Falling slowly, eyes that know me

[todomarishi]

Who: Aqua (rainprism), Terra (todomarishi)
When: Backdated to the afternoon of the 13th
Where: Winthers Lake
Summary: Aqua invites Terra to have sandwiches at the park. Why does that Nobody guy look like you sandwiches.
Warnings: None

Terra arrived at the lake at a little past three. He dismissed his Glider out from under him once he reached the campsite he and his friends had stayed at during their vacation the year before. He'd decided early on during his flight over that he would search for Aqua on foot. He knew the area fairly well and it was one of the nicest places to be on the island.

Following the shoreline, he walked at a steady pace, going just slow enough to admire his surroundings while he looked for his friend. He couldn't afford to take a truly leisurely stroll, though: it was possible she was already waiting for him. That and he was starving. He wasn't sure how he'd forgotten to pack a lunch that morning, but he'd been paying for his moment of absentmindedness for several hours now.

He had just started weighing the pros and cons of eating the questionable leftovers his coworkers kept in the fire station fridge when Aqua had called and asked if he wasn't too busy to have an early dinner with her.

Going to a restaurant or having sandwiches at the park had been his options. He'd agreed to the latter.

It seemed things were getting better between them. Since the day they had met on the beach, and she had taken him home, there had been no further conflict between them. No new arguments, no more outbursts.

Terra welcomed the change.

He found he was sort of looking forward to this dinner, too. How thoughtful it had been of her to invite him out. He'd have to remember to do something nice for her soon. After all, he was the one who owed her kindness, not the other way around.

Comments

[rainprism]

The location -- the very precise location of the picnic had been selected with the utmost care and discretion. She was circling the body of water for the second time now (she'd planned for an early arrival for this exact reason), setting her hopes high for a place that was in the shade, away from the mud, close to the water, and most importantly, devoid of ant nests. Aqua could count on one hand how many actual picnics she'd attended in her lifetime with fingers to spare, but that was the way it always went in the storybooks ... Ants ruined picnics. It was like a fact of life.

As far as 'normal' picnics went, she deviated from tradition in the fact that their food had been safely tucked away in a backpack rather than an actual picnic basket -- really, it seemed completely impractical to try and tear through the house for a basket that was big enough to accommodate drinks, chips, cookies, Terra's three sandwiches and her own. And then there was the blanket to consider ...

Luckily, though, she wasn't too far off from her friend -- Aqua's back was facing Terra several paces away as she puzzled over a compromise on a potential spot. Not exactly in the shade, but it was dry. Free of bugs. And it was right on an embankment at the water's edge.

It wasn't too unbearably sunny out. This could work.

[todomarishi]

Terra came to a gradual stop when he spotted Aqua up ahead of him, surveying a piece of land next to the sloshing lake water. For a minute, he simply watched her. What exactly was she doing, staring at the embankment like that? Had something caught her attention? From where he stood, he couldn't see anything particularly interesting around her. No wildlife or even anything unusual about the ground itself.

Rather than delve too deep into his own wondering, he finally shrugged and made his way to her. Once he reached her side, he dropped one hand onto his hip and held the other up to his chin, bending over very slightly to study the general spot she'd been giving so much consideration to.

"Hm."

He hummed, thoughtful-like. He reached down and plucked a pine cone out of the grass, holding it up for careful inspection.

"Hmm."

Lowering the pine cone, he shot her a small, teasing grin.

"What are we looking at?"

[rainprism]

It wasn't windy. The cloud cover might be enough on its own to provide ample shade without the faint shadow of the trees. And it was still a little chilly anyway, right? But not too chilly to -- ...

... Terra had completely made his way into her peripheral vision by the time she actually realized that he was standing there -- thoughtful humming and all. After a very literal, not-so-understated double-take, Aqua shied away from her friend with a nervous laugh.

" ... ... The pine cones, obviously."

