"There's a legend about humans. Legend says that originally people were born with four arms, and four legs, and a head with two faces. The gods feared their power, and thus split them in half, so they were two separate entities. And so their lives began, an endless search to find their other halves, that could only end in tragedy."

"But that's just a story, isn't it? There's no such thing as… what do you want to call it, sir? Soulmates?"

The man smirked, his head tilting upward. "That's just what the gods want you to think."

{sweet aqua calder}

"Ah, smile!" The older boy cried, elbowing his small companion in the ribs. The boy grunted and adjusted his hat, glaring up at the man with narrowed blue eyes. "Today is a pretty day, isn't it? You should see the ocean, it looks really stunning."

"Aye," the boy hissed through his teeth. "A pretty day indeed, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that again, Sir Terra."

The man chuckled and adjusted his helmet as they passed through the bustling market street. "Don't call me that, you know titles mean nothing to me."

"Aye," the boy repeated, closing his eyes. "I know, I know."

"Then act like you know." Terra pushed through the crowd, despite the shouts and swears of those around him, and he broke into a sprint. The small boy cried out and scrambled after him, his hands flying to his hat as he called his friend's name.

"Terra, wait!" gasped the boy, his head whipping around, trying desperately to find the older boy in the crowd. "Dammit, stop!"

"Pick up the pace!" Terra cried over the chatter of the market. The boy growled under his breath and bolted under an arch, passing through the cobbled streets of the kingdom with a new kind of litheness. His eyes flickered around as he spotted Terra running down a stairwell made of stone, and the boy smirked. He ran forward and jumped up, his feet smacking against the stone banister, and he threw his hands up to keep his balance as his shoes slid against the polished stone. He was flying downwards, swiftly and steadily, and quick as a whip he pushed off from the railing, stepping in front of Terra as he reached the bottom of the steps. The man had a wide grin on his face.

"See," he said, giving the boy a nod of approval. "That's how you do it. Using your strengths to stop your enemies in their tracks? That's useful and clever."

"I was actually using my head," the boy sighed, rolling his eyes. "Not my strengths. Considering I have no strengths."

"Liar." The man rolled his shoulders and stepped onto the boardwalk, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Not many people can do what you just did. It takes a special kind of talent."

The boy rolled his eyes again and turned his head toward the sun, which glowed with an ever shining light, and he shook his head. "Think what you want, then."

"I will," the man said as they stepped onto the beach. There was no one really there, as it was a rather chilly day. Though there were some children playing with sand across the beach, that was it. Terra stretched and pulled his helmet off, tossing it into the sand. The young boy's eyebrows raised as the man unsheathed his sword, the smooth, sharp silver weapon glinting in the sunlight. Terra glanced at the boy, who stood with his arms folded across his chest, and a disapproving scowl on his lips. The brown haired man extended his blade, the sharp edge of it grazing the boy's neck. The boy gave his friend an look that suggested he was not amused, or fazed by this action.

"You're a real ass, you know that, Terra?" asked the boy with a sigh. "I really just wanted a nice walk on the beach for once. Is that really too much to ask?"

The man smirked and jerked his head, causing the boy to smile back. The boy threw himself to the side, jumping up and kicking Terra's sword from his hand. Sand blew into the air as the boy's feet moved swiftly across the ground, his hand flying out and snatching the hilt of the sword as it descended from its spiral. The boy grinned and cocked his head to the side, twirling the blade casually in his hand.

"You want a fight, then?" the boy brought himself into a poised fighting stance. "I'll give you one."

"Good," Terra snorted, pulling another sword from a sheath on his other hip, this one noticeably larger. The boy knew Terra had given him the lighter one because it would be easier for him to wield, but it still made him awful mad knowing he wasn't strong enough to hack and slash with that sledge hammer of a blade. Anyway, the boy rolled his shoulders and nodded slowly, backing up as Terra rose his sword, preparing to strike.

The boy leapt forward, his cheap, worn boots skidding across the sand, and their blades met with a sharp clang. The boy jumped back as Terra pushed forward, his strength a challenge to the boy who had arms like tooth picks. He wasn't much of a brute strength kind of guy like Terra was, which was why he was so difficult to fight sometimes. He really had a huge monster of fighting style, and it drove the boy crazy trying to dodge the massive attacks that sent him staggering.

