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

A/N: Some tension in this chapter and honestly, I really think it'll get worse as the story progresses. :P Oh well; as the drama goes~ I almost wrote this chapter without including the theme. LOL Can you believe that? Sometimes I do that; I know… Baaaadd. :| And if anyone's curious, yes, I will be putting emphasis on the swan symbolism. There is a reason for the title. xD

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


.: oo6 | Where? | oo6 :.
~ Innocent Swan ~


A month had gone by since Terra's return into my life. We met up regularly for coffee (though it was more like milkshakes) two or three times a week after I finished classes. Naminé and the others were slightly worried for me, but I figured it was because I didn't spend as much time with them after school like I used to. Riku was – of course – was being the biggest (overprotective) sourpuss about the whole thing, but he knew to keep his thoughts to himself. I know he's looking out for me, but Terra isn't a bad guy! Sometimes, I feel like Riku takes Aqua's place when she isn't there to scold me… And then I begin to think that they're talking to each other because Aqua – since her last encounter with Terra in front of our house – was acting like I committed a crime. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I swear she stares at me every once in a while!

"W-What?" I decided to confront her when we sat at the table for breakfast one Saturday morning. The rim of my cup of orange juice was pressed against my mouth as I nervously glanced at my older sister sitting across from me.

Aqua – who paused in buttering her toast – remained quiet before shrugging casually. She went back to eating her bread while speaking calmly. "It's nothing."

…Oh sure, like I was going to believe that; you're pressuring me, Aqua! Shaking my head, I probed. "Then why are you looking at me like that? You always look at me like that when you think I did something bad."

She sighed, dropping her toast on her plate before glancing at me again with a frown. Crap… I shouldn't have opened my big mouth; I hated being put on the spot. Aqua searched my eyes as I tried to remain unreadable before she voiced her thoughts. "Kairi, I can't help, but get the feeling that you're hiding something from me."

Try hiding someone.

I…didn't tell her I was seeing Terra after school because I knew she was going to get mad, though with the subject being 'Terra', there was a pretty big chance Aqua would be worse than mad. I've been telling her I was with Naminé every time I was out. I loved my cousin; Naminé always covered for me whenever my older sister asked about it. And no, I wasn't blackmailing Naminé by saying I would tell a certain blond we both knew about her feelings. I'm not that desperate! …Kind of.

"Where do you go after school when I'm working? What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding—"

"Try again."

Oooh, I hate it when she cuts me off while folding her arms across her chest like Mom used to do. Making a nervous fist on my lap, I slowly answered. "F…Fine. I just hang out after school…"

"With who?" Aqua raised an eyebrow and added before I could say anything. "If you tell me it's Naminé again, you're in trouble, Kairi."

Ugh, I also hated it how she could be such a mind-reader. Mom and Dad in heaven: why did you have to teach Aqua to be so righteous? I shut my mouth and pouted at my blue-haired sister, but as expected, she wasn't going to crack; she never did. That was a third thing I hated about Aqua: how stoic she could be in any situation.

Knowing I was cornered, I knew I had to tell her everything. "I've been at The Rhythm Mixer after school…with Terra…"

"…Terra?"

"I don't spend anything! He always treats!"

"That's not the point, Kairi!" Aqua snapped back and I flinched a little in my seat. "You've been seeing him? What does that mean?"

"It means we're hanging out together as friends!" I shot back when I realized where Aqua's mind was reeling. I wasn't ready to tell her that I did want to date Terra, but after her little remark, it solidified my assumption that it wasn't going to be easy to actually do that without her exploding. Still, I just don't understand why Aqua was so upset with Terra in was just like any other guy… What made him different to her? "I don't see anything wrong with hanging out with an old friend, Aqua. It's just Terra."

She stared at me like I was crazy before rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "What do you see in him?"

Oh, very mature, Aqua. Rolling my eyes, I muttered while pushing the last square of my pancake around with a fork. "Well maybe if you two stopped bickering…"

Aqua scowled at me then and retorted. "Hey, he always starts it; not me." Standing up from her seat, Aqua gathered her dishes and strode towards the sink. I waited for her to speak again, knowing she was using this time to calm herself; even I used the time to calm down and then realized I felt like crap for how I reacted. She was only worrying about me the way a sister should, but really? Aqua shouldn't have to deal with being my older sister and being my mom. Hearing her sigh, I hesitantly looked at her; watching as she kept her back to me. "…Kairi—"

"I know the drill." When she looked over her shoulder, I smiled in determination. "If Terra becomes a jerk, I promise I'll kick him where it hurts; just like you did when we were little!"