[todomarishi]

Terra's smile faltered when Aqua practically jumped in place and moved away from him. He'd startled her somehow? He hadn't thought he'd been that quiet walking over. In fact, he was pretty sure he hadn't been quiet at all. She must have really been distracted... But by what? It wasn't as though he'd been trying to sneak up on her and she'd had her nose in a book or been practicing her spell work.

He glanced from her to the pine cone in his hand, confused all over again.

... He'd just have to shake off that feeling a second time then.

"Well," he gave the pine cone a light toss into the air and caught it as it tumbled down, "I don't know about you, but I bet I'd find pine cones a little more interesting on a full stomach."

Snapping his arm back suddenly, he froze in place for the second or two he needed to redirect the flow of energy from the core of his body up into those muscles tensed by the position he'd taken on. With one strong throw, the pine cone was sent skipping across the lake, leaving a narrow, faintly shimmering trail of light in its wake.

Terra brushed off his hands before turning to Aqua, ready to get down to the business of the promised sandwiches.

[rainprism]

"Hey ...!" As he cocked his arm back, she feigned a look a muted panic. When the pine cone was launched across the surface of and eventually into the water, her jaw dropped. Her precious pine cone.

"I was watching that!"

Right. The sandwiches. Settling into a false pout, Aqua unlooped one of the straps of the backpack, letting it fall into the nook of her arm before gently placing it in the grass.

"... I should eat one of your sandwiches for that, you know."

An attempt was made to smother a ridiculous grin with a stern shake of her head, but ... the attempt failed. She knelt, still shaking her head as she unzipped the bag and produced a tightly rolled fleece blanket, which was spread and straightened out methodically in front of the pair.

This spot would have to do.

Shuffling on her knees over to the picnic cover, the thermal lunch box was next to be pulled from the backpack, followed by two sodas.

[todomarishi]

He readily committed himself to following her act. His hands fell to his sides, his shoulders slumped. He dropped his head and cast his gaze away from her, his entire demeanor shaped by a profound regret for having so carelessly pitched her beloved pine cone into the lake.

"I'm sorry... Aqua. I didn't know you were so attached to that pine cone," he pressed the hand that had committed the pine cone crime to his chest as she set a blanket out in front of them.

Was that what she'd been doing? Trying to find a place to put a blanket? He could have sat in the grass no problem...

"I could get you another one," Terra went on, still wearing a somber expression. He glanced at the conifer trees nearby... only to sigh loudly, "But it wouldn't be the same, would it? You wouldn't be able to watch another pine cone like it was that one that's probably sinking out there right now..."

There was a short pause as he took note of the lunch box out of the corner of his eye. It was tempting to give the pine cone deal up and take a seat, but the threat she'd issued about eating one of his sandwiches convinced him to forge ahead.

"Aqua," he turned to face the lake, pretend remorse traded out for a sudden flicker of determination.

"I'll get your pine cone back."

And with that announcement made, he slipped out of his jacket and went to pull his shirt off.

1/2

[rainprism]

"No, there's no doubt about it ... that Pine Cone was special ..."

Sighing just as loudly as she could, Aqua halfheartedly pulled at the zipper of the lunch box, as though she just hadn't the strength to open it in its entirety. Oh, she was absolutely prepared to oblige him to the fullest extent until that point, welcoming the new distraction from the questions pressing on her mind from all angles. Obsessing over the picnic locale had been effective enough for a little while, but this was something that would start their dinner off on the right foot. Something they could probably laugh about afterward ...

In fact, she'd just hung her head in sorrow and was preparing to hand that lunch box over to him -- surely he would pull through for the both of them and somehow manage to wrench the thing open -- when she realized what, exactly, he was saying. ... And what he was doing.

Snapping her head back to a level position to gape at him in alarm -- just one fraction of a second of utterly mortified, rabbit-eyed staring -- Aqua almost squeaked, slowly adopting a talon-like grip upon that lunch.

