How The Heart Shatters

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kingdom Hearts.

Chapter 4

As I walked back into the chamber, I noticed Aqua was staring out the window, seemingly deep in thought. I quietly walked over to the window beside the one she was at, and sat in it while looking out at the flower-filled courtyard.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked. She seemed surprised by the statement.

"Yes, it is. Who maintains it?" she asked, avoiding looking at me at all costs.

"Both Master Eraqus and I take care of it. We alternate days of who takes care of it. The master often tells me it's a good way of training the mind to be calm and patient, and that not all lifeforms are the same." She took a step back, with a concerned look on her radiant face, still not looking at me.

"Does the master always give lessons that way?" I looked at her with a puzzled look on my face. "I mean, through forms other than physical training."

"I never really thought about it, but yeah, I guess he does. I remember him telling me once that to be a master, one not only has to know how to use the keyblade, but also when, and why."

"Keyblade?" she asked with a puzzled look.

I looked at her with a questioning look on my face and said, "Yeah, keyblade. You have one right?"

She hesitated for a moment, seeming to think about the object in question. She then stated, "I've never heard of a keyblade, let alone own one."

"...What did Master Xehanort see in her?" I asked myself in a whisper as my mind tried to wrap itself around this fact.

"I'm not sure myself." I jump at the sudden voice behind me. I turn around to see Master Eraqus standing there with a grin on his face. "I believe I gave you a task, Terra."

I bow as fast as I can, and state, "Yes, master!" I then turn to Aqua and say, "Come on, I'll show you around the castle." I hold out my hand, thinking she would take it. I was proven wrong, however, when she immediately shrunk away from me as fast as she could. 'Idiot! You can't do things like that!' I berated myself. I bow to her and state, "I'm sorry! How about you just follow me, and I'll lead you around?"

She gave a shy nod, avoiding looking at me. Now that I think about it, she didn't look at me that entire time... Anyway. As I walked to the chamber door, I looked back to make sure she was following me, and she was, but I couldn't help but notice the frown on the master's face as I left the chamber.

'What was that about?' I thought as Aqua closed the door behind her. 'Oh well, better focus on the task at hand.' I looked at Aqua, noticing her apprehensiveness as she followed me. 'This is going to be a one sided conversation, isn't it?'

Going through the castle, I showed her the kitchen, main living space, the training room, the library (she seemed surprised by how many books there were in the massive room, and took a mental note to give her the rundown on the organization for the books later), the throne room where important meetings between keyblade masters were held, and finally, I showed her where the bedrooms were and where she would be sleeping. While on the trip, I tried to get her to talk to me by asking questions, but the most I could get out of her was either a silent shake of the head or hum in the affirmative. Finally, I had just given up on getting a conversation and settled for just keeping quiet until a new area presented itself.

As soon as the tour was done, the sun was sinking behind the mountains in the distance, leaving the sky in a gorgeous orange with purple hues spotted throughout. Noticing this, I turned to Aqua and was not surprised to see her two steps behind. 'I wonder how long it will take her to not think I'm some sort of demon or something...'

"Welp, that about raps things up. are you about ready to get something to eat?" I'm not sure if it was just good timing or the thought of food, but Aqua's stomach chose that moment to give a monstrous growl, showing her hunger for her. She quickly covered her stomach and turned away from me trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. "I'll take that as a yes," I state as I chuckle at the scene. "Come on, I'll show you where the dining room is." To this, I get a silent nod, so I start heading towards the smell of food that has somehow managed to make its way into the corridors.

Along the way, I try asking more questions. I ask what her favorite color is (I didn't want to just assume, considering the circumstances), what she liked to eat, her favorite place to be, and a few other questions. All of these were met with silence from the blue girl which is becoming very annoying. What's the point of talking to someone who doesn't talk back? I could almost say I was talking to a ghost, the only difference being the sound of shoes following behind mine. The last question is asked before we reach the doors to the dining hall, and note a word is given in response to it. I sigh in defeat, and turn to open the doors. Just before I am able to give the doors the energy to move out of the way, I hear whispers coming from the other side of them. 'That's funny... I don't remember the master saying anything about having visitors today...' I lean on the door putting my ear up to it and try listening to what is being said.

"I'm just not sure how well this is going to work out. Maybe I should not have forced her to go with Terra so soon..." I hear a worried Master Eraqus mutter.

"Do not fear, old friend," a sagely, deep voice replies. "Terra is more than capable of taking care of the situation, should things go wrong. I should think him wise enough to retrieve your help if something happens."

"Maybe you're right. I'm just worried about Aqua's mental state..."

"She is a brave young girl, Eraqus. Do not think her to weak to face what has been done to her. While it is true she may not believe in herself right now, but with enough care and patience, she will find the strength to do what must be done."

"I will trust your judgement, old friend, but I will not hesitate to keep the two apart, should the need arise."

"I would expect nothing less. Now, if you are done worrying, I believe the guest of honor has arrived."

