A/N: Hi guys. The end of the school year is finally here! I hope to post more often over the summer, but I'm going away for two weeks in August to Europe for the first time ever! I've always wanted to go there, so this is really exciting. It also means I won't be able to post stories, having no computer. Sorry.

One more thing. I've decided to take away Aqua's magic power for the course of the story. There will be people with an inborn ability to do magic, but Aqua won't have it. It seems to me that if she could do magic, she would be a mage, not a guard.

Aqua remembered quicker that morning. She lay in bed with her whole body hurting and bruised from yesterdays training and it rushed back, the events of the past two days. What did fate have in store for her today, Aqua wondered. It was no doubt, painful. Just walking would be painful, considering all her bruises.
"Aqua," She turned to see Terra standing over her bed. "Let's go signal the night watch."
So the day began.
Aqua donned her armor and followed Terra across the courtyard, up the stairs, and along the wall to the signaling machine where Terra lit the fire and clicked out his message.
"Will you teach me the code?" Aqua asked.
"Sure," Terra reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin, rice paper book, "Read this," As Aqua took it, a thought seemed to occur to him "You can read, right?"
"Yeh." Aqua felt kind of awkward admitting it. It was unusual for a peasant to be able to read (especially a woman) and was, while not illegal, shunned by most. But somebody needed to do the books after Grandpa died, and they couldn't afford a scribe.
"Right," Terra finished his signaling and turned back to Aqua "Study that."
She put the book in her pocket "Now what?"
"You get a job."

Eraqus studied Aqua thoughtfully over his desk. "No friends today, I see."
"No sir." Terra had refused to go in Eraqus's office with her, claiming there was important work to be done (likely) and she just plain couldn't find Zack.
"Ah, well," sighed Eraqus "Their loss."
"You said you had a job for me, sir?"
"Very well then. As the newest member of the guard, I feel obliged to put you to work on your second day. Therefore, you are assigned to the library."
"Sir?"
"You may or may not be aware the castle has a huge selection of books, one of the largest in the world. The librarian, Ansem, is quite protective of his books, but he's no warrior."
"So you want me to stand outside the library and make sure no one gets in?"
"Not nobody, just nobody without a card. And you don't have to stand outside the library the whole time, just when Ansem needs you."
Aqua bit back a retort. "Yes sir."
"Very good then!" Eraqus clapped his hands "I'll get Terra or Zack to show you the library."
"Is that all sir?"
"Yes Aqua -or Kai, I suppose- you may go."
"Thank you, sir." She left the office and glanced around the barracks for her two allies. The library wasn't all bad, she supposed, although she had hoped to be in the streets after training. There seemed to be no training and no streets for her.
Seeing Zack suiting up, Aqua sauntered over, tapping him politely on the shoulder. "Zack."
"Hm?" He turned around "Is that a mosquito I feel?"
"It's me, idiot. Eraqus said you'd take me to the library."
"K', I can do that. Before we do that though, when you're trying to get someone's attention, don't tap them. Punch em'!" He demonstrated.
"Ouch!"
"No squealing! Men do not squeal."
"Wha?" Aqua asked confusedly.
Zack opened his mouth to explain, but glanced around at the crowded room. "Come on."
Once the two had crossed the courtyard and entered the castle, Zack sighed "Aqua, I don't know you very well and while I'm sure you make a wonderful woman, you make a terrible man. I have no idea how you thought you were going to last a week in the guard."
"Practice before hand," muttered Aqua, glaring at the marble floor as they walked the empty corridors.
"Hmph," Zack chuckled, "Well, whatever you were going to do, Terra and I have decided to help you."
"I'm..." Aqua searched for the word "flattered."
"Well, we try." They arrived at a large pair of golden double doors. "Anyway, this is the library. Have fun at your new job!" Zack walked away laughing.
After shaking her fist at Zack's retreating back Aqua turned back to the door, "Right." She steeled herself and pushed it open.
Then Aqua forgot to breathe.
There were hundreds glittering gold bookshelves reaching from floor to ceiling packed with a rainbow of books. High among the shelves was a loft like a tree house in a forest of books filled with tables and couches. The air seemed to sparkle with condensed knowledge and paper dust.
Taking a deep breath and reminding herself it was not socially acceptable to hug bookcases, Aqua walked unsteadily to a large desk situated directly between her and the shelves. Behind said desk was a middle aged man with sandy blonde hair and a well trimmed beard.
"May I help you?"
"Yes... uh... I'm the new guard here... Mr. Ansem."
"Hm. Yes. You like to read Mr..?"
"Kai, sir. And yes, I do. I didn't get a lot of books back home."
"Go ahead then. Eraqus tells me you need some books on fencing."
It took Aqua a while to process what was saying. "Really sir?"
"Yes. I'll call you if I need you."
Wearing a wide smile on her face, Aqua journeyed into the land of books.

