Summary: Terra meets Aqua for the first time, and doesn't know how to comfort her pain. Or how to handle her at all.
Terra is 9, Aqua is 8.
Rating: K

First scene is based on a drawing by Imaginative-Joy, which you can find on my profile! This is kind of pseudo-fluff, with some horror/dark elements to it -
I like to be the deviant after all dfkjsklgd. I also thought that Nomura really sold himself short when he didn't use
Final Fantasy characters like Ardyn in his games - such a lost potential.

Terra knelt down on his knees in the dark hallway, overlooking the corner ahead of him. The door to the Master's office was partly open, a faint light seeping out. This meant that only the desk lamp was on. The Master would never be able to figure out if something (or someone) was hiding out in the shadows behind him, ready to strike.

Gripping his wooden sword in his hand and whispering a silent promise to save the Master at all costs, Terra scuffled towards the door. The Master was there alright, reading through some papers. The lamp illuminated everything on his desk, but it was barely able to touch the bookshelves, the empty fireplace, or the trophies, gifts, and souvenirs that the Master collected over his many years of being a Keyblade hero. He didn't notice that Terra was at the door watching him. How clumsy.

Terra crept as quietly as he could. He froze when the Master sneezed and wiped his face. Onward he went when the coast was clear until he managed to stand behind his father-figure.

"Take that, freaky pointy monster!" Terra swung his sword and stabbed it up through the ponytail that stood awkwardly out from the top of the Master's head.

"If it's that unsightly, perhaps I should cut it," Eraqus said, flipping through the pages as though nothing had ever happened.

"But then you won't be yourself anymore." Terra pulled his sword out from his latest hunt. His Master was safe. All was good for the night. "I don't want you to change."

As if Eraqus suddenly remembered that a young boy needing attention was in the room, he rubbed his eyes and leaned back away from his desk. Terra smiled and nearly jumped. The castle was always empty and quiet unless he was running around and yelling, saving any object he picked to be his rescue victim from imaginary dangers.

"You have far too much energy so close to bedtime," Eraqus said, patting the boy's head. "Let's go. I've spent too much time focusing on these documents that I've nearly forgotten to review your studies."

It was time to impress, and Terra darted out of the office. He knew where they were going, and he knew he was going to be the perfect student that the Master could ever ask for.

They walked beyond the gardens and out onto a hilly valley where there was a clearing by a small creek. Terra was never allowed this far from the castle by himself, but with Eraqus trailing close behind him, he was given the freedom to take them wherever he wanted. The creek downhill was the best stop. Terra leaped and tumbled all the way down the hill laughing, until he eventually rolled to a stop. He eyed the stars for a bit until he could hear the Master make his way in his own pace.

He swung his legs as he stood up, with plenty of energy to circle the area around, looking for his cue. The Master settled by the creek. Bingo. He marked his target, sprinted, and hurled himself onto the Master's back from behind.

Eraqus let out a loud gasp, and chuckled as he grabbed Terra by the shoulders.

"I'm getting too old for this," he said as he flipped Terra over him. The boy had the proper reflexes to land on his feet.

"How am I supposed to test my awesome skills if I can't use them on you?" Terra rolled over to a kneeling position as he settled on his knees.

Eraqus cleared his throat as if to make a protest and Terra realized his mistake. "Sir. I need to test my awesome skills on you in order to improve, Master sir."

The Master chuckled and gently shook his head. "Three years you have been my pupil and still I have to remind you to mind the hierarchy of which you work under."

"Whoops." He then cleared his own throat. "Uh, I mean, whoops, sir."

A smile under that bushy mustache formed, and Eraqus didn't attempt to hide it. He never really hid any of his laughs. But Terra knew better than to relax when his lessons were going to be discussed.

"Well now, your studies," the Master began. "I've had you read two books on the formations of all worlds. If I am not mistaken, you have learned about a brief history of the great Keyblade War, and the legends that tell of how the worlds were separated. Here is your question: no matter which world you would visit, no matter who you may end meeting someday in the future, what is the one thing that will always be present?"

Terra looked down at the fists he was making on his thighs, his knees buried into the grass. What was the right answer?

He knew the Master always told him that no answer was a perfect one. He was never given tests, and was always questioned verbally, or given assignments to write out his interpretations. But sometimes he made mistakes. And if he ever wanted to be Keyblade Master one day, he needed to perform perfectly.

He raised his head to meet his Master's gaze. "The worlds used to all be one, under the light of Kingdom Hearts. When they separated, they carried with them a piece of that original whole. Light will always be there." He held his breath.

