[There is a Google extension that reads texts to you. webstore/detail/read-aloud-a-text-to-spee/hdhinadidafjejdhmfkjgnolgimiaplp?hl=en. Read aloud setting: Justin recommended for that anime effect.]

Aqua drove to work. Terra kidnapped Ventus and took him to school. Kidnapped was a better word than 'volunteered'. On the way to work, her mood was foul and body jittery.

When she got to her job, she relaxed in the car and stared at an image of Ventus hooked to the key chain. A picture of him on his 2nd birthday. A photograph of them at the beach. "I wish you'd stay gone..."

She marched into the HeartHive building, a tech corporation. She wondered as she paced through the building why she wore a skirt. Oh, right? Ansem wanted to have a serious meeting with the patrols.

HeartHive

"I assume that everyone is here today?" Ansem folded his arms behind his back. He was an old dude around the age of 60 but appeared to be a younger gentleman. They assembled in a wide room with a round table large enough to fit eight people.

"You never call for a session," noted Aeleus, the tallest guard at HH. Aeleus looked intimidating but Aqua knew he was a huge bear. Next to Ansem, the company's top technician, Even. Saying technician was a nice way of saying he was a hacker and kept the systems clean and secure. HeartHive wasn't a liked business in the Garden District. "The reason we are having this meeting is more to inform you. Someone hacked our computers in the night's middle," Even addressed.

The guards heaved, "How can anyone hack the business. Even, you brag on the security you built for the corporation," addressed Cloud. Even's lip twitched, "I have made an impenetrable virus protection program. And what they hacked may have been..." he avoided his gaze with the patrols. "Less shielded."

"What did they hack into?" inquired Aqua.

Even tilted his head nonchalant, "The profiles of the guards."

"Fantastic..." Dilan, Aqua's half-brother, rolled his eyes. "I have to check my bank account now."

"That won't be necessary. They took nothing. But, we would like for each of you to know and change your passwords. In case..."

"In the event, we wind up hacked and penniless?" jested Leon.

"More or less..."

Aqua eyed Ansem, "If money wasn't the objection. Then what was the goal?"

"We aren't sure..." Even pressed his glasses against his nose. "I looked at the activity. The computer is operating from a PC named MemoryJERK. "Cool nickname for a PC," grinned Dilan.

Even rolled his eyes, "While you're in awe of a name they could hold your life's secrets in their hand."

Aeleus chortled, "Oh no D, they found the 7 wives..."

Dilan faked a gasp and turned to Aqua, "Oh no little sister... I guess I should tell you. I'm not your brother and my father was a gangster. He's in prison now..."

The table of guards joined in on the joke with snorts and chuckles. "Laugh it up," Ansem asserted. The guard's voices lowered. Ansem surveyed each face, "This may be a small poke. It could escalate to a spark. Given the history we have, we are not the most liked. I've asked every employee to turn in their phones. And buy new ones..."

"What..." Leon scrunched up his nose. "How can this person get into our phones?"

"Powerful ass computer...," enunciated Dilan. "The gist of this is that this is Cyberwarfare. The biggest concern is... are we getting paid?"

Ansem kept his empty face, "No..."

Aeleus blinked, "I'm going home..."

"Same..." Cloud rose from his seat and walked with Aeleus to the door. Even blocked them, "Hand over the phones."

"How can they do any damage if we aren't here?!" Leon queried. "Mr. Leonhart, please had over your phone...," Even beckoned.

Aqua wasn't a tech-savvy person. Either was Dilan. After the war ten years ago, she went from soldier to bodyguard. "Don't worry little sister... Big brother's here," he jested.

The two remained in the locker room. Aqua opened her locker, a large blown photo of Ventus with Terra's picture ripped off covered in the back. She grabbed her chapstick and apply some before turning to her brother.

"Oh, look at you tapping into your jokester side," she mocked. "I'm in a good mood today." Aqua and Dilan were half-siblings, Dilan's father serving as the divide. She didn't get the same coarse hair as he got that from his mother. He mimicked his mother's braids and cornrows while she preserved her loose waves. Dilan gazed into his locker, a mirror on the side of the door and stickers stuck to the frame.

"You think the company getting hacked is an issue?" he claimed. "Yes, but I have an important question... why didn't you pick up the phone?"

"Did you call me? I've had it off the whole day. Damn thing's been beeping and buzzing at random. What happened? Something wrong with Ventus?"

"Terra stole him..."

"WHAT!?" he vexed.

"Well—Not stole, I say stole, but-," she reeled her words struggling to explain. She drew a breather, "Terra showed up at the door. He broke into the household and commanded where I hid the munny I took..."

"Aqua I ordered you to leave that shit alone...," he jeered.

"Dilan, I know but I guessed if I took the munny-"

"He couldn't get any more DTD? Woman are you stupid? Was the dick that damn good it kept you from thinking?"

She grunted. Dilan was finding his overprotective brother side. Aqua threw her head back, she prepared for a lecture. "Let his ass overdose... I told you to fuck everything and fuck him ."

"He's still my husband D,"

"You know how to keep Santa Claus from coming in through the fireplace? You set his ass on fire. This shit you're doing is creating trouble. You have a five-year-old!"

There he was overpowering her. "Dilan, I'm fine...," she underlined. "Were you okay when he drove you against the wall? Calling me to get Ventus out of the house. He was with me for a fucking year!" He slammed the door on his locker, making shutter. "Aqua, what the fuck!"

Aqua faced her toes. Dilan sauntered off, with her head turned away, she uttered, "He's coming over tonight..."

"I'll be there!" Dilan shouted back without gracing her with a peek.