He was removing his shirt. She ... was not emotionally equipped or prepared for acting on that level of dedication.

"No!"

[rainprism]

Just as quickly as her ... odd expression had surfaced, it was hastily done away with, not even risking clearing her throat as she quieted down, locking her gaze on a cluster of weeds to the left of their blanket and throwing away the key.

"No ... I mean ..." If ever there was a time in her life when she wished she could preemptively prevent her face from turning red ... now was the time. Because she knew it was coming.

Moogles.

"It's okay. You really don't have to."

[todomarishi]

Her sharp response stopped his hands (though he didn't understand why she'd felt the need to shout like that), and he paused with his compression shirt half-hiked up his back. He breathed out very slowly to conceal his sigh of relief: he really hadn't wanted to go in that water, knowing how bitterly cold it would be after all the world's many winter months.

Still, he took his time pulling his shirt back down and grabbing his jacket, just in case she changed her mind about having the stupid pine cone retrieved.

If she did, he would do it.

... Maybe.

"You sure? I mean, your special pine cone..."

Despite his protest, he headed back to the edge of the blanket. There he waited dutifully for a final confirmation that the pine cone could be left in its watery grave before he would sit and join her in unpacking their meal.

[rainprism]

The final confirmation came with a great, firm, silent nod, as it was her plan to draw as little attention as she could to her face until she was positive that ...

... That what? What did she have to be embarrassed about? Nothing. That was what. It wasn't like he had actually ... or that she'd ...

Face hardening into an uncharacteristically cryptic frown, Aqua hastily leveled her sights from the nondescript patch of grass to the lunch box instead. Which ... had apparently fallen victim to a bit of panicked gripping.

"... Made chicken salad."

No mention of the Pine Cone Incident.

[todomarishi]

"Oh."

It must have been his hunger catching up to him that caused his energy to sharply drop, deflating the enthusiasm he'd managed to hold on to up until that point and leaving him feeling very tired. He took a few shuffled steps to the side, away from Aqua, before easing himself down onto the blanket. She was acting funny for some reason. It was almost as if she was ashamed or something, the way she wouldn't look at him, the way she'd changed the subject.

He could guess why. All his teasing... It was too childish of him.

You're not a kid anymore. Knock it off.

No more nonsense then. Even if that lighter approach had been... nice, while it had lasted.

Even if it had been easier, in a lot of ways.

"That should be good."

Absently, he balled up his jacket and set it beside him. With Aqua's gaze on the lunch box, Terra was free to admire the sodas she'd taken out of her bag. There would be no reaching for one, though.

"Haven't had chicken salad in a while."

[rainprism]

It truly was a shame -- that their small window of carefree teasing had to come to such an abrupt end. As Terra mentally scolded himself for being the cause of it, as did Aqua ... for several moments longer. What a dumb thing to be insecure about. He obviously wasn't nervous about it, and he was the one who intended to strip off his shirt. To go get her stupid pine cone. That he had thrown! It made no sense. None of it made any sense.

... Unless ...

Unless he was bluffing. Unless he never did intend to take his clothes off, unless his plan to pull the rug out from under her, maybe poke a little bit of fun at her.

Except ... he wasn't laughing, now that he got what he wanted.

... ... If it wasn't meant to be a joke, then maybe it was for the best that it all came to an end. There was no point in dragging it out. Definitely no point in giving him the wrong idea of what this was all about ...

"I ... I know." Her reply was absent, and she realized suddenly that he hadn't actually touched any of the food. Quickly getting to work, she scooped up one of the thicker-looking sandwiches before carefully unwrapping it, setting it down on its Ziploc bag close to where Terra sat. As for herself, she opened a bag of chips.

See? There were no consequences for eating. It was okay to eat. Attempting to re-inject some of the former lightheartedness into their lunch, Aqua nudged him in the thigh with her knee with a cautious grin.