"That was perhaps the most excellent answer I could have asked out of you," the Master said with an exhale through his nose. He rubbed the hair on Terra's head. "You have been growing so much as a student these past few years."

"Master, I have a question."

"Please, elaborate."

"Well, it sounds like you know that light is going to be there, giving life to each world. But how do you know that it's there?"

"Simple. You merely have to look up towards the sky."

"The... sky, sir?" Twinkling stars spread across every inch of the black sky above him.

"Yes. The light we are speaking of are the hearts of every world out there. Much like your own heart is beating a beam of light." Eraqus leaned closer, as Terra was entranced by the truth of the stars. All these years he watched them, ever since he set foot on these mountains, and he never noticed. "And we can see them," the Master continued. "I cannot demonstrate just how far away they really are from us, and yet we are witness to their glory. They all shine down, like a million lanterns upon us."

Terra continued to stare upward as he thought about what was told to him. He placed a hand on his chest. "What about my light? Can that be seen?"

Eraqus laughed silently. "The light within each of us is bright, that is for certain. Not the same size as the heart of a world, of course, these worlds are very large, so we can see them from so far away. But your light is there, all the same."

"Then how do I know that it's there? Is there a way I can look at it?"

Eraqus smile transformed into a hard line, and Terra swallowed a lump in his throat. What did I say wrong?

The Master closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, as if to calm himself. "Terra, you remember how I have told you that a Keyblade is an extremely dangerous weapon in the wrong hands."

"Y-yes, sir." Hearts were made of light and darkness. He remembered. "It is forbidden to harm, to touch, or to remove a heart."

His Master's stern expression softened, and he nodded. "You must have faith that it will always be there to guide your way. And your heart will connect with others, like mine. The light you create as you form these bonds will burn brighter, and will continue to shine on whatever path you take. Do you understand what that means?"

"That if I have friends, and if I have you, I can't go wrong?" Please let that be the right answer.

"Yes, that's right. I will always be there to watch over you." The Master ruffled through Terra's hair again, seemingly with more to say, but he stopped himself short. "Speaking of making connections, Terra, firstly I want to say that I am sorry I haven't been able to spend as much time with you as typical."

Terra wanted to say that he wished they could play together more often, but the Master was very busy doing important, heroic things. "It's okay, sir."

Eraqus smiled but shook his head. Is he happy and sad at the same time?

"Well," the Master said, "I have been gathering information on a certain incident that happened far away in another world. A great darkness has appeared, and I'm afraid something terrible has happened."

"Sir?"

Eraqus took a deep breath. "A darkness as black as what had just appeared will be old and powerful. It tried to target a child there, and therefore she is a person of interest. She could be someone that may join our school here. Maybe you might get to make a new friend."

"A new friend?" Terra had left the orphanage behind, although those kids he used to live with weren't exactly friends.

He used to write letters to them often, but eventually the letters he received in return dwindled down until he wrote to nothing but silence. It hurt too much after a while to continue writing.

"Yes. Whether she joins us is up to her. But I want you to listen carefully: she will be grieving the loss of her parents. I would like to take you there with me, as I hope that your presence there will be of comfort to her. Our main concern is not that she should join, but that she remains safe and that she heals from her pain."

"Yes, Master. I will do my best."

He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know what was expected of him either, or how to make someone who lost her parents feel better. He never knew his own, after all.

They continued to star-gaze as time slipped by without them noticing. It was only when Terra started yawning that Eraqus finally suggested going back to the castle. The boy didn't remember how he got from walking back up the hill to being carried into his room.

That short nap sufficed enough, however. When all was dark and he thought about light and how it must be shining from his heart, Terra left his bed.

The Master said that he had light for certain. It still didn't make sense, though. He carefully made his way to face his mirror, trying not to trip over the mess he always seemed to neglect. He attempted to summon magic, to summon light - by bidding a little prayer - to see if maybe, in this dark room, he can see his own shining.

But he saw nothing.

After breakfast, Terra raced to the Master's office. He was all ready to go, which meant that the day was starting perfectly - this mission should pass with ease.

With the sun shining through the windows, he could see exactly what the Master was reading the night before. The papers were fairly large, the lettering handwritten. They were tied together with ribbons, so they weren't exactly in a book quite yet. Sprawled open was a couple of paragraphs of text, and a hand-painted image of a man with his shoulders slumped over. It looked like he was completely covered in oil, with his hair the color of the wine the Master liked to drink. He was drawn with one hand lifted up like a claw, oil dripping far below it.

The Master broke his gaze from the painting. "Terra, do you remember what I said when it comes to traveling to other worlds?"

