G'day all.

This chapter took longer than expected, and I feel meh about it, but I wanted to get it out.

Some Elsanna cuteness in there for you all. Best soak it up whilst you can. Muahahahaha-ack *cough* S'cuse me. My evil laughter is rusty.

Without further ado, enjoy!

Sacred And Profane
- Chapter 3 -

"Did you make sure you have the correct change?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"It's really important that you–"

"Elsa," Anna turned her wide teal eyes to her sister, who merely stared back blankly, "for the millionth time, yes, I have the correct amount of change. You even counted it for me, twice," The redhead jammed her hand into her pocket, fishing out the exact change and showing it to her sister.

"Hm," The blonde leaned over and inspected the coins in her sister's flat palm, a single brow rising ever so slightly. Anna watched her sister's expression closely, hoping to finally pacify her elder sibling. "Alright, fine, that's right."

Anna breathed and shifted, stepping side to side as she slipped the change back into her pocket, turning back to speak. "Thank you," She smiled, "try not to literally worry yourself silly, okay? I mean, you're right here, what could possibly go wrong?" Elsa's posture stiffened a bit.

"Don't say that," She hissed softly, "every single time you say that you go missing, or fall out of a tree." The statement earned an eye roll from the ginger girl.

"You're exaggerating," Anna dismissed, "when is the bus supposed to come?" Elsa sighed and reached into her handbag, pulling her phone out to check the time.

"It should be here in a couple minutes." The redhead pouted, her lower lip pursed outwards.

"And we're not just driving to the campus because?"

"Because gas costs money, and so does parking," Elsa answered coolly, "and unless you want to cough up the money for it we'll take the bus."

"The bus costs money too," Anna shook her hip at her sister, jingling the coins in her pocket, to which Elsa laughed.

"You do remember my telling you that the school provides you with a bus pass? You've already paid for it when you paid for your classes." The redhead recalled something akin to that being mentioned, but only vaguely.

"Right," She chirruped, bouncing over and sliding her arms around Elsa's, pulling her sister against her, "well, good thing I have my big brave sister here to look out for me." Elsa's cheeks warmed and her heart fluttered; she was always the protective type, especially of Anna, but it felt oddly…satisfying to hear her younger sister praising her for it.

"The bus is coming," The blonde reluctantly freed herself from her sister's embrace as the bus pulled to a stop with a loud shriek and a subtle groan. The doors burst open and Elsa stepped in, nodding to the driver and dropping her change into the receptacle, quickly reaching for her transfer slip.

Anna watched her sister easily perform the transaction, never once missing a beat. She admired how stoic and collected Elsa always appeared.

"Come on Anna," Elsa smiled. She stepped further into the bus, watching her baby sister closely, like a mother hawk. "Just like I told you," Anna ducked her head, slightly embarrassed, having caught the somewhat irritated gaze of the driver, whom was waiting impatiently for her.

"I'm coming," The redhead hopped up onto the platform and stepped into the bus, fishing out her change and dropping it in like she'd watched Elsa do before her. Teal eyes were fixated on the change as it fell into the receptacle, and then flicked to the man behind the wheel for verification.

"Thanks," The burly driver grunted a sound of affirmation and Anna beamed, whirling around on her heel to grin proudly to her sister.

"Your transfer slip," Elsa gestured to the ticket stub hanging from the machine, and the redhead's cheeks flushed as she quickly snatched the paper and quietly thanked the driver, scurrying to Elsa shyly. The blonde smiled back to her sister and turned, walking further into the bus, looking for seats.

It was mercifully empty, considering the time of day and the activeness of the route, but Elsa supposed it was because it was still days until classes began and most students weren't using the transit system yet.

Her arctic eyes fell on a pair of side-by-side seats, and she looked over her shoulder to call for Anna. "How about here?" She slipped into the seats, rounding a bar and moving right up against the window. Anna gave a nod and likewise slid into the seat next to her sister, hands in her lap, while her fingers toyed with the transfer slip. "Don't lose it," Elsa cautioned, "it's proof of purchase. Without it you'll get a fine." Anna stiffened a bit.

A fine? No way could she afford that.

"Okay," Her grip turned vice-like, and she kept a tight hold on the small stub of paper. "How long is the ride to campus?"

"Fifteen minutes, tops," Elsa's eyes moved to look out the window, "we don't live far." Anna smiled and looked around, her gaze first falling on the various ads running along the ceiling above the windows, then to the windows themselves, and finally down to the seats directly across from her spot. Her eyes widened somewhat when she noticed a particularly nasty stain on one of the neighbouring seat cushions.