"... Thought you were hungry, hm?"

[todomarishi]

Terra stirred at the nudge, looking to and then picking up the sandwich she'd put down near him.

"Right, I... am."

Making sure he had a good grip of the sandwich and none of its contents fell out, he took a large test bite... and promptly crumpled into a more relaxed sitting position. Mm, sandwich.

Delicious, satisfying sandwich.

Just a few minutes later, he glanced down and realized his first sandwich was almost gone already. He grimaced slightly mid-bite, realizing he hadn't once stopped to express his gratitude for its... well, its tastiness.

"It's great, Aqua."

He gave her a small smile before finishing off the last few bites.

Thank the light she'd brought more than one for him.

[rainprism]

Terra beginning to eat served as the indicator for her to do the same, she got to work on the small bag of chips, working her way about halfway through before abandoning the endeavor in favor of unwrapping her own sandwich.

Her friend was lapping her on the ingestion of the food she'd put together for the picnic, but she was in no rush to finish ... ... no rush at all. With the chips, there was no room to stall, nothing to keep her idle hands busy. But she absolutely put her sandwich through the ringer -- methodically and carefully removing the crust from each half, eating the crust first, brushing the crumbs away from her lap. Biting off the tips of each 'triangle' to eat from the outside inward ... brushing the crust from her lap again. And then once more intermittently. Every so often during that arduous process, she'd cast a glance of evaluation at Terra, monitoring his progress, grinning a subdued grin when he verbalized his approval ... but remaining largely silent.

Eventually, though, she began to run out of sandwich. The chips were picked back up and then indecisively put back down after pinching and folding the open end of the bag.

"Hey ... Terra."

Aqua cleared her throat a little, adjusting her tone, making every conscious decision possible to posture herself in an unoffensive, matter-of-fact way. ... Which was slightly counterproductive. With all of that concentration honed in on her presentation, the tact of her words fell a little on the wayside.

"I met someone. Back before Valentine's Day."

Recovery. Recovery!

"Remember Valentine's Day?"

[todomarishi]

As preoccupied as he was with the consumption of sandwiches one, two, and eventually even three, as well as a handful of chips, Terra wasn't oblivious to Aqua's unusual behavior. In fact, he was pretty sure he was staring a bit around bites of his chicken salad... What was she doing to her poor sandwich, picking it apart like that? And when had she developed such an intense aversion to crumbs? Did her sandwich deconstruction have anything to do with that dumb pine cone?

Or his earlier show of immaturity?

What was the big deal about eating some sandwiches by a lake, anyway?

He could ask... or simply point out her sandwich carnage, perhaps make a joke of it, toss a few of his crumbs at her, revert to the lighthearted stuff until she chastised him for it openly and then he could go ahead and demand to know why, why sandwiches were such serious business, and when were things going to get back to normal between them or was this supposed to be the new normal, and if it was, then what was the beach stuff all about?

Moogles!

But no.

No, he wouldn't react. He would casually turn his eyes back to the lake for a more comfortable view and try very hard not to look worried.

... Maybe she just wasn't hungry.

Why would she have invited him out if she wasn't hungry herself?

Terra was caught completely off-guard when she spoke up and mentioned something about meeting someone before Valentine's Day. He glanced back her way quizzically.

Wait... what? She'd met someone?

"Yes, I remember," despite himself, his expression was already guarded. He reflected on the previous Valentine's Day very briefly -- he had bought an elixir from some kid for the holiday and had taken it to ensure he wouldn't be affected by any romance-related spells. It had seemingly worked as the boy had promised it would... even if he'd felt strange, sort of empty really, all throughout that day.

"Who's someone?"

Someone someone? Like... Ven had met Xion... someone?

Was that why she was acting funny?

Was she trying to tell him she had a... a boyfriend now?

[rainprism]

Who's someone?

