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Terra appeared in a flash of light when he landed. He still remembered this world well. It was the world in which he met Cinderella.
It was late at night. The Keyblade Master ended up just outside the castle walls. He could see lights and hear music coming out from the inside. A ball, probably. Terra sighed at the familiarity. He sneaked past the guards (who were already drunk) and made his way inside.
There had been a new threat of Heartless appearing throughout the worlds and the Keyblade wielders had split up to investigate. Their first worry was of course the Princesses of Light. Terra had already visited Aurora’s world. Heartless did appear there but the princess didn’t seem to be the objective there.
He, Ventus and Aqua decided to meet up afterwards but she didn’t show up at their meeting spot. After a while the boys grew restless and Terra decided to check on her while Ven went back to Master Yen Sid to report on their findings.
Terra assumed the reason Aqua hadn’t come back yet must have been due to some kind of threat. But the music and laughs grew louder the closer he came to the festivities, and that suggested nothing was amiss. Maybe she was here somewhere though? He had to at least ask Cinderella if she saw her.
He entered the halls and went up the stairs. He was thinking about materializing his Keyblade but decided against it for now. No reason to scare any of the guests here. He arrived at the big entrance to the ballroom and scouted from the side of the column, searching for the princess of this world. The guests seemed to have a good time. Laughter and the smell of food filled the air. No sign of danger whatsoever.
He scanned the faces of the dancing figures and stopped at a certain dancer. It wasn’t a blonde but a blue haired woman in a likewise blue gown. He fixed his gaze on her because he couldn’t believe it at first but there was no mistake. It was Aqua! His heart skipped a beat. Terra didn’t know what he expected but definitely not this. He watched her swirl around, led by her fancy dance partner, a tall man, likewise dressed in blue. With an easy smile on his face, he was looking at Aqua. She, on the other hand, was looking at her feet at times. But not because she didn’t know the steps, no, it was because she was slightly embarrassed. Terra knew that much about her. He smiled.
Then she looked in Terra’s direction and their eyes locked. She stiffened and missed a step. Luckily her dance partner caught her in time. Aqua turned a bit red and apologized to him.
Terra quickly hid behind the column. A small laugh escaped him. She’s all right. He let his shoulders fall and breathed in and out. He didn’t even realize how tense he was. He must have been worried about her. Well, it’s not like her to not show up to a meeting. Definitely not to dance the night away either. He chuckled. Terra wasn’t mad though. At least he knew she wasn’t in danger. He decided to not disturb her for now and turned back over the column. Terra had promised to come back together with Aqua, so he could wait for the ball to finish.
While he waited, he might as well explore for Heartless. He descended to the lower level of the castle, inspecting every corner but there was no reason for him to call upon his Keyblade.
Terra finally ended up in the gardens. The cool air felt good on his skin. Inside, the music had come to an end for the time being and people applauded. Terrasat down on the lowest steps of the stairs and looked up at the stars. He couldn’t see them that well because of the light pollution from the castle but it was good enough for him. He sighed. He had watched them so often but only now he felt comfort looking at them. Like the last few years never happened.
He was sitting there for a while when he heard the taps of delicate feet behind him. They got closer until they stopped close to him. Aqua, elegant in her blue dress, sat down on the stairs right next to him, just a few inches away. Neither of them said a word. Terra turned his head to look at Aqua. She really looked beautiful in that dress, almost like a different person. Mesmerizing.
“…Why did you come here?”
Terra was pulled out of his thoughts by her sudden words. He couldn’t look away though. He scratched his neck as he spoke.
“We were supposed to meet but you didn’t show up,” he finally answered.
“Oh.. I guess I got carried away. Sorry.”
She brushed away some of her hair.Terra just smiled and lightly shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it. As long as you are all right… but I’m curious how you ended up like…” He pointed at her dress. “Like this.”
Aqua blushed and turned her face away from him.
“It kind of… happened.” She seemed to collect her thoughts before she continued. “I… I helped Cinderella prepare for the ball and fought off the Heartless. She invited me for the ball and her Fairy Godmother appeared and gave me this dress.” She stroked the fabric of the dress.“I didn’t… I didn’t plan to stay so long.” Her voice grew quieter with every word. She looked up at the clock tower and sighed. “There isn’t much time left anyway.”
She put her hands together in her lap. Terra couldn’t stop looking at her. How delicate this strong woman could look. He rested his head in his hand.
“I keep forgetting that you actually like this kind of stuff.”
Aqua finally looked at him and frowned, which made him chuckle in return. She played with a part of her dress, averting her eyes yet again. All of a sudden she seemed concerned.
“I’m sorry that you had to come after me,” she said in a soft voice, fiddling with her hair again.
He sighed. Honestly!