Terra stood as straight as he could, the perfect posture for a Keyblade wielder. "That the worlds need to keep their balance restored, so we can't talk about things like Keyblades or the existence of other worlds. If we have to use magic or if we have to fight, we let the people make up their own reasons to explain what they saw. Keyblade wielders will fade away as legends that the citizens share stories about."

"Very good." The Master traced his fingers on the text. "This will be the darkness that she must be protected from."

"Who is he?"

"There is no formal name. The records here have different ways to call him. The Shadow Man. The Man in the Hat. The Man in the Long Black Coat." The Master exhaled slowly. "He was human, once. Traded his heart for darkness when he was betrayed by his family, and he has festered for a few hundred years since. ... There is mention here that he may be blind, but that is not confirmed. I wonder if that has anything to do with how he seeks out light."

Terra swallowed a lump in his throat. On the one hand, this was too scary. On the other, he was too little to do anything and be a hero.

"Your only job, Terra, is to make sure she stays comfortable." The Master began to leave his office, leaving the pages open on his desk.

"Why would he go after her?"

"All children have a bright light within them. I suppose hers is particularly bright enough for him to desire. You see, light attracts darkness, and darkness hunts light. Part of being a Keyblade wielder means that we do not allow the darkness to consume anything."

Terra stopped for a moment, his hand on his heart. What if the Shadow Man went after his own light? Assuming he had a strong light anyway. Maybe the reason why he couldn't see it was because it was actually dim and weak.

But this wasn't an appropriate time to ponder such a question. The Master kept going ahead of him, and the boy silenced his thoughts as he ran after.

All the roads in that smallest of towns were made of dirt. They had initially landed in a larger town further up north, only to find out they were in the wrong place. The girl apparently had moved with her parents from there to a sizable farmhouse out in the countryside. So the Master and his pupil walked south, past what looked like an endless ocean of green fields and forests. But the heat was the worst. Even though he was wearing a loose shirt and khaki shorts, it was humid and oppressive, like something was applying pressure to his every pore, and there was no breeze to comfort.

The smaller town bore a few houses, a post office, a general store that was the only one to exist in the entire place, and a railroad train station. Every building was made of wood. It was weird to Terra, to say the least, how tiny this place was. Nothing like the enormous city he was from.

Inside the general store sat two women in cotton dresses and sun hats, and a man wearing overalls who smoked a cigar. Eraqus bought Terra a lime-flavored soda pop to cool him off and some fudge with almonds. The Master then made a passing comment that, considering how humid it was, the winters here must be the kind that seeped into the bones. This sounded like a good idea to Terra.

Eraqus introduced himself to the two women there as an investigator from the nearby city. He began asking them questions, although they were the kind of women to blabber on and on about gossip (they didn't need any questions).

"I don't know what kind of sins they've committed to have such atrocities delivered onto them-" one began.

"Oh no, they hadn't done nothing to deserve that. I knew them-" the other followed.

"Yes, yes. Saints they were. And that poor little girl-"

"It happened right in the middle of the day. In the bright sunshine-"

"I heard the darlin' didn't see anything. She was in school-"

"And everything was gone-"

"Yes, everything. The entire farmhouse house burned to the ground. And did you hear-"

"About their livestock? Coroner said that they were all poisoned-"

The women were incredibly enamored with these stories, almost as if what they were discussing wasn't actually terrible. The man with the cigar interrupted them, waving his free hand around as he got excited over his own information.

"Things ain't the same no more. Before, you used to trust a man with your own huntin' dog," he said.

The women nodded and agreed with him. One of them lifted her hands up and said, "Amen."

"Somethin's amiss," he continued. "Ever since that man came into town."

Eraqus at this point took his turn to interrupt, his arms crossed. "I have come to investigate him as well. Can you tell me more?"

The man took a slow puff of his cigar. "You from the city? Listen here, you city folk don't know what yer doing. It's because of you people that our quiet town is gettin' corrupted." He took another puff.

One of the ladies spoke. "The strange man must have been from the city. No one's seen him before-"

The other took her cue to join in. "Yes, and all those horrible stories I'm starting to hear. Have you heard about-"

"Jim Bob going mad? Yes, I heard. Peaceful man otherwise-"

"And then he lost his rockers out in the woods and beat his horse dead-"

"It's terrible business. And the fog we are getting out west? It's too hot for that-"

"And several farmers talking about how their crops are rotting-"

"And of course, the preacher's daughter-"

"She was blossoming into such a nice young lady-"

The man with the cigar interrupts again. "We had some men round up to huntin' this guy down after hearing about her disappearance. He's the biggest suspect we have in these violent crimes. He came here once. Sat right there." He pointed to a specific table, right in front of Terra. "I swear on the Good Book that there was dust on 'im."