Mentioning Valentine's Day had been a grave tactical error. On the whole, she'd probably count the holiday itself as a success ... The acquisition of gifts had gone smoothly -- mostly. The delivery had gone smoothly for everyone -- except ... in Terra's case. It had been a happy holiday for a lot of people, but it was still a day when the trio suffered their brief split.

But that was all over now.

"I'm ... not sure, exactly. I was hoping you could tell me."

Slowly, she began to crumple up the saran wrap that had protected the sandwich into a smaller and smaller ball.

"He told me his name was Xemnas."

[todomarishi]

... It wasn't a boyfriend.

A boyfriend might have actually been better, in a lot of (although certainly not all) ways.

Xemnas.

Was that it? That was it. That was everything. It had to be. The pine cone and the sandwich and the... the everything, the whole meal...

His heart sank as the reality of the situation bore down on him. The first true conversation she had started at this picnic and it was about Xemnas. Almost definitely, she had invited him to the lake to talk about meeting that man.

He found himself wishing in that moment that he could just get angry again. Instead, the revelation dredged up only the shame from before, for having teased her, and a harrowing sense of despair.

This was the new normal. Things were never going to get better between them.

He was so stupid.

The only tenuous fiber of rage that survived his mood's descent was tied to the thought of Xemnas himself. How had Aqua met him? Had she gone looking for something and found him... or had he gone looking for her? It was an important, and dangerous, distinction, but one he had no time to consider fully.

She really wanted to know... about everything. She had probably deserved the truth all along. What did he have left to lose in telling her now?

His gaze settled on his hand, where half of his last sandwich was held. He loosened his fingers and let it fall to the blanket. Pushing himself up, he brushed off his hakama with one halfhearted swipe.

"You saw him?"

[rainprism]

Watching that last bit of sandwich fall to the blanket, panic stirred beneath the surface level of calmness. Surely he wasn't going to leave. Was the subject matter really that terrible? Was the topic of Xemnas really and truly that awful?

This was her fault. She had done something wrong, missed some crucial step ... and now, as was the trend, she had scared him away. He was doing to run.

"He saw me first, I think."

The quietness of her voice startled her. She felt ... chaos, panic inside. She didn't sound as 'blank' as she would have liked -- impervious, solid, and unshakable. Who would be bothered if he ran away from her? Not Aqua. Not a Master. Masters didn't get upset over small setbacks like that. Like ... this.

She didn't sound that way at all. She just sounded ... a little sad.

"He was one of the first people who found me when I arrived in the Port. And ... when I was shopping for gifts for Valentine's Day, I caught him following me."

Roxas could have been mentioned. What she had said to him, what he had told her, what he hadn't told her ... but, somehow, that felt like a deflection.

Tensely, she squeezed the sandwich wrapping a bit more, but it wasn't getting any smaller.

"... I just wanted to ask if you knew who he was. Please ... don't be mad."

[todomarishi]

He moved off the blanket, back onto the grass, but his retreat didn't take him very far: he stopped a few steps away from her, looking out at the lake without much seeing the glistening water.

"Following you..."

That snippet of news fortified his dwindling rage, but he still couldn't bring himself to be annoyed with the matter at hand. He would have to remember to give Xemnas an ear full later, though... No matter who or what he was, he had no business following Aqua around.

"I know who he is."

Her reply to his question hadn't exactly been the direct answer he'd been seeking, but given everything she'd said, he figured it was safe to assume she had seen Xemnas' face. He stood motionless, ignoring both her last comment and the tightness in his chest.

"He's my Nobody."

More or less.

[rainprism]

That was it. That was her worst and most terrible fear realized. All outward semblances of self control fell away effortlessly while she still grappled with herself inwardly, gawking at him in open shock.

"But -- that isn't -- ...!"

That wasn't what Roxas said. She'd asked that precise question -- she was sure that she did -- about Xemnas being Terra's Nobody, and his answer had been ...
... It hadn't been 'no' outright, had it? Now, eyes still locked firmly upon him, a slow, uncertain frown crept across her features. What had been his exact words ... ?

