Disclaimers: I don't own anything but the game merchandise and this story. OTL The challenge, however, belongs to HawkRider.

A/N: Hi everyone. -shot- D: Sorry for rarely being around these parts as much as before! School (as usual) has been piling up and I'm getting into fanart once again. Oh, and a few video games are preoccupying me too. -trollface- I'm not completely dead; just my time until the end of April (perhaps June once again) of next year is thinly laid out. xD But enough about that…

Haha, I used this one strangely, but I still like parts of this. :3 I really like my Aqua/Kairi sibling love. =_= And ballet's still a big theme in this story…gotta show that more. |D; LOL

If my readers are still there, thank you so much for your patience! :) And anyone brand new, welcome! I'm going to ask that you please be patient with my sporadic updates… OTL Thanks for reading and reviewing!

.: o14 | Delete | o14 :.
~ Innocent Swan ~

I could practically count down the minutes that Aqua would storm into the house as I sat in the living room reading my chemistry notes and – as expected – the front door opened and closed (or should I say slammed) within seconds of each other. Feet stomped into the kitchen and I was pretty sure Aqua was muttering angrily under her breath. I played with a cream puff using my mouth; my head resting on my palms as I lied on my stomach along the couch. The tap in the kitchen went off; indicating Aqua got a glass of water to 'cool off' before footsteps stormed in my direction once more.

"I have cream puffs," I bravely yet casually spoke out loud. The footsteps inadvertently stopped (most likely at the bottom of the staircase) before making their way into the living room. Aqua soon entered my line of vision; a glass of water in hand and an upset expression painted on her face. She grabbed a few cream puffs from the box sitting in the middle of the glass coffee table before sitting in the adjacent armchair and munching on the deserts in her left palm. Knowing Aqua, she was going to eat all of them before she could calm down. Giggling a little with how predictable her actions were, I immediately stopped when Aqua shot me a really dirty look. "Erm… H-How was your day?"

"Before or after you and Terra showed up at the studio?" Aqua dryly scowled.

"We came in at different times," I quickly let out in a half-lie, afraid that the next thing to leave Aqua's mouth was a long-winded lecture. I sat up properly on the couch while setting aside my notes. "It was just a coincidence that Terra and I were both there."

Aqua rolled her eyes while digging around the box for another cream puff. "Uh-huh, because it's 'coincidence' that you keep appearing together whenever I see either of you."

Ouch… Seriously, this Aqua was scarier than the monsters from hell. Technically, she wasn't wrong, but she wasn't right either and it made me wonder just how heightened her senses were now that Aqua had a feeling I saw Terra whenever I had the chance. Tugging at the ends of my hair, I tried to think of some way to get the subject out of my territory. Aqua rarely came home this fuming before so I had to think really fast as to why she was so…ticked off. Let's see: she woke up, went to work, apparently Xemnas bugged her when she was teaching, Aqua found Terra and I together… Ah! Glancing cautiously at Aqua, who trapped herself in more spiteful mumbling, I hesitated. "So your students told me Xemnas—"

I didn't even get the chance to finish when Aqua released the chains holding her anger just by mentioning her boss. "You know what I found out? That man is seriously vain. And I thought Terra was conceited, but no—his brother is far worse and it's probably because he's the older sibling. Xemnas is subtly about it, but it's there… That same haughty ego must run in the family!"

To say the least, I blanked out. "Uh…really?"

"Yes!" Aqua stood up and started pacing around the room to complain some more. It was funny watching Aqua rant. She didn't do it all the time so, whenever she did, Aqua looked ridiculous doing it since it was so out of character for her. "They act so much alike that it's crazy! I'm already at wit's end with Terra, but Xemnas? Working with him is so difficult! I have to please him every time I'm working and he's always looking for results from the students I teach… They aren't soldiers; they're young girls who enjoy dancing. Why can't he drop that robotic way of thinking? It's always 'time and money' with him!" She slapped her face. "Why is he the managing director anyway? He doesn't even dance!"

Now, during Aqua's release of frustration, I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion. "It's that hard dealing with him?"

"It's frustrating," Aqua sternly corrected with a frown. "I mean, how you would you feel seeing that lack of empathy twenty-four hours a week?"

"True." I hummed; a hand under my chin. "But if he bothers you so much, why don't you find another job?"

"…Huh?"

Can I just say Aqua did a complete one-eighty? She was no longer relentless and turned into a deer caught in the headlights. Aqua blinked at me innocently, but her reaction to my suggestion confused me all together. This was the first time Aqua actually complained to me in great detail about her work, so obviously something was up; and if this was about her boss, she was better off removing any added stress since she was still in college.

"Work. I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of other places that are hiring. Sora and Roxas were looking for part-time work days ago and there was plenty! 'Delete' Xemnas and move on!" I enthusiastically suggested, muttering under my breath without really hiding it. "And with your looks, it won't be difficult getting a new job, you know."

Aqua rubbed her hands together and whispered. "…I don't care about that."

"Then why—"

"Dancing." Immediately falling silent, I watched as Aqua tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before trotting over to sit beside me, sinking into the cushion with a small smile. "Yes, sometimes the people I work with…irritate me, but I do get to dance and earn money at the same time." She turned her oceanic eyes my way. "Do you get what I'm saying?"