Eraqus again took this opportunity. "Did he give a name?"

The man groaned a bit. "Ardyn. Funny name. Dressed like a homeless person, too. He had a funnier surname that I can't recall. But I swear on the Good Book, this land has been forsaken. The devil's afoot."

"I see." Eraqus grabbed a map that was on display. "The girl who lost her parents, where is she staying now?"

One of the women spoke. "She's staying with the Widow Tweed, a neighbor. Due south. You'll pass by the girl's old farm on the way. May the Lord continue to bless her."

The Master then ended the conversation by asking for directions to the girl's lost farm, promising to investigate the crops, the insane farmers, and the preacher's missing daughter. Terra felt relieved when they left the store, happy to have some peace and quiet.

"Those people are a little crazy," he said loud enough for the Master to hear.

Eraqus chuckled, probably thinking the same thing.

Nevertheless, the Master gave Terra a long lecture about how he should always give people the benefit of the doubt, and to help others even when they didn't seem like they deserve it. A good Keyblade wielder would be able to use proper judgment when the time came.

They passed by a group of boys playing together. Terra eyed them, since it was years that he had seen other kids.

Eraqus asked him if he would like to play with them, since it was hard enough for Terra to be the only student at the academy.

In truth, Terra wanted to, but memories of him being kicked and shunned by the other children at the orphanage flooded his mind.

He replied with a simple, solemn No, keeping his eyes ahead to where the Master was leading him, beyond the town limits.

It was yet another long walk, sweat dripping down his sides and soaking his shirt. They passed by what Terra assumed was the remains of the girl's farmhouse. If it still stood, it would have been wide, and maybe two stories tall. In its state now, everything was charred black, and the house was reduced to just some of its foundations. There was an abandoned barn nearby, the door to it barely hanging on. The outer walls to the barn had some scorch marks. The grass was starting to overgrow, and it was quiet.

This used to be someone's home. This girl would never come back to sleep in her bed, or talk to her parents again.

What if that were to happen, where the Master left and never came home? Terra gripped Eraqus' robes as the Master surveyed the damage. He reminded Terra how important it was to make sure that the girl was comforted, because this was her dire time of need.

It wasn't long after that through some woods that they came across another, livelier farm. It was far smaller than the destroyed one, although homely. A barn also stood behind this house, and Terra can see a chicken roaming around as some laundry hung on a wooden hamper. Further south was another farm in the distance - it looked functional but was much more run-down than this one.

These two farms were lonely, behind them were nothing but forests and shrubbery.

Eraqus knocked on the door and a middle-aged woman with a round face donning glasses answered the door, introducing herself as the Widow Tweed. The Master went through the same lie, where he was an investigator and a counselor, and asked about the girl. The widow invited them in and gave Terra a glass of water while she spoke of the girl.

"I just couldn't leave her all alone, the poor thing is far too young to go through such a disaster," she said as she shook her head. Her voice was incredibly soft and compassionate. "I try my best to keep things normal for her. I take her to school, and I encourage her to continue her dance lessons. Aqua hasn't really cried much yet from what I've seen, but I'm not sure what she's doing when she's by herself. I suppose her mood is going to change everyday."

Eraqus smiled gently as he sipped his own water. "She's blessed to have you there for her."

When Terra finished his drink, the widow offered to take the glass from him. He remembered that it was absolutely necessary for him to be on his best behavior. "Thank you, ma'am," he said as she took it.

She got absolutely giddy with his reaction. "He is so polite, it's nice to see that children are still being raised with manners." This meant he did well. She put the glass on her kitchen counter. "I don't have much space for you, but the two of you can stay in the barn with Abigail. She's a good girl, so she shouldn't bother you much."

There was no telling who Abigail was, but Eraqus was more concerned about Terra being able to meet Aqua before talking to her himself.

Mrs. Tweed lifted her hand to her face. "The only living thing that has truly helped her is Tod, my pet fox. She spends most of her time with him. She's out back. Terra can go talk to her if he pleases."

Eraqus placed a firm hand on Terra's shoulder. It was a lie if Terra didn't say he was nervous. He was always horrible at making friends, so how he could he help her when he didn't know anything about her?

Still, this was a mission, and he could not fail.

Just beyond the brick fencing that kept Mrs. Tweed's farm intact, he saw her. She sat on a rock, her blue hair done in pigtails. She wore a simple blue cotton dress with a pink plaid apron, and a fox rested on her lap. When he approached her, she looked up at him, her incredibly large sapphire eyes emotionless.

