"Wonderful, new memories... ...we'll make many"

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That evening, the grand hall was silent. It had been a place bustling with activity... day-to-day training, meetings between apprentices and Masters, hell... even hours of meditation sessions felt more energetic than it does now. Terra silently paced the hall, approaching the three empty thrones towards the front of the room. He stood there for a while, as he did back when... ... He took a deep breath in, and held it as a flood of memories surged through his mind, letting it all out as they faded from his vision.

"Hey... father," he paused, a half smile forming on his otherwise empty expression, "if you really think I have what it takes, to become a Keyblade Master..." determination quickly replaced his uncertainty, "then I will stop at nothing to get there. I promise, in your honor..." Pressing his palms together, he bowed.

He turned on his heel, heading towards the staircase, stopping suddenly to gaze down the hall of the Nothern corridor. They arrived earlier in the day, taking time to check things out. Nothing seemed out of place, and all was restored prior to their return. It was nice, not having to do clean-up... or being forced to see the land in a state of disrepair. Magic certainly is a wonderful thing. After hours of silent exploration, Aqua took off on her own. Despite not wanting to to separate from her just yet, he also felt it was best for them to go about adjusting on individual terms. It wasn't a race. But still...

"I'll see what she's up to," he decided, taking a turn down the corridor, his eyes shifting from door to door. Quiet study... bathroom... linen closet... balcony... Aqua's room. He stopped in front of the closed door, knocking lightly. No response. "Aqua?" he tried again. Still nothing. Furrowing a brow, he reached for the door handle, pushing it open just enough for him to see into the room. There was no one there. Curiosity got the better of him... He stepped inside, taking a moment to look around.

"Not here..." he determined, taking a closer look at everything. She was always particular about her things. Clothes neatly tucked away in her closet, nothing tossed about, even her crafting space was as organized as it could be. He smiled, catching a glimpse of remnants from her last project- the Wayfinders. Colored glass piled neatly on one side of the desk, steel rods adjacent to them, string looped around a pair of pliers she always kept handy. He envied her talent. He had always taken a liking to woodwork himself, but he still felt he couldn't compare to her. It was a different sort of hobby, he supposed-

"Nosy, aren't we?" His whole body tensed, as he whipped around to see her leaning against the doorframe. How long had she been standing there...

"Uh... " he looked around, nervously, "I... thought maybe you were... here," he crossed his arms, a bit of red dusting his cheeks, "I... shouldn't have snooped around, I'm sorry."

She laughed. Must have been getting a kick out of this. "Hmm... Well, you're forgiven." Relief. "Though I have to ask..." And there goes the relief. "What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" His head tilted slightly, searching for an answer, "I was just seeing what you were doing. That's all."

"Oh. Well..." as if trying to find the answer in the air around her, she let her gaze shift about from one wall to the other. "I've just been roaming. Seeing what was the same, or... if anything had changed."

"And your verdict?"

"Nothing. Nothing's changed, as far as I can tell at least..."

Pushing herself from where she was leaning, Aqua strode over towards her friend, eyes venturing the room. "Can't believe it's been over ten years... " For what it's worth, the whole place aged quite well... aside from some dust on the shelves, everything stayed in relatively good shape. More of magic's doing? "Maybe it was just frozen in time for so long... a likely case..."

Her external monologuing was amusing. To Terra, at least. He noticed that she did it a lot, mostly when she had something on her mind. Typically before exams, or trying to solve puzzles... he decided it helped her to figure things out.

"And you? What were you up to?" the question interrupted his internal analysis of her quirks, and he shook his head.

"Not really anything..." it was a boring answer, but truthful. "Reminiscing, I suppose."

"Oh...?" Now, she was intrigued... "About what?"

"... Uh... hmm..." The Master? All of their years of training? Ven? The last thing he wanted to do was burden her with his trip down memory lane. "You know... just moments from when we were younger."

She didn't respond initially, trying to trace her own memories back to said times. While a few flashbacks resurfaced, some remained supressed. Were they bad times? She couldn't quite remember... but of the ones she could clearly visualize, she felt a particular warmth in her heart. "I see..."

