Terra x OC

        ... At first all they were were just simple glances. And unusual ones for him at that - rarely did he smile at anything like that, not to mention never at anyone. But she would steal those precious moments from him, even though neither of the two ever noticed.
        The glances were directed to Eraqus's 'daughter' - the one Terra and Aqua learned he took in and cared for when she was little. Her name was Amelie.
        She was about their age, but the first time they ever saw her was when she visited them, now. Apparently, after she reached certain age, Eraqus found a new home for her, and she left the Land of Departure. She just came to see her old 'father', as well as visit her childhood home.
        But what came as most puzzling on the matter for the Master's pupils was - that Amelie was not a Keyblade Wielder.
        She wasn't ordinary, that was for sure - but she was completely different from them. While Aqua and Terra spent their time mostly on training, Amelie was always with her head stuck in books, papers and, what seemed to be, maps of all sorts of Stars.
        Eraqus revealed to them that she had one side of her that was to be approached with utmost care - she had always wanted to be a Keyblade Master when she was a child; alas - she didn't have it in her. They learned that early on - before she reached her teens. Also, he noted that she could never live it down; she always looked up to him, the other wielders, and wanted to be a part of it all. And when she finally accepted the fact, her only consolation was to still stay involved with it somehow. That's where Master Yen Sid stepped in the picture. The girl always had a knack for stargazing and had a poetic side to her - talents the former mentioned Master recognized as ones that could be used in a way he himself practiced. So, with a load of literature and a new home found for her alone, she set off, and left the place that started burdening her with her inability to be like everyone she admired.
        It seems though, that even after years she still felt the same. Amelie did not communicate much with either of the two - Terra nor Aqua - and was rarely seen anywhere around at the beginning. It wasn't like she was doing it on purpose, or out of jealousy - she was simply shy and felt inferior to them. She tried her best not to bother Master Eraqus as well. Respecting her and thinking it was best that way, he too did not try making her get involved in their everyday routine. However, this was one thing that he did not tell Terra and Aqua.
        In Terra's eyes, she was beautiful - she had long very curly blue hair, but not the same shade as Aqua's. It differ in brightness, from the top to the bottom as well as her the outer curls from the deeper ones, but it could be best described as azure. Her eyes were emerald green, and she wore a long floppy dress, light blue and teal color, as well as matching slippers, and also had a few green ribbons wrapped around her ankles. And, as mentioned, she always carried folders of papers and pencils. But it wasn't her looks that caught his attention - there was something about her, something else.
        Aqua was his best girl friend - and though she was not someone to be taken lightly in a fight - she was by all rights girly. She had that girly posture; she responded to things in a feminine way, and even in her voice you could hear that gentility that would make any other guy let his guard down. But what Aqua had, and Amelie lacked, was a lot of self-confidence - to that extent that she never had to defend herself in any way and that made her always be at peace. On contrast - Amelie never spoke surely - even almost quietly, and, even though she appeared a lot more feminine in comparison (maybe because there was no actual armor or training gear on her), she never had a self-conscious walk like most girls have - but was rather like floating through the air when walking, be it fast or slow.
        But, since her arrival and onwards, the other blue-haired girl seemed somewhat nervous in their presence, avoided eye-contact and never approached them in any way. It puzzled Terra - he could sense that she was doing it for a reason, and he instantly felt the need to loosen things up. There was some big invisible wall that needed breaking.

        From Amelie's point of view, it was kinda a direct hit in the heart when she saw that her guardian-father now had real students of his own, and also ones he treated like his own children. She felt like a complete failure and nuisance. Alas, with their hospitality, they at least helped her feel like she won't be of any bother to them at all. And Eraqus was glad to see her - he had so many questions to ask her about her new life. She was still a grown-up child he let go to him.
        And the Land of Departure... The place didn't change one bit and was as beautiful as it always was. She wanted to visit every corner of it and reminiscence about the good old days... except there was one problem. The new students that occupied the place.
        She knew Keyblade's chosen ones had to face daily hardship she could never comprehend - and also ones that required a lot more of one's strength than she had - so she stayed clear out of the way, not wanting to endanger her hopes of still being able to roam freely through a place she loved, but that was now to be inhabited by others way out of her league. So one could imagine that it came like a complete shock when Terra approached her.

