee-length white dress with lace sleeves, a small golden circlet resting on her flaxen hair. She was holding a small harp in one hand. With her already delicate features, Aqua could have sworn the girl was a living, breathing angel.

"You both look wonderful!" Aqua exclaimed. Xion and Namine smiled shyly. "Let's go check on the boys and then head out."

Terra knocked on the door. "Everything okay in there?"

"Just...having some trouble," came Ventus' slight grunt.

Terra raised an eyebrow before walking inside. Riku, Ventus, Sora and Lea were all crowded around Roxas, who was standing with his arms outstretched. Strips of white fabric were strewn across the bedroom, and an open box of sewing needles and thread was next to Ventus.

Terra had to stifle a small laugh at the sight of Roxas. Fabric was covering most of his face pretty well, but his hair was still sticking straight up. Knowing that him and Ventus had nearly the exact same hair, Roxas would probably have very little success in making it stay down.

"Almost done," Ventus said, a threaded needle in between his teeth. "Just have to make sure you don't trip."

"Where did you learn how to sew, Ven?" Terra asked.

He saw Ven's ears turn pink. "Some of Cinderella's friends."

"Hey, you look good." Lea said, glancing at Terra.

Terra rubbed his neck self-consciously. "Thanks."

The truth was, Terra hadn't dressed up for Halloween since he was quire young, so he wasn't entirely sure what to dress up as. But after finding some patterned pants in his closet and a shirt to match, he figured it was the best he could do.

"You look like a soldier!" Sora said excitedly.

"I guess that's what I was going for," Terra said, shrugging. "It was all I could find that looked like a costume."

"Sora's right, you do look like a soldier. Or some kind of fighter." Riku added.

"There!" Ven stitched up the last bit of Roxas' costume and stood up. "Now you look like a mummy!"

Roxas gave Ventus a smile. "Thanks, Ven. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. So Terra," Ven said, turning around. "how do we look?"

Terra looked at the five of them. Ventus had opted for a single white sheet over his head, with two holes cut out for eyes. Sora had a long coat over his clothes with a pirate hat perched on his head. Roxas was completely covered in white fabric, arms stretched out before him. Lea was covered completely from head to toe in black, two shuriken in his hands. Riku had a fur cap on, a ripped shirt with netting underneath it as well as pants that looked the same, and bare feet.

"You guys ready?" At their nod, Terra added, "let's go check on everyone else."

Aqua felt her breath catch in her throat when her eyes fell on Terra. She wasn't sure if it was the tight-fitting shirt that she had never seen him in, the way he seemed to walk with more confidence, or the smile on his face. The smile brightened his whole demeanor, chased away the shadows under his skin and reached his eyes. It had been too long since she had seen her best friend smile for real.

Aqua shook her head slightly, trying to clear her thoughts. "You all look great!" she complimented the boys.

"Thanks," Lea said, smirking at Roxas. Roxas had his eyes locked on Xion, and it was easy to tell that his mouth was open slightly despite the fabric covering it. Xion's cheeks were flushed as she smiled back at him.

"Whoa!" Sora yelped as he looked at Kairi. "You...You look..." his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"Yes?" Kairi prompted, in a sly tone of voice.

"Amazing!" Sora finished, his eyes bright.

Aqua suppressed a giggle, glancing at the rest of the group. Riku was looking at Namine in a way Aqua had never seen him look at anyone else. Namine, who was playing with the ends of her hair, simply gave him a shy smile.

I've never seen Riku blush before, Aqua thought to herself, smirking slightly at Riku's obvious discomfort. I'll have to tell Terra about it later.

"Alright, everyone ready?" she asked the group. At their eager shouts, Aqua said, "Okay! Girls, you come with me. Boys, you go with Terra. Remember to be back by midnight! Stay safe and stay together! Have fun!"

And with that, the various trios embarked.

Author's Note: in case you couldn't tell what their costumes were:

Aqua: Nurse

Kairi: Vampire

Xion: Witch

Namine: Angel

Terra: Soldier

Sora: Pirate

Roxas: Mummy

Ventus: Sheet Ghost

Riku: Werewolf

I tried to find costumes that best suit each of their personalities, as well as costumes I think they'd look absolutely adorable in :) let me know what you think in the comments!