“Don’t be silly. It’s OK to take a break. We’ve been fighting for… far too long. If this makes you happy, it’s fine, really. ”
She looked at him concerned, but after a while her expression softened.
“…Thank you,” she said in a voice not much louder than a whisper. Maybe she was worried that she had been too selfish. That thought made Terra feel uneasy. He didn’t want her to worry so much. He wanted to see her smile again, be happy without worrying. He looked at her, at her dress. Finally, the music started playing again and it gave him an idea.
Terra got up, cleared his throat and positioned himself in front of her. She looked at him, expecting something, the notion of a frown coming back. He made a bow and reached out with one hand.
“If I may?” he asked.
Aqua looked at him in disbelief. Then she laughed.
“What? Are you serious?”
“Come on.” Terra gave her a bright smile. “The music is loud enough to hear. And I feel bad for ruining your fun,” he explained, not moving from his position. “Just one dance.”
Aqua hesitated. For a few moments they didn’t move, only the music playing in the background. Terra was already thinking of what else to say to convince her, but finally, Aqua sighed and gave in. She put her hand in his, and Terra pulled her up before she could change her mind.
He pulled her in his arms and they started dancing. At first it was a bit clumsy but after a while Aqua let Terra lead her across the garden. They made perfect little circles.
Aqua gave him a look he couldn’t really place. She answered with a blank expression.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t think you could dance like that.”
Terra frowned.
“How rude. Of course I can.”
She giggled. There it was again. That smile she had while dancing inside. It pulled at his heart strings. When was the last time he saw her this happy? He couldn’t remember. It’s not quite the same as when they were reunited again. Back then they couldn’t rest. Everything was happening so fast and they had to keep on fighting. And even after that, there was so much they had to do. It’s been so long since they beat Xehanort, but there was still so much to do. Not to mention that Aqua had tried her best to be a role model for the others. She didn’t have this much fun for a long time, he was sure. She used to laugh and smile a lot before their master exam. He didn’t even realize how much he missed it.
She tilted her head a bit.
“What’s with that serious face?” she asked.
Terra didn’t even realize that his expression had changed. He tried to smile again.
“It’s nothing,” he whispered quickly.
“…If something’s bothering you…you should tell me..”
Terra thought for a moment, if he should answer.
“I just thought that I haven’t seen you smile like this in a long time.”
She blushed, averting her eyes.
“Oh,” was the only thing she could say.
He chuckled.
I want to keep it, he thought to himself.
They didn’t speak for a while, continuing to dance and only stopping when the music quieted..
They parted, and Terra took a bow as well as Aqua. The claps in the background drowned in the sound of the clock tower, announcing that it was midnight.
They both looked up as the bells rang.
“Well …it was really nice,” Aqua said.
“Yeah it was.”
She looked at him and her lips formed a small smile, almost sad. The last bell rang and Aqua’s dress disappeared in a flash of light. She now appeared in front of him in her usual clothes. Right, he remembered. The Fairy Godmother’s magic only lasted until midnight.
But Aqua, she was still here.
She sighed but kept her smile, though it wasn’t as bright anymore.
“Let’s go back,” he said.
She nodded.
They made their way back to the entrance of the castle. Cinderella came their way.
“Ah, Aqua! I was so worried because I couldn’t find you. I’m glad I finally found you.”
“Did something happen?” Aqua asked in concern.
Cinderella shook her head softly.
“Oh no no, everything was just perfect, thank you!” she expressed, delighted. Cinderella looked at Terra, hiding her smile with her hand. “And I see you were in good company.”
Terra smiled and took a bow in front of her.
“Long time no see, your Highness.”
“I hope you are doing well,” said Cinderella.
“Of course.”
“We should be on our way soon,” Aqua said. Her mind seemed to be back on the mission again.
“Ah of course! ” exclaimed Cinderella. She took Aqua’s hands into her own.“Thank you for everything Aqua! You really have helped me so much.”
Aqua gave her a weak smile. “It was nothing. I’ll make sure to check on you again.”
Cinderella nodded, then looked at Terra. “Yes, next time you should come directly with your partner.”
“Wh-wha- ah no tha-” Aqua turned slowly red at what was implied and struggled to find words. Terra on the other hand seemed amused.
“Of course! ” he cut in. “Next time I’ll make sure not to be late.” He took another bow with his hand on his heart.
Cinderella nodded while Aqua gave him a reproachful look.
They bid their goodbyes and left to go outside the castle gates. Aqua was a few steps ahead of him. He thought for a moment.
“I meant it. We should come back here. Together.”
This was a good place to summon their gliders and fly off this world. She gave him a long concerned look.
“Okay.”
“I’m serious!”
They summoned armor and transformed their Keyblades. She giggled. Terra’s heart skipped a beat.
“I’ll think about it”, she responded.