Summary: Terra finds that he keeps messing up even with the smallest of actions.
He fails his hardest when Aqua falls with a terrible illness.
Terra is 11, Aqua is 10.
Rating: K+

The hike up the mountain was arduous, but doable. Terra had somehow convinced Aqua to follow him all the way to the peak of the massive spiral that stood several miles away from the academy, telling her it had the best view of the entire area.

It was true, he'd been up this trail before. Just not by himself.

For an eleven-year-old boy, Terra certainly had spirit. "The Master always said that hiking was good to build strong ankles," he said as he hopped up several rocks.

The two children were blocked from continuing further due to a rather short cliff side that stood in the way on their trail. It was probably seven feet tall at most, but they were so close to the peak at this point.

"This will be easy to climb. Like a tree. No problem," Terra began to position himself to start climbing. For a kid who had been playing on these mountains since he was six, this really wasn't much of a hassle.

"Easy for you to say," Aqua muttered under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear. The ten-year-old had only arrived at the academy two years earlier, her long hair tied in a ponytail and graced in a white bow.

The climb was a little trickier than Terra had initially expected. There were one too many times where he had to stay in one position to search for another crevice to use as a grip, and this was tiring. However, he had a distinct advantage, considering that he had been growing so tall so fast.

"Terra, you promised this will be a good view!" he heard from below him. She sounded very annoyed.

"We're almost there!"

And right he was. When they reached the summit, the academy stood far below in the distance. Beyond, they saw silhouettes of mountains that were not visible to them down by the academy, snowcapped, beautiful, and strong. Against the light of the sun, this was a sight to behold. Birds flew far below them. The sky was overcast, and this gave the entire view a misty look. The wind blew hard at times, and it was sharp and cold.

"Wow, I wonder what it's like to fly from here." Terra couldn't keep his eyes away from the horizon of mountains.

Aqua spit hair out of her mouth and tried to keep it off her face. "Let's not do that."

"Hey, did I ever tell you the story about a demon that sat on top of a mountain?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I tried reading it from a book the Master had when I was little. It was full of evil stories. A monster sat on a giant mountain like this one." He waved his arms to gesture the grandeur. "And it would summon ghosts and stuff."

"So what happened to it?"

"I don't know. Master got mad at me for reading it and took it away."

"What's the point of telling me a story with no ending?" Her hands found her hips, and her hair blew all over her face.

"Sor-ry, Miss Smarty-Pants." Sometimes, she could get really annoying. Why have an attitude when they went through all this trouble to get here.

In the distance, the clouds grew thicker and darker. A troubling sign when alone on such treacherous and unpredictable terrain.

Terra's stomach dropped a little bit and his throat clenched, unable to hide the nervousness in his voice. "Maybe it's time we should head back. We shouldn't get stuck out here in the rain. If it thunders, that's really bad."

The wind blew harder as they made it down the trail they had just finished climbing up. They both wore light jackets, but it wasn't enough to keep them warm, the cold now shearing through their clothes.

At the cliff side, Terra tried to climb down as fast as possible but he slipped, and fell on his back with a resounding thud that knocked the wind out of him. Aqua was stuck near the top, not knowing how to get down fast enough.

Very sore and a little dizzy but otherwise alright, Terra brushed dirt off himself, feeling droplets of water slowly hit his face. "Aqua, just jump, I'll catch you!"

"I can make it eventually!"

"We don't have time for that!"

Aqua moaned as though she was trying to protest, but let herself fall. The landing sent Terra reeling backwards as his back took another blow.

He quickly got up, grunting when his knee nearly gave out, and clasped her hand. "C'mon, we really have to run."

The two friends, hand in hand, ran down the rocky terrain as fast as they could. The rain started to fall in full, soaking the children with a freezing punishment. Terra slipped in the mud, dragging Aqua down with him. Ugh, he was way too sore for this.

They continued after she helped him up. Visibility was getting low as the rain came down harder. Thunder struck loudly.

Oh no.