But the boy was persistent, and lithe, easily ducking and blocking without a thought. His eyes were dancing along their small battlefield as he moved backwards and leapt onto a large boulder protruding from the sand. He kept one hand on his head, clutching his hat, while his other hand worked to slash at Terra with his blade.

"Worrying about your hat?" Terra grunted, bringing his sword down on the boy's, sending him stumbling backward. "This is a battle. Pay attention!"

"Sorry," the boy gasped, his voice going quite high. "I just… I don't know. Ow!" The boy's neck jerked as his cheek met the sharp edge of Terra's blade. "What the hell, Terra!"

"Always be prepared!" Terra snapped, drawing his sword back, a small bit of its side glistening crimson. "Stop playing with your hat, okay? In a real battle that kind of distraction will kill you in a heart beat."

"Well good thing I'm not fighting a real battle then," the boy growled, smacking his blade against Terra's his eyes blazing. Blood trickled down his cheek, his pale face flushed with anger. "Well, never fighting a real battle, really."

"Never say never," Terra snorted, pushing the boy back, causing him to crash against the boulder, his eyes going wide. Terra spun his blade, but the boy was quick, and he pushed himself atop the rock again while the tip of Terra's sword scratched against the surface of the boulder below him. The boy held his hat and jumped down, dancing out of the way as Terra slashed his sword upwards at him.

"I can't join the army, Terra," the boy hissed, his blade clashing against his friend's, and they stood there, their eyes locked for a long moment. Terra's cobalt gaze, and the boy's gentle, sapphire one, boring into one another with an intense ferocity to both. "You know that. It's simply not possible!"

"Impossible things happen everyday!" Terra growled, pushing the boy hard. He yelped, and stumbled backwards, and Terra took this opportunity to nick the back of his hand, causing his fingers to lose hold of the hilt of his blade. The boy swore and reached to pick his sword up, but the tip of Terra's own blade was pressed against his chest.

"Your stupid kingdom makes the rules, not me." The boy pursed his lips, raising his hands in defeat. "It's impossible. Only men can join the army."

And at this, Terra smirked, raising his blade upwards as it grazed the boy's cheek, and reached the top of his head. Terra cocked his head to the side. "And a man you are not," he chuckled, flicking his blade. The boy's hat was flung to the side, into the sand, and a long, sleek mane of azure hair cascaded down onto the boy's shoulders like a waterfall. The boy didn't look amused at all.

"No," snapped the girl, her light blue eyebrows furrowing. "I'm not. See the problem?"

"I see no difference, honestly."

"I guess you're just blind, then," she sighed, running her hands through her long blue hair, her eyes closing.

"Yeah," Terra said, rolling his eyes and leaning against the boulder. "It took me six months to realize you were a girl, and that was only because I pushed you into the river, and—"

"I know the story!" the girl gasped, shooting the man a look. "I don't want to remember that incident, okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Terra rested his sword on the ground and scratched his head. "You're moody today."

"It's a girl thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh."

"Shut up! Not that kind of girl thing!" The girl's face turned a brilliant red, and Terra simply laughed, laying back on the rock. "Oh, you're hysterical."

"Sorry, Aqua," he grinned, sitting up a little straighter. "What did you mean?"

"Never mind." Aqua shook her head and scooped up her hat, dusting it off. "It's stupid."

Terra looked at her, his tanned face glowing against the rays of sun streaming across the ocean, his shock illuminated. "Hey," he said quietly. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not stupid."

"It is," she said, twirling her hair up into a bun. "Forget it, Terra, I don't want to talk about it." She jammed her hat onto her head and turned around, shoving her hands into her pockets, her dirty face meeting the glow of the evening sun.

"Oh, don't act like this," Terra groaned, walking slowly up to her. She shot him a glare, edging away as he neared her personal bubble. He stood awkwardly beside her for a second, silence enveloping them as Aqua stared out into the sea, her cerulean eyes an echo of the swooping water.

"Act like what?" she asked softly.