Not exactly.

... So ... which answer was the right one? Yes, or not exactly? There was no contest at all about who she believed in the absolute sense.

She hadn't taken note of it, but she'd edged her way to the corner of the blanket, closest to where Terra had set up his defensive position. That was as far as she would allow herself to go, determined, perhaps out of some kind of pride or indignance, not to chase after him if he decided to leave the picnic site entirely. The blanket was her perimeter.

"Terra ..."

Aqua knew she'd pushed the envelope with the direct question ... but there was no stopping now. She reached out to him, though she knew she wouldn't be able to make contact without a bit of straining. The hand remained there, palm down, fingers outstretched, but falling short of touching anything at all of her own volition.

"Is that what happened last spring?"

As soon as she spoke the words, she felt ... shaken. But she kept going, managing to keep a great deal of strain from her voice, filtering it to something hushed and uncertain. His revelation was devastating, and she suddenly wondered what the good would be in pushing him harder, but ... there couldn't be any doubt. There couldn't be any more vagueness or dodging or assumptions.

"... You lost your heart?"

[todomarishi]

He remained still and quiet in the wake of Aqua's outburst, his focus never wavering from the surface of the lake. She was upset already. He could hear the emotion in her voice, the disbelief and dismay strung throughout her words. He supposed her reaction made sense. It was alarming for someone to have lost a part of themselves, wasn't it? Especially if that someone was a friend. Yet he couldn't find any similar feelings in his heart to respond with, for her sake or for his own; faced with her distress and now the gathering of so many memories, the emotions he had tangled with were fading away. It was too much. Only a faint impression of regret stayed with him as the moment wore on.

It was as though a great void was filling the spaces of his heart and though his body was on the embankment, he himself was standing far from her, across the lake on the opposite shore maybe, or in some other place entirely.

Was he really here or was this just a part of some unwanted dream?

No... It had to be real, he decided. The conversation he had avoided for so long was finally happening.

"Last spring?"

Echoing part of her first question, he tilted his head back to regard the sky. When his eyes drifted back down, he took to watching their muddled reflection in the lake water, vaguely confused but nonetheless comfortable with how detached he felt toward the subject they were about to discuss. How had it come to be that Aqua knew something happened, but she didn't seem to know what that something was?

... It didn't matter.

In the water, he could see she had a hand stretched out toward him, but he didn't turn to her or otherwise acknowledge the gesture.

You can't reach me. I'm farther away than you know. Sorry.

Pressing the palm of his own hand to his chest lightly, he heard himself answer, "Yes."

But he stopped short then, blinking, taken aback by that reply. He dropped his hand to his side.

"Or maybe it's no. While it's true that I lost my heart, I also lost my body last spring. Honestly, I think everything but my hatred was lost."

[rainprism]

Not for the first time since her arrival in the Port, she found herself staring at him in openly, as hurt as can be, the unspoken question lingering right at the tip of her tongue.

Where in the World was I?

The hand that had grasped nothing for all this time was put to use at last; Aqua drew it in to absently straighten the back of her blouse after getting to her feet ... before stepping closer and putting that hand on his shoulder. There was something urgent to say, something she should have been doing ...

Lost ... your body?

... But she couldn't speak. She couldn't fathom what she could possibly say in response to something so grave. Grave ... not imaginable, though. Since talking to Roxas -- maybe even a little bit before -- she had laid awake in bed many a night, trying to mentally prepare herself for the worst, hoping and wishing desperately for the best. But ... in the end, she supposed, nothing could have readied her to hear it from him.

And to hear it so absently.

As her heart sank, her head was lowered in synchronization.

