Disclaimers: I don't own anything but the game merchandise and this story. OTL The challenge, however, belongs to HawkRider.
A/N: I say this chapter is a little conversation heavy, but I honestly like it (yay! I finally like something!). Originally, I partly wanted to do a flashback during Kairi's childhood, but I fail at writing through the eyes of a child in first POV. OTL But hey, I got this overall chapter as the end result! I'll let you guys read it out since I don't want to spoil anything, but I hope it makes sense. xD I will, however, apologize in advance for anything you might not like, but trust me: it's necessary for later (like really later) chapters. ;P
Thanks for reading and reviewing! Please enjoy and R&R!
.: o11 | Beginnings | o11 :.
~ Innocent Swan ~
"You're in love with her?"
"Yeah, so…could you drop the matchmaking thing? Not because I want you to help me specifically, but because I want Aqua to like me through my own efforts."
"But—! Terra, you guys are always fighting and you've picked on her since we were kids!"
"True; I won't deny that, but boys pick on the girls they like now, don't they? I was too stupid back then to realize it…"
¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨
"Kairi," Aqua called out after knocking on my bedroom door and opening it. Popping her head inside, my older sister found me curled up on my bed and rolled her eyes. "If you plan on skipping dinner, don't count on it. I'm feeding you whether you like it or not."
Despite my need to humor her, I really couldn't. All I did was curl up more under the blanket wordlessly; clutching my moogle doll tightly and hoped to god that Aqua would leave me alone. Now I knew I was being unfair to her because – let's face it – she had no idea my crush was infatuated with her, but this was just one of those things where human nature got the better of me. I didn't care if Aqua was the 'alpha female' between us, but when it came to the alpha male (AKA: Terra), it was a whole other story; especially when both alphas were at wit's end for who tops!
…Ugh, why is Riku's tutoring on animal heirarchy bogging my mind now?
While I wrestled with my thoughts, Aqua had crossed the room, sat on the edge of my bed, and pulled the blanket away from my face. It was a good thing I wasn't crying (just pouting if anything), otherwise Aqua would have gotten on my case. How awkward would it be if I told her my problem had something to do with her?
Smiling, my older sister reached out and brushed my bangs out of my eyes as I persisted to keep them on the white wall. Aqua didn't seem to mind that I was partly ignoring her. "How was your day, Kairi?"
"A major headache," I mumbled against the moogle's fluffy head. Aqua must've thought it hilarious to coo and treat me like a baby, but I wasn't laughing! …But like always, it was extremely hard for me to stay annoyed with her; especially when her caresses were exactly like Mom's… Conceding defeat, I shifted on the bed so I could rest my head on top of Aqua's warm lap; looking outwards. My older sister giggled in response, causing me to blow a raspberry at her before we fell silent again; Aqua's stroking motion lulling me to sleep. However, my mind was so jumbled that I actually couldn't; therefore, I did what was necessary: I had to talk. "…Aqua?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are boys stupid?"
If Aqua was confused with why I was asking, she didn't show it. "I could think of a million reasons."
Nodding in agreement, I continued. "Okay, name one."
"Some boys refuse to admit defeat when they've lost in an argument. Male pride I guess," Aqua answered after thinking.
I bet I could top that. "Some boys have to prove they're superior…by eating the grossest thing in the cafeteria on a dare."
Aqua smirked with a curt giggle before responding to my challenge. "Some boys make the poorest excuses for why they're late for special occasions."
"Some boys think it's funny to do ridiculous stunts only to hurt themselves later." I hummed in amusement.
"Some boys have really big egos."
"And they really stink after gym class."
At this, Aqua raised a thin eyebrow at me, almost as if she was perplexed. "I'm surprised you brought that up. You hang out with two boys who're on your school's Blitzball team, Kairi. I thought you were used to them smelling like…well, sweat."
"Ew, no!" I quickly sat up with my nose scrunched in disgust. I loved Sora and Riku, but I loved them even more when they were wearing deodorant after physical activities. Seriously, I sometimes have to act like their mother and remind them to take a shower before we could have a serious conversation. When my older sister laughed at the expression I was making, I couldn't help but join her; it was like magic that Aqua could make me smile again.
Shaking her head, Aqua sighed and changed the subject when she realized I was acting more like myself. "Alright, princess, time for dinner. You're okay now?"
Was I? That problem I had with Terra earlier today still left a bad taste in my mouth. He liked Aqua; that statement came straight from the horse's mouth, but I just couldn't accept it. He never says anything positive about her (well…he was neutral on some days), I've never seen Terra glance at Aqua when they were in the same room, and – of course – they always bickered eventually when they locked eyes. How does that translate to Terra liking my sister?
"Kairi?" Aqua tilted her head when I remained silent.
"Aqua, how do you see Terra exactly?" Yes, I blurted that out; and yes, I knew I was stepping on a landmine. He was a…sensitive subject for the both of us at the moment, but I needed to paint a real decent picture if I wanted to grasp their 'lack of' relationship.
As expected, Aqua's face darkened and her body language habitually went on the defensive. "Kairi, what are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing?"
"I'm certainly hoping you aren't planning on hooking us up."
