A/N: A very, VERY late Christmas giftfic for the amazing Luckcharm (seriously people, check out her stuff). I tried to write it in present tense, but I'm not too excited about it. Probably never going to do it again, either. XD Either way, hope you like it!

Thanks: TopazDragon98, 7th Scale, IllusionalNightmares, 00Alyss00, tennisdesi91, QuantumMelody, FalchionLD5, and A. :)

~ "Is that natural?" he asks, carefully brushing some of Aqua's blue bangs out of her eyes, his fingertips touching her cheekbone lightly. It amuses Terra to no end that such a small gesture, a touch as light as a feather, has such a great impact on her, for her cheeks turn a faint pink the moment their skin make contact, and he chuckles.~

N. - Natural

"Hey... Is that natural?" he asks, carefully brushing some of Aqua's blue bangs out of her eyes, his fingertips touching her cheekbone lightly. The softness of her hair is marvelling.

It amuses Terra to no end that such a small gesture, a touch as light as a feather, has such a great impact on her, for her cheeks turn a faint pink the moment their skin make contact, and he chuckles.

Honestly, who cares about the eventual answer when something like this happens in front of his very eyes? It's moments like this that she just makes him want to grab her and kiss her until he feels light-headed from the impact...and then some. Not that he's ever going to tell her that.

Suddenly, a loud cough interrupts his train of thoughts. Terra looks up. His heart skips a beat when he sees that Master Eraqus is standing in the doorway, that unreadable expression directed to him, making him feel as though he has committed the worst crime imaginable. He has to wonder how long the man has been practising that look of pure doom in front of the mirror before deciding to share it with the world. Or rather, with his beloved pupils.

And then the man's words hit him like a brick, "Terra, may I have a quick word with you?"

"Uh, sure, Master."

With the slightest hint of reluctance, he gets up, away from Aqua's warmth, only to follow the Master to his office. By the looks of it, they are not going to talk about the weather.

Before Terra even has a chance to sit down, Master Eraqus asks solemnly, "Terra, do you have feelings for Aqua?"

His cobalt blue eyes widen instantly. "Uh..."

All the brunet can think is, Dammit, he knows... Now what?

"I-I uhm..."

Master Eraqus's eyes never leave Terra's form and it's making him more nervous than he dares to admit. Has it really been that obvious, all of his affectionate teasing? Or is it more that he's like an open book to the Master because he's practically been raised by him? Maybe Aqua mentioned it?

No, Aqua would never do that.

Master Eraqus sighs. "I see. The reason I'm asking you this is because we can't have something happen to any of you. I hope you remember the story of Master Riun and Xiko. Such feelings would only make the teamwork between the two of you hard, which could have disastrous consequences."

Terra nods, finally looking away. "Yes, I do."

"Then you know what to do."

"Yes... I understand, Master."

The mission was clear: he has to get Aqua out of his head. The question is, is he able to do so?

A/N: Duh, of course Master Eraqus would have noticed at one point. He's not stupid. XD

Next chapter: "I'm not going to let you go out all alone in the dark," Terra said firmly. " Don't you think you're a little on the overprotective side here?" Aqua asked. Sure, it was really annoying that he was acting like he was her brother, or something, but it also was kinda...cute. "No," he replied, "And why are you smiling?"