A/N: There's a lot of risk-taking involved in this story. I mean, I'm not known for writing common ships, but the combination of Terra/Cinderella and Vanitas/Aqua both in one place is probably a bit out there even for me. So if you read the first chapter and then stuck around for another, thanks! It means a lot that anyone would give this fic a chance! If you were hoping for more Terrella right away though, sorry; it will probably alternate about every other chapter, but might lean more towards Van/Aqua.

Acknowledgements I forgot from the first chapter: Raberba girl is the one who first got me thinking about Terrella if I remember correctly, and talking with GuiltyKingOmashu helped me pin down some of Terra's character. Thanks! Also a big thanks to everyone who's reviewed so already, you guys are great!

Of course she was heading straight for the glittery castle. She was a light-cursed girl, where else would she go? Vanitas growled softly as he trailed her through the starlit courtyard. The light from that other stupid girl had done its job well; Aqua didn't notice the specter who followed her as surely as her own shadow. Still, it would have been so much easier if she'd chosen the path towards the forest. How was he supposed to ambush her if she went into that stupid party? Light or no light, he couldn't exactly sneak in in his suit and helmet.

Wait… maybe I don't have to.

He skirted ahead of Aqua while keeping to the courtyard walls. After sending a few mobs of Unversed ahead for a distraction, he slunk in the tall doors and through the bright hallways. He stood out against the carpet like the stain he was. Ugh. If he did cross paths with any of the guards, they wouldn't be able to miss him. His Unversed better do a good job.

Unfortunately, he did need to run into at least one guard. Preferably a short one.

He peeked around a corner to see three guards dashing in the direction of his hallway. Ducking back with a mental curse, he took a gamble and flung open one of the doors - or tried to, anyway. Locked. He barely managed to bring his keyblade up and open it with a beam of purple light in time.

Inside was pleasantly dark. Even his keen eyes needed a little light to see, though, so he summoned a hovering orb of Fire.

The tiny space felt more like a mousehole than a room. The disorderly piles of serving trays, cleaning rags, and sewing supplies only heightened the feeling. What was this place? Some kind of crawl space for castle servants? He didn't really care. He was about to peek back out when he realized this place might actually be useful. If there were needles, thread, and fabric around, maybe there were some clothes, too.

He stepped over a mop bucket, pushed a chair out of his way, and knelt down by a pile of fabric. Sure enough, he was able to dig out a pair of trousers and some kind of fancy jacket. Both were a disgusting shade of green, unfortunately. He rummaged some more until he came up with a red set.

"Better." He nodded. Changing out of his suit would be bad enough without looking like a Christmas tree threw up on him. He groaned when he realized something was still wrong, though - while they were close enough to his size, the jacket had a ripped seam along one sleeve, and the pants were missing a button. Probably why they were in the servant's room in the first place.

He snapped his fingers and summoned a few Floods. "Alright, idiots, listen up. Aqua's going to be here any minute, so you better be fast. Needles and thread are over there." He threw the pants and jacket at them; the pants landed on one Flood's head. It twitched in irritation. Another glared at him, as if to say, look, Boss, I don't have fingers. Get a Scrapper to do it.

"I didn't ask a Scrapper, I asked you." He glared back. "I made you. I know you can do just fine without fingers."

The Flood rolled its head - the equivalent of rolling its eyes - but it picked up a needle and went to work. How they could figure out how to sew when Vanitas didn't actually know himself, he wasn't sure, but his Unversed had proven capable enough before. When they weren't bursting out of him unexpectedly, they actually made good minions.

He found a half-empty kettle of tea on the ground and warmed it on the fire while his Floods worked. By the time it was boiling, their little fingerless arms had clumsily stitched up the coat sleeve and attached a new button to the pants.

"Good." He gave them a nod of praise. That was all; any more and it would go to their tiny heads. He gulped down the scalding tea - only to cough half of it back out. Void, the stuff was disgusting! There had better be something inside the party to get the taste out of his mouth. Grimacing, he tossed the kettle aside and got down to business.

He was going to make this stupid ball a night to remember.

XXX

For all of Terra's teasing, Aqua wasn't such a girl "sometimes." She was a girl all the time, thank you very much. So when she stumbled upon a majestic castle holding a ball on this of all nights, could anyone blame her for investigating?