"Act…" Terra breathed in sharply and scowled. "Act like I can't help you with your problems! Aqua, I'm not a total idiot, I can help you. I want to help you! Ever since you told me what your home life is like, I've been trying to find a way for you to get out, but I can't if you don't let me!"

"Stop being so dramatic," she hissed through her teeth, kicking some loose sand into the ocean. "I know, okay? I just… I don't want to get into this. My life as a boy, and my life as… as Aqua, they're so completely different, Terra." She glanced up at him, her eyelids drooping in sadness. She smiled a little and shook her head. "I just don't want anyone to find out and ruin it."

"I can help."

"No," she said sharply, spinning away from the ocean, and striding across the beach. "You can't!" She jumped up onto the board walk and stalked away, leaving Terra to collect his swords and helmet.

"Aqua!" he cried after her, his eyes widening. "Aqua, wait, please!" But she was already gone, disappearing into the streets, and Terra found himself standing alone, his feet sinking into the wet sand as the tide rolled in. He wished to reach out to her, but he didn't know how. She was his best friend… his only real friend, actually. He couldn't lose her, not to her family, not to a war. He just wanted her to be okay, and happy.

But she was neither of those things, and Terra knew that he would have to step in and change that.

"I'm home."

The girl looked up from her seat at her window, and her eyes widened, her face splitting into a grin. She dropped her book at her side, pushing her black bangs from her face, and she jumped off her window seat, her dull green dress flowing behind her as she rushed to greet her stepbrother.

"Terra," she gasped, bowing her head a little. "Welcome back! Did you enjoy your training?"

Terra nodded slowly, his brown hair tickling his face, and he licked his dry, cracked lips, glancing around the room. It was filled with knick knacks, like small tinker toys from a shop in the village, and sea shells he'd collected when visiting the beach lined the shelves. She had a few books, though not as many as she'd like. Terra would have to ask Eraqus to lend him one for her one of these days.

"Yeah," he said curtly, his eyes flashing to the open door. A guard was watching them with vigilant eyes. Terra scowled and shut the door behind him, sighing a little in relief when he felt himself break free of the gaze. "Yeah, it was pretty decent, Xion."

"Did you ask her?" Xion asked eagerly, pulling out a chair for him, her bright blue eyes wide with excitement. "Oh, please say yes!"

"No," Terra hissed, rolling his eyes as he took a seat. "I didn't, and I don't plan to. Aqua and I… our relationship isn't like that."

"Oh, please," Xion scoffed, waving her hand a little. She plopped herself down on her window seat and sighed rather dreamily. "I know all the classic signs of love, and the way you talk about Aqua… well, dear brother, you've gotten hit with cupid's arrow, haven't you?" She giggled as Terra's face transformed from half stoic, half exhausted, to fervently embarrassed.

"It's really not like that at all," Terra said with a growl, glaring down at his hands. "I mean… Aqua is… she's my best friend. Best friends aren't supposed to court each other, or anything. That's really weird."

"You're so dumb," groaned the black haired girl, burying her face in her hands. Her words were somewhat muffled now. "That's exactly the reason why she's so perfect for you! Imagine being with some other girl! Doesn't that make you feel weird?"

Terra stared at her, his face impassive. She was right, in fact, it made him feel rather odd, and almost frightened, but still. He believed quite truly that he was not in love with Aqua. Xion had just been reading too much romance. Maybe he should get her an adventure book to cut her off cold turkey?

"She's my best friend," Terra repeated. "And if I asked her to the ball, it'd be because she wanted to go, not because I want to be with her romantically!" Terra froze as he shouted these words, his eyes widening. "Oh."

Xion's eyebrows raised, and she sat up straight. "Oh?" she asked eagerly.

"Oh," Terra replied, pushing his chair back. "Oh, shit, I know what she meant now."

Xion blinked confusedly, her bright blue eyes widening in confusion. "Wait," she gasped as her stepbrother ran for the door. "What are you talking about, Terra?"

"Nothing!" He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. "Sorry I couldn't stay longer, Xion! I'll bring you back a book and a shell this time, okay?"

The girl's dark eyebrows raised, and she smirked at him, leaning back against her window. "Oh, trying to buy my love now, hmm, Terra?"

"Sorry!"

"No, no, keep at it." Xion pulled her feet up onto her window seat and yawned, waving him off. "I don't mind at all."

