A/N: At long last: the final chapter. Hope it was worth the wait.

Reminder that I started this before I knew about KHUX, so Ven/Van's backstory is completely separate from canon.

ALSO PSA: the first few sections of this chapter read kind of like a few separate slice-of-life chapters. Several weeks pass between the first few sections, which should be pretty obvious as you read it.

"Come on, you can do better than that."

Vanitas growled and surged up from where Terra had knocked him to the ground. Aqua had long since given his Command Board-won (stolen) commands back, but the point was to test his skills without them. Even if Terra didn't need skill, because he was so much taller and could usually swat Vanitas back before he slipped under his guard.

"Keep that anger in check, Vanitas," Eraqus's calm voice called from his place on the bench. Finally he trusted him enough not to hover over every single sparring match, even if Vanitas still wasn't allowed to fight without some outside supervision.

"Yes, Master," he replied in the somewhat exasperated way that had become the norm over the past few weeks, once he learned that he wouldn't have his helmet crushed for it.

Not that he wore his helmet now. It probably would've been smart, considering some of the falls he'd taken in this match, but it didn't really go with the new clothes Ventus had scrounged up for him. (He still missed the way his waist-cape had swished around the back of his legs, sometimes.)

He and Terra circled each other in broad daylight, without a single shadow to hide in. He needed to approach a larger, stronger enemy, without the element of surprise. Normally he would send Unversed to overwhelm an opponent if it came down to it, but half of the training exercise was about controlling the creatures.

He had four main rules in the Land of Departure: no fighting outside of supervised sparring, no wandering off alone, no leaving the world through dark corridors, and no summoning Unversed if he could help it. At least Eraqus finally understood that Vanitas couldn't always help it. The nightmares that had returned on his second night here had been proof of that. He was glad for once that he'd been sharing a room with Terra (since he still wasn't allowed to be alone with Ven, at that point). It turned out that the older boy could sleep through almost anything, including a horde of nightmare-induced emotions. Though after seeing the crushed knick-knacks and scratched walls from that incident, Eraqus had decided Vanitas could have his own room, with the stipulation that it was only one thin wall away from his own.

But it was his own room, with his own bed, and he would follow all these stupid rules if it meant he could keep it.

"You gonna hit me or not?" Terra shook his keyblade tauntingly.

"Only when you don't expect it," Vanitas shot back.

"Oh yeah? And when's tha—"

Vanitas launched himself forward. It was the easiest trick in the book, distracting with a stupid comment and taking the opening. But Terra wasn't distracted for long; Vanitas wouldn't be able to get under his guard—

A ridiculous idea struck him. He leaned his weight back and slid across the dirt—not in his preferred shadow under the ground; he could only practice dark moves with Yen Sid—and skidded right beneath Terra's wide stance. Before the taller boy could spin to face him, Vanitas had sprung back up and slammed Void Gear's hilt beneath Terra's shoulderblades.

His breath left him in a huff. His back arched, giving Vanitas time to sweep his legs out from under him. He landed back-first with a satisfying thud.

"Is that better enough for you?" Vanitas leaned over him and smirked.

Terra scowled. "Ven doesn't give me this much sass."

"That's because I took it all in the divorce."

A single snort escaped Terra, but Vanitas was already grinning. Void, Terra made sparring fun. It was the last thing Vanitas had expected from training with the older boy. He could make snarky comments without fear of painful retaliation. Sometimes Terra would even banter back, or give him a punch that was too light to be a real attack.

"Alright, Terra, Vanitas, that's enough for now. Take care of your chores before dinner."

Vanitas held in a groan at Eraqus's words. "Yes, Master."

He helped Terra to his feet, only to get a light thump on the back of his head as thanks.

"Do we have chores like this forever?" Vanitas asked as they walked back towards the castle. There were never real chores to do in the Keyblade Graveyard—unless he counted stealing food to eat, but that could at least be sort of fun. Or sometimes he'd have to run strange errands for Xehanort, but nothing like scrubbing the giant entry hallway here, or cooking dinner.

He didn't know how to cook. Aqua was trying to rectify that, but he'd probably get kicked out for trying to poison them if he attempted a meal on his own.

Thankfully, she was the one cooking tonight. Terra and Vanitas were on floor and bathroom scrubbing duty, which was at least a chore his Unversed could help with.

"Not ones like this. It's punishment for not being careful enough with the world order. And, in your case, for kidnapping Aqua and trying to kill us."

Vanitas grimaced, though he appreciated the matter-of-fact way Terra put it. There wasn't any point in glossing over what he'd done. And really, chores were hardly punishment compared to being shot full of lightning or tossed off of cliffs. He'd expected to receive at least one scar from Eraqus's blade, but since that first day, Master Keeper had never been pointed towards him.

Finally, he'd started to believe it would never come.

"Sorry," he still said for what had to be the hundredth time. He didn't know exactly where he stood with Terra—if he'd forgiven him or not—but he wanted to think they were becoming friends. He was the one other person who could really understand what the darkness felt like. And he was a good sparring partner who wouldn't hold back. It was hard not to like him. (Not that he would admit that out loud.)