Whatever had taken place, whatever the specific details might have been, one thing was extraordinarily obvious. Somewhere along the line, she had failed her friend. It probably hadn't even been a year since he'd been through the worst thing a person could possibly go through, and not only had she not protected him ... here she was, cornering him with promises of a nice lunch in the park.

Was sort of friend was she?

Unrest bubbling to the surface from the very pit of her chest, she shuffled closer deftly, numbly ... and with a movement saturated with uncertainty, she abandoned his shoulder to wrap both arms around him from behind. There was no drawing him closer -- she dare not attempt to move the unmovable. She let herself close the distance singularly, pushing her cheek against his back, not quite letting it rest.

Not that she was at all conscious of it yet, but she was right on the cusp of a great and terrible cry. For the moment, she shakily attempted to lock her hands together once they found their way around his torso. Any sign of rejection or resistance at all would repel her with the force of a mismatched magnet, but there was a certain sense of determination behind the action that caused her arms to tense ...

"I'm sorry."

When she finally said something -- something she hadn't put very much thought into saying at all, something that only felt like the right thing to say, her voice was hoarse. Why was he throat tightening like that, anyway? It ... didn't matter. It didn't really matter.

"I am so sorry ..."

[todomarishi]

He didn't budge when Aqua's hand found his shoulder, save to turn his head away slightly, but the touch did get his attention.

He'd only just begun to describe his experiences and already silence was trying to wedge its way back in between them. Part of the problem was one of the many reasons he'd put off filling her in on everything before: there was so much to say, he wasn't sure where he was supposed to start. He waited for her to reply, to prompt him in some manner. If there was something else she wanted to know specifically, that could possibly help him piece his story together and guarantee her curiosities about the past were satisfied.

No question or suggestion came, though. Instead, Terra found Aqua's arms suddenly wrapped around his middle. His body stiffened in her embrace. He stood very still, making no effort to struggle or pull away from his friend.

Thrown free of the sensation of being far outside his body, he was suddenly too aware of where he was and what was happening.

That was her face against his back, wasn't it?

And then he heard her voice -- or rather, felt it.

He stared down at her hands for what seemed like the longest time before he could muster up the nerve to slowly place one of his own hands over them.

Why was she apologizing? Why did she sound like that?

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about," he shook his head. Only a little more emotion edged into his tone, but he meant what he said with all his heart.

[rainprism]

Her breathing paused at the sensation of another hand covering hers -- whether it was from her own growing discomfort with what she was hearing and absorbing ... or the simple surprise from the contact initiated by the other. Or ...

There was a slight shake of her head at his response. He just didn't understand. How could he? She should have been more responsible with watching him in this city of madness and illusions -- regardless of what she could and could not remember. Aqua adjusted the angle of her head, letting her temple press against his back instead so she could take a deep, private breath.

No tears.

Be strong.

"It's not like that. It's just ..."

How could she have even begun to explain it? How she felt. About being left in the dark, about her complete and utter lack of recollection, about ... everything.

"... I should have been there for you. I don't understand why I ..."

None of it was sounding right. As she slowly closed her grip around her composure, her voice became more distant.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

[todomarishi]

It's not like that. But it was. It was exactly like that. Or so he thought.

Terra huffed out a quiet sigh. He'd set her straight.

"I made sure you weren't. You and Ven. I told you two I was going out to train that night. Neither of you knew."

He raised his head slightly but stayed put, letting her hold on as long as she needed to.

"Honestly, I thought I was going out to train... In the use of seals that bind power. The man that was going to train me convinced me to go along with a plan he had. He wanted to use a seal against one of the darkest hearts in the city, to try and keep it from hurting others."

He had to lift his hand off hers before he could continue.

"He did use that seal against a dark heart, but it wasn't the one I thought he was targeting. With his seal, he was able to take over my body."

