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

A/N: I loved writing this chapter. It was fun and it actually had Terra/Kairi interaction! XD Maybe not the best use of the theme, but it's there. ^^; Also, because of a song that is extremely addicting, I've been in a Xemnas/Aqua mood. Talk about the turnabout… Aqua, why you so pairable? :|
…If I ever get the story down, you might see something soon. LOL

Ahhh~! I hadn't realized Kingdom Hearts's 10th anniversary hit a few days ago! xD Happy Belated KH! ^^ When the original North American release date comes around, I promise I'll try to do something then. :P

Thanks for reading and reviewing! Please enjoy and R&R!


.: oo5 | Phone | oo5 :.
~ Innocent Swan ~


"So how was school?" Terra asked nonchalantly as he leaned back in his seat.

I couldn't help but fidget from across the table, playing with my fingers as my hands rested on my lap. After being whisked away from school (on a motorcycle no doubt), it was probably expected that I would feel a little jittery. My first ride on a motorcycle and I find out Terra's a speed demon on wheels. I wasn't expecting him to drive so fast (and he told me he has yet to get caught doing so), but maybe this was a one of those things I'd grow to like about Terra since he's gotten older. Boys liked fast cars and…stuff, right? Besides, Terra hadn't changed that much.

A smile was plastered on my face, but I kept my eyes away from Terra. "It was okay. Nothing out of the ordinary…except, you know, when you came to pick me up."

He laughed then and I swear my face matched the red color of my hair. Grinning, Terra leaned forward on the table. "That's not a part of school."

"You still showed up at school. It counts!" When Terra continued to snicker at me, I scrunched up a napkin from the dispenser and threw it at him. Of course, it didn't really do anything except make him laugh harder and feign surrender because I had the almighty 'girl power'. For being twenty-one, Terra sure acted like Riku when he was teasing Sora. I pretended to be mad – turning my body away and crossing my arms – but that only gave Terra leverage to reach over and mess up my hair. "Hey, Terra!"

"You're too easy, Kairi. Some little sister you are." The brunet grinned before pulling away feeling satisfied.

To be honest, I was crushed since Terra was still treating me like his little sister. He was an only child (to my knowledge before I found out about Xemnas), so I assumed that was why he always saw me like a baby…but I didn't want him looking at me like 'sister material' anymore! I hid the disappointment on my face by dipping my head as I fixed my hair while Terra was preoccupied with the waitress who stopped by our table to drop off our orders.

The waitress smiled. "Here you are: one Royalberry Shake and one Vanilla Glitz Crunch."

…One of those things sounded way too sweet. Quickly lifting my head, I curiously looked at our orders – Terra thanking the dark-haired waitress before she left – and noted one strawberry milkshake with whip cream and a cherry on top for me…and a bowl of marble-flavored ice cream coated with gem-like sprinkles for Terra. He licked his lips in anticipation before scooping a spoonful of the cold substance and placing it in his mouth. Staring wordlessly, I watched as Terra got lost in his own world as he continued to eat his ice cream in bliss.

Once he noticed my staring, he pointed to my milkshake glass. "Hey, come on, I can't be the only one enjoying the sweets since I'm paying."

"…Pfft." Quickly covering my mouth, I turned away, but it didn't stop my shaking shoulders and I ended up laughing out loud. Terra was taken aback by my reaction and he looked so stupidly cute when I caught him glancing at me with his spoon in his mouth.

"Okay, what'd I miss?" He finally asked, lifting a questioning eyebrow.

So hard… I tried so hard to answer between giggles. "You still love sweets that much?"

Terra blinked before narrowing his cobalt eyes. Scooping another mouthful of ice cream, he challenged. "And what's wrong with that?"

"You're not ten anymore."

"Age has nothing to do with tastes."

"No, but it makes you look like a big kid." I smirked, taking a sip of my milkshake. Swinging my legs under the table, I continued taunting. "You're just like Sora, but even he's restrained when it comes to sweets. As in, he doesn't eat them as much."

Suddenly, Terra was grinning mischievously at me; almost as if he cornered me. "Is that your boyfriend, Kairi? Hmm…was it that brunet?"

…Ugh, he did have me cornered! My cheeks flushed pink and I looked down, but Terra had already seen my embarrassment and chuckled. "W-Well, yes, but…! N-No! Sora's just a friend from elementary school! I don't have a boyfriend! I've never had a boyfriend."

"Chill out. I was kidding." Terra reassured with a tiny smile. He probably thought he hurt my feelings, but in reality, I just didn't want him to get the wrong impression that I was dating someone. That was not the case if I was pining for him after all. Terra sighed as he slowly ate his dessert; leaning forward on the table. "But you know, it's okay if you do. You're at that age now; I won't stop you. However, I will give your future boyfriend a little ass-kicking if he does anything stupid."

Aww, Terra was so sweet even though there was irony in that statement. I couldn't help but smile while I played with the straw of my milkshake. Really, it was just like Terra to worry about me, even though I knew the reason why was because I was being that sister-like figure again. Still, it was nice knowing he would be there for me. Now if only I could get him to look at me. But before that…

"What about you, Terra?"