In her defense, she had protested a little, but the castle guards had been pretty insistent that "every eligible maiden" attend. While they hadn't outright forced her, once she entered the castle they took it for granted that she would head towards the ballroom, nevermind the fact that she had been fighting monsters minutes earlier and wasn't wearing a dress.

The ballroom looked like something straight out of a fairy tale. Tall pillars growing from the marble floor upheld a balcony that rimmed the room; below men and women conversed, though oddly only a few were dancing. It was too bad that Terra wasn't here. She had bribed him into learning to dance with her several years earlier, before his sense of manhood was too inflated for it. She wasn't sure she could dance with any of these men here, not when she stood out like mud tracked inside the castle's hallways.

What was she thinking? She wasn't here to dance. She was here to look for Terra and Ven. Shaking her head, she swept her eyes over the ballroom, but saw no one with distinctly spiky hair.

Well, she could ask around at the very least. This was one of the closest worlds to the Land of Departure; she couldn't imagine them passing it by. She was about to approach a group of ladies when a voice called out behind her.

"Madame, I don't believe I've been introduced to you yet."

"Huh?" She turned. A man in a militaristic cream uniform and red trousers stood with a pleasant smile on his face. "I'm sorry, was I supposed to check in somewhere?"

"Oh, no, not at all," he replied quickly. "It's simply been a goal of mine to greet those who have been so kind to attend this evening."

Kind? Whoever was throwing this ball was kind to let anyone and everyone enter. They had even provided food along one wall, she now noticed; it wouldn't hurt to grab some of that on her way out…

"I'm Aqua," she introduced herself. "If you've talked to everyone here, did you meet anyone named Terra or Ven?"

He rubbed his chin. "I can't say that I have. Are they friends of yours?"

She nodded. "They are. I guess it was silly of me to think they'd be here, though." Terra would probably eat his pants before doing something as girly as going to a ball. Oh well, it had been worth a shot. "I should be going."

"Didn't you just arrive?" The man asked. Aqua belatedly realized that in her haste to ask about Terra and Ven, she'd neglected to learn his name.

"Yes…" she sighed. "I'm sorry. I appreciate you coming to talk to me, really. What was your name?"

"Henri," he replied with a bow.

"It's nice to meet you, Henri. I hope you have a wonderful night." With that, she turned to leave - only to be called back yet again.

"Wait, Aqua. You don't hail from this kingdom, do you?"

She glanced down at her outfit. Maybe she should start buying a change of clothes as soon as she entered a new world. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it." She sighed. "I wasn't intending on attending the ball tonight or I would have…" Would have what? Just waved her keyblade and conjured a gown?

"Please, don't worry about that. I only ask because, well…" He glanced around, as if checking for eavesdroppers, but considering they were in a room full of people, she wasn't sure how useful that was. "It's sort of a long story, but my father is... rather insistent that I begin courting someone." He grimaced. "That sounds rather forward, doesn't it? What I meant is, I'm simply not ready for that yet, but I'll never hear the end of it if I don't at least try to mingle. Since you're from a different kingdom anyway, would you be willing to dance with me?"

Aqua blinked. That was… a rather strange request. Or rather, the reason behind it was rather strange. "What does being from this- from around here have to do with it?"

"Well… let's just say my father will be very interested in anyone he thinks that I'm interested in. I wouldn't want him to be able to hunt down every maiden I dance with."

Strange as his reasoning was, he seemed sincere. Besides, why should she turn down a dance with no strings of unknown intentions attached?

"Alright," she replied, smiling a little. "I can make time for one dance."

XXX

Vanitas wanted to throw up.

Aqua was dancing with some loser, sending off enough light that he could taste it from all the way up on the balcony. How did the idiot do it? Vanitas had been pacing up here for a good five minutes, trying to decide how to lure Aqua away from the party. Unversed would have been his first choice, but that would be too obvious. This was a task that needed to be performed discreetly.

Maybe he was overthinking it. If that loser could just walk up to her and ask her to dance, then surely Vanitas could too.

The thought of dancing with her made him want to throw up too. It was the best idea he had, though. He couldn't risk waiting too long. Even if his spell would last, there was always the chance that Terra could show up. While Vanitas was confident he could take on both keyblade wielders at once, Xehanort would kill him if he hurt his vessel.

The sooner I get this over with, the better.

A few turning hallways and a flight of stairs took him to the ballroom entrance. He tugged on the collar of his buttoned jacket, which somehow seemed to choke him more than his tight suit. Now was the moment of truth. Would anyone notice him?