"But…"

Aqua placed a reassuring hand on my head. "A bunch of guys aren't going to drive me away, Kairi. I'll be fine."

"…You'd be even better off if you had a boyfriend already." All jokes aside though, I was half-serious; very serious as long as the guy wasn't Terra. I smiled smugly when Aqua groaned in exasperation and rolled her eyes. Giggling, I pulled away and fixed my hair. "Come on, Aqua. Once a guy – any guy – sees you doing a rendition of a Swan Lake dance solo, I bet you'd have them at your beck and call. Use it to your advantage."

"Very funny." Aqua shook her head, carefully placing her cell phone on the coffee table so she didn't have to hold it on her person. With a sigh, my older sister informed me, though her voice held scolding undertones. "And I haven't danced to Swan Lake since I was fourteen… I wasn't very good at it either."

Ugh, the drama of having a perfectionist sister when it came to ballet. From what I remember, Aqua was exceptional enough to be the Sugar Plum Fairy when she was eight. "Oh please. You were always dancing to something related to Swan Lake since I was in kindergarten. I'm amazed you're still saying how you suck when that particular ballet was your absolute favorite."

A blush crossed Aqua's face as she retorted with a clear of her throat. "It's because it's my favorite that I want to do it justice." When I snorted under my breath, Aqua pushed me lightly to the side, causing me to burst out laughing instead. Narrowing her eyes in annoyance, Aqua stood up from her spot and walked around the couch. "Wow. I feel like Terra finally got to you and I'm not sure I really like that."

I wanted to say something really snarky since anyone would find it amusing how Aqua desired so much excellence out of life, but I refrained from doing so. She was finally bringing up Terra's name without it coming off as venomous that I didn't want to ruin her mood…much. Grinning, I challenged. "Hey, I've laughed at this subject before—it's nothing new."

"Right." Smiling now, Aqua placed a small kiss to my crown before exiting the living room with a stretch of her arms. "Anyways, I'm going to take a shower. Be sure to clean the kitchen before going to bed, Kairi."

"I was hoping you'd be too mad to notice the mess!"

"I wasn't that mad," she replied.

Once I heard footsteps climb up the stairs, I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. Good; Aqua wasn't ill-tempered anymore and we were talking normally again. A smile lit my face as I closed my eyes, but my euphoria ended by a rumbling sound. Caught a little off-guard, I blinked and looked around before spotting Aqua's phone on the table. Her screen was lit so it meant that she had some kind of message. Hmm…wonder if it's Larxene with more drama. Aqua wouldn't mind if I just took a look, right?

Making sure my sister wouldn't come running down the stairs, I quickly grabbed Aqua's phone and checked the screen. I was surprised to see a text message from an unknown number— Wait a minute! That number looks familiar… Pressing the button to open the message, I read:

"Sorry about what happened with Xemnas.
I mean that, Aqua. This is Terra by the way."

Since when did Aqua have Terra's number? Wait! Wait! Wait! There had to be an explanation for this! Be calm my beating heart! Stop screaming in your head, Kairi! Taking a deep breath, I quickly read the message again before the truth sank in: Terra was texting Aqua. For how long had this been going on? No…from the looks of it, this is Terra's first text to Aqua. Since she hasn't seen it; Aqua doesn't have to know about it! If I just delete it, Aqua wouldn't have knowledge that Terra contacted her and the brunet would simply think my sister was brushing him off since he wouldn't get a reply. Yes, this is a plan that must happen. However, should I do that?

A second vibrate of Aqua's phone indicated another message:

"I'm not trying to be a creeper either.
Just thought I would apologize."

And then another shortly afterwards:

"Reply?"

He wanted to talk to her; Terra was being serious about keeping his declaration. Biting my bottom lip bitterly, I performed the necessary keystrokes to delete the messages promptly before blocking Terra's number so Aqua couldn't receive future messages or phone calls. I don't know how Terra got Aqua's number nor am I aware if Aqua had been talking to Terra, but I didn't like it.

"Did Larxene call?" Jumping, I turned around to find Aqua standing by the entrance with a towel in hand. She walked up to me, explaining. "I forgot to check my phone for messages. Larxene's supposedly dropping another bomb on me tonight. Did she call?"

"Nope. I just wanted to play with the features on your phone; that's all," I lied, handing the device over with a smile.

Aqua stared at me hesitantly before returning the gesture in kind. "I see."

"…Aqua?"

"Hm?"

As she glanced from over her shoulder, I paused hesitantly. "You wouldn't…talk to Terra over the phone would you?"

Surprise painted her face before Aqua, having answered the same questions over and over again, tiredly shook her head as she left. "I think you know the answer already, Kairi; especially when it concerns Terra."

Her reply continued to ring in my ears even after she went upstairs for the bathroom. Silently contemplating to myself, I knew that Aqua wasn't lying to me with her response…but it was vague. To me, that meant I had to be doubly sure of every measure I made in regards to keeping Terra away from Aqua and vise versa. Phase One of my 'Keep Away' operation had been completed for some days now—it was time to move on to Phase Two. What comprised Phase Two?

One key ingredient: Terra's jealousy.