I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix/Disney

Setting: Before BBS

Love Hurts

She had suspected it, after analyzing the way Ven wrung his hands together whenever he spoke to her. It was clear that something was up with him when he started to ask to hang out with her, only to say nothing and not look at her the entire time. She'd been nearly certain she was correct when his breath hitched whenever she snuck up behind him and touched his shoulder.

Eventually, the flowers on her pillows, flowers that she had spied Ven picking this very morning, dispelled whatever doubts Aqua had.

Terra thought it was hilarious.

"Aw, our little Ven's got a crush!" he crooned, peering over the top of his book. He was seated on a couch, feet up on the armrest, and for once Aqua was too distracted to scold him.

"Terra, this isn't funny!" She buried her face in her hands. "What am I supposed to do? I can't break his heart, but he's just my friend and . . ."

"Aqua, relax." Squinting through her fingers, she saw Terra holding a hand up. "It's not like he's going to want to make out or anything. At his age, the most he's going to do is hold your hand."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He pulled his legs off the armrest, so that he was sitting up straight. "It's perfectly harmless, Aqua. He'll grow out of it."

She took a deep breath. "Okay, if you're sure."

"Just humour him," Terra suggested. "You'll see."

Terra turned back to his book, and Aqua was left with her thoughts. She paced through the castle, wandering outside where Ven was happily chasing a butterfly.

Well, it's not dangerous, she thought. Terra's right: it's harmless. I could humour him.

She smiled as Ven pounced, barely missing his prey. He was so cute and innocent, he couldn't possibly have anything more than a juvenile crush on her. It would be cruel to trample that dream into dust.

She was about to call out to him when a cold shiver ran up her spine. The hairs on her nape rose as she felt eyes upon her.

She looked around, but other than Ven, she could see no one.

Standing in the doorway to her room, Aqua smiled. This was . . . wow . . . where did Ven even get these?

She saw Terra walking by and had to wave to him, hissing at him to come over and see. Terra did, a mischievous smirk on his face, one that faded to utter shock when he looked inside her room. Her entire bed was covered in black roses, with a few lonely petals on the floor. She nudged Terra, trying to bait him into giving her a reaction.

"That's . . . impressive," Terra said. "I didn't even know those existed on this world."

"They don't," she said. "He probably begged someone to pick them up for him."

Terra's eyes widened as he saw her suspicious stare. "Not me!" he claimed. "I had no idea Ven was planning this, and he tells me everything!"

"Aw, feeling a little rejected, Terra?"

He rolled his eyes. "As if."

"Hey, guys!" Ven strolled up to them, arms crossed behind his head. "What are you staring at?"

She and Terra exchanged a look. "See for yourself," she said.

Ven bounded into the doorway eagerly, freezing mid-bounce. The smile dropped from his face.

"Wh-where did you get these?" he asked.

Terra snorted, taking his stuttering as a confession. "I wonder," he drawled.

"Oh . . . well, uh . . . that's really cool, I guess."

Ven's tone wasn't right. Now, she was the one to lose her smile as she studied Ven in concern. He didn't look pleased with himself, nor did it look like he was trying to hide anything. If anything, he looked uncomfortable. Really, really uncomfortable. And not in a good way.

"Didn't you put these here?" she asked Ven.

Ven shook his head. "No, it wasn't me."

She didn't know whether or not to believe him.

The next day, Ven gave her a bouquet. She could tell by his expression that he was trying to outdo the surprise she had found yesterday.

She knew then that he had been telling the truth.

"Aqua, it's your turn to get more firewood."

In the middle of chopping up some vegetables for dinner, she stiffened. "Terra, I'm a little busy here," she pointed out.

He laughed. Sneaking up behind her, he slyly slid the cutting board away from her. "I'll finish up," he said. "But I'm tired of always being the one to cut wood, so you're going."

"I'm in the middle of a delicate recipe!" she snapped. "I can't just leave."

"You're making soup," he said.

"Soups can be complicated," she said defensively.

"You haven't even started. You're still prepping."

"Well," she gave him what was probably a very strained smile, "you're going to come help me carry the logs, right?"

"You don't need help, not with those." He pinched her biceps. "You could just use a Magnet spell. That's what you did last time."

"But . . ."

He sighed loudly, cutting her off. He placed his arm on the countertop, then stared seriously at her. "Okay, what's going on?"

She bit her lip and looked away.

"Aqua, come on. I swear not to tell."

"Pinkie-swear," she said shyly.

He locked his pinkie with her. "Yes, I pinkie-swear."

She swallowed, taking a moment before saying the words she had kept bottled in for so long. "When I go outside, especially when I'm alone, I feel . . . I feel like someone's watching me."

"Someone's watching you?" He blinked, taken aback. "Maybe Ven's been stalking you or something. I mean he does have a kiddie-crush. I wouldn't put it past him."

"It's more than that," she said firmly. "It doesn't feel like Ven."

"Can't imagine what it'd be, then," he said. "We're the only people who live on this world. How long has this been going on?"

She rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed. "Since Ven gave me those flowers," she admitted.

"Maybe you're getting a little uncomfortable with his attention, then."

"I don't think so."

Terra grunted, tapping his fingers on the counter. "Well, I still don't want to be the one cutting up logs today. Why don't you get Ven to go with you?"

Yes, that was an idea. "I think I will. Thanks, Terra!"

