Wayfinder Trio

Wayfinder Trio is the friendship between Aqua, Terra, and Ventus from the Kingdom Hearts fandom.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep
Aqua, Terra, and Ventus are all aspiring keyblade masters, living in the Land of Departure. Aqua and Terra are currently studying under the tutelage of Master Eraqus, and are preparing for their Mark of Mastery exams. The night before the exams, the three friends gather outside to watch a meteor shower. They spar in preparation for the next day, and then Aqua presents the two boys with a good luck charm that she's created. They are based on the legendary paopu fruit, native to Destiny Islands, which weaves together the destinies of those who eat it together. Aqua hopes that these Wayfinder charms will keep the three of them together forever.

The next day, Aqua and Terra perform their exam. However, Master Xehanort sabotages the test by creating balls of light which attack Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, who is watching on the sidelines. Terra is unable to control the darkness in his heart, and fails the exam. Aqua passes, and is named a Keyblade Master. Terra heads out into the other worlds to try and put an end to the Unversed that have appeared, and also to search for Master Eraqus. Ventus, who has been told by Vanitas that Terra is turning to the darkness, leaves home in search of his friend. Aqua, worried for Ventus, sets off after them.

The three travel through various worlds, seeing the effects that their friends' arrivals have on each world they visit. Ventus and Aqua are both shocked to discover that Terra took the heart of Princess Aurora in the Enchanted Dominion. They both try to defend him, saying that that's not the Terra they know, but things become harder to ignore are they continue through their journeys. The friends eventually meet up in Radiant Garden, where they fight a large Unversed together. Aqua and Terra encourage Ventus to return home, but it is shortly revealed that Aqua was sent by Master Eraqus because he does not trust Terra. Feeling hurt, Terra storms off. Ventus follows him, and Aqua has no choice but to continue chasing after the two boys.

After exploring more worlds, the trio are called to the Keyblade Graveyard. There, Terra reveals that he killed Master Eraqus, because Eraqus was trying to kill Ventus. Ventus reveals that Master Xehanort wants to use him to create a "χ-blade", and suggests that Aqua and Terra should just end his life before he has to fight Vanitas. Aqua and Terra disagree with this idea but, before they can argue, Master Xehanort arrives. The three enter into a battler against him, Vanitas, and Braig. They work together, clearly showing worry for each other's safety. Terra eventually falls to the darkside and his body is taken over by Xehanort. Ventus and Vanitas forge the "χ-blade", but Ventus destroys himself before it can be used, sending himself into a comatose state.

Aqua, the only survivor of the battle, brings Ventus to see Yen Sid. He instructs her to lock Ventus away somewhere safe until his heart can be re-awoken. She places him in a chamber in the Land of Departure, sealing it away. Due to the darkness that had overtaken the world, it becomes Castle Oblivion. Aqua then sets out to find and save Terra. She encounters Terra-Xehanort in Radiant Gardens, and the two engage in a fight. Terra-Xehanort falls into the Realm of Darkness, and Aqua chases after him. She sacrifices herself to save the body of her friend, certain that one day Terra will be able to return to it.

Fanon
Much like the trios from Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the Wayfinder Trio is a beloved group of characters. They are often considered to be the "prequel" to the Destiny Trio, with each member paralleling someone from the Destiny Trio; Terra is Riku, Aqua is Kairi, and Ventus is Sora. Even their names are direct parallels to their Destiny Trio counterparts. They also each meet their respective parallel as small children in Birth By Sleep.

With Ventus being younger than Terra and Aqua, some fans view the two as either his older siblings or parent-like figures. This latter view is most popular with those who are Terraqua shippers, allowing them to feature Ventus as Aqua and Terra's "son" or ward. With their master gone it makes sense to have the two older members of the trio as Ventus's guardians. Other fans, however, ship the three characters in a poly relationship.

There are over 300 works on AO3 for the trio as a platonic pairing, and over 35 works for them as a romantic pairing.

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Trivia

 * The ship's title comes from the Wayfinder good luck charms Aqua made for herself and her two friends, serving as the symbol of their friendship.