He stepped inside. Nothing exploded. No one screamed. In a strange irony to how exposed he felt without his mask, he was more invisible than he'd ever been before.

With a confident stride, he made his way through chatting and dancing couples in the direction he'd last seen Aqua. As he did, though, a table of appetizers and desserts caught his eye. He paused, torn between getting his mission over with, and stealing some deliciously unguarded food.

His watering mouth made the decision for him. After loading up his hands with tiny cakes and sandwiches, it was much easier to focus. He shoved them into his mouth one by one as he made his way to the center of the ballroom.

He wasn't the only one who was interested in Aqua, apparently. A whole crowd had gathered around her and the well-dressed loser.

"But who is she, Mother?" A girl with a pink dress and a feather sticking up a foot over her head asked.

"Do we know her?" Asked a different girl who looked just as disgusting. More disgusting, actually, because her dress was puke green.

"Well, the Prince certainly seems to," the first girl said.

Prince? That dancing idiot is in charge here? Of course Aqua would have been able to attract the most important person in the room. Besides himself, of course. A growl rose in the back of his throat. How was he supposed to sneak her out of here when she'd attracted the attention of the whole ball?

His eyes flickered to the girls in the disgusting dresses, who were watching Aqua with envy. No wonder the prince wanted to dance with her if girls like this were his other option.

That gave him an idea.

"Hey, you." He pointed to the girl in the pink dress, who jumped in surprise. "What's your name?"

"Who are you?" She asked, searching him with her eyes. He resisted the urge to cringe at what might have been his first case of eye contact ever, and instead stared right back at her.

"I'm a guy who can get you a dance with the prince."

That was all he needed to say. The girl nearly fell over herself to tell him her name, Anastasia. A much prettier name than the face it was attached to. Her green-dressed sister gaped as he led Anastasia into the empty circle of floor where Aqua and the prince were dancing.

"I'll take care of the girl. You just be ready to take her place with the prince," he instructed Anastasia.

"Oh, I was born ready," she gushed breathily. Ugh. If he had been anyone else, he would've felt guilty for dumping this idiot on anyone. But he was Vanitas, so he didn't.

Forget Anastasia; Aqua was the only one who mattered now. He was confident in his cloaking spell, but if there would be anyone who could somehow see through it, it would be her. He resisted the urge to tug on his collar, took a deep breath, and slipped in between the dancing partners.

His fingers twined tightly with Aqua's; his other hand found her waist. It was so quick that she barely had time to gasp at the switch. His head spun at her light-filled scent; he nearly tripped as he twirled her away from the prince. He vaguely saw Anastasia pounce on the man like a hungry piranha.

"Wh-where did you come from?" Aqua sputtered. In spite of her shock, she kept her waltz in perfect time, which was more than he could say for himself. For all his grace and speed on the battlefield, he didn't know a thing about dancing. Thankfully this particular song didn't call for anything fancy; he watched her feet and mimicked the motions.

He shrugged with a smirk and called upon the narrative he had invented for himself. "Same as you, I'd suspect. Not around here." For all the confidence he projected, his half-heart was racing. Aside from when he stole light from the Princesses of Heart, the only time he'd been this close to someone was in combat. And that someone was usually Xehanort. Xehanort didn't smell intoxicatingly of honeysuckle and cold rain, Aqua's particular flavor of light. Though it wasn't as strong as the Princesses of Heart, it was crisp and sharp, like it could cut through him without even trying.

Aqua looked startled that he had recognized her foreignness so easily, but he didn't know why. She hadn't even bothered to don a disguise. All the better for him; seeing her in one of those hideous dresses might have made him decide to kill her too soon.

"Well, thank you," she said, shocking him. "All that attention was starting to make me uncomfortable."

He lifted his eyes from their feet to glance around. Though some clusters of people still looked interested in them, most had remained focused on the prince and his new graceless dance partner.

"If you're not looking for attention, then why were you dancing with the prince?" He asked suspiciously.

Her eyes widened. "That was the prince? It all makes so much more sense now… I thought they were just staring because I'm dressed… well, not in a dress."

That was still probably a part of it. Prince or no prince, Aqua would likely draw stares no matter where she went. "And thank the- thank the light for that," he muttered, nearly choking on the word. "I don't know a thing about fashion, but even I could tell you all those dresses deserve to be set on fire." He snorted. "So you didn't know he was the prince, huh? Then how did he get you to dance with him?"