"We need shelter." They headed immediately to an area spared by the downpour, protected by a ledge that jutted far out from the cliff side. It didn't stop the muddy water flowing down the mountainside, which continued to soak them. But this was better and far safer than being out in the open air.

Thunder crashed again so loudly that Aqua jerked. They held each other, shivering as they waited out the storm. Terra tried to cover her with part of his jacket, even though it was soaked. The rain beat down so loudly that it drowned out their voices, making it hard for them to speak without yelling.

Heat overcame him, accompanied by a green aura, which was both welcomed and foreign. She was running her hands over his back with healing magic, melting away the pain. He mouthed her a thank you.

Still shivering, she then conjured a fireball to burn continuously and spin in her hands, which helped to keep the two of warm.

For what seemed like forever, the rain continued to scream down at them, even after the thunder wore off. Terra contemplated making a run to the academy again. Or is that going to hurt her? Master always said I was the oldest, and I should look out for her.

They were shivering so much that it began to get painful when they got rigid. But a voice called their names, competing with the loudness of the watery onslaught. Master Eraqus, covered in a tarp that did little since he was just as soaked as they were, looked under the ledge where the two children huddled together.

"I'm amazed the two of you made it all the way out here. Look at you, soaked to the bone," he said as he gave them tarps of their own. Terra wasn't certain if the Master was too worried to be angry, but he didn't look forward to getting home now.

The next morning, Terra arrived to the dining room by himself. The night before, the Master drew them both hot baths, and the children threw themselves in with their clothes on. Eraqus was strict when he ordered them to get into dry clothes, although he served no punishment... yet. Maybe it was because he was too relieved that they were alright.

Still, it was weird that Terra woke up first. The Master entered the kitchen and began preparing a stew.

"Master, where's Aqua?"

"She's very sick, Terra. She can't get out of bed."

A hard lump formed in Terra's throat.

"Is she... " Terra's voice was soft and nervous.

"Terra." The Master sounded as though he was going to give Terra a scolding, but contained himself as if to spare the boy. "Where did you get the idea that taking her up the mountain was going to be beneficial to you?"

"I... I just wanted to show her something cool."

"Terra, you really need to learn to think things through."

"I- I'm sorry... Is she going to die?" Terra's voice was shaky. She's my only friend.

"Terra." The Master was stern. "She's not going to die. I do not think I will punish you for this, but you will need to make up for it. I think you understand your guilt, and you will probably feel worse when you see her."

Terra had nothing to say to this.

"Do you want to do something to make her feel better?" The Master took out a tea kettle.

"Yes, sir."

"Then come. I will show you how to make the best teas for any kind of sickness."

The cough coming out of Aqua was hoarse, deep, phlegmy, and loud.

Eraqus touched her forehead. "What an awful fever," he said quietly.

Terra slowly approached the side of the bed, a cup of steaming ginger tea in his hands. Aqua's cheeks were flushed, and her hair damp as if she had been sweating. She opened her large eyes, and Terra could barely refrain from crying out loud.

"Here, we made you this," was what he said instead.

Aqua sat up weakly, and took the cup in her hands. When she drank it, her eyebrows went up and she was taken aback.

He could have messed it up. "You didn't like it?"

"No, I like it. It's just strong." Her voice broke a little, too much energy spent in speaking.

"It looks like it's going to be a long recovery for you," the Master said. "Terra has been tasked with making you tea every day."

"I'll make it better next time." Terra smiled meekly as Aqua coughed. He didn't think she would accept an apology if he gave it.

Days without Aqua were boring. Terra had been assigned by the Master to read several books on medicinal herbs to prove his commitment to redeem himself after putting her in a dangerous position, but he was still allowed to play whenever he wanted.

But it was of no use to play without a mate. Eraqus used to play with Terra when he was much younger, far before she came around. Now, when she wasn't there, Terra was left to his own imagination, which didn't talk back.

Terra sparred by himself by practicing his posture and movements, but there was no one there to cheer him on when he was doing well, or to help him improve. Or to argue with him when he messed up and he didn't want to hear it, in the snarky way that she would do because she needed to act like she knew everything. Or to tease him when he tripped.