"That's not what I meant." Terra stopped to face Vanitas. "I know you're sorry. We all know, you've told us, and we can see it. I still feel guilty for some of the things I did too, but… it's okay."

Without seeming to think twice, Terra ruffled Vanitas's hair. Ruffled his hair. Like he was—like he was Ventus! The action caught him so off guard that he just stood there gaping while Terra chuckled.

"Come on, we've still got a lot to do before dinner. You won't want to be late for Aqua's meatloaf."

(They were late. But only because Vanitas didn't have enough negative emotion to power his bathroom-scrubbing Unversed.)

XXX

"Did they have Command Board in our homeworld?" Ven asked as he paid GP to take over one of Vanitas's panels.

Aqua laughed when he huffed, "Not my Illusion Strike again…"

"I bet they didn't," she said. "Otherwise maybe you two might actually win every once in a while."

"Hey, I won once!" Vanitas protested, crossing his arms.

"One out of thirty-seven, but who's counting?" She smirked back.

He stuck out his tongue. Ven and Terra had lost enough times that they rarely agreed to play anymore; it was refreshing to have an opponent who was still invested. Of course, she was glad to have Ven playing too—though she knew he only joined in because Vanitas was even worse at the board game than he was.

She took her own turn, rolling and only hesitating a moment before moving the direction that would land her on Ven's Blizzara. She lost some GP, but it was worth it to take over the space between her Thundara and Cura.

"Aw, man." Ven sighed. "We should've teamed up, Vani. She's gonna wipe the floor with us again."

"You should've thought about that before you stole my command, idiot."

"It's not like I won't give it back!"

Aqua chuckled at the two of them. Even a month after Vanitas had joined them in the Land of Departure, it still surprised her just how naturally he fit in. She'd thought he would clash with Ven, and they had a little at first… but now they just bickered like they'd been brothers their whole lives. They weren't allowed to spar each other yet—Eraqus still wasn't sure if it was possible for them to forge the X-Blade, though Vanitas claimed they couldn't without one of them dying first—but they made up for it by roughhousing and competing at pretty much everything else. Even chores, which had made Ven much more efficient than he used to be.

It wasn't just Ven who Vanitas got along with, either. It was Terra, and Cinderella, and really the Master was the only one Vanitas still bristled around, though it had gotten better with time. A month ago, she never could have imagined things would turn out this way.

"Aqua?" Ven waved a hand in front of her face. "It's your turn."

She shook herself before examining the board. Meanwhile, Vanitas laughed.

"It's okay, I know she was just distracted by how handsome I am."

He lounged back on his elbow, which might have been an attractive pose if he weren't wearing his (Ven's) pajamas. Well… the shirt was a little tighter over his chest than Ven's, and if anyone could pull off lounging in tacky moogle-print pajama pants… but there was no way she would tell him that.

"Shut up." She shoved his shoulder, putting him off-balance so he flopped back on the ground.

"Ha, see? You're even starting to sound like me." He grinned.

Aqua's cheeks were warm, which was ridiculous, because it was just Vanitas. His teasing didn't mean anything, not really. He'd exchanged banter with her since they'd first met. That's just the way he was.

(Then again, she hadn't been completely impervious to his joking advances even then.)

"Come on, guys, can't you at least wait until the game is over to flirt?" Ven rolled his eyes.

"We weren't flirting," she said in the most deadpan voice she could manage, and shot Vanitas a glare.

He just wiggled his eyebrows.

"Okay, I'm not flirting," she amended, her face still red. "Who taught you that, anyway? Xehanort?"

That wiped the flirty look off of Vanitas's face. Spit caught in the back of his throat, and he hacked and catapulted himself upright while Ven fell back with a cackle.

"Void, no." His face was as red as hers, which she would count as a win. Even if his was from choking rather than embarrassment. Or maybe both, she couldn't tell. "It was, uh… my dad, actually."

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. Ven was leaning forward, nearly knocking cubes off the side of the Command Board.

"Our dad?"

Aqua still hadn't heard much about Vanitas's past—both his time with Xehanort and before. He was opening up slowly, sharing tidbits that Ven could draw out of him, but it still must be hard. Aqua had never known her parents; the Master, Terra, and Ven were her only family. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have parents who would give him to someone like Xehanort. Unless he'd been kidnapped, but Vanitas hadn't given them those details yet. If he even remembered them himself.

"...Yeah," Vanitas sighed. "Our dad, I guess."

"What was he like?" Ven asked. He sat back and crossed his legs, giving Vanitas a bit more space. Aqua wasn't sure it would be enough; she held her breath, wondering if this would spark an Unversed or two. But no darkness wisped from Vanitas's shoulders.

"More like me than you," he replied after a moment. "Funny. Handsome."

Ven stuck out his tongue. The joke—if it was a joke—did lighten the mood a little, though.

