Posted on 2025-12-14 17:48:33
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Terra hasnt heard from Aqua in a few days, not since she took up lessons with Setchia, an old friend of the Keyblade Wielders, thanks in no small part to being the mother of one of their lost members. While Aqua, Terra, the King, and the others tried supporting her and her husband after this loss, shes been trying to get her mind off it, and offered Aqua something to help put her own mind at ease.

Dance lessons.

Terra figured these lessons would be a bit time-consuming, but he was a bit curious about what they entailed or how they helped Aqua feel better since the war with Xehanort. To Setchia, dancing was a hobby and even part of her job, but Aqua, like Terra, was trained to fight since a young age, so dancing was a bit out of her ballpark. It didnt help that Terra had been noticing some substantial changes in the worlds around him, some of which included an increase in dancers or entertainers.

Hardly a bad change, but he pondered if it had something to do with peoples decreasing tensions, after creatures like the Heartless had made everyone pretty high strung for the past years. One of which included his and Aquas friend Ventus, who had become smitten with a dancing princess-turned-queen, something Terra simply wrote off as Ventus getting older and what that entailed.

Even his fellow Keyblade Wielders didnt raise a fuss, making Terra wonder if it really was just his own inner anxieties talking. Yen Sid recently had been pretty vocally against the idea of another war, undoubtedly due to the part his old friends played in the last one. On his Gummi Phone, he texted King Mickey to ask if they should be concerned about these changes. The response he got was simply Yeah, I noticed stuff was different, but I get to see my wife in puffy pants so Im not complaining. Deciding not to entertain the mental images, Terra muted Mickeys contacts for a couple hours and decided to go check on Aqua himself.

And a text from her inviting him to see her performance in Radiant Garden was just the opportunity to do so.

The City of Light was all abuzz around a walkway set up in the plaza, one leading into a curtain in the back. Among the crowd, Terra could spot some familiar faces, Cloud, Zack, Aerith, Tifa, their expressions ranging from confusion to skepticism to excitement, but one face he zeroed in on, Setchia herself. He made his way through the building audience and tugged his friends teachers arm, as she turned to him, beaming, Terra, so glad you could make it! Can you believe its Aquas first solo performance!?
Her enthusiasm was endearing, but Terra tried to keep a serious face, Ms. Xine, I havent heard from Aqua in a few days. Is she okay?
Hm? Oh yes, she was a bit nervous about you seeing her in that outfit, but I guess she decided youd see it sooner or later. Better it happens sooner, right?, Setchia elbowed him with a slight grin, making Terra wonder what exactly Aquas wearing.

Though he didnt have long to guess as the sun set and the lights around the stage began shining, the curtain pulling back to reveal a slender, curvy feminine figure in a skimpy purple-and-pink get-up, with loose arm-warmers draping her arms, ribbon-like cloth hugging the womans chest while still leaving a good chunk of it visible, and a matching loincloth that gave the audience a good view of her bare legs. Adorning her face was a pink veil with a purple heart sewn onto it, but those sapphire eyes, the unmistakable short, spiked-to-the-side blue hair, and the familiar silver heart emblem visible on her top beneath her veil made it clear to Terra who she was.

Aqua paused a bit, taking in the crowd, but then took a deep breath and stepped out onto the walkway, though her walk was far different from what Terra was used to seeing from her, instead being a loose sway that drew attention to her hips, her skin glistening against the lights as the audiences eyes were all fixed on her. While initially awestruck, Terra got a hold of himself and looked away from her beautiful hips, glancing up at her face, or at least the upper-half not concealed by her veil. Despite the distance, he could see a familiar look of sheepishness in her eyes, one of a girl who doesnt flaunt her title of Keyblade Master and tends to get flustered when put on the spot, but then she shut her eyes, visibly breathed in and out, then put her hands together in front of her veil, slightly hiding her face further, as she began bopping those same, shapely hips to the steadily building beat of music.

While it started as a slight wiggle, her swaying gained length and power as the music got livelier, she may as well have been a pendulum, especially with how everyones collective vision was practically glued to her movements. Terra watched in surprise, seeing the woman hed known for ages dancing onstage like an exotic performer in a palace. He knew she was nimble, and he wouldnt dare deny she was beautiful, something that outfit did nothing to hide, but it was a bit much to take in at once, and he jolted his head away, his cheeks warm and red as he worried he looked like a pervert for staring so much, but now that he finally got a look at the rest of the crowd, he realized nobody wouldve noticed or judged him.

Indeed, as the music still echoed in his ears, he looked around to see everyone else staring up at her, their mouths agape with awe, their eyes wide and forming shimmering blue swirls, making it clear her dance had some power over them. Aerith, Tifa, and Zack werent any different from the others, gazing at Aqua with clear surprise and attraction stuck on their faces, and even the usually colder Cloud couldnt look away. Glancing over at Setchia, Terra saw even she wasnt immune, despite being the one who taught Aqua this, her expression one of content bliss as the spirals filled her eyes.

Terra was stunned at this development, but he couldnt really be shocked as it lined up with whats been happening lately, and definitely explains Ventus recent mood. And while he didnt say it out loud, he couldnt blame any of them for being affected like this. Aqua was beautiful and that dance was hard to look away from, he could almost feel something tugging at his brain, urging him to look back at her.

Alas, he didnt, as Terra had had bad experiences with having his mind, body, or even Heart used against him, by the likes of Maleficent and Xehanort. While he knew deep down Aqua would be the last person to abuse this kind of power over others, he wasnt sure if he could endure it.

But then he thought about it a bit more

So far, these dances going around have lifted peoples spirits, and from what little he saw of Aquas dance before jolting away, it made him feel very different from the cold, empty, dreamless slumber Maleficent put him under, and the decade of anger and hate Xehanort subjected him to, this was warm and welcoming, charming and comforting, and it enticed him to slowly turn his head back and watch her swing her beautiful body around more, and turn back he did, to join Setchia and everyone else in admiring Aquas performance.

Aqua herself, while initially uncertain if she could pull this off, felt a rush of newfound confidence fill her Heart as she twirled around for the mesmerized crowd, all adoring her, all enamoured with her.

She could get used to this