"It was a favor," she replied, then blushed. "That sounds arrogant. He asked me because I'm from out of town, that's all."

And you said yes? Why? Because she was a girl and would just dance with anyone, probably. After all, she was dancing with him without any complaint.

"I wasn't planning on staying long, though. In fact, I should be going…"

Well, almost no complaint. He frowned dangerously. Which, of course, she could see now that he wasn't wearing his mask. Void, this was harder than he'd thought. Too bad he couldn't just kill all these people and be done with it.

"Please," he said, channeling his inner (well, outer) Ventus. It didn't work, because the word burned his throat on the way out. "I could use a favor more than that id- prince," he caught himself.

"Well… alright. Since you did get me out of there." She smiled a little. It was surreal, being on the other end of that expression.

She has no idea, he realized in relief. His cloaking spell was working better than he'd thought.

"I'm Aqua, by the way," she introduced herself as they waltzed, slowly drifting towards the less-populated side of the ballroom.

He barely stopped himself from saying "I know." He couldn't get so complacent; the draw of her light was still clouding his judgement. How long would it take his nose to get used to it? Maybe he could take a little extra time to find out.

"What's your name?" She asked when he didn't offer it in return.

He cursed mentally. In his invented reason for being at the ball, he hadn't thought to include a fake name. How had that obvious fact escaped him?

He realized something that almost make him laugh aloud: he didn't need a pseudonym. Aqua didn't know his real name - and she wasn't going to live long enough to find out.

"Vanitas," he answered with a smirk.

"Vanitas," she echoed, somehow managing to make his name sound melodious. It was the most bizarre thing he'd ever heard. "Doesn't that mean 'emptiness' in…?"

"Yeah," he replied curtly. Of course she'd know her Latin. "Not my pick, but it fits."

No, if he had his pick, he'd still be Ven, and the idiot running around with his face would've been stuck with the new name. But he'd worn it long enough now to get attached to it.

"...Do you mind if I ask why?"

His fingers constricted around her hand. "Yeah. I do."

"I'm sorry." He could feel her palm begin to sweat. He couldn't scare her off now, not until he could find an excuse for them to move outside. With the party in full swing, the courtyard was sure to be empty now.

"Whatever," he mumbled. Talking about himself would only lead to uncomfortable situations; he needed to keep the conversation about her. While also avoiding insulting her or being an all-around jerk.

Let it never be said that he backed down from a challenge.

"Why did you come to this st- party anyway?" He asked. His collar itched, but he couldn't risk letting go of Aqua to tug on it. The second he moved away, he was afraid she'd somehow manage to slip away, and then he'd have to track her down to some other backwater world.

"I was looking for some friends of mine," she answered. "But, I was also told that 'every eligible maiden' was supposed to come. The guards were… rather insistent."

"Huh." He had a hard time imagining anyone forcing Aqua into anything. He'd spied on her enough times to know how stubborn she was, seen her argue with that bullheaded Terra more than he could count. How those two were even friends always confused him. "You find who you were looking for?" He tried to keep his voice casual.

"No, unfortunately." She sighed.

Fortunately for me, Vanitas thought.

"I know one of them is avoiding me. Possibly even both of them," she said for some unfathomable reason. Did he look like he cared about her life problems? ...Well, he had asked. See, this was why there was no point in being nice. Then people just thought you wanted to hear them spill their guts.

"Sounds like they're not very good friends then," he replied bluntly.

After all, they weren't. Terra took her for granted and was jealous of her; Ventus thought she was controlling and overbearing. That was how Vanitas interpreted their actions, anyway. They didn't deserve Aqua; he'd known that much for a long time.

That's why it would be so satisfying to make them lose her.

"That's not true," Aqua countered. Of course she would defend them, no matter how many times she got stepped on. "They're both just going through some difficult times right now. I know they'll come around. I just hope I can keep them safe until then… But, you've heard enough about me. What about you? What brought you to this 'stupid party'?"

He blinked at the knowing smile on her lips. So she'd caught that, had she? He was going to have to up his game - or try a different approach. He snorted. "Same as you, actually. Just looking for someone."

"Oh? Did you find them?"

"...Yeah," he replied, a smirk tugging on his own lips. The best lies were the ones that held some truth.

He lifted his eyes from his shuffling feet to catch her gaze for a moment before needing to focus again. The one-two-three gliding motion was almost starting to feel natural when the tempo of the orchestra shifted. He groaned as her movements sped up to match.