"I don't remember too much about him, really," Vanitas admitted. His fingers absently picked at the hem of his gray shirt. "He taught me… us, how to skip rocks. And I think I remember him flirting with Mom. They'd... sing to each other."

Aqua vaguely wondered if Vanitas had inherited any singing abilities. If his low voice was used to serenade her… well, she could imagine it would be much more difficult to shrug off than his narcissistic compliments.

Oblivious to Aqua's ruminations, Ven awwww-ed and grinned from ear to ear. "Do you know what they liked to sing? I wonder if I know any of them."

Inexplicably, Vanitas's gaze turned panicked and flickered to Aqua.

"What?" She asked, too curious to let it pass.

He looked even more guilty at being called out. "Nothing."

"Come on, you know you can't lie without your mask," she said, scooting closer to him. "If it's too personal, you know we won't push you. Right, Ven?"

Ven nodded enthusiastically. "I want to know about my past, but it's your past too. I get it."

A flush swept over Vanitas's face. He grew even more interested in the hem of his shirt. "It's not a big deal. It's… Don't Think Twice. He'd always sing Don't Think Twice."

Aqua had no idea why he looked so embarrassed by the admission. She loved that song; she'd sing it all the time in the shower.

"Is there something wrong with that?" She asked.

"N-nope. Nothing wrong at all."

"The Hareraiser coming off of you says otherwise."

She knew she shouldn't laugh at his Unversed affliction, but she had to bite her lip to keep from giggling when the rabbitlike creature popped its head out of his shoulder and covered its face with its ears.

"Void," Vanitas cursed softly—only making her want to laugh more—and took a few calming breaths to reign the Unversed in.

"You really don't like that song, huh?" Ven frowned. "That's too bad. It's one of Aqua's favorites."

"I know," Vanitas said, still looking red as one of his flaming pot Unversed. She resisted the urge to tease him, though.

"Alright, leave him alone," she told Ven as she rolled the die. A six. Her holographic avatar rolled along the prize cube and collected the GP at the end of its path.

"Aww…" Ven groaned. "Is it too late to give up?"

"You can always give up. Just makes you a loser."

"Why does Aqua tell me to leave you alone?"

"Because I'm the cooler one." Vanitas flipped his bangs.

"More like the conceited one."

"Wow, I didn't know you knew such big words. Good job!"

Ven was just about to smack Vanitas with a nearby pillow when Aqua broke them up.

"Boys, boys, why don't you both stop being losers and try to beat me?"

Vanitas and Ven shared a look before dissolving into laughter and smacking hands in their recently-developed "secret handshake."

"Team up on Aqua?" Ven asked with a smirk.

"You bet, little brother."

"Little—!"

(Aqua may have let them win, but it was worth it to see the grins on their faces.)

XXX

"Vanitas?" Ven opened the door and poked his head inside an old storage closet. He didn't really expect to find his other half in here, but he had to check everywhere. He wasn't going to spill to Master Eraqus that Vanitas was missing until he knew for sure that he hadn't just gotten lost.

How he would've gotten lost in a closet, though, even Ven couldn't guess.

He screamed when a shadow reached out and hauled him in by the collar of his jacket.

"Shhh," Vanitas hissed. His golden glare glinted in the faint light, light which Ven realized was coming from a Red Hot Chili bouncing near the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" Ven stage-whispered. "You're not supposed to sneak off by yourself and—and what are you doing with all these Unversed?"

He gaped around the closet, which was crawling with blue Floods. Was Vanitas trying to get the Master to kick him out? He'd been doing so good, too! He didn't get overly upset when Terra beat him in sparring, or when he had to scrub the whole entryway by himself, or when Aqua brushed off his compliments. Had he been releasing his Unversed here all along? Was that how he stayed calm the rest of the time?

No, that couldn't be right. As his eyes adjusted to the red light, he realized that the Floods weren't agitated at all. In fact, they were sitting on the ground and… sewing? Blue and pink scraps of fabric and tangled thread were scattered around them.

"It's none of your business," Vanitas finally answered. "Just—get out, and don't tell anyone."

"Vani, I can't do that." Ven crossed his arms.

"I'm not doing anything wrong!"

"Uh-huh. That's why you're hiding in a closet and won't tell me why."

Vanitas growled something under his breath. The Floods twitched, their little arms brandishing tiny needles and dropping swaths of cloth.

"I didn't tell you to stop," Vanitas said to the monsters, who hastily went back to work.

"Oooookay." Ven shook his head. "If you needed someone to sew for you, you could've asked Cinderella or the mice. I even can even sew a little bit. Or you could always ask Aqua..."

"No!" His eyes widened. "Those mice can't keep secrets, and I can't—I need to do this myself."

It was still too dark for Ven to really make out the expression on his other half's face. Which was too bad, because if his voice was anything to go by, he might have finally caught Vanitas in the middle of something embarrassing.

"You need to do what yourself?" Ventus pressed. When Vanitas crossed his arms and remained silent, he said, "Pleeeease, Vani? If it's nothing bad, I won't tell. Promise." He crossed his heart.