First, she explored the sword fighting section. There were an ample number of books on fencing and Aqua learned plenty, but the books were dry and factual. This was good for her advancement in the guard, but boring nonetheless.
Aqua moved on to the fantasy stories. She had never actually read a storybook, but occasionally travelers, minstrels, or storytellers would come through town with an adventure to share. Aqua loved the swordfights and adventures, the dragons and the goblins, and the pure joy of freedom that went along with it.
The only thing Aqua disliked was the fact that the only thing a woman could be was a weeping princess or an evil old witch. She herself was an obvious exception to the rule.
Whatever the characterization state, Aqua enjoyed the stories anyway. She read them until her borrowed name echoed through the bookshelves.
"Kai!"
Right. There was a job she was supposed to be doing. Replacing her book, Aqua jogged through the bookshelves to the entryway.
There was Ansem, standing behind the desk. "Check this young man's papers please."
There was indeed a young man standing by the desk. He had rather ridiculous hair covering one eye in an interesting shade of blue, was wearing a black robe and holding a sheaf of paper out to Aqua.
"I... um..." Aqua glanced back at Ansem.
"Ah," He rolled his eyes. "I'd forgotten. Zexion, Kai here is new to the guard."
"Ah." Newly dubbed Zexion turned to Aqua and fixed an inquisitive stare on her. Aqua felt there were no secrets from him, but held her composure well.
"So, what do I need to do? No one... explained it to me."
Zexion grinned. "They let anyone in the guard now days. Here" He pointed to a spot on his papers, a box reading "library access." Under it was a complicated stamp of an open book. "This means I have library access, obviously." He flipped through his sheaf of paper until he came to one with numbers scribbled all over it. "Then, I get weighed." Ansem opened a door in the side of the desk leading to a square metal plate that Aqua had failed to notice on her way in "You take down my weight on this paper. Yes, I am a frequent visitor. When I leave the library, you take my weight again. If it's gone up, then I likely have a book hidden somewhere on me. If not, I'm clean. Then you take down all the books I wish to take with me and I leave."
"It's not a foolproof system," Added Ansem, "But it works well enough. We take good care of our books."
"Ah. Well then, if you would step this way sir..." Aqua motioned to the scale, ready to fully embrace her new job.
After a slightly awkward run through of the 'library entry,' Zexion thanked Aqua and disappeared to the shelves.
"How'd I do?" Asked Aqua
"Not bad," replied Ansem "You were lucky Zexion was your first candidate."
"Really?"
"He's very patient, maybe the most patient of the 13."
"The 13?"
"They do let just about anyone into the watch. The 13 are 13 very powerful mages, each wielding the powers of the elements. They were taken away from their homes in the first few months of their lives and even though they are young, they are incredibly gifted."
"So..."
"Zexion is numbered 6th among their ranks. His expertise lies in illusion."
"Ah. Interesting."
"Don't pry too much into the affairs of the 13. You might end up as a greasy spot on the floor." Aqua flinched at that idea, and Ansem patted her on the shoulder "You're probably safe, though. Go back and read. I'll call you if I need you."

He didn't. No one else came into the library before Aqua had to leave and go to training at 4 o' clock, or 1600 hours, as they said in the guard. On the way to the yard, Aqua got minerly minorly lost, but she managed to find the Guard's courtyard. There, Zack was waiting.
"Well, well. Look who finally got here."
"I got lost," Aqua admitted "Can we start?"
"Sure," Zack picked up the wooden copy of his huge long sword. "Let's get started."
He swung and Aqua hopped backwards, nimbly avoiding the heavy cut out. Then she darted forwards and stabbed at Zack's chest with her own wooden copy. They repeated this for some time, this slash, dodge, stab. Though she never managed to touch Zack for whole training session, Aqua had improved considerably. The books on fencing she had found in the huge library, while not a true replacement for a teacher, had given her some good guidelines. Maybe, one day, she would be competent.
At about 1900 hours (7:00), the training was still going on. Zack had gone on the defensive, Aqua launching most of the attacks on him, and when he did fight back, it was pretty halfhearted. After a few minutes of this, they had settled into an easy rhythm. Suddenly, Zack whipped out and caught Aqua unawares across the chest. She gasped and stumbled back against the central well, nearly loosing a hold of the sword.
"Be ready for anything," snickered Zack.
"Pfft." Aqua pushed herself away from the well, rubbing her chest. It was going to leave a bruise, but she was grinning anyway.
Then her grin slowly faded.
There were unearthly sounds echoing up from the well. Squeaking, rustling, and... squishing. "Zack... what..?"
"What what?"
"Those sounds..."
He walked to the well beside Aqua and as the sounds echoed up to them, his face became grey and serious.
"Come on. We're going back."
"But Zack-"
"There's nothing in the sewers. Come on!"
He turned and left abruptly. Aqua stayed for a moment longer. "I never said there was anything in the sewers." She glanced down the well one more time before following Zack.
If you had happened to look down the well at that very moment, you might have seen a pair of oddly shaped red eyes staring back up at you.
So the third day ended.

A/N: Well, this wasn't nearly as good as the other chapters, but I hoped you enjoyed it anyway.