"You don't have much experience with dancing, do you?" She laughed, pulling him along.

"No," he deadpanned. "Dancing is-"

He bit his tongue, but she got the idea. Her eyebrows rose. "Let me guess: stupid?"

"Am I that predictable?" He muttered. He hadn't realized he'd said that out loud until he caught her stifling a laugh.

"You're certainly interesting, Vanitas." She fell into a back-and-forth swaying pattern that didn't match the music as well, but didn't tangle his feet. Thank the Void for that, the last thing he needed was to trip and fall on his face when he didn't have his helmet on. "If you don't like dancing, then why were you so eager to dance with me?"

Curse him and his loose tongue. It was his first time talking to anyone but Xehanort or his Unversed, but that was no reason for him to be so careless.

He looked up. Without the distraction of the complicated waltz, he was finally able to hold her gaze for the first time. Her eyes were so blue, the kind of blue his used to be. The chandelier's light danced in them, but for the moment, paired with her sharp smell, he thought it was her own light seeping out.

"Because you're beautiful,"he said simply. Strangely enough, those words didn't stick in his throat. They tumbled out easily, despite a Hareraiser of embarrassment threatening to escape with them. Why should he be embarrassed, though? It was the perfect lie.

After all, the best lie was the one that was true.

A blush spread over her face. "Thank you…?"

Why did she look so awkward? He finally said something nice for once in his life, and she looked ready to run again. Girls made absolutely no sense.

"That wasn't a compliment. That was a fact." He shrugged, feeling his own face heat in spite of himself. At least the Unversed wasn't trying to burst free anymore.

She dodged his gaze, but said the last thing he ever expected her to utter. "Um, well… you're rather handsome yourself."

The ballroom could've exploded right then and he wouldn't have noticed. He stopped swaying. Blinked. Opened his mouth, and closed it again. "...What?"

She raised her eyebrows. Something twinkled in her eyes; he was sure it wasn't a reflection this time. "That's just a fact, you know."

...Was she teasing him? Or worse: was she flirting with him? Sure, he'd been confident he could get her to dance with him, but this… he needed to end this, quickly. Before the thrill stealthily rising inside him and her intoxicating smell wiped out his better judgement entirely.

"...Of course I know." He let go of her waist to tug on his collar. Stupid scratchy embroidery. "Now that we both know we're attractive, how about we ditch the stupid dancing and get some fresh air?"

"Um, I-"

He didn't give her much choice. He dragged her by the hand towards a side door of the ballroom, grabbing a tiny cake off the refreshment table as they sped past. Right as the slipped through the door, he thought he saw a certain brunette keyblade wielder enter the room, with - who the heck was that? The sparkles on her dress threatened to blind him.

That was close, he thought as he shoved the cake in his mouth.

A few moments later they stood on a balcony overlooking a sprawling garden, lit by a near-full moon. The crisp night air cleared the fog shadowing his brain. What was he doing? He was here to kill Aqua, not court her! Xehanort's orders were clear: Aqua had no place in their plans. They had planned to ignore her, until she surprised Xehanort by passing her Mark of Mastery. He didn't know why the old geezer had been surprised; Vanitas knew Aqua had more brains going for her than Ventus and Terra put together, and her magical skills were nothing short of impressive.

Clearly, she was a threat. A threat that stood next to him, leaning against the balcony, still holding his hand.

Get over yourself. If she knew who you really are, the only way she'd get this close to you would be to slit your throat.

That was a lie - and not the true kind. She'd send a Triple Firaga his way, so she wouldn't even have to get that close.

He mentally cursed when she looked towards him with concern in her eyes. Ditching the mask had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now…

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

Deja vu punched him in the face. Had he not heard that same question only a few hours ago, only to realize no one would ever say it to him? Stupid as it sounded, the three-word sentence warmed the void of his heart.

Even if this was all a lie, even if it could never last, he was going to clutch it until it was ripped from his fingers.

"I'm-" he turned away and sniffed, "fine."

Wow. That was convincing. What in the Void was he doing? He didn't cry - not anymore. He just had to remind his body of that.

"Vanitas," Aqua said softly, placing her free hand on his shoulder, "I don't know why you really came here, or why you wanted to dance with me, or what you're going through… but is there any way I can help?"

Yeah. You can die. Or you can stand back and watch while the old geezer and I possess your friends. Take your pick.

