"Wow, I never knew you could come this far out." Vanille said excitedly as she looked out over the rocky beach across the vast expanse of sand towards the shoreline.

Ventus looked over his shoulder at the dark gray sand with a faint smile. "When the ebb tide hits the entire cove is above water for a good three hours. The last hour or so the tide will start to come in and we'll need to head back unless we want to swim."

Vanille giggled. "We could just stay here right? There's another low tide later today right?"

Ventus' face heated a little and he looked away from Vanille nervously. He jumped as her arms slid around his waist and she hugged him gently.

"Thank you for bringing me here. It's certainly different for a first date."

He managed a smile, his heart in his throat. "It's not over yet, there's more."

Turning from the rocky shore, he led the way inland towards the redwoods that dotted the island's rocky surface. Despite the hard ground, like much of the area there was a rich layer of topsoil, moss, and grass that allowed for the massive redwoods that were such a signature of the area. Vanille followed besides him with a happy smile as she looked around at everything excitedly.

"You've lived in out here your entire life but never came out here?" Ventus asked.

She shook her head. "I never knew you could come out here. How did you find it?"

"My brother and cousin used to run out across the cove when the tide was down and then back again. They'd rest on one of the islands until the tide came in and then they'd swim back. When I turned fifteen I started doing it with them."

"That's so sweet." Vanille replied, clasping her hands behind her back. "I wish I had a story like that."

Ventus stopped and checked his surroundings. "This way." he led the way towards a rocky outcropping, pointing down at a jagged tear in the ground.

"We're going down there?" Vanille asked uncertainly.

He nodded. "Trust me." he said as he stepped into the crevice. "I've done this dozens of times." he held up his hand to her.

Vanille looked down at him nervously before she simply stepped off the edge and dropped into his arms. Ventus' eyes widened as he caught her around the waist.

"Are you okay?"

She smiled at him playfully. "My prince caught me."

Ventus' face flushed as he put her down, lighting up his lamp and leading the way into the cavern.

"Stay close and watch your step, the floor is pretty uneven."

She clasped both her hands around his free hand. "Okay."

Ventus swallowed, feeling a thrill run through him as Vanille moved closer to him in the gloom. It had taken Cloud, Leon, and Auron and all their antics the other night at Barrett's to get him to ask Vanille here with him and now that she was here with him...he had no clue if he was doing anything right though Leon had been more than willing to help out with advice.

"Just be yourself, share something you think is special with her and see what happens." he'd said.

Well this was something special, not just to him but to his family and friends who'd come here with him in the past. Sharing it with Vanille seemed like a good idea, she'd already said that this was different for a first date, and different was good...wasn't it? He shook his head. Psyching himself out wasn't going to help anything. He looked forwards as the bright shaft of light from his lamp illuminated the path ahead. They were almost there. Turning the next bend the tunnel opened up into an open cavern with stalagmites, stalactites and even full columns.

"Here we are." he said with a hint of eagerness as he placed the lamp on the ground.

Vanille looked around them with a frown. "I don't see anything. Just a bunch of rocks."

Ventus smiled at her. "That's because the lamp is still going." he knelt down, his discomfort forgotten as he immersed himself in his element. "Watch."

He flipped the lamp's switch and for a brief moment their world was plunged into darkness. Vanille yelped and latched onto his arm painfully, but her grip slackened as the show began. The rock formations began to glow in a vibrant rainbow of colors, shining brightly in the gloom. Ventus looked down at his arm where Vanille was holding him, following her hands up her arm to her face. She looked beautiful lit up by the myriad colors shimmering across her features.

"Wow." she breathed breathlessly, leaning against him. "This is...this is amazing."

Ventus felt himself smiling. "Yeah...we found it by accident when my little cousin Sora fell down the entrance once."

"It's beautiful." she whispered, going to the nearest column and tracing her hand over the colorful bands that traced their way in spiraling layers up its face. "What makes it glow?"

"The minerals are naturally luminescent."

"Huh?" she asked quizzically, turning to regard him in confusion.

"They glow in the dark because of their chemical composition." he explained. "It has something to do with the moisture in the air down here. The water makes them glow." he took her by the hand and led her deeper into the shimmering cavern. "This way."

They passed the radiant rock formations, the swirl of colors wrapping around them in a glimmering shroud. They came to a stop at a deep pool, more an underground lake, that stretched into the glowing luminescence of the cavern's depths.

"This is where the water comes from." Ventus said as Vanille released his hand and stepped forwards towards the water's edge.

She turned and gave him a radiant smile. "You can swim right?"

Ventus blinked. "Yeah I can, but I never—" he stopped as Vanille kicked off her shoes and then slid out of her skirt, leaving her in her top and shorts.

She grabbed his hand. "Come on!"

"Hey wait, we've never swum down here, it isn't safe."

She laughed. "Where's the fun in safe? Come on, it'll be fun." she'd already tugged him into the shallows despite his best efforts to resist her.

That was when he tripped over some submerged rock in the crystalline water and fell forwards onto Vanille who yelped in surprise as they both tumbled into the shallows. The water was icy but that was hardly what had his attention in that moment. Ventus propped himself up and found himself staring down into Vanille's eyes as she lay in the water beneath him.

"Ah! Sorry!" he exclaimed as he attempted to get off of her

She didn't let him though, looping her arms around his neck and holding him in place with a playful smile. "Now you have to swim with me." she giggled.

His eyes traced over her body beneath his, partially submerged as he straddled her. His heart was still in his chest, but just barely. He was certain that it was going to explode out of its cavity any moment. Vanille squirmed beneath him, the motion rubbed up against Ventus and his body tensed achingly.

She smiled at him coyly. "Not on the first date silly. I just want to swim."

"Uh, right." Ventus said with a flush as Vanille released him and slid out from beneath him.

She walked out in the shallows and looked back at him. "Well, you coming?"

Ventus nodded dumbly as he took off his shoes and doffed his shirt, leaving him in his shorts. He joined Vanille again, ignoring the cold water as it deepened around him. Vanille turned towards the drop off. Without a word she dove into the rock lit water and swam beneath the surface. Ventus followed suit, jumping in a far less graceful manner as he righted himself beneath the surface and followed after Vanille. She came to the surface and so did he, following in her wake as he came up with a gasp, his lungs filling with the chill air.

She smiled, looking around them at the lighted cavern. "It's all so magical."

Ventus reached out his hand, entwining it with hers beneath the surface.

"I wanted to share something special."