10:30 pm

Though it was nice to have the extra protection. Dilan was clingy... He looked tough with cornrows in his hair and emotionless face. Dilan was the softest thug she knew. If she could even call a thug, a thug after watching the Lion King ten times and still tear up.

Aqua settled in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Some black-eyed peas, chicken, macaroni, mashed potatoes and honeyed rolls on the side. In the living room, Dilan amused Ventus. Ventus waved around a toy gun making 'pa-choo' sounds. "You think you can tell me to jail! I'm the toughest cowboy in the west!" Dilan tipped the hat on his head. "It's over Big Bad Bill! Your days of stealing and killing are over!" Ventus fired his lego pistol. Dilan grabbed his chest and fell to his knees. "Arg!" Dilan collapsed on the carpet in a heap. "Sorry it came to this Bill... you were a good brother."

"And you were a decent brother too, Rowdy Rick... argg... I could've asked for another. I'm sorry about your pa...," Dilan coughed.

"Maybe it wasn't your fault... Pa did drink a lot."

Aqua listened from the kitchen, her heart wrenched. The roleplay broke at the twisting knob at the door. Dilan rolled onto his stomach and Ventus ran to the entrance. "DADDY!"

Terra came with blood-shot eyes, smacking on gum. "Daddy!" Ventus cheered. "Mommy fixed Dinner!"

Terra ruffled Ventus's hair. "She better had fixed dinner. I'm starving..."

"You can wait..." implied Dilan. Terra's neck snapped to the right and glared at the man. He called out to Aqua, "Bluebird!" Bluebird was a nickname he had given her, she hated it now. "Why is he here?"

"I live here now, bitch..."

Terra shot back, sneering and snarling like a stray dog. "Aqua! I don't want him in here!"

Dilan lifted from the floor, "I don't think you get that choice..."

"Get out!"

"What's wrong Terra? Didn't like the way I handled your ass the time you put your hands on my sister? Mm?"

They both focused on each other. Aqua called Ventus to her side. One side wanted Dilan to fuck Terra up in simple terms. The other, good, angelic side wanted him to at least get him to leave. The end goal was Terra getting ass beat either way. Ventus faced his mother, "Mommy, why does uncle not like Daddy?"

Aqua didn't answer. "Le-Let's eat. Everything is done. Come, eat!"

The two men paused their glares. Dilan smirked and motioned to the kitchen with Terra's hateful gaze following. Dilan sat at the table across next to Ventus, he glimpsed at Terra, "Terra, I know I look good but please."

After trash talking and confusion from Ventus, Aqua set the plates on the table with food. She sat next to Ventus, leaving Terra to sit next to Dilan.

"Mommy you make the best macaroni, "Praised Ventus stuffing his face with macaroni." "Woah Ven, you can't eat all the macaroni," Dilan chaffed.

"I'm going. To. Eat. The. Whole. Pot!" the child danced in his seat. "Well, I guess I can have the cake to myself...," Ventus ogled his mother with his mouth agape. "You wouldn't..."

"Careful Ven. Your mama is tricky. She has her ways," Terra winked, eyeing Aqua who looked to Dilan. "So, Terra. What brings you here?"

Terra huffed, "My left nut."

"Might want to get that checked out... nuts shouldn't walk or in your case, bounce?"

"Oh har-har, Dilan. I forgot how fucking funny you are!" Terra scoffed. "Terra!" Aqua reprimanded. "Ven is right here..."

"Oh come, Bluebird! Ven, you've heard your daddy cuss before. Listen to this, your uncle D is sorry ass motherfucker!"

"Terra!"

"I mean," Dilan started. "I never hit my wife. What's baffling is that she's still here with you, aka, a sack of shit."

"You calling me a sack of shit?" Terra's tone sharpened, he licked his teeth. "I'm saying. Any man that beats his wife in front of his own son. Is. Less. Than. A Man. Aka your bitch ass."

He nodded his head. Terra scooped a fork of everything on his plate, shoving it in his mouth before targeted Dilan with the fork. "Bitch!"

"Terra!"

Dilan grabbed his left shoulder, he kicked away Terra making him fall to the floor. He got up from the chair. Aqua ushered Ventus to his room, covering his eyes. The last thing she needed was this burned into his memory.

Terra launched from the floor til Dilan smacked back down by a fist to the nose. He bled red oozing onto his black jacket. Terra shook off his daze before trying to tackle Dilan into the wall. The men wrestled, Terra pinned him delivering blows to the gut. Dilan hoisted him above his head before slamming him on the table, breaking it.

In Ventus's room. He clung to his mother. "It's okay Ven. Wait in here, okay?"

"No...," he whimpered. He pulled on Aqua pajama pants, pulling her back to the bed. "It's going to be okay Ven. Stay in here."

"No! Mommy!" he pleaded. Aqua unclenched Ven's visit and exited the room. Noise rattled the boy, he held his breath and grabbed his doll for comfort.

"Terra! Dilan!" Aqua shrieked. They moved into the living room, Terra held a knife. "Come at me! You tough! Fight me, bitch!"

Aqua scratched at her chest, her breathing hitched. She screamed, "Terra, STOP!"

Terra bent his head back, for that moment Dilan attacked Terra. He pinned him down and pounded his face. "Dilan enough!" Aqua cried. Dilan didn't stop, blood marked Terra's lip, eyes, and nose. Terra's fingers twitched. As he went for another blow he stopped at the roaring sound of, "GET OFF MY DADDY!"

Ventus ran to Dilan and hit him. None of the small jabs to the chest affected him. He got off Terra and watched the boy clinging to his battered father. "Daddy..."

Terra stroked Ventus's back. "I'm all right..."

Dilan saw the broken family. His sister crying, a son attached to his father. He spotted Aqua, her lips trembled and her hands rattled with nerves. "Get out Dilan!"