[rainprism]

There was a very pointed implication in what Terra was explaining, but it was one

"Take over ... your body?" She hadn't meant to sound as incredulous as she did, but she'd only ever encountered that sort of sorcery once before ... with Vanitas. She couldn't fathom that the same thing could have ever happened to Terra ... and the rationalization began. Emotions were almost always easier to keep under control if calm, even-minded, rational thought steered the process along and she was still up in arms in a raging war against a complete meltdown. There would be tears. Maybe shouting. She couldn't allow things to degrade into another argument.

He wouldn't have put himself in that position. He couldn't have. Not the Terra she knew ... not her friend. He was far too strong to let something so terrible happen to himself. Something she would always believe -- not Terra, whose strength, potential and tenderheartedness was so obvious to her -- but never say.

"But ... how? Who here would do such a thing?"

It was almost ... angering. Why would he have willfully excluded Ventus and herself from something so crucial? Even if he was setting himself up to be tricked, wouldn't it make more sense to include ...

... No. No use trying to pick Terra's decisions apart. That would only make things worse. He had to've had reasons for doing what he did. Her arms tightened around him a little, spurred by a spontaneous rush of protectiveness.

[todomarishi]

"He's not here anymore," he was quick to inform her of that fact. She wouldn't have to worry about the thief during her stay in Siren's Port. After all, Terra was fairly confident that the man in question wouldn't be returning any time soon, if ever again.

"It doesn't matter how he did it, just that he did it. But he's gone now."

[rainprism]

"Terra..."

Steeling herself, she withdrew, arms slipping away from him to return to her sides. Standing up just as straight as she could, she tried to incorporate some sense of firmness into her voice when next she spoke ... but failed miserably.

"Please. Tell me who did this to you."

So that... she could make it right. If she just knew ... whether he was in the Port or not, she just had to know.

[todomarishi]

Released from her embrace, he shifted where he stood. He should have been glad to have his freedom to move back, but instead he found himself almost uncomfortable without her arms around him. He chased that feeling away with a hard blink of his eyes. Then, with one last look at the reflections dancing across the lake, he turned halfway toward her.

Unable to meet her gaze, he concentrated his attention on the fleece blanket instead.

"It was Xehanort."

No sooner than the name was off his tongue, he was walking away. Much like his first retreat, though, he didn't go far. Hesitation slowed his steps after he'd skirted their lunch spot and he stopped on the other side of the blanket. Again, he turned around, and this time he faced her fully.

[rainprism]

"Master Xehanort..."

She whispered the name, watching him walk away -- a combination of carefully maintained panic and hurt. She'd remembered the man's supreme betrayal at the Graveyard ... and what Terra said he had perpetrated only just before that. But to rend their bond apart so maliciously and so purposefully ... not only violate the sanctity of Ven's heart, but to break the boundary of Terra's own body ...

"... here, in the city?"

Her fists tightened as she reined in a great and terrible surge of anger.
Why?
Why were there so many outside forces that were so firmly set on ripping the three of them apart? She thought that the burden she shouldered in sealing the Land of Departure had been weighty, but the affliction that Terra kept ...

He turned to face her and she exhaled painfully, rushing forward to wrap her arms around him again -- different than the gesture before, a full-on embrace, arms draping around his shoulders and pulling him in gently. It was an expression of comfort, pure and simple, a hand resting at the base of his neck to stroke and soothe.

"I should have never let those things happen to you, Terra. I promise you..."

He's gone now. And good riddance.

"I will never let it happen again. Not to you ... or any of us. I'll keep us safe."

[todomarishi]

To his muted surprise, finding himself in her embrace again offered no relief to the discomfort he'd felt moments earlier when she'd released him from her first hug. Nonetheless, he lifted one arm to return the gesture now that he was able to, though the hand that pressed against her back was carefully kept in a loose fist. He hated the thought of anyone believing he needed protecting... but what could he say to fight her on that point? For all his training and all his strength, he'd gotten his body stolen twice by the same old man.

Keeping quiet, he forced a tired and defeated nod.

She would keep them safe. She was a Master, after all.