Their favorite past time was always to sit in the field close by the academy and stare at the stars. Seeing so many of them in the sky by himself only made the loneliness worse.

He noticed each night he brought her the third cup of tea for the day that she would stare out her window from her bed. It was much better to stargaze with her here, and he would bring her different games every night. Sometimes, he'd bring her new storybooks for them to read together.

As the Master predicted, her illness really did take long to recover. Eventually, Terra needed to do something different. Something to make up for getting her sick. A simple discarded cardboard box was the perfect canvas, and he carved images into it. When he brought her tea that night, he replaced her lampshade with his box, and it formed lighted shapes all over her room, covering her walls with speckled man-made wonders.

"Stars!" She laid back into her bed, taking her time to inspect each shape he made for her.

"Some of them are." Terra laid down on the floor next to her. "Can you tell what the other ones are?"

"There's a sun," she pointed, her nose still stuffy. "And I can see a moon there. That one looks like a bird." She paused for a moment and then pointed to one that hovered near the corner of her room. "What is that supposed to be?"

"A lizard."

"It looks like a blob."

"You try carving a lizard if you think you're so good at it."

Aqua laughed as she turned to her side to view him from above. "I like it anyway. Can I keep it?"

Terra blushed at the thought, but luckily it was too dark in the room for her to notice. "Sure. Whatever."

"Hey Terra, what about that story you told me about? The one with the demon that sat on the mountain?"

"I told you. The Master wouldn't let me finish it."

"You don't think that book will be in the library?"

It could. "Hm, I want to find out what happened, too. I'll find it, the Master never throws books away," he said, with all the confidence of someone who knew exactly what he was doing.

In daylight, the library looked massive and tall, gold accents spread all over the white walls. The windows were just as impressive, giving the impression that everyone who wandered in floated among the mountains. Terra took continuous laps around the shelves, trying to spot the book. He finally caught a glimpse - there was no way that he could forget the look of it. The only black book on this specific shelf, thick and adorned with vine-like designs on the spine.

However, it was way up where he could never reach by himself. Fine, there was always a ladder kept somewhere around here. It was a rickety, thin, frail ancient thing. Easy to move around, but it shook when he climbed on it. He reached for the book as soon as he got to the top, but he still wasn't tall enough to get to it. The ladder shook heavily as he stood on his toes, and he grabbed the shelf to stabilize himself.

He remembered his Master's words. How he really needed to learn to think things through. Aqua was usually the one to heal him so he often avoided trouble, but she's forbidden to use magic now that she's sick. If he fell and hurt himself, there wouldn't be a way to hide it from the Master.

He carefully climbed back down, and thought about this plans. It was most likely inevitable that he would fall, and the library had way too many hazards.

The only solution, then, was to let himself fall without getting hurt.

The bookshelf stood close to a long table and chairs, a spot where they would normally read books together. If I fall on that, I'll definitely break my bones. That has to go.

He pushed the long table up to be parallel against the wall opposite the shelf, and stacked the chairs on top of it. It left an open space of bare floor - a terrible surface to break his fall.

There were several couches and lounge chairs around the library. From them, he brought back eight pillows, and placed them neatly around the ladder. It looked naked of full protection, however.

So, he went to the foyer on the ground floor, where a couple of more lounge chairs stood, each with an adorned pillow. But they were still not enough to soften the blow.

He traversed throughout the entire second floor, where several smaller libraries, the kitchen, and guest rooms were located. The long hallways had a few couches spread throughout, like small sanctuaries for anyone too tired from walking through them all. And he took pillows from every single one. From this floor alone, it took him three trips.

And yet, they still didn't give enough padding, just in case the worst happens.

Understandably, he explored the rest of the floors. Seven of them total. The uppermost floor was mostly storage, many of the antiques and old furniture were covered by a bedsheet to keep dust off of them. Terra removed these sheets to see if he can find old sofas and lounge chairs. He opened chests to see if anything inside was useful to him. In the end, he poured all the pillows he could find into a makeshift wrap, perfect for carrying his spoils. He then thought it would be a good idea to have these sheets as a final layer to keep all the pillows together, and went back up to collect them all.