"No." The tears dried up before they could form. He was surprised no Floods had tried to leak out; maybe stealing that girl's light had suppressed his disobedient emotions. If so, it was a welcome side-effect.

"Are you sure?" She asked sincerely.

That was when he thought of something - something his pride barely allowed him to think. Something he would barely admit to himself. Something he wanted more than almost anything.

"Actually…" He choked out the words, "Can I… can I have a hug?"

He was pathetic. Completely, utterly pathetic. At least he had the dignity not to make puppy eyes like Ventus would have. ...Even if his would've been way better.

She blinked at his request, but her surprise didn't last long. "Of course." Leave it to Aqua to feel comfortable hugging a complete stranger.

She let go of his hand to wrap her arms around him. He hadn't thought this through - her scent was everywhere, flowers and rain and everything pure and burning and searing and beautiful and painful. But pain, that was something he was used to. The feeling layered beneath it, though… that was something new. Something warm, but not in a way that burned; something that filled him, but not with hate or rage.

It felt exactly how he imagined reuniting with Ventus would feel.

He finally remembered to put his arms around her too. Then, fearing she would let go, he held her as tightly as he could, fingers digging into the back of her shirt.

A real person, he thought deliriously. A real person is actually hugging me. And I have to kill her.

The thought just made him cling tighter. He had to be crushing her lungs by now, or she was stronger than he thought. She let go with one arm, but before he could panic, her fingers were combing the haphazard spikes of his hair.

I'm not your freaking pet, he mentally protested, but the words wouldn't find their way to his lips. The small gesture was something he'd seen her do to Ventus. He'd always vaguely wondered how it would feel to be in his other half's place, surrounded by friends who cared about him. Maybe Aqua had finally given him a taste.

I can't do this. I'm a heart of darkness, for Void's sake. I can't let her light get to me…

Now would be a perfect time. She wouldn't be expecting a thing. Just cast Stop, and then shoot a bolt of Dark Thundaga through her heart. She wouldn't even know what hit her.

She would die comforting him, over a curse she didn't even understand.

"Vanitas, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" She asked, still running her fingers gently through his hair.

"I'm sure," he mumbled into her shoulder. "But Aqua… thank you."

They were the last words he ever expected to leave his mouth. Even worse was the fact that he actually meant them.

She smiled. He couldn't see it; he face was still pressed against her shoulder. Instead, he felt it grace the top of his head. "Thank you. For trusting me, even though we only just met. For letting me help you."

Heh… she had no idea.

Feeling as if he were peeling off his own skin, he pulled back from her. He was only delaying the inevitable, he knew, but there was something he wanted to ask her while he still could.

"Aqua… why did you want to help me? Why are you being so nice to me?"

She frowned slightly. The moon cast long shadows across her face, making the frown look deeper than it actually was. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

Yeah. About a million of them. "Don't answer my question with another question."

She stared out over the garden, thinking. "Then I suppose I'd say… because I wanted to get to know you. Someone who has a name that means emptiness, and with eyes as sad as yours… You seemed like someone who could use a little extra light in your day."

Sad? Once again, his face betrayed him. As soon as he was done here, he was shoving his helmet on and never taking it off again.

"Huh," he grunted. It wasn't much of a reason. It sounded like she wasn't even expecting to get anything out of their meeting. It was so… selfless. He could hardly comprehend it. "And here I thought it might just be because I was handsome."

She laughed, but the moonlight caught her blush. "You certainly seem to think highly of yourself."

Says the one who said it first. "Figure I might as well. I don't expect anyone else to do it for me." It came out more depressing than he meant it, but he was tired of the pity party. "Come on, I've had enough of the view from here. Let's go for a walk."

He turned without waiting to see if she wanted to follow.

One last chance, he thought. It'll be safer down in the garden, anyway. Less chance of witnesses.

After all, no matter how much his suddenly bipolar heart protested, it would come down to his life or hers. And he wasn't nearly as selfless.

A/N: I hope this didn't escalate too fast, this is a bit different style than how I've written Van/Aqua before, and I hope it doesn't come off as too OOC. Next chapter will be some more Terra's POV and then maybe Aqua too

Also, if you like Van/Aqua, there's a poll you can vote on in my profile for what project I should work on next. (Not that the Terra/Cinderella and Van/Aqua option on there is this story, so if you vote for that I'll consider it to mean updating this one faster.)