"Hmm?" He smiled, finishing the last of his ice cream.

I tried to keep my face straight, but my heart was pounding like a jackhammer against my chest. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

He hummed for a moment. Terra looked thoughtful, almost serious, as he kept his eyes out the window while rubbing the back of his neck. Somehow, his lack of response wasn't helping how I felt. Maybe he was seeing someone… That thought was starting to grind my confidence into dust. My mouth fell open to tell him that he didn't have to answer, but Terra beat me to the punch when he glanced at me once more. "I did, but it ended a long time ago."

"You broke up with your girlfriend?" Stupid voice! Don't crack in hopeful expectation!

Good thing Terra didn't notice as he nodded, pushing his now empty bowl to the side. "Yeah; I met her during my first year in uni. Uh, we were together for about a year before we broke up. She and I wanted different things and that was okay. I still talk with her and I heard she's marrying her 'prince charming' soon."

He was so…calm talking about his ex-girlfriend. I was amazed with how much Terra grew up; he really was an adult. My admiration for him grew stronger and I knew he was the right kind of guy for me. Someone mature, playful, and kind… Terra was the one! Nodding, I smiled with a tilt of my head. "You have a big heart, Terra."

He coughed against a fist to hide a faint trance of embarrassment. "Don't I always?" He smiled at me when I giggled. There was a pause between us before he asked for the sake of conversation. "What about Aqua? Is she seeing anyone?"

Oh, I had loads of stories to tell when it came to Aqua's boy troubles. Rolling my eyes, I sipped on my drink. "No way! Aqua's so abstinent when it comes to guys. She's either just friends with them or she doesn't take notice of them at all. She's way more interested in school and ballet. Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing, but I personally feel Aqua needs more of a social life."

Terra smirked a little. "So she's as boyfriend-less as you?"

"Hey, watch it," I joked, sticking out my tongue. "And yes. Aqua's never had a boyfriend before."

"Huh…okay." For some reason, Terra just seemed a little…different for a lack of a better word in that one moment. I mean, I honestly thought he'd make fun of Aqua and then I'd have to defend her honor in her stead, but Terra was simply docile. There was nothing smug about his smile nor did his tone possess any sense of victory that he had one-upped Aqua in the relationship department. He was…civilized about Aqua's case.

Curious, I tried to probe him for answers secretly. "You're being awfully cool about this. I thought you'd try and use this as ammo against Aqua."

"Why would I do that?" Terra questioned, caught off-guard. He darted his eyes quickly to the side before answering coolly. "I already know she's frigid; that's nothing new."

"…You don't have to call her frigid." Seriously, even I don't call her that; it was just plain mean. Frowning, I defended my sister. "Aqua's capable of getting a boyfriend if she wanted to. She's pretty, she's smart, and she's at the top of her class when it comes to dancing. I've seen guys turn their heads her way because she's amazing just by walking—"

"I get it, Kairi, you can stop now."

Whoa, I've never heard Terra snap before; at least not to me. He made me flinch when his voice sounded cold and his expression was far past serious. I wonder if this was how Aqua saw Terra when they argued. My respect points for my sister increased tenfold because I personally felt like running away. Terra…he was so scary when he was mad. How could Aqua stand that?

He must've noticed how I felt because he broke away from his hardened exterior and looked at me apologetically. Scratching the side of his head nervously, Terra lowered his gaze to the table. "Sorry, Kairi. I, uh, kinda picked up on my brother's temper…"

"No, it's okay. I run my mouth a lot if someone doesn't stop me." Shaking my head, I cleared my throat and smiled brightly for Terra. I guess mentioning Aqua like that was a bad idea. Of course, that worked in vise versa with my sister too… Talk about being similar. Trying to lighten up the mood, I pointed out. "By the way! I've never heard of your brother until yesterday. It's Xemnas, right?"

To this, Terra was relieved with the subject change and I was grateful that he wasn't mad anymore. "Yeah. Long story short: our parents divorced when I was eight. I lived with Mom while Xemnas lived with our Dad. Mom remarried when I was ten and that was when we moved into the house next to yours. That guy you knew was actually my stepfather."

I nodded my head, humming all the while before pouting. "You still didn't mention anything about your brother…"

"You weren't asking back then." Terra grinned. Poking my forehead, he continued his tale. "Seriously, Xemnas isn't all that interesting anyways. He's so dramatic the time; although yeah, he can get pretty animated when he's angry…but it's scarier when he isn't. I would know; I've been living with the guy since I finished high school."

Well that's reassuring. Maybe it was a good thing I didn't set up Aqua with Xemnas; she could be pretty mad too if she wanted to be. Smiling, we continued catching up and talking about the silliest things. I learned a lot about Terra during the time when he was gone. It felt…nice getting to know him once again.

And this time, I made sure to get his phone number after he dropped me off home.