When he finally finished, he had enough pillows and sheets to makeshift tall beds for at least ten older children. There's no way I can get hurt now.

He climbed to the top of the shaky ladder, up on his toes again to reach for the book, and he leaned on the shelf for stability. Now though, there was room to push his limits.

The book was barely out of his grasp, and he focused on stretching himself to his maximum as the ladder shook harder under him. Success - he grabbed the book by the tips of his fingers, and with all his force, pulled it out. The momentum pretty much threw him backward off the ladder.

He landed on the pillows - a soft, but dusty, landing. There were so many, in fact, that when the ladder fell to its side, it didn't make any loud noises.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, reading the title of the heavy trophy he finally won. Tales of Darkness, it read, the ornate decoration of a woman's face with snakes for hair on the cover. It was definitely the right one.

He scuffled off the pillows, tripped over them, and ran off from the library to show her the book.

The book was full of many different tales of monsters, demons, and vague stories of dark powers possessing people. It even had colored drawings of what these demons looked like.

"What a scary book," Aqua said, her loose hair covering her shoulders. She stood up and sniffled as Terra showed her the contents, the sun shining through her window. "Are you sure we should be looking through this?"

Such an Aqua thing to do, to be more careful even with ideas that were hers to begin with.

"Well..." Terra continued to flip through the pages, eager to find the demon that captured his imagination years before. "I was seven when I first read it. I think I'm old enough now."

And there it was. A drawing of a humongous man with glowing yellow eyes, horns and bat wings. He was so large that his body was part of the mountain itself. What a complicated name, though.

"Cher-na-bog?" Terra read.

"Let me see," Aqua turned the book around so she can take a look. "He looks exactly as you described him."

Terra took a moment to read a little bit. "He sleeps on a mountain, and every 100 years he comes out to haunt the villagers in the valley by summoning ghosts and lesser demons. They suffer an endless night until they can banish him."

"Yeesh. How do you stop him?"

Terra scanned through more words, but footsteps coming from behind stopped him from reading aloud. He turned on his chair to see the Master standing in the doorway to Aqua's room.

"Terra," the Master said, with the tone that spoke volumes of how he thought the boy was most definitely guilty of something. "Can you explain to me the mess in the library?"

"I got a book for Aqua." It should have been obvious to the Master that this was the case.

"What book is worth all that trouble?" Eraqus touched his own forehead to grovel over what could possibly had possessed his apprentice to do such a thing. He sighed loudly the moment he caught sight of the book. "What are you doing with this?"

"I wanted to find out about..." Terra held the book close to his face. "Cher-na-bog. But I don't understand what it's saying about stopping him."

Aqua leaned forward and scrunched her bedsheets in her hands. "Please Master, tell us how he was defeated."

"Yeah, please Master. I don't know what it means when it says that he was turned away by the sound of bells and the light of... ann-gulls?" Terra said.

"It's angels," Eraqus said.

"What's an angel?"

"Some worlds believe that light can be personified as figures of guidance and protection. This demon was banished because these beings came down to stop him."

"But what does that mean?"

The Master gently took the book out of Terra's hands. "Terra, there isn't even proof that such a creature exists, anyway. They're all old fables. But what does exist is that mess you left behind. And a proper Keyblade wielder knows how to tidy up his affairs."

Terra crossed his arms and scowled.

"Terra, I promise you will get the answers you seek when you are older. Think of yourself as a future angel when you finally are able to forge your own Keyblade. Do you think an angel, therefore, will be messy?"

With a flick to the boy's head and a small grin that still expected obedience, the Master left with the book, and Terra took his sweet time to stretch when he stood up, delaying his chores for a long as possible. Aqua laughed behind him.

"I wonder what it was you did," she said as she tucked her knees to her chest. "Thanks for taking care of me, Terra."

Terra blushed and made sure she didn't see it. "Yeah, well, okay. You're welcome. Whatever."