A/N: Finally; a chapter over a thousand words again. :D This idea was actually based on chapter 13 of my challenge "Aquatic Angel," Dearest. This chapter feels forced, mainly because I feel a little rusty. :/ Either way, enjoy.

Thanks: Amulet Misty, Melodious-Nocturne3, TopazDragon98, The Punch Lord, Petite Noir, and Chandramukhi. :)

~ Terra let out a dramatic sigh. "My dearest Aqua, why must you always be so darn suspicious about everything I do?" ~

25) Among

"Hey, watch it you," Aqua exclaimed with a loud laugh, as she quickly shielded herself with her arms before the damage was done.

She was too late, though; all of her clothes and her hair were practically wet through by now, thanks to Stitch's silly antics. But she didn't mind one bit; she was used to it by now, because it happened every time she took Stitch for a nice, thorough bath. Besides, she enjoyed the lighthearted play fights with her pet. It was a fun way to kill time or unwind. God knew she needed it with such a hectic life.

At that moment, the doorbell rang, which caught both Aqua's and Stitch's attention. She got up from the tiny stool she was sitting on and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was plastered on her skull, looking darker than usually thanks to the soapy water. She looked like a mess. Oh well, there wasn't much she could do now. She just fervently hoped that it wasn't Leon. That man had seen her in enough awkward situations to know that her life wasn't exactly normal. Thank heavens he was not the kind of person to bring it up in front of anyone.

"Ugh, great timing. You stay here, okay? We're not done yet," she said to her beloved pet in a solemn tone, but the smile that adorned her pretty face gave away how amused she actually was.

Stitch nodded and splashed some more water over the bathtub for good measure. Usually, Aqua would give him a mop too and after they were done with the bath. They would dry and clean up the bathroom together. Stitch was rather fast, so thankfully, it never took them too long.

The first thing Terra said when she opened the door was, "Whoa, what in the world happened to you? Did Zack drop by again?"

She rolled her eyes, knowing very well that he was referring to the day that the two had met, but she had trouble with keeping a straight face. For some reason, thinking about Zack always made her want to laugh. He was a good guy, no doubt, but the way he sometimes handled things... He was like a mix of Terra and Ven...as weird as that may sound.

"Very funny, Terra. And hello to you, too." Aqua stepped aside to let him in. "So, what brought you here all of a sudden?"

"Whoa there. 'All of a sudden'? You're acting as if I never visit you or something."

"Well, that's because you really don't. Not without a reason that would benefit you at least."

"What, so you don't trust me when I say I'm here from the goodness of my heart?" Terra asked indignantly.

"No, I don't," Aqua replied with a shake of her head, without missing a beat.

The brunet man sighed wearily. "Okay, look. I just wanted to see how you were doing today. I know you've been very busy with your concerts and that Leon guy and stuff, so I wanted to check on you and see if you were all right. That is all."

It was silent for a moment, as Aqua stared at him quietly. Then, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "I still don't believe you."

Terra let out a dramatic sigh. "My dearest Aqua, why must you always be so darn suspicious about everything I do?"

"Oh, I don't know," she started, sarcastically. "Maybe because every time you start acting all sweet like this, you've either done something that's going to make me very mad when I find out about it, or you want me to do something for you. So which one is it this time?"

A shocked expression adorned his handsome face, but Aqua wouldn't fall for that.

"What? How can you say that? I would never do that!" Terra let out.

The blue-haired teen lifted a thin brow at his words. "Oh no? Are you even being honest to yourself anymore?"

Among all of Terra's characteristics, she knew she had to be the most careful when this one showed up. But this didn't make him look less charming.

Terra blinked a couple of times, before sighing. Maybe Aqua knew him better than he'd thought…

"Okay... I wanted to ask you for a favor too. I might be in need of a little Munny," he admitted slowly, not daring to look at her.

Whether it was out of embarrassment, or more to play the sweet, innocent guy-role, she was not sure.

"Oh?"

Again, Aqua tried not to smile, but it was so darn hard now!

"Yeah... You see, I was already broke when I bought Ven his birthday present earlier this month, and now I just know that there's not enough money left on my bank account, because I still have to survive until the 26th..."

Aqua shrugged. "It's no problem, Terra, I can lend you some. What do you need it for? Just food?"

He still wasn't looking at her when he admitted, "Actually... It's for Kairi. She invited me to her birthday."

As soon as she'd heard that, the smile on her face faded. Of course it had to be for her again. Everything he did was always for Kairi alone. But she didn't have the heart to say that she didn't want her money to be used like that.

Without being able to control herself, she slowly started losing her patience. "Then why in the world didn't you save some Munny if you knew her birthday would be around soon?"

"That one should be obvious enough. How was I supposed to know she'd invite me too along with her other old friends?" he replied, as though it was the most logical mistake to make.

Aqua could barely resist the urge to facepalm. "Ugh!"

"What?"

"You are the dumbest smartass I know!" she said angrily, before turning around and stomping out of the living room.

"What..." Terra blinked when he heard how she closed her bathroom door and then locked it. "So, I'm not getting the money then? ...Aqua? You still there?"

"Go away!" he heard from the other side of the bathroom door.

"...Oookay?"

Why was she mad at him? What had he done to aggravate her like this?

Terra scratched the back of his head, utterly confused at this point. Okay, what the hell did just happen?

A/N: Yaaay, with this chapter, I've officially finished 25% of this story (not counting the sequel). And it only took me two years and two months. *Does a small victory dance.*

Next chapter: Borrowing money from her to buy a birthday present for Kairi was one thing. But when he even replaced every memory he had with her with memories of Kairi, it became just too much for her.