For once since I started my matchmaking hobby for Aqua's sake (which I had formally promised Terra I would stop doing because I had unspoken feelings for him), I vehemently denied her line of thinking; waving a hand frantically and struggling to contain my voice from turning into a shout. "That's the last thing I'd ever want to do! I-I mean…you guys would only ever fight if I tried that."
"Glad you're seeing that reality," Aqua sarcastically stated before rolling her eyes.
Telling myself to think carefully, I had to play my cards right. From what I knew, it was easier to get Aqua to talk if I pretended to agree with whatever issue she took a stance on. Funnily enough, getting her to crack when it came to Terra was smooth sailing; she…never held back with what she had to say about him unfortunately. "Yeah. I mean I'd like for you guys to be civilized, but it's impossible…"
"It's only impossible because he's never serious about anything." Aqua huffed, stood up, and began pacing my room with arms folded across her chest. Every time she listed something about he-who-shall-not-be-named, Aqua's frustrations would further increase. "He has a silly invincibility complex, he's extremely competitive and his 'wins' only stroke his ego, he's moody beyond belief, and…argh! Because of his name-calling, I can't have a normal conversation with him even if you asked me to!"
Oh wow… Aqua had a lot of pent-up annoyance towards Terra than I thought; I didn't even know he had those traits (if they were true). Either it was anger built up from the last ten years or Terra got under Aqua's skin all at once in only a month and a half. Either way, this probably just confirmed that Terra and Aqua's personalities wouldn't mesh well together; I think they clashed more than even Saïx and Larxene and that's saying something.
Suddenly another question popped into my head and I cautiously eyed my older sister. After venting, she had covered her face in exasperation as a heated sigh escaped her. Seemed like she ran out of steam; hopefully she wouldn't get aggravated if I asked one more question about her feelings in regards to Terra. "So…what do you dislike most about Terra?"
Aqua kept her eyes trained on the wall, silently thinking for a few minutes. It made me wonder if there were many things Aqua specifically disliked about Terra (and she couldn't choose just one to say) or she didn't feel like telling me anything more about her loathing towards one guy. Aqua never was the type to truly harbor ill feelings towards anyone…unless your name was Terra. Nervously biting my bottom lip, I made to break her heavy concentration. "Um—"
"His face."
…What?
Gaping in disbelief, I asked. "His what?"
"Terra's face." Oh my god, she looked so serious about that answer! Aqua held a deepening scowl and her eyebrows were knitted tightly together. Heck, even her eyes were burning with passionate – dare I say it – hate!
Blinking out of my shock, I couldn't help but flabbergast. "His face…? I-I was expecting something about Terra's personality, but his face?" My dearest Aqua: either you were going blind or you were overwhelmingly crazy; Terra had a gorgeous face (if we weren't looking at the whole package). Yeah, I'm probably acting very shallow, but even Aqua had to admit (to a small degree) that the brunet was attractive. You don't have to say it, but at least acknowledge it!
Aqua ignored my ramblings (and probably my dumbfounded look too) as she explained with a narrow of her eyes. "He wears his personality on his face: his smugness, his arrogance, his…everything." I had almost missed Aqua whispering quietly to herself as she glanced to the side. "I hate looking at that face…"
"Aqua?"
RING!
The sudden ringing of a phone broke us out of our discussion and I quickly looked around my room before eyeing my cell phone that lay beside my pillow. Hmm, it wasn't my phone.
"It's Larxene." Aqua sighed. Looking up, it finally hit me that it was Aqua's phone that rang. Judging by the way she was looking at it, it was time for her to suffer—I mean, listen to another one of the blonde's long-hour rants about anything (I placed munny that it was specifically about Saïx again). Resigned to her fate, Aqua started walking out of my room while her phone rang and vibrated in her hand. "I have to take this. Kairi, make sure you eat before going to bed and no more weird questions."
That was basically 'Aqua talk' for: 'ask me about Terra again and I swear tonight will be your last meal.'
I could only nod my head quietly before Aqua disappeared, most likely heading to her bedroom to speak with Larxene in private. Lowering my head, I tried to digest everything that my sister and I talked about before stringing them together with the things I had learned from Terra. He liked Aqua, but Aqua despised him. I still wasn't sure of the beginnings surrounding Terra's supposed infatuation, but Aqua's disgust apparently started with his face. It was like they were playing cat and mouse with each other. Terra could chase after her all he wanted, but Aqua probably wouldn't relent. And according to the set of rules I had when evaluating guys for Aqua, Terra only fulfilled three of the four rules: he was on good terms with me, but he was on eggshells with Aqua; therefore, he had to be dropped. At least, that's what I would say if I were still Aqua's self-proclaimed matchmaker. Since I promised Terra I would stop to give him a fighting chance, the rules weren't valid anymore.
…However, Terra didn't say anything about keeping guys away from Aqua. Sometimes she'd run into a pervert or a really terrible guy; I definitely wouldn't want Aqua to deal with people that upset her. Unfortunately, Terra happened to be one of those guys that got on Aqua's nerves. It was probably harsh, but Aqua was my sister; I had to place her needs above Terra's even in this kind of situation…
Strange; why am I smiling?