        Truth be told, Aqua was the first to do it - but it was more in a matter of greeting, and both students wordlessly decided that was best because she was a girl. There weren't many Keyblade Wielders nowadays that were females, so that might have had a positive impact on her.
        It broke through the ice, that was evident, but Amelie was still edgy around them. They were determined to make her feel comfortable, but it was no easy task. It would have to take days...
        And then it started happening.

        At first both of them tried starting small conversations with Amelie. And they were literally small: like, just "Hi! How are you today?", "I'm good, thanks," and such. But then Terra suddenly took the initiative and started adding more, with some simple questions, like what's she up to, if she'll be joining them in the gardens later, or will they all have lunch/dinner together. And it seemed that Terra even bothering to ask her such stuff came as a complete surprise to Amelie. But not a bad surprise - on the contrary; after that she started actually looking them straight in the eyes when talking, and didn't seem kinda 'fidgety' when normally passing by them, or walking through the same room they were in. She even begun starting conversations with Aqua.
        He didn't dare ask her anything about Keyblades or if she'd like to watch them train. He knew he'd be walking on thin ice with such topics... So, instead, he focused on asking about her and her interests. And, slowly, she started opening up more and more. Then he realized she was simply shy by nature, and that he actually made a big breakthrough. Just the thought of it gave him immense joy.
        Suddenly they started spending more time talking, and he genuinely tried to use up every possible opportunity to do so. She talked about her days spent in the Land of Departure; revealed to him the simplest tricks to star-reading, and even mentioned she writes poetry. And after that, there was no turning back - he became her friend and could finally communicate with her with ease. Aqua was speechless.
        It was around then that Terra started sending Amelie glances. He often did it in Aqua's presence, and it didn't take her long to realize that he himself wasn't aware he was doing it. And the more time passed, the more he was doing it, and smiling all the while. So Aqua started catching up on what was going on...
        After a few more small-talks, when Terra became able to bring up his and his friend's trainings as topics, he gathered enough courage to ask her if she would like to spend her time near them, while they trained. He simply put it like it would be nice if they could spend more time together at the same places. Amelie accepted. Terra couldn't be more glad. But Aqua... The poor girl's troubles just started.
        She also thought it would be great if Amelie would spend her time outdoors, doing what she normally does and while she and Terra spar in the background. But when Terra started swinging his Keyblade in an overly-used fashion - or he'd miss his targets altogether - she saw that it wasn't such a good idea.
        She tried her best to keep it to herself, she really did - it was as clear as day that Terra was developing a crush on Amelie, and she thought to let things go their natural way without adding anything up; but once he started showing-off in front of her when they were practicing, she had to speak up her mind.
        "Terra!" she tried to call him back to reality while they were in a middle of yet another sparring session, "Focus! Your Keyblade should go more this way around, instead of making a whole circle!"
        "What are you talking about, Aqua?" he replied with a grin. "I was merely trying out another approach!"
        "I know where your approaches are headed," she argued, "and they are far away from your training ground, and a lot more that way!" She ended the sentence quickly pointing at the currently oblivious Amelie sitting by a stone table. That caught Terra off-guard.
        "W-what?... I'm not....... I don't know what you're talking about, Aqua!" he threw his arms in the air, playing dumb. Aqua gave him the look.
        "Of course you don't. You're unconsciously trying to look great in front of Amelie!"
        "What?! I'm not -"
        "You like her," Aqua cut him off, but trying her best not to raise her voice, "and if it were more obvious than it already is, the trees and birds would start talking about it!"
        Terra blushed in a deep red, and looked away, trying to hide it. He couldn't talk back to her though.
        "... Now come on and let's finish today's training," she called him back, and he turned to her, but with his gaze still glued to the floor.
        That day's training ended well, but Terra had notably begun loosing focus afterwards, so much that in the end they had to consult Master Eraqus about it, and their teacher decided it was best if Terra started sparring with him alone in the Throne Room. It hurt Terra's pride somewhat, but he didn't go against his Master's wishes, and decided it was best to obey - even though he didn't see the problem Aqua and Eraqus did. It also took him some time to adjust - for he was no match for Eraqus, and had to put everything in a training if he wanted to learn anything. That left Aqua and Amelie alone to each other.
        Aqua found a way to train on her own , and now that the spirited brunette was out of the picture, it left Amelie nothing else to focus on, but her own work.