Vanitas grumbled again before sighing. "Fine. Since you'll just get me kicked out if I don't. I'm… making something for Aqua."

The Floods bobbed their heads in agreement. It took everything in Ven not to snicker, which probably would've made them jump him.

"What for?" He asked with as straight a face as he could manage. A bit of a grin still snuck out. It wasn't like Vanitas's crush on Aqua was a secret. Between his teasing flirts and how much he sulked whenever Aqua left the world for a mission, it was impossible to miss.

Impossible for everyone except Aqua, anyway. But no matter how many bets Ven and Terra made, they couldn't get him to admit it.

"Um. Just. Because?"

This time Ven didn't even bother trying to hide his laugh. Which led to Vanitas punching his arm hard enough to bruise, but hey, worth it.

"Shut up!"

"Geez, Vani." Ven rubbed his sore arm. "I thought you could lie a little better than that."

The noise that escaped his other half was somewhere between a growl and a hopeless moan. "It doesn't matter. It's probably going to be stupid, anyway. She's going to hate it."

"No she won't," Ven said, even though he had no idea what the Unversed were making. Whatever it was, he doubted Aqua could hate a handmade—or, well, close enough—gift. "I know Aqua really well, though. If you tell me what it is, maybe I can help."

Vanitas frowned pensively at the floor. The Floods paused to look up at him.

"Fine," he decided. "It's a dress. She said she's tired of feeling out of place when she goes on missions to other words, so I'm making her a disguise."

A dress? As a disguise? That was… a weird choice, but still oddly thoughtful coming from his prickly pseudo-brother.

"You know how to make dresses?"

"The Unversed can patch clothes, but… not really," Vanitas admitted with a wince.

Ven inspected the scraps of cloth littered across the floor. He was pretty sure the two tube-shaped pieces were supposed to be sleeves, but their lengths didn't match up right.

Vanitas must have noticed Ven's confusion, because he sighed hopelessly.

"I am being stupid."

The vulnerable tone in his voice pulled at Ven's heartstrings.

"No you're not. I mean, you should probably get Cinderella's help if you want Aqua to actually be able to wear it—" (Vanitas glared at that) "—But it's a good idea! I think she'll like it."

"Really?" The grin that split Vanitas's face was more sincere than Ven was used to.

"Yeah! Especially since it's coming from someone who likes her so much."

Even in the dim light, Ven couldn't miss the flush that filled Vanitas's face.

"I—shut up…"

Ven laughed and patted his shoulder. "You've got it bad, man. Good luck."

Vanitas was groaning into his hands when Ven slipped back out of the closet.

XXX

It was two weeks, one embarrassing plea for help, and at least twenty pricked fingers later that Vanitas held a finished shimmering blue-and-pink gown. The pink sections cut through the bottom of the skirts and in the flowing sleeves, hidden in the folds until the fabric shifted. He hoped it would still be practical to fight in. Most of Aqua's peacekeeping missions as a Master didn't require a lot of keyslinging, but you never knew. Cinderella had made sure the skirt portion could tie up so it became more of a tunic in case of emergencies.

"We did it," he said to Cinderella, who along with her mice friends was packing away the needles and thread. "It actually looks good."

"Are you surprised?" The Princess teased him.

"Yeah. I've never made anything like this before." And while Cinderella had taught him the basics of sewing and made the design functional, she'd let him do most of the grunt work himself. He'd earned those pricked fingers. Of course, he still couldn't have done it without her. He wouldn't admit that to Ven, but surely the Princess wouldn't tease him about it. She'd been endlessly patient with his sloppy stitches and frustrated rants, even when a few of those had produced less-useful Unversed.

"Thanks," he said, smiling up at her.

"Of course, Vanitas. I'm glad I could help." She placed a chaste kiss to his forehead, the same kind she would give to Ven or her mice.

"I should… probably give it to her now."

But he stood there, folding the dress and unfolding it repeatedly, trying to get the creases just right until Cinderella finally motioned to let her have it. In three swift folds, the dress was wrapped in a compact square. Vanitas stared at it for a long second before taking it back.

It's just Aqua. She won't hate it, Ven already said so.

But sudden nervousness still kept him trapped inside the storage closet.

"You have no need to worry. She's going to love it." Cinderella patted his shoulder. Apparently his feelings were obvious even without his Unversed sneaking out.

"Yeah. Yeah, she will." He took a deep breath, quelling the nervous Floods that had bloomed back in his stomach. "Thanks, Cinderella, I'm going to—do that."

He slipped out the door into the open hallway. He could do this. He could do this. It was just a present after all, it wasn't like he was actually telling Aqua how he felt about her—

And then he rounded a corner and nearly crashed into Aqua herself.

"Aqua!" He leapt back, releasing a Flood and nearly dropping the dress while he was at it. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"...Walking?" She tilted her head. She hadn't noticed the dress yet it seemed; she was too busy staring at the redness in his face, probably. "I was going to meet Terra in the library. We're studying the theory of how darkness takes root in a heart and what can be done to soothe its effects," she explained. "Want to join us?"