"Was that a dumb answer?" Terra laughed, paying mind to the amount of time that passed prior to her responding. Quickly, she responded with a sudden 'oh!', and shook her head.

"No, of course not!" she laughed as well, but not to tease. "Actually, I've been thinking a lot about the past, too." It was only a half lie. She did think much about the past, though maybe not as far back as he would assume. The bulk of her thoughts, however, honed in on the future. No matter, she would stick with her previous statement... "It just seems so... different, without everyone here."

"So... sad?" Well, that certainly was another word for it.

"Hm... I mean..." She suddenly became a bit more serious. "Being here, the way things are now, is kinda sad..." She closed her eyes, "but," she continued, smiling as her eyes flitted open again, "You're here. So... it's not that bad."

He wanted to roll his eyes, but instead, he nodded. "Good. I'm glad you're here, too." It was more obvious a statement than he intended, but didn't think it hurt to remind...

Oddly, Aqua felt a bit of relief. She wasn't quite sure why though. But it was a nice feeling.

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They left her room, taking a stroll down the hall. They came to the balcony, stepping outside to watch the sun set. It was a lovely scene, deep crimson clouds contrasting sharply against the yellow-violet dusted canvas of the sky. It was a picture that Aqua hadn't seen in a long time. She sighed, leaning over the banister, letting the colors soak in the back of her mind. Terra, on the other hand, has experienced sunsets like this many times. The circumstances weren't ideal, but they were beautiful nonetheless. Still, watching them all those times made him long for his days back home. It was almost surreal to be back here, in his own body. No longer plagued by the presence of Xehanort in his heart. It was all his now...

"You alright?" Her voice penetrated his thoughts, prompting him to snap back to reality. She seemed concerned. He hoped he hadn't blocked her out for too long.

"Yeah. Was just thinking about... things," he didn't want to keep her in the dark, but he didn't really know how to explain it to her... "Xehanort had resided in my heart for so long... I never thought I'd be back here, like this, without him," he looked thoughtfully at her, noting her own expression did the same, "it's a strange kind of emptiness. Not the bad kind... but... I need to make sure to fill in that extra space," his pause was brief, "with wonderful, new memories."

Concern was replaced with relief, as she nodded towards him. "We'll make many."

They were quiet for a while. The warmth of the day had started to dissipate, and the stars came to greet them. Sparkling bright in a sea of the darkest blues. The view from the castle was nowhere near as beautiful as the one from the summit, but still... Just being able to see the sky like this was a gift in itself. One that was much needed, for the both of them.

"Hey," Terra nudged Aqua with his elbow, as she hummed at the gesture, "let's head up to the summit. I'm sure the stars are twice as bright up there."

"Mm... actually," she started, stepping closer to the door leading into the hall, "I think I'm gonna call it a night. It's been a long day."

Initially, he was surprised that she declined. Stargazing was one of those activities she wouldn't give up for the world. At the same time, it had been a long day for the both of them. He didn't want to admit it, but he could feel his own feet starting to drag as well...

"Alright. We'll have other opportunities." She nodded tiredly in response. Well, half as a response... half because she was tired. The distant sound of his laughter, followed by a pat on the shoulder, and suddenly, she felt her body being pushed back towards the hall.

"Hey... Hey!" as if waking from a trance, she turned to glare at Terra, brushing him off, then distancing herself a good couple of feet away. "I may be tired... but I am capable of moving myself..." she grumbled, but all in good fun. There was a certain appreciation shared by the both of them for this temporary return to normalcy. It almost felt like no time had passed at all... For now, they could relish in the reminiscent banter of the years past.

Stopping in front of her bedroom, Aqua turned to Terra, smiling fondly. "Hey, thanks."

"For what?"

Before she answered him, she turned again so her back was now facing him, "for making the return a little bit easier."

So... Maybe she was also struggling, just a little bit.

"No problem. And thanks to you, too." He truly was grateful. Neither of them had to return alone.

"Have a good night," she said, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Good night, Aqua." He lingered there for a moment, before making his way towards the Southern corridor. It never really occured to him just how big their home was, until he found himself standing outside his room, a good distance away from where she was.

It was too much distance.

"Except... nothing's changed. This is how it's always been."

But tonight, for some reason, it just felt like so much more.

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