"...and the rest you pretty much know. Lea stayed behind with Saix, Kairi left to warn Sora about the new Organization, and Riku and Mickey came with me to rescue you."

Aqua had been staring up at the Neverland night sky as she finished telling her story, but she finally turned her gaze back to Van. He was staring, his jaw slightly agape, a half-formed Shoegazer trying to hop its way out of his shoulder.

She chuckled nervously.

"I know I made it sound pretty dramatic, but you don't need to worry. I'm alright now, I promise."

He sputtered, but he managed to push down the Shoegazer before it could hop out and stomp all over their midnight picnic.

"But—you—you almost got possessed by Xehanort! You could've died! Why didn't you tell me this a week ago!?"

Aqua's face flushed.

"You had just come out of a nightmare yourself. I didn't want to worry you any more than I had to."

Part of her had considered not telling him the full story at all, but he deserved to know. Besides, Lea would end up dropping a hint sooner or later.

He probably would have already, if he weren't so busy trying to return Saix to normal. So far his efforts had been unsuccessful, but at least Saix showed no signs of hurting anyone. Or doing anything at all.

Van leaned back on his hands and shook his head.

"I thought I had the worse end of the deal… but Thirteen Xehanorts!" He laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe we should've just stayed in the Realm of Darkness."

He had to be terrified if he was making deadpan jokes about that. Not for the first time, she wondered exactly what Xehanort had done to him. But that was something he still wouldn't tell anyone, not even her.

"It won't be just the two of us against them, though." Aqua rubbed his shoulder and felt him relax a little. "Sora, Riku, and Kairi are out there hunting them down right now."

"No wonder Riku and Kairi keep flying off all the time… And that Sora. I've still got to meet him and find out if he's actually as handsome as me." He smirked.

"Somehow I doubt it." Aqua chuckled, scooting in closer to him.

She hadn't met the other boy yet either. His travels hadn't taken him back to the Mysterious Tower or Radiant Garden, the two worlds that Aqua visited most often. Though in the week since Van had returned, they'd taken to exploring more worlds on her glider. Maybe they would cross paths with Sora by accident. She still needed to talk with him about waking Ventus.

Van leaned his head against hers, and she smiled. She still couldn't believe it sometimes, how he'd actually returned her feelings. How they had gone from enemies, to grudging allies, to friends, to something else. They still had their fights and awkward moments, sure. He'd warned her about what she was getting into.

Still, she somehow felt as if this was how things were always meant to be.

"I hope the others don't take out all the Xehanorts," Van said. "I still want the chance to punch the old man in the face."

"You and me both. But I'm glad they've given us space to rest for a little while, and to figure out how to save Terra and Ven. I'm still not ready to fight again just yet."

"I never thought I'd say this, but me neither." He chuckled. "Funny. Fighting used to be the only thing I liked."

"You've changed a lot." She smiled. "We both have."

"Yeah. I never would've been caught dead wearing plaid before." He cracked a grin. She elbowed him in the side, only making him laugh.

"I was trying to be serious!"

"Well so was I!" he said back, tugging on the end of his long jacket.

It had been shorter when the good fairies originally created it, but he'd asked them to lengthen it—which he'd later admitted was because he felt weird without something swishing around his legs, despite how badly he'd wanted to get rid of his skirt. He'd also asked the fairies to get rid of the plaid, but apparently after a magical accident at Merlin's, they could only make outfits with the unusual pattern.

At least his plaid was red and black, so he didn't complain too much. Aqua's plaid was blue and pink, trimming the ends of her new skirt-wrap and poking out from under her long sleeves.

"We can still go shopping for new clothes," she said. "We'll just have to wear these around the Mysterious Tower so we don't hurt the fairies' feelings."

"Tch. Never had to worry about that before," he muttered. "Sometimes I wonder if being light is more trouble than it's worth."

"You don't mean that," she replied matter-of-factly.

"...Nah. It's been a pretty good deal, actually," he finally said, then looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "How's the darkness treating you? I didn't know that you finally accepted it."

"It's not so bad either." She shrugged. "Sometimes I still feel more afraid or angry than I used to, but I don't blame myself for it anymore. I know that it's normal now, so I just try to make things right and move on."

It was certainly easier said than done—but it could be done.

"You're doing a good job," he said in a rare straightforward compliment.

"Well, it's taken me a while." She smiled. "You're lucky you missed out on those early days."

"I wish I hadn't." He frowned. "I could've helped you. Instead you had to rely on Riku and that crazy redhead."

"Lea?" Aqua laughed. "He's not so bad. He reminds me a bit of you, actually."

"Hey, I'm way cooler than that los—guy." Van stuck out his tongue in disgust. "I can't believe he actually had the nerve to ask you out on a date."

"Van, it's not like he knew we were together then. We weren't together then."

"Still," he grumbled with a pout.

Did he know how cute he was when he did that? She laughed and kissed his temple, making his cheeks go red in the starlight.

"What was that for?" he asked suspiciously, fingers brushing the spot where her lips had been.

"Just reminding you that I told him no." She grinned.

Van smirked—that look that meant trouble, but also made her heart beat fast at the same time. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight kiss.

"...What was that for?" She asked back when they finally broke apart, both a little breathless.

Van's eyes shone in the starlight, the warm gold that only looked right on him.

"Just reminding you that you told me yes."

That she had. And that was something she didn't regret, either.