        It was still amazing to her, the whole thing: she always felt kind of intimidated by buff guys; yet Terra broke through that intimidation within weeks. At first, when she arrived, all she managed to notice were a tall well-built young stranger, and a pretty, but strong and serious girl of her age, and neither of them were appealing in her eyes. She was too shy to even properly look at their faces, let alone approach them. But her adoptive father encouraged her to make some communication, and before she knew it, Aqua and Terra were doing the same.
        They weren't like what they appeared to be - serious students whose minds were focused only on self-improvement in battle - but were actually friendly and welcoming. And after Terra started small-talking with her, she finally started noticing other details about them. First and foremost were Terra's facial features - he had a sincere gaze, and totally unlike the rest of him, his eyes offered gentility, especially with their bright blue color and long eyelashes. As a matter of fact, she thought he looked handsome.
        With Aqua she had even less problem afterwards - after all, she was a girl too. And soon, she started wondering what it was like for her to be a real Keyblade Wielder. Now that they were alone, she could ask her about it.
        "Oh, it's really no big deal," Aqua waved it off, referring to the trainings themselves. "After a while, you get used to it, and your body does too. You keep pushing your limits."
        "I see..." Amelie trailed off. Aqua could sense that even with that it was bothering her.
        "You know..." she started carefully,"... the Master told us that your dream was to become a Keyblade Wielder. I'm really sorry that didn't work out."
        "... I'm still feeling sorry about it too," Amelie finally opened up. "But what can I do... I could just accept it and be who I am."
        Aqua thought for a moment. "You can still train. You don't have to use a Keyblade to fight for what's right..."
        "I know - but it was just too painful for me..." And Amelie's expression supported her words. "Besides... Master Eraqus said I wasn't really built for battle. And I can't argue with that...... Even the simplest of things I tried took me a lot more to learn than it would any other student.
        ... Then again, when I think about it - I never learned even those." She looked up at Aqua and smiled sweetly, joking with her for the first time. Aqua chuckled lightly.
        "What about your maps?" the short-blue-haired girl asked, pointing at the ones that always lay on the table. "I hear you're good at stargazing."
        "Oh, yes..." Amelie responded. "Well, these are just patterns of the Lanes Between that connect the Worlds... And some stars are actually connected to each other. There are also ones that are so similar..." Amelie continued explaining. "... It's amazing, all those Worlds out there."
        She really did seem amazed about what she was talking. It made Aqua smile.
        "I also hear you're a great poet," she brought up.
        "Well... I write things down whenever inspiration hits me... And that happens fairly often..."
        "... Would you mind if I read any of those?"
        "Not at all," Amelie answered, and pulled out a paper she wrote onto barely an hour ago.
        Aqua read it. It was a genuine poem about matching Stars, students and teachers; also something about a forgotten land... but that wasn't finished. Either way, it left her without a comment, even though they were works in progress.
        "I really like this..." Aqua said, in awe.
        "Thank you," Amelie responded.
        "... You know, I think you're best with what you do." The other girl looked at her. "You are best with what you already are." She handed her back the paper.
        "... Thank you, Aqua," she told her after a few moments, meaning it. "... But I still find being a Keyblade Wielder far more fascinating..."
        Aqua chuckled. "It's not like that's all there is to us."
        "No? But what else is there in your life?"
        "Well.... I'm good at baking," Aqua smirked.