Shifting somewhat in her own chair, she silently wondered if there was a similarly grotesque smear under her own bottom. She hadn't bothered to check before sitting–oh man! What if there was a stain? What if it was on her pants now?

Gnawing anxiously at her lower lip, the redhead flicked wide worried eyes to her sister. "E-Elsa?"

"Hm?"

"Can you…do me a favour?" The blonde blinked and turned her head.

"Yes, of course," Her head tilted somewhat, "what is it?"

"I…uhm," Anna chewed at her lower lip relentlessly, eyes falling to the ground, "can you tell me if there's…anything on my pants?" Elsa quirked a brow.

"Why would there be anything on your pants?"

"Cause I didn't look before I sat, so there might be," Her teal eyes were practically pleading now, and although her reasoning was less than convincing, Elsa gave a sigh and nodded.

"Alright, I'll check." Anna smiled appreciatively and stood, grasping the bar in front of their seats for support while the bus was in motion, eyes looking down at the ground abjectly.

Elsa tried her hardest to cast her glance sideways to her sister's rear, not wanting to appear as though she was staring, while her eyes flicked around the bus cautiously. She caught sight of Anna's hind, scanning it quickly for anything, before her eyes glued back to the window. "You're all clear," She muttered, trying to conceal her obvious discomfort.

"Thanks," Anna breathed a sigh of relief and sat, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap. She kept the transfer slip tightly between them and occasionally cast a sideways glace to Elsa. Her sister's eyes were steadfastly staring out the window, her posture stiff and her chin resting on her palm.

'Way to go', Anna chided internally, 'you made her uncomfortable. Apologize.'

Anna opened her mouth several times, but just as words were about to form, she hurriedly sealed her lips back into a tight line. How do you apologize for asking your sister to look at your ass? Chewing at the inside of her cheek, the redhead hadn't even noticed the bus turning into the campus, rolling down the road towards the first bus stop.

"We're here," Elsa stated flatly, reaching for the chord and tugging, signaling their request to stop. Anna turned her eyes up to watch Elsa squeeze past her knees, round the bar and walk to the nearest door. "Come on."

"Coming," Anna stood, following after her sister and stepping off the bus after her. Silently, the redhead watched as Elsa looked around, checked her phone and then turned to her.

"I'll take you over to the Arts section, and show you around the Soci-Anth-Psych building," Anna blinked.

"The Anthropology Department doesn't have its own building?" Elsa scoffed a laugh.

"It's not really a growing field, Anna," She teased playfully, "it shares a building with its siblings."

"Like us." Anna mused aloud with a wide grin, to which Elsa smiled.

"Yes, like us," She agreed quietly, grasping the shoulder strap of her purse and walking down the sidewalk towards the path leading across campus to the Arts section.

As they walked, Anna admired the many massive buildings that were surrounded by several overlapping walkways, interconnecting and leading towards various sections of the campus. The whole of the area was self-contained, separate from the surrounding city blocks, and nestled comfortably downtown. It seemed like a completely different space; the surrounding cityscape was bustling, crowded and loud.

The campus, on the other hand, was fairly open and serene. Small, well-maintained trees, bushes and flower gardens traced the walkways and sides of the buildings, and every so often there would be benches and picnic tables on the uniformly trimmed grassy lawns.

"It's nice here, right?" Elsa asked while looking back over her shoulder to Anna, as they slowly walked uphill.

"Yeah," Anna breathed, trying to catch up with Elsa's stride, "I like the layout a lot."

"Me too," The blonde agreed, "see the tall brick building over there?" Elsa pointed up the road towards a tall standing building, easily several stories tall. "The Psychology Department is on the first floor, Sociology Department is on the fourth and the Anthropology Department is on the seventh."

"So we've got a lot of stairs to take?" Anna determined.

"They have elevators," Elsa giggled, covering her mouth as she did. "We don't have to walk more; besides, seven sets of stairs is a lot, especially if you take them most days of the week."

"That's true," The redhead laughed, finally catching up with Elsa, smiling widely at her. "Thanks for showing me around," She added quickly, raising her hand to tuck a few strands behind her ear, "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Elsa smiled fondly and adjusted the strap on her shoulder while fishing her phone out, swiping her thumb across the screen and tapping in her pin to unlock it. Anna turned her head, watching her sister.

"Who're you texting?" She asked, sliding up to her sibling's side, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively, "your boyfriend maybe? Why Elsa, how scandalous!