"I seriously hate it when you act like this."

She glanced at him and shook her head. "Just go get the girl, you hulk of an idiot," she muttered, grabbing her book from her side. Terra watched her for a long moment, debating telling her off or not, before he settled on walking away. She glanced up at him and sighed.

"Mother wanted to see you," she murmured to herself, and she opened her book.

The stupid oaf. The ball was tomorrow night, and he was really waiting this long to ask the girl? Of course, their mother would not approve of this date nonsense, but at least he was getting somewhere. She wondered if she'd be able to go to the ball, but then, she wasn't supposed to exist. So she settled in her window seat and pushed all thoughts of the prince's coming out ball (quite literally, as the queen, rather smartly, had kept his identity a secret for many years to keep assassins off him). She knew it was not her place to go there.

But still, she mused, staring at the page of her book she was on, her mind not digesting the words. It'd be so lovely just to go to see everyone.

The soft sound of the sea thrummed around her, lulling her into a strange trance-like daze. Her fingers were wrapping tight around the wooden rail, the wind pushing back her long black dress that billowed around her feet. Her face was glowing in the light of the sunset, and she breathed, her eyes drooping as her mind winded backwards to a week previous when she'd arrived on this ship of disaster.

She breathed in the sharp smell of salt, and she smiled a little, peering over the side of the rail, her eyes trailing against the water that lapped at the sides of the ship. It was really rather breathtaking, being at sea. Though sometimes the sight of water got a little boring, she managed to keep herself entertained. Years of practice.

"Lean too far and you'll go right over." The girl jumped and spun around, her eyes going wide as she pressed her back against the rail. "Be careful, won't you? You're quite valuable."

She felt her shoulders stiffen, and she glared at him, her arms folding across her chest. His face was masked by a shiny black helmet, and the rest of his body was all covered by various articles of clothing where skin might be seen. A scarf was tied around his neck like a kerchief, and he wore black leather gloves, and boots up to his knees. His shirt was black and he wore a tight vest over it. It was not abnormal, though the girl always thought captains of ships, even ships like the one she was on, had a much more flashy wardrobe. He looked rather like every other man on the ship, disgruntled and sort of drab. But all the girl had to go on was the stories Larxene had told her.

"You keep saying that," the girl said slowly, moving to push her hair behind her ears, before she remembered where all of it was. "That I'm important. Why am I valuable, exactly?"

"Can you say 'curiosity killed the cat', good lady?"

Her pale eyebrows furrowed as he moved closer to her. "Excuse me," she said softly, moving swiftly away from him and walking across the deck. But he was right on her tail, stepping quickly in front of her as she tried to flee. She stared at him with wide eyes, stumbling backwards.

"I would like to go to my cabin now, sir," she said sharply, her hands turning to fists at her sides. "If you don't mind moving."

"Oh, must I?" sighed the boy as she tried to brush past. He reached out and grabbed her arm, halting her, and she spun to face him, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Let me go!" she gasped, her voice breaking in terror. "Please, I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Oh shut up!" the captain snapped, his grip becoming crushing, and the girl let out a soft cry, flinching back. "I'm not going to punish you! Calm down, you little witch!"

"Then let me go!" she cried, her face now totally contorted in pain. "My… my hand, you're… ow!" She screeched as the boy twisted her hand hard, and there was a sickening crack. "Stop it! Please… I can't…" Tears were welling in her eyes as some crew men gathered around them, cracking amused grins and laughing at the sight.

"Oops, did I break something?" the boy sneered. "My bad, maybe you should stop your squealing."

The girl bit down on her tongue and stared up at him with glistening blue eyes. The boy sighed and released her. She stumbled back, and he then caught her roughly by the opposite arm. She said nothing.

"I have a request," the captain said, and the girl breathed heavily, closing her eyes.

"For me?" she hissed through her teeth.

"No, for your arm. I'd like to chop it off and feed it to the croc." He chuckled at this, and he began to laugh hysterically with the rest of his crew as she cringed. "I'm joking."

"I didn't know monsters had a sense of humor," she whispered bitterly.

"It comes with the territory," he whispered back, his voice breathy in her ear. She didn't know how any sound got past that helmet.