I quickly scramble away from the door, assuming they are talking about us. In the process, I accidentally run into Aqua because I didn't realize she was standing behind me. With the force of which I ran into her, we both trip and fall to the ground. We both let out a shout as we hit the floor, with myself being the one to take the brunt of the force by turning us mid air so that I hit the floor. At this point, I hear the doors to the dining room creak open in a hurry. No doubt it's the master trying to make sure everyone is okay. There is a sharp gasp that comes from my right where the door is. I slowly open my eyes to see a mess of blue hair and a beautiful face to accompany it not even 5 inches from my face. I stare with wide eyes, trying to figure out what is going on, when I hear a shout from my right.

"Terra! What are you doing?! Let her go this instant!" With that command, I realize that my arms are wrapped around Aqua in a protective manner, and let go faster than a thunder spell can strike. Aqua doesn't move for a moment, almost like she can't understand what's going on either. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she gets up from the awkward position with an almost questioning look on her face, and I proceed to stand up and turn to Master Eraqus.

"Master, I promise, it's not what it looks like! I swear, it was an acci-"

"I don't want to hear it, Terra! I do not want to hear your excuses. Just go to the training area and do twenty laps. Maybe by the time you finish, you will have a better grasp of the situation at hand."

"But master, I-"

"Do not make me repeat myself, Terra."

"Eraqus, I think you are being unfair to the boy. At least hear him out before deciding he was doing things he should not have," the sagely voice I heard earlier say.

"I saw with my own eyes what was happening. There is no need to hear a story."

"Those who let their eyes make them believe are the most blind of all, Eraqus. You, of all people, I thought would know this lesson by heart. Maybe you are the one who needs time to try and calm down and get a better grasp of the situation at hand." With this comment, the master almost freezes in place. It was amazing. I had never seen the master put at a loss for words so quickly before, yet Master Yen Sid did it almost effortlessly.

"Perhaps you are right, dear friend. Terra, please explain what led up to the events of just moments ago."

"Oh, well... um... you see..." Usually, when I do something that doesn't look good, the master makes me do training to make up for it. No arguments. So to say I was unprepared to tell him what happened was an understatement. "After we got done with the tour, I brought her here for dinner, but I heard you talking, so I, kinda... listened through the door. When Master Yen Sid said we had arrived, it surprised me, and I tried to back away. When I did that, I accidentally ran into Aqua, tripping us both up and I tried to make sure she didn't get hurt, hence the position. That's when you opened the door..." I said. I'm not sure, now, if it was in one breath or just a half of one, but the look the master was giving me after the story was one of thoughtfulness, so I thought maybe I had gotten off the hook. However...

"Very well then, Terra. You shall not have to run 20 laps." I let out a sigh of relief. "Instead, you will run 40 for eavesdropping on my conversation."

"What?!" Both Master Eraqus and Master Yen Sid gave a knowing look to each other, both smirking while doing so. I look over to see Aqua looking my way. She now had a blush on her cheeks and she quickly turned away to hide the giggles coming from her.

"Alright, for now, let us sit down and enjoy a nice meal. We have a special guest today, as you already know. Aqua, follow me and help me bring the food out." With that, the two disappear behind the door leading to the kitchen, and I take my usual seat at the table, which happens to be across from the seat Master Yen Sid was in.

"So, Terra, Eraqus tells me training has been going well for you. How is your magic training coming along?" the deep voice of Master Yen Sid questions.

"I wish I could say it is going great, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it. I just don't get why magic is so important when I can just overpower whatever I'm fighting."

"Hmmmm... Perhaps the question you ask should not be 'why it is important', and should instead be 'what can I use it for'. There are many different forms of magic. You should try to find the one that best suits your tastes."

"What can I use it for? You mean like using it to stop my opponents in their tracks?"

"Not exactly. Think about it as another tool, like your keyblade. How can you utilize magical abilities to enhance the strength and power you already control?"

"Enhance the strength I already control... Do you mean like, encasing my keyblade with fire against those who have a weakness to fire?"

"Precisely. You do not have to cast spells from a distance to make them effective. Sometimes, the unexpected uses of magic are the most effective. Especially when the enemy does not expect it."

"Unexpected uses... So if I were to find a way to use magic that just works with my fighting style, I should become more proficient with it?"

"It would not hurt to try. Now, that is enough talk about training. The food has arrived." As if on cue, Master Eraqus opens the door from the kitchen with three different platters on his arms. Close behind is the blue haired maiden with two more dishes ready to be served. As the master puts his dishes on the table, he turns to grab the dishes from Aqua, who happily hands them over before heading to the seat two seats away from mine. I almost ask why she sat so far away when the master says, "Let us eat!"

A/N:

I'm sorry for the length between updates, but again, college sucks. I think I finally have a solid schedule figured out for it though, so hopefully I will be able to work on this some more.

On another note, as promised, I lengthened the chapter. I was debating on whether or not to go through the tour of the castle, but decided against it. I figured it wasn't worth the time.

Anyway, hope you enjoy what I have added and thanks for reading!

SS out!