It was a little more awkward than she had expected. Although Ven had eagerly agreed to join her, once they were outside, he had elapsed into his habit of being quiet and trying to glance at her subtly.

She sighed. "Ven, is something wrong?"

"Wrong? No, nothing's wrong," he mumbled. "It's . . . I . . ."

When he appeared to be losing steam, she prompted him with a little, "Yes?"

He shuffled his feet, cheeks red. "Could . . . do you think we could hold hands?"

Ah, there is was. Just like Terra had predicted. "You want to hold hands?"

"Yeah!" He said that a little too quickly, and frantically backpedalled. "I mean the forest is pretty big, and I don't want to get lost."

"Of course not," she said good-naturedly. She held out her hand to him and grinning so wide it probably hurt, Ven grabbed it.

A beat passed.

She tore her hand violently away from him, Rainfell appearing in a flash of light. Ven should have been hurt, she would have been hurt if someone had done that to her, but he wasn't. He seemed just as alarmed as her and had spun around so that they stood back-to-back.

"Did you feel that?" he whispered.

She nodded breathlessly. Yes, she had felt it: a sudden wave of heat – rage – followed by a cold spell. Her goosebumps had goosebumps. Rainfell hummed anxiously.

"Aqua, over there!"

She followed the direction of Ven's finger. He pointed straight at a clump of shadows, where something was stirring. Red eyes opened, fixed on them and then the monster rushed at them.

"No!" She shoved Ven aside, ripping through the monster in one clean stroke. It fell to the ground, chin bouncing, before disintegrating into a black mist.

"What was that?" Ven asked.

"I don't know," she said. It didn't seem like a heartless, but what else would disappear like that.

Crack. A twig snapped, and then another. And when she looked up, she saw they were surrounded by monsters.

"Ven, get your keyblade!"

They weren't too difficult to slay, but numerous. Where were they all coming from? She didn't understand, but soon that confusion was lost in the chaos of battle. She was like a dancer, light on her toes, diving this way and that in her fight, always aware of where Ven was. They drifted past each other, went back to back, all sorts of manoeuvres that would make someone think they shared a mind.

Then, there was one left, and she charged past Ven, destroying the monster with a quick thrust to its head. Breathing heavily, she let her keyblade finally fall, wiping her sweaty hands on her clothes.

"Hey, get off me!"

"Ven!" She whirled around, snatching up her keyblade, expecting to see another wave of those beasts.

But it was not a monster that held Ven hostage, at least she didn't think it was one. This was a humanoid figure she stared at, black and red, topped with a domed helmet. Her reflection stared back at her, glinting off that helmet, which completely encased the stranger's head. In his hands, he, too, held a keyblade, a keyblade whose blade rested against Ven's throat.

"Ven -!"

"Not a step closer!" the masked boy warned. "Or else it's curtains for him."

She froze, mouth going dry.

"Dismiss your keyblade and get on your knees," the boy said.

Ven was shaking his head, pleading for her not to listen. But she had to. If she didn't, Ven would get hurt . . . So, she dismissed Rainfell, and sunk down to her knees, holding her hands up to show they were empty.

More monsters materialized, these ones heavier and meaner-looking than the ones they had fought. They leaned on Ven's limbs, holding up claws close to his body, daring either one of them to do something stupid.

The masked boy rose, stalking towards her like a tiger.

"Hands behind your back," he demanded.

Shakily, she obeyed, folding one on top of the other. She could feel just how cold and clammy her flesh was, feel a vice tightening around her throat. He walked behind her, out of her eyesight, and then she felt something touching her ankles and wrists. Within a few seconds, it became apparent they were being bound.

But how could he tie up both at once? She looked backwards, at her ankles, and horror engulfed her. She was being restrained, but not with rope, but with monsters. A cluster of small, purple monsters, ones that she had Ven had just spent time destroying, were wrapping themselves around her. The way they bent, it was obvious they didn't have bones.

"Shh," the masked boy stroked her chin as she started to panic, "they won't hurt you."

She looked up at him. They wouldn't? Why not?

She thought it over. Maybe he just needed them out of the way, so that he could escape or continue doing whatever he had been doing. Yes, that could be it. And then, when he left, Ven would free her, or she would free them, or Terra or Master would come looking for them and rescue them . . .

There was a whoosh. She looked behind again, seeing a hole that oozed darkness.

No, not a hole.

A portal.

The boy grabbed her by the hair and started to pull.

"No!" She fought back, launching forwards. The boy was nearly thrown off his feet, but recovered in time. Swiftly, he caught her chin, twisting it to face him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said.

He twisted her face again, forcing her to stare at Ven.

No. Oh, Light, no.

Ven was still firmly pinned to the ground, and one of the monsters was standing by his head. Its jaws were open, one half on either side of Ven's head, ready to clamp down and kill him.

"Please, don't hurt him," she begged.

"Then I suggest you cooperate," the masked boy said.

She dry-sobbed, then forced her body to relax. And Ven, seeing her surrender, began to scream.

"Aqua! No, Aqua! Terra, Master, help!"

But they didn't come, and Ven couldn't do anything as she was dragged into the darkness.

I've seen a few stories where Vanitas ends up having a crush on Aqua because of Ven's feelings for her. This is my version.

Also, I'm on vacation starting tomorrow, so it'll be a while before any more updates.