"Oh, because pirates are so, so funny," she spat, glaring down at the ground. "Yes, I am quivering in hysterics."

"Wow, I appreciate the snark, dear witch," the boy barked loudly. "You know, I thought you were gonna be a total bore, but this last week has brought you out of your little shell, don't you think?"

"Please get to the point," she murmured, staring at her limp hand with a sort of sadness in her gaze.

"Oh," he said absently, his voice a little lost for a moment. "Yes. My request."

She stared at him, fidgeting in the silence. The crew snickered and disbanded, going back to their posts as the girl swallowed hard and uncomfortably tugged on her arm, which was in the captain's grasp. He was silent for a very long time, making her mind spin on overdrive. She turned to face him completely and she felt lost as to why he was waiting so long to say what it was he wanted to say. It was unnerving, but also rather odd and confusing. She was not scared, but rather irritated and growing impatient.

"What is it?" she hissed.

"What?"

"You're request." The girl shook her head, tearing her arm from his grip. "Just spit it out, Vanitas."

Vanitas cocked his head to the side. For a moment the girl wasn't sure what exactly was wrong with him, but he gave an air of confusion, much like she did. They stared at each other, or she assumed he stared at her, as his mask shielded his face from her view, and there was an increasing amount of awkwardness between them that festered into a bloom of utter discomfort.

"Right," he said, as if he had not taken five minutes to reply. "You will be accompanying me to the ball tomorrow."

"Ball?" the girl repeated blankly. "What on earth are you talking about?"

Vanitas waved his hand, as if to silence her, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but he was making less and less sense as things went along. She shook her head and scowled up at him. "I refuse," she said sharply, stalking across the deck and disappearing into the door that lead to the girl's chamber.

Vanitas watched, and yawned, bored with her insubordination. He'd straighten her out later. Until then, he had a ship to sail, and a plan to hatch. He turned idly to a red haired man who had just stepped up from the lower deck. He titled his head.

"Axel," he said, waving him over. The man blinked slowly, before obliging and moving beside the captain. "You were just at the cells, yes?"

"Yep." Axel shrugged. "No biggie, he's all locked up good."

Vanitas looked at the horizon, which was now nothing but a milky white, sprayed with a bit of deep red. The sun was gone, and night was approaching fast. Vanitas looked back to the man. "Tell Xigbar to sail west," Vanitas said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Got a message from the pretty boy. The young lord isn't far from here, with his ship, and like hell I'm passing up a chance to rough up that piece of shit."

"Right," Axel said, rolling his eyes a little. "Got it. Are you gonna kill the kid?"

"Depends on how much of a fight he puts up."

"Kay, then." Axel walked toward the other side of the deck, but Vanitas grabbed his arm before he could get there.

"Oh," Vanitas said, moving his head toward the passage to the lower decks. "And make sure they don't feed the wolf tonight. He really packs a punch when he's hungry."

Hello, few readers of mine who have stuck with this past the first chapter! Does any of this clear up what happened in the prologue?

GOD I HOPE SO. I mean, come on, NONE of you guessed the boy in the beginning was Aqua! I don't blame you, of course, it wasn't obvious at all, but I mentioned, I think, to look really hard, and outside the box. Or maybe I just told Shanna that, I don't actually know.

Sweet Aqua Calder= Sweet Polly Oliver is a trope about girls who dress up as boys to pursue a goal of theirs, like joining the army (Mulan), or to disguised themselves (Arya Stark). Calder is a male name meaning 'from the wild water'. I realized Aqua would have to have a male name for her alter ego, so I looked up names meaning water, and I found this one. Calder could be her last name, or it could've been her father's name, or she just could've made it up. You guys can decide that.

You know, Namine wasn't actually named in this chapter? Shit. Well, that was Nami, obviously. And now you know like, two guys on the ship with Vanitas. And you know some stuff about Xion as well!

Come on, this had to clear SOME crap up!

Gotta apologize for the mind fuck from last chapter. My bad. It won't be like that anymore. XD

Also, that snippet in the beginning? I heard that from tumblr at one point. It was floating around while I was writing this chapter (months ago! just after Christmas!), and I put it in because I felt like it fit.