As much as he was learning to control his darkness, book study wasn't really his style. And it wasn't like he'd be able to focus for long around Aqua right now, anyway.

"Actually, I wanted to—I have something for you," he said before he could lose his nerve. "Here."

He practically shoved the dress at her as she blinked down at him. Void, she didn't like it, did she? She was staring at him like he'd put on his mask, like he was a complete stranger again.

"You wanted a disguise. Cinderella and I made you one." He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, like his heart wouldn't be crushed if she hated it.

Ven said she'd like it. But Ven's an idiot, I shouldn't be surprised.

Aqua unfolded the dress, holding it up before her so the hem barely brushed the ground. He almost shut his eyes, but not before catching the look of wonder in hers. It gave him enough hope to ask, "Do you… do you like it?"

"Vanitas, it's… it's gorgeous," she breathed, running one hand down the smooth blue silk. He'd saved up money from his chores for weeks to afford the material, since Aqua was so stalwartly against thievery.

The breath returned to his lungs. She thought it was gorgeous. She liked it! He wasn't an idiot after all!

He bit his tongue before he could say something stupid, like "not as gorgeous as you." He wouldn't have hesitated months ago when they'd first met. He'd called her beautiful to her face with no problem. But beautiful wasn't enough anymore. She was strong, and kind, and forgiving, and everything light could hope to be.

Even if he wasn't all darkness anymore, how could he be worthy of that?

"Uh. Good," he mumbled. Really? Good? "I mean, it'll look good on you. You won't stand out as much… maybe."

She cocked her head at that, and he wanted to scream. None of his words would come out right. Aqua would always stand out, no matter what she was wearing.

"I've got. Sparring. With Ven," he said quickly, before he could screw anything else up.

"But you and Ven can't—"

"See ya!"

And then he was dashing down the hallway, escaping before the embarrassed Red Hot Chilis could burst from him.

XXX

"How did you know you liked Terra?"

Cinderella's Zero Gravity spell broke, dropping the pumpkin to the ground with a thud. Aqua didn't flinch, even when the vegetable rolled over to her feet. Her teeth worried her bottom lip while her gaze remained trained on Cinderella.

Of course the other girl wouldn't be expecting this question now, but after Vanitas's weird behavior this whole week… and after Aqua had tried on that beautiful dress yesterday… well, it was a miracle she'd focused on teaching the magic lesson for this long.

"Hmm. I suppose I… well, it's strange," Cinderella finally began. "In some ways I feel like I've always loved him, from the moment he first tried to comfort me. But I didn't realize it until I thought…"

"Thought what?" Aqua asked—maybe a little too eagerly—and Cinderella chuckled.

"Until I thought I'd lost him. When I thought he'd destroyed Vanitas."

"What?"

Why would Cinderella have been attracted to that? Of course, Aqua now knew how much of a misunderstanding there had been between Vanitas and Terra—and herself, honestly—and she could hardly blame Terra for his actions. But it still seemed like a bizarre moment for Cinderella to choose.

"I told you it was strange." Cinderella settled down on the nearby bench, then patted the spot beside her for Aqua to join. "I believed in Terra from the moment we met. He helped me see what strength of heart truly is. I know he has his flaws too, but he's been honest with me, and he's done his best to correct his mistakes."

Aqua's brow furrowed as she frowned at her. "So you knew you liked him because you still cared for him even when he made mistakes?"

"I think… I knew because of how much it hurt to see him make those mistakes. But it's alright now." Cinderella placed her hand over Aqua's clasped ones. "We know the truth, and we trust each other. Do you trust Vanitas?"

Aqua startled and jerked her ams to her sides. "I—I never said anything about Vanitas."

"You didn't have to." Cinderella smiled knowingly. "He gave you the dress, didn't he?"

Her cheeks heated as she nodded. "Thank you for that. He said it was from both of you."

"It was all his idea. He just needed a little help."

All this only left Aqua more confused. Vanitas was always bragging when he could; if he'd put that much effort into something, she would've expected him to tell her.

"It was really sweet, I just… don't understand why he did."

That was the crux of it, wasn't it? Vanitas might flirt and joke and tease, but it was so hard to tell how he really felt. She knew she was important to him, but was she reading too much into things? They used to be enemies. Now they were friends. She was his first friend; of course they would be close. They'd only grown closer as she showed Vanitas all her favorite spots around the Land of Departure while he was under orders not to be alone. Now he spent more time with Terra and Ven and Cinderella in addition to her, but they still sought each other out often when there was no particular reason to. Just to lounge around the hearth, Vanitas watching her fiddle with a craft project; or to spar with the knowledge that they could trash talk to their hearts' content, secure in knowing they never had to hurt each other again.

Secure. It wasn't how she'd expected to feel around the boy who had once kidnapped her, but...

"Do you trust Vanitas?" Cinderella had asked.