"Hi, Aqua," he said as he weakly waved his hand. "I'm Terra. My Master and I are guests at your house." It was probably a stupid thing to say, but he had nothing else.

She stared at him with a blank expression for a bit before looking back down to pet Tod. What am I supposed to say now?

Maybe he could ask who did her hair that way. Maybe he could ask about her parents. No, that was a stupid idea, it would only make her sad.

"That's a nice fox you have there," he said. And he hated the way he said it.

"His name's Tod," she said. Her voice was incredibly small, so low that if there was any other noise besides the sound of crickets, he wouldn't have heard her.

"That's a nice name."

And the conversation ended. He could ask how Tod got such a name, or he could ask if she liked to play with him. Terra found himself wishing that the Master was there to help him.

Tod's ears perked up, and the fox searched in one direction with his eyes. A puppy came running toward them, although the first thing it did was sniff Terra's ankles. There was no way to avoid it - Terra was gleeful at the sight, and bent down to rub the belly of the hound dog that was jumping up at him.

"His name is Copper," he heard Aqua say, in that same small voice. "He's Tod's best friend." She eyed him, waiting for his reply.

This was strange... A fox and a hound dog share some similar genes, but one was clearly meant to attract the attention of the other, and the other was meant to hunt down the one.

"Aren't they kind of... opposites?" Terra asked. "I mean, isn't a hound dog supposed to be trained to hunt and trap a fox?"

It must have been the question, because Terra knew that he didn't mean to hurt her feelings. Her gaze fell to the ground as Tod jumped off her lap to wrestle with Copper and she kept quiet. She didn't look as though she was going to cry, but it was an expression that told him her dreams were crushed.

"Well," he said, rubbing his arms, "if they want to be friends, then they can be friends. They don't have to follow what people expect them to. This is a sign that every living thing can coexist and..." He stopped. He was blabbing, and he knew that no one liked it.

Aqua again didn't reply to him, and simply stood up to leave him alone as she followed Tod and Copper when they raced into the woods. That sucked.

Not that Eraqus did any better. She came back with Tod during the evening, when Mrs. Tweed introduced her to him. Upon hearing that he was a grief counselor, Aqua simply turned away to walk upstairs.

"I already spoke to counselors," she muttered, without even looking Eraqus in the eye.

The Master didn't seem upset by her reaction, and simply let her walk away without saying anything. He stopped Mrs. Tweed from apologizing, giving his understanding to the situation.

She thus showed the two of them the barn where they would be staying. Abigail was a tall cow, and only a cow could look that bored while munching on the hay that was laid before her. Terra couldn't help himself but to pet her, and he giggled loudly when she mooed at him. The sound was so loud, and so ridiculous, how could he not laugh?

"Keep at it, and we'll never be able to go to sleep," he heard the Master say. Eraqus was already adjusting some loose hay that stood in piles in the corner of the barn.

Terra jumped onto a pile. It was spongey, but warm. Ugh, it was already a hot, humid night, and this was unpleasant. Still, he knew better than to complain too much. A Keyblade wielder never bickered about the kindness of strangers.

"I can't seem to talk to her, Master," he said as he stared at the ceiling. High in the barn was an open window, and he could see a sky full of stars.

Eraqus sighed. "You need to have patience, she's grieving. Her emotions will be all over the place. You need to expect that some days will be really hard, and some days she will act more normally."

Terra wanted to hear that it would get easier. But having patience in this moment meant nothing.

"But I don't even know how to talk to her." Terra sounded like he was whining, but he couldn't help himself.

The Master stood up. "You do not need to know anything. You just need to wait patiently. Have faith that she wants and needs someone to talk to - we all do when we are hurting. When the time is right for her, she will open up."

He made it sound so easy. Terra didn't ask any more questions, and the Master pulled out a necklace with an elaborate knot. It looked like the kind of pendant he picked up on some faraway world, just like all the trinkets he had in his office. He gave it to Terra, and motioned him to wear it.

When Terra put it on, the Master placed two fingers on the decorative knot. A light shined brightly.

"I have put a spell on this," Eraqus said. "It is a protective spell. It can only be used once, so remember my words. If anything were to happen, the first thing you will need to do is to stay calm. The second thing to remember is that the spell will transport you to a place near me. You then have to find me. Do I make myself clear?"

Terra grabbed the knot and hid it under his shirt, determined to memorize the words. Step one, stay calm. Step two, find the Master.

"Yes, sir." It was far easier than dealing with her.

To be continued...