        From that day onward, Aqua and Amelie became friends too.
        Also, talking about baking... There was one more event that 'spiced' things up. One evening, all four of them sat down for dinner, and this time Aqua's specialties were on the menu. Poor Terra felt devastated.
        "Not your sweet-stuff again..." he complained, before even being served. "I didn't make strawberry cake for you, sourpuss," Aqua commented. That surprised him. "I made some green salad and a carrot-cake with nuts. Neither are very sweet..."
        Terra blinked. "What made you go out of your way?" he asked in disbelief.
        "Let's just say that Master Eraqus and I faced an even match in our preferences..."
        He was still confused.
        "You're not the only one that has a dislike for freshly picked fruits and sugar," Master Eraqus explained. Amelie shifted in her seat at this, suppressing a giggle.
        "What, you too??" he practically jumped up. "Oh, thank goodness! Somebody that finally understands what it's like to be surrounded by addicts with a sweet tooth!"
        They all laughed at that point. But Terra was really glad - not only would he probably be able to eat a lot less sugary stuff while she was here, but he and Amelie actually had something in common...

        ... And Master Eraqus acknowledged this too. He noticed how, right from the start, Terra showed a lot of interest in gaining Amelie's trust and making her comfortable. But he didn't put much thought into it; Terra was that kind of person. However, he did mentally jaw-dropped when he saw his oldest student in the gardens with his 'daughter' - stretched out on a stone chair by the table and not in his usual 'macho' posture, while having a relaxed conversation with her. It became clear that he was also showing interest in gaining her affection, and now he'd have to keep a close eye on the two, worrying and hoping that nothing goes wrong.
        But it didn't. Aside from that problem of Terra not being able to focus on his training while around her, everything else went it's best way. He even felt thankful to him, because Terra managed to reach Amelie in a way he himself never did.

        "Hi!" the boy greeted Amelie, finding her at at the usual spot.
        "Hi," she greeted back. It was starting to get late, and Terra just joined her after a long day of practicing with his Master.
        "... How's your day been?" he asked, sitting down not far away from her. He was somewhat jealous of Aqua now that she was the only one that had her attention during the day, but he tried not to show it to anyone.
        "Good, thanks. I didn't manage to work much on what I started yesterday, and I think I'm gonna spend the night looking up at the sky."
        "Oh, really?..." he said, leaning on his elbow tiredly.
        "... How are you?" she asked back.
        "Tired..." he answered, suppressing a yawn. "I was put through some really hard drill today..."
        She chuckled. "How come you're not headed to bed then?"
        "I wanted to catch some fresh air before it," he lied. He crossed his arms on the table and rested his head atop of them now, shutting his eyes for a moment. He truly did seem exhausted, although his appearance was somewhat... well, refreshed.
        The secret was that he actually went to have a shower after the training, and also got into some clean clothes so as not to come completely rugged and with bad odor in Amelie's presence. The hilarious fact was, once again, that he did all that without thinking why he was doing it - it was all instinctively. Luckily nobody saw him, so nobody could tease him for it, and Amelie was as clueless as he was.
        Terra tried to strike some small-talk with her, but, before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep. Maybe that was the moment Amelie began to feel that all he wanted was to see her, and not catch 'some fresh air' as he put it. She took some light clothing she brought for herself for when it started to get chilly, and covered him with it. He was so fast asleep that he didn't even feel her doing it.
        After that, she took her telescope and went a bit away from the table, not wanting to wake him up. He clearly stated he didn't want to go inside anytime soon, so she respected his wish.