The near-finished red Wayfinder sitting on her desk was proof of her answer.

(That didn't make her any less nervous about admitting it.)

"I think only he can answer that," Cinderella said gently, and it took Aqua a moment to remember what she'd been talking about.

The dress. That he'd gone through all that effort to make for her, even though he must have realized she'd barely have an opportunity to wear it. It wouldn't serve as a good disguise unless she had to infiltrate another royal ball… and considering she was effectively banned from the Castle of Dreams on account of the King wanting her to marry his son, she doubted that would happen any time soon.

"You're probably right," Aqua admitted with a sigh. She'd gain nothing from trying to puzzle out Vanitas's intentions on her own. For all she knew, he was just trying to solve a problem she'd complained about (on one single occasion, that she was surprised he'd even remembered, but still).

...And her thoughts were circling again.

"I'll just ask him tonight," she said, standing up. They were supposed to be training. Cinderella was always so eager to learn, and Aqua wouldn't waste her time any longer. "Thank you. So, are you ready to move on to shotlocks? I think you'd be a natural at Prism Rain."

"I'm as ready as I can be." Cinderella stood and brushed off her trousers. "And it's no trouble. It's always a pleasure to help a friend."

Aqua smiled, and on impulse, gave Cinderella a warm hug. Everything else aside, it was wonderful to have another girl at the castle, and even though Aqua was ahead in terms of keyblade training, Cinderella already felt a bit like the older sister she'd never had.

"Alright, this may sound boring, but we'll want to start with meditation to build your Focus…"

XXX

"That smells wonderful," Cinderella said, inhaling deeply as she wrapped her arms around Terra from behind and rested her cheek against his back. Even after all these months of having her in the castle, he melted in her embrace.

He chuckled and stirred the stew he was cooking for tonight's dinner. Carrots, potatoes, and beef picked up from the Enchanted Dominion came together with a few Dwarf Woodlands spices to waft a savory scent into the air.

"Thanks. Jaq and Gus helped too."

The mice waved from near the cutting board, where together they'd hefted the knife like a lumber saw to slice the carrots and potatoes.

"Oh, that's very nice of you." She smiled and released Terra to give each mouse a little scratch under the chin. "I hope you two are being careful."

"Of course, of course!" Jaq called as Gus nodded vigorously. It was funny how quickly Terra had gotten used to the mice living in the castle; they made the previously large and mostly-empty space feel more cozy and lively.

"How was training with Aqua?" He asked.

Cinderella settled against the counter as she told him of all the spells she'd learned today. Gravity spells still seemed to be her main element, but under Aqua's instruction she was getting better at Blizzard and Fire too.

"I learned my first shotlock today; I can't wait to show you." She beamed. "Are you up for a spar after dinner?"

It had been weird at first, sparring with his girlfriend—especially since he was so much bigger, and still working at reigning in his darkness—but after training with Master Yen Sid for the past few months, he was confident that he wouldn't accidentally hurt her.

"Sure. I might as well at least try to beat you before you start wiping the floor with me." He winked.

"I'd rather stick with not wiping floors, if it's all the same to you." She smiled and took the ladle from him, stirring the stew and giving the broth a sip. "Mmm, that's lovely."

"You think so?" He really wasn't much of a cook—that was more Aqua's thing, and apparently Vanitas's, since Aqua had taught him. Cinderella could cook amazing meals, but she preferred not to do it often, for understandable reasons. But Terra? He was just happy when he didn't burn whatever he was cooking. But he had been practicing lately, if mostly to impress his girlfriend.

"I wouldn't say it if it weren't true."

No, she wouldn't. She would simply say thank you, but carefully avoid leaving any false compliments. He'd learned that the first time he'd tried to make macaroni casserole, and singed the breadcrumbs on the top only a few shades short of black. Though it hadn't stopped her from finishing off her entire plate.

"Even if I lose at sparring, at least I've got this win going for me." He grinned.

"It's not always about winning, you know." She smiled back before pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

"I guess you're right. Just getting to be with you means I've won already."

He leaned down for another kiss when a loud gagging sound stopped him.

"Really? Do you two ever stop?" Vanitas said.

Oh. Just him. Terra relaxed and went back to kissing his wonderful, amazing love of his life—

"Your stew is burning, you know."

Cinderella giggled against his lips before pulling back, making Terra frown. Vanitas could be alright sometimes, but at others he was just like an annoying younger brother.

"If you're so worried about dinner, you can cook," Terra told him, then took a quick glance at the stew. It was still simmering gently, as he expected.

"I would, but I'm supposed to set the table. Can I get to the silverware drawer, or are you going to keep eating each other's faces?"

Terra's face burned, though Cinderella just looked amused. He knew Vanitas's teasing had nothing on the kind of abuse she'd endured from her stepsisters, but Terra was less desensitized. Two could play at the taunting game, though, and he didn't have anything to lose.

"I'm going to remember that if you and Aqua ever get together," he said. It was worth it to watch Vanitas's face go pale.

"Fine. Keep sucking face. I don't care."

Cinderella laughed. "I think you mean when, Terra," she said before tossing a wink at Vanitas.

The boy froze, his mouth dropping open. "What are you talking about? Did Aqua tell you something?"

Cinderella took a slow sip from the soup ladle. "Oh look, I think it's done. Shall we take our sucking face elsewhere, Terra?"

She offered him her arm with a mischievous smile.

Oh, she was good. Maybe Yen Sid had a point about light and darkness not being all good and evil, because Cinderella certainly knew how to pull all of their strings when she wanted to.

He accepted her arm. "Why yes, my Princess, I think we shall."

Behind them, Vanitas screamed. "Terra! Cinderella! Wait, come back, I didn't—come on!"

XXX

The sounds of clashing keyblades echoed across the courtyard, punctuated every once in a while with a shout or a giggle. Vanitas pushed down an Archraven of jealousy. It wasn't Terra and the Princess's fault that they were so comfortable with each other, that they'd already gotten their happy ending. Well, it was probably easier, with Cinderella being a heart of pure light… but he'd spent enough time with her and Ven now to know that their lives weren't completely perfect.

He fought off the urge to eavesdrop and made his way down the long path to the base of the summit, where Aqua had asked to meet him. She hadn't given him any details beyond that. The mysteriousness of it, combined with Cinderella's words before dinner, had him jumpier than a Prize Pod.

Why did she want to meet him alone, at night, so far away from the castle? He could think of enough reasons why he'd like that—but, well, this was Aqua he was talking about. One nice gesture wasn't going to win her heart, not after all the ways he'd hurt her. Maybe she could forgive him, even befriend him, but he'd be stupid to ask for anything more.

Since when did he even want to? Was it once he saw what Terra and Cinderella had, that unconditional love and closeness that he hadn't known existed? Was it during the forty-third game of Command Board, when Aqua had stolen his Thunder—quite literally—and pressed her lips to it with a teasing wink?

(Or maybe it was much, much earlier, way back on that first night he'd slipped between her arms and stolen a dance.)

He wished he could just use the dark corridors as he descended the spiraling stairs circumscribing the mountain. That would give him less time to think, but even though they didn't hurt him, they "weren't allowed" and "might create gateways for Heartless" and a whole bunch of other things Vanitas wasn't really worried about. But he knew better than to argue.

By the time he remembered that he could've used his new glider, he was already at the base of the mountain.

Moonlight glimmered on the lake, rippling and distorting when a stone skipped one, two, three-four-five times across the glassy surface. A grin stretched his lips as he retraced the stone's path back to a familiar silhouette.

"Come on, five? Pathetic," he teased, startling her into tossing her next stone straight into the water.

"Vanitas!" Aqua whirled to face him, one hand flying up to her chest. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"What, am I still that scary?" His boots kicked at loose rocks before he crouched down beside her to select a flat one. "I thought you were expecting me."

"I was."

She fell silent as he flicked his wrist and launched his rock. One, two, three-four-five-six. His gaze snapped to Aqua, ready to grin and brag, but her gaze was trained on the dark horizon. The victory settled hollowly in his feet.

"Aqua?" He asked quietly. Scrappers shivered inside him, chilled from more than the cool breeze. Had he crossed a line somewhere? He remembered so little from his past life, and even less about making and keeping friends. Had the dress been too much after all?

Void, she was going to tell him he'd screwed up, she regretted bringing him here, these last three months meant nothing—

"Why do you flirt with me?" She asked while still staring across the water. Her mouth opened again, and he thought she would add something else, or look at him, or something. But she didn't. It was probably better that way. His face was warm enough; she could surely see his blush in the full moonlight.

"Why does anyone flirt with anyone?" He muttered.

She was going to tell him to quit for sure now. The thought jabbed a knife through his ribs. For all that his flirting wasn't actually accomplishing anything, he didn't know if he could stop. If he didn't make a game of it, if he didn't pass it off as jokes to annoy her, he was afraid his emotions would bleed out in more embarrassing ways. Like fidgety Unversed. Or him bluntly telling her how amazing she was.

"I don't know." She sighed, sitting down on the shore with her boots nearly touching the water. "Once upon a time, a boy flirted with me because he wanted to kidnap me."

Vanitas winced. He knew Aqua wasn't one to forgive easily, but she was one to forgive. She usually avoided bringing up the unfortunate start to their friendship.

"I'm not planning on making that mistake again, if that's what you're wondering," he said quietly.

He shuffled closer to her, but wasn't quite brave enough to sit down yet. Tension hung between them, too heavy for the gentle breeze to blow away.

She shook her head. "I know that. That same boy—he also wrote me a letter. He didn't have to keep pretending he liked me, but he did anyway."

Embarrassed Hareraisers threatened to peel off of him. Had he really been that obvious? Even he hadn't realized he liked Aqua at that point. How could he, when he'd known deep down she had to die?

