Chapter Text
Terra was used to being the strong one, the protector. Aqua was used to being the responsible one, the matriarch.
Ventus eventually suggests they take a vacation, since the two of them now live these roles vicariously through him. The latter is understandable, given their inability to assume these roles for the past ten years, but the blonde boy can only take so much parenting from his best friends before needing a break of his own.
He jokes about napping for a decade, but really, he tires of things much quicker than he used to.
Surprisingly, Yen Sid permits Terra and Aqua a temporary lapse from training the newest generation of Keyblade wielders, all stationed in the newly liberated Land of Departure. Aqua was the only one able to reset the world to its former state, after reviving Ventus within the Chamber of Awakening. Caste Oblivion stood no longer, risen to its former glory - just the way she, Terra, and Ventus remembered it. It seemed too soon to leave this world after rescuing it from the darkness, but Yen Sid’s orders were absolute, and neither of the two Keyblade Masters could stand to disappoint Ventus.
“You’ll finally be able to celebrate all of your hard work!” Ventus had cheered when Terra informed him of the news. He, of course, refers to Terra’s recent passing of the Mark of Mastery exam. The achievement prides the older man, helps him forget for a few moments the years of possession and twisted memories locked within him. When those memories inevitably return, often during the night, Terra tells himself it was worth every second until the moment he reunited with his friends and finally conquered the darkness within him.
Aqua is reluctant to part with her trainees, to whom she formed attachments almost instantaneously upon their arrival. She trains the younger wielders alongside Ventus, a testament to her motherly nature and unyielding patience. They each seek her out on the day of her departure, wanting one last hug and word of encouragement before the month without their instructor begins.
“Remember to practice your stances every day,” she encourages. “Behave for Ventus while I’m gone, and I’ll bring you all a treat back from another world!
Terra’s students are closer to Ven’s age or older, and all regard him with a fond but unwavering respect. They, too, seek him out on the day of his departure, to wish him safe travels and receive last sets of instructions for their training.
“Sora and Riku will be taking over your training while I’m gone,” he says, though the other Masters have yet to arrive from Destiny Islands. “When I return, a mock-test for the Mark of Mastery exam will be given. Work hard and you will all score well. I look forward to seeing your progress once I return.”
“Yes, Master Terra,” the students recite obediently, then one by one approach for a final handshake or pat on the back.
Ventus meets the two of them in the courtyard moments before their departure. The scene is reminiscent of their first parting from one another, although this time holds entirely different motivations. No more running from, or after, each other – this time, the trio is confident in their reunion. The pain still lingers, though, a mixture of anxiety and guilt that threatens to put a stop to this vacation altogether. Ventus almost regrets asking them to leave, mentally chiding himself for being so selfish and not considering their feelings on the matter.
Aqua suffocates that regret with a tight hug. “Please take care of yourself, Ven,” she almost pleads. “Don’t strain yourself while training, and remember not to be too harsh on the younger students.”
“I know, Aqua,” he reassures her, hugging her just as tightly despite the slow decline in his ability to breathe. “Don’t worry, I can handle it.”
“Telling Aqua not to worry is like asking you to grow taller,” Terra teases, earning him a simultaneous protest from Aqua and Ven, who breaks away from the hug to approach the taller man.
“Hey, I’ll catch up to you one day,” he vows, but grunts in protest when Terra ruffles his hair.
“Maybe when I get old and start to shrink,” he says.
“So, that’ll be soon?”
“Hey!”
Aqua chuckles at their horseplaying, thinking back to their bond when Ventus first arrived here. Terra worried for the boy from day one, and as Ventus gained strength, the two became inseparable. Aqua never questioned that Ventus would be well cared for, since she and Terra were practically his older siblings in their trio of Keyblade wielders. The three of them once thought they would always be inseparable, always there for each other, but now…
“You okay?” Terra’s question breaks Aqua from her thoughts. “You look worried all of a sudden.”
Ventus is staring at her in concern, and she immediately shakes the thought away. She will be strong for them, no matter what. No span of days, months, or years will keep Aqua from reuniting with her best friends.
Her family.
“I’m fine,” she reassures them, waving her hand in dismissal. “I’m just going to miss you guys so much.”
“I’ll miss you guys, too,” Terra says, shifting the gaze between the two of them. “This month should pass quickly, though, and everything will return to normal.”
Ventus fixes them both with a confused look. “Why would you miss all of us? It’s not like you guys will be apart this month.”
Terra and Aqua locked eyes and simultaneously realized that neither had considered that.
“Was this vacation supposed to be taken…together?” Terra questions after an awkward lapse of silence.
Aqua blinks, then begins to laugh. “I don’t see why it couldn’t be?”
Her laughter is contagious, and Terra cherishes this brief moment of shared happiness between them. The realization that this vacation will not separate him from both Aqua and Ven alleviates the weight on his chest. Aqua’s own feelings mirror his, relief slowing the rapid beating of her heart. For now, the anxiety retreats.
Ventus shakes his head at them, but he is smiling brightly. “Maybe it’s me who should be looking after you two,” he jokes, earning him a punch in the arm from Terra and a bemused expression from Aqua.
The trio exchanges final farewells, and Ventus barely escapes Aqua’s tight embrace before running back towards the training summit to join the other Keyblade wielders.
Aqua catches Terra staring after him with furrowed eyebrows, a sure sign that he is worried. She lays a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring gesture, and he nods at her in thanks.
“So, which world would you like to visit first?” Aqua asks, summoning her Keyblade glider with a wave of her hand.
Terra follows suit with a smile; he already has one in mind.