Aqua flabbergasted; her cheeks turning bright red. "What? I've never—"

"You were in the fifth grade. He called you a tomboy by the school playground and you kicked him down there without warning."

Ha! I knew she didn't have a comeback… It was true though: back then, Aqua really hated being judged just because she was a girl. I'm starting to wonder if that was where Terra and Aqua's hatred for each other stemmed from. Smirking victoriously at my older sister, Aqua rolled her eyes before smirking. She crossed the kitchen to ruffle my morning bed-head affectionately. "Some sister you are."

Huh… I think Terra and Aqua were more similar than they thought. What were the chances they'd have the same comment about me?

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

"Do it, Naminé. Do it!" I urged over the phone while shaking a fist, even though I knew no one could see me.

"Shh! Kairi, don't shout over on the phone!" Naminé scolded in a hushed tone.

Rolling my eyes, I wondered how she still thought I would listen to her when it was apparent that she was with Roxas right now; 'hanging out' with mutual friends. It was awesome how Sora was a close friend of Roxas; that was how I found out he was with Naminé right now. Sitting up on my bed – cuddling my throw pillow – I clicked my tongue. "Maybe I wouldn't have to shout if you just confessed already. I mean really, you guys are always around the same people, at the same place… He likes you, Naminé. There, I admitted it for him."

"Kairi!"

"It's the truth!" My eyes stared at the ceiling when I fell back on my bed. "He told Sora and Sora in turn told me…even though it was supposed to be a secret between them." When Naminé remained silent on the line, I sighed contently. "Well, I can't force you, but do it soon, okay? Aqua's love life isn't the only one I'm trying to fix."

Naminé giggled a little, teasing me. "You know, I learned something interesting when I went to the library yesterday to do some biology homework. You're like a swan, Kairi."

Huh? Where did that come from? "A swan? …Are you saying I was ugly once upon a time?"

"No… Maybe. Anyways, what I meant was that swans are seen in some cultures as 'messengers of love' since some swans mate for life." Naminé informed; a smile in her voice. "I'd call you cupid, but that would be too obvious and uncreative."

"Oh thanks, Naminé. I see you're using me for your artistic prose again." She only laughed at my mock attempt at sounding hurt before someone started to call for her. Naminé replied back and I knew our chat time was going to end soon. "Gotta go?"

She confirmed my thought. "Gotta go. I'll see you on Monday. Tell Aqua I said hi!"

"I will. Bye!" Once we hung up, a heavy exhalle escaped me. It was Saturday and everyone but me was busy: Sora and Riku had the occasional Blitzball team practice on the weekend, Naminé was out visiting her other friends, and Terra…well, I didn't know what he did on a Saturday; he probably had a job or something. But anyways, I was at home doing nothing while Aqua was getting ready to head down to the dance studio for her teaching class. I was utterly bored and had no one for company.

Sitting up, I wracked my brain for anything I could do. Nothing but homework came up, but I really wasn't in the mood for doing that. Hmm…maybe something interesting was playing on the television after I talked to Naminé for fifteen minutes? Jumping off my bed, I skipped down the stairs to see Aqua slipping on her boots. "Leaving for work?"

Aqua turned to me and nodded. "Do you want to come?"

"And pretend I know what a plié is? No thanks." Aqua shook her head in amusement as I walked with her to the door in the small entryway.

"Well if you're sure." My sister teased while looking at me. She continued speaking and opened the door. "I didn't want to leave you home alone—"

"Whoa!"

I kept a silent gasp to myself when Aqua smacked into Terra's towering stature at the door. She stumbled back a little, but the brunet steadied her when he caught her hand. "Terra!" He winked at me in greeting and I smiled silly; trying in vain not to show my giddiness.

He then placed his attention on Aqua, face blank and voice even. "Sorry. You okay?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Aqua's astonishment turned into annoyance; most likely because Terra was touching her. She slowly pried away from him, but thankfully enough, she didn't snap since he did help her. Still, her voice was just a little bit accusing. "Yeah… What are you doing here?"

Watching for Terra's response, he showcased a smirk before glancing at me. "I thought I'd take Kairi out on a date."

"What?" Aqua and I exclaimed for completely opposite reasons. If I had been the type to faint, I would've done so now.