He took deep breaths, matching each one to the gentle ripples on the lake's surface. The Hareraisers settled down within him, as did the fearful Floods. Aqua didn't have to die. No one would ever hurt her again—least of all him.

"Who said…" his voice trembled, but as he finally caught Aqua's gaze, he gained the courage to admit what he'd wanted to all along.

"Who said I was pretending?"

Her lips parted in a silent gasp. He prepared himself for rejection. It would be easier this way, right? At least now he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally giving away his emotions. He had nothing left to hide. She could let him down quickly, and then he could move on. Focus on something more important, like unraveling his and Ventus's shared past.

(Even though his heart protested that Aqua would always be the most important part of his life.)

"You're not teasing me, are you?" She asked, her blue stare pinning him in place. "You… actually like me? As more than a friend?"

"You're really going to make me spell it out, aren't you?" He huffed, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He needed to just get it out, before any of those Hareraisers broke free. "I… yeah." He swallowed, and all of the restless energy drained out of him, leaving him finally still. "I like you a lot, Aqua."

His blood pounded in his ears, so loud he barely heard Aqua's whispered "Oh."

He laughed hollowly. Just because he'd been expecting rejection didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"Oh? Don't tell me you're surprised. It sounds like you'd already figured it out."

"I… had a hunch… but I didn't think it would feel so nice to actually hear you say it."

She didn't think… wait, what?

Her whole face softened when she smiled at him, and he knew for a fact that he wasn't all darkness, because that gaze was bright enough to burn away any shadows.

"Wait, you mean… what do you mean?" He asked.

"I'm not saying I want to rush into anything, but… I think I like you too, Vanitas."

His jaw dropped. He sat down beside her before his legs could give out from sheer shock.

"You—what?"

"Don't tell me you're surprised," she echoed with a laugh. "You did notice that I flirted back, right?"

"You always said you weren't!" He threw his arms in the air.

"That's because we were in front of Ven! I'd never hear the end of it if I admitted to liking you in front of him. He already teased Terra about Cinderella for ages."

"Who says I won't tease you?" He grinned, high on the knowledge that he had a chance. Aqua's friendship was already something to be treasured, but the fact that she might like him even more? There was no way he could deserve that.

But for once, he let himself believe it could be true anyway.

Aqua rolled her eyes, though she was still smiling. "You can, if you don't want the present I made you…"

"You made me a present?" His voice was too eager, but he didn't care. No trace of negativity could wisp from him now.

She nodded and reached for something tucked in the fabric around her waist. "Even if you did just want to be friends, I would still have given you this. I'm making one for Cinderella, too. I just wanted you to know… I trust you, Vanitas. And you belong here."

Her hand unfolded, revealing a sparkling red glass star. A leather cord was tied around one point, and a golden sigil like the one at her chest gleamed at its center.

His fingertips trembled as he brushed the cool surface.

"You made this for… for me?" He breathed, staring up into her eyes.

"You like it?" She tilted the charm so it caught the moonlight. "I know it might sound kind of silly, but I made one for myself and Ven and Terra before. It's a symbol of our unbreakable connection. And I want you to be a part of it."

In spite of everything he'd done, she wanted him. She wanted him.

He threw his arms around her waist. "Thank you, Aqua. I'd love that."

She hugged him back, her chin slotting over his shoulder. He didn't squeeze her as tightly as the first time they'd hugged—he no longer felt the frantic desperation, the fear that she'd dissolve at any moment. He could bury his nose in the hair around her neck, breathe in her honeysuckle scent without it scouring his lungs. He could feel the corner of her smile brush his cheek, and imagine one day meeting her lips with his.

Most of all, he could believe that she wasn't going anywhere. Not because she couldn't leave, but because she wanted to stay.

No shooting stars streaked across the sky that night. But even if they had, he had nothing more to wish for.

A/N: Major thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed this fic! I know I've said this before, but when I started, I really thought no one would ever read this. It's two rarepairs with a weird plot that I had no idea where it would end up. I've written a lot of self-indulgent things, but this might be the most self-indulgent of them all, haha.

Special thanks to anasten27, who read through a few of my chapters before I posted them and kept me motivated when I was screaming about having no idea what I was doing. (Also for putting up with me posting at the least convenient times, lol.)

There will not be a sequel to this fic. To be honest, I have a bad habit of starting sequels and not finishing them, or just adding on more content when I really should have left it alone. I also have way too many wips to start another Vanqua one lol.

I've been thoroughly sucked into the Miraculous Ladybug fandom (which you can tell if you're following me lol), but I'm still trying to finish up my other wips. Contingency Plan will probably be the one I'll focus on most. Shadows Alight I'm actually thinking about discontinuing though. If I go through with it, there's just so much plot that needs to happen, it would end up being a KH3 rewrite and I don't know that I have the energy for that, especially considering KH3 canon was so confusing lol. So we'll see what happens there. If any of you are following me for ATLA stuff, I'm still planning on finishing SWNL too. I think that covers all of my wips lol

Thanks for sticking around with this fic for so long! Hope you enjoyed!