Ohayo fellow readers!!! I'm back with yet another one-shot! After all the positive praise my other Birth By Sleep ones are getting I figured I would put up another one. The characters really fascinate me. Well enjoy.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as another wave crashed onto the shoreline. A few drops managed to kiss his face, but he didn't mind. It was the first time in a while since Ven had felt at peace. He opened his cerulean eyes to stare out into the clear blue ocean ahead of him, his lungs inhaling the salty sea air.

"I wonder if this is the last time I will get to see the ocean," he whispered to himself, a strange feeling of depression overwhelming him.

It was strange, he had been having these thoughts a lot lately, he just couldn't shake off the feeling that something very terrible was going to happen to him. Ever since that encounter he had with Master Xehanort in the Olympus Coliseum, he couldn't help but question his identity.

'Who am I really?' he asked himself as he looked down to his hands, everything seemed so foreign to him now…nothing made sense anymore.

Ven had never told Aqua or Terra about his little run in with Xehanort, even though he was more than aware that he was supposed to share any sightings of the lost keyblade master with his comrades. He couldn't bring himself to trouble them with this…it was his own burden to carry and he didn't want Terra or Aqua to get hurt because of him. Ven looked up the sky, watching as the colors changed from blue to a combination of red, purple, and orange.

"It's almost Twilight," he told himself as he brushed a few strands of his blond bangs from his face.

'Where could she be?'

Ven had told Aqua that he wanted to meet her in the place that he felt most at peace, saying that there was something he needed to ask of her. He felt a strange aching in his heart at what he was about to do. It was going to hurt him, maybe permanently scar him, but it would be for Aqua's own good. He would do this to protect her…she was more important to him than anything.

'It has to be done,' he thought, his eyes watching another wave crash onto the shore, he knew that if he didn't, he was sure that he would cause Aqua pain in the future…and that was just something he couldn't bear to live with.

Soft footsteps in the sand broke him from his thoughts, he didn't have to look to tell who it was…Aqua always had that strange aura surrounding her.

"Sorry I'm late," he heard her speak.

Ven closed his eyes, treasuring the sound of her voice. It was strong like the sea but just as beautiful as a babbling brook. He finally gained the courage to look into those strong deep blue eyes. She was stunning as always.

"It's okay," Ven replied, "I was just enjoying the ocean."

Aqua allowed a smile to form on her face as she walked over beside him, crouching down to place her hand into the cool water of the ocean. They remained in comfortable silence for a while, neither wishing to break the peace and tranquility just yet. He took a deep breath, knowing that all good things must come to an end.

"Aqua there's…" he began, but his voice halted in his throat.

Ven moved his hand to rest over top of his neck; it was going to be harder than he thought. Aqua stood up, her entrancing orbs boring into his.

"What is it Ven?"

The blond boy swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat; the sound of the waves washing upon the shore could be heard in the background. She was looking at him with a worried expression.

"Ven," she took a step closer, "What's the matter?"

Ven turned away from her, feeling his heart already breaking, it would be easier as long as he wasn't looking her into her eyes.

He inhaled a deep breath, "Aqua…I have to ask a favor of you," he stated, his tone deathly serious.

He listened as her footsteps came closer, "Of course…anything," she replied, stopping when she was a foot away from him.

Aqua watched his back with immense curiosity. Ven normally wasn't one to ask for favors, so whenever he did, she knew it was important. She placed a hand to her chest to calm her beating heart as she waited for him to reply.

Ven turned to face the ocean once again, looking to Aqua from the corner of his eye, watching as her hair blew with the wind. He bit his lip for a moment, telling himself that this was going to be for the best.

"You are my friend," he paused for a moment, "Therefore I want to ask something of you," he finished his eyes locking with hers.

Aqua parted her lips slightly; feeling paralyzed in that moment, something in hid gaze prevented her from moving from where she was standing.

"Erase me."

The azure haired woman gasped, not believing what her comrade had said to her.

"What do you mean…erase you?" she asked reluctantly, afraid of the answer her was going to give her.

Ven's lips stayed pursed in a thin line for a moment as the wind around them grew stronger, it was a while before he spoke up again.

"I mean...I want you to forget everything about me…" he gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes tightly, his heart breaking with each word.

'Please forgive me Aqua.'

"All of the times the three of us shared…I want you to erase me from your life Aqua."

Aqua felt something wet slide down her cheek, raising her hand to her face. She was crying…it had been so long since she cried. Every word he spoke to her was like he was hammering a nail straight through her heart. She lowered her eyes to the ground, watching as the teardrops made an imprint in the sand.

"How could you…" she whispered, her throat aching suddenly. She looked up to him, allowing her tears to fall freely, "How could you say that?!"

Ven's eyes widened a fraction before narrowing once again, he couldn't bring himself to look at her face…he kept telling himself this was for the best. His bangs overshadowed his eyes so she couldn't read his expression.

"I'm asking this of you…to protect you Aqua. I don't want you to end up hurt because of me."

Silence followed soon after, the wind roaring through the palm trees was the only sound that could be heard. Aqua gritted her teeth as she wiped the tears away, walking over to Ven, her steps full of purposed. A loud smack echoed throughout the entire area. Ven's eyes widened in surprise of the impact, he hadn't expected Aqua to actually hit him. He turned his head to her face, gasping at the emotions in her eyes. He could see hurt, betrayal, anger, and something else he couldn't put his finger on.

"You're so…thick headed sometimes I swear…" she whispered as he moved a hand up to his sore cheek, he said nothing…he should have expected this.

Ven felt his heart stop at the sight of her tears, the ones he was responsible for making, her lips pursed into a thin line as she tried to prevent another outburst from happening.

"Don't you see Ven?" she asked as she slowly began to approach him, "If I were to erase you then…" he watched as the tears began to fall from her face.

Aqua bit her lip, "Then…"

Why was it so hard for her to express what she felt to him? She always tried to deny the fact that Ven was anything more than a friend to her, but realized he was much more the moment he asked her to erase him from her life. She cupped his face with her hands, noticing him tense at her touch, his blue eyes looking up at her with equal confusion.

"I wouldn't be able to move forward," she confessed, pulling him into a warm embrace.

Ven was speechless, he couldn't bring himself to utter anything, it was almost as if his voice had left him.

"A-Aqua…"

"I love you Ven."

The blond boy felt as if time had stopped moving as she uttered those words. How long had he desired for her to speak those words to him? Ven allowed his head to rest in the crook of her neck, she was warm, her warmth spread through him like fire.

"That's why I can't erase you Ven…it would be like erasing a part of myself. Don't you see?" she continued, her fingers moving through his hair.

Ven slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, "Aqua I…," he let out a sigh, what could he say to her?

"You don't have to apologize…you had your reasons for asking that of me," she paused, "Just like I'm stating the reasons that I cannot do as you ask."

Ven allowed a chuckle to escape his lips, she was so stubborn. It felt like an eternity before he pulled away from her, his eyes locking with hers once again.

"I did it to protect you because I…I love you too," he looked out towards the ocean, "I feel like something terrible is about to happen Aqua…and I didn't want to be the one to cause you pain."

He felt her fingers entwine themselves with his, he treasured the feel of her skin, it was like velvet beneath his calloused hands.

"I'll stick by you Ven…no matter what. Just don't ask me to do something like that ever again."

Ven looked up to the girl he had grown to love dearly, smiling at her, yet he still couldn't shake the feeling that this moment was only a small calm before the storm, he could feel something was about to happen, something that was going to ruin their lives forever. His fingers tightened their grip around hers, he would face that challenge…both of them would. Together.

Whew. I absolutely loved writing this. It wasn't as hard as the other one. Now I have two one-shots for each of my favorite Birth By Sleep pairings. I still am very torn between the two of them. Well I hope this was up to everyone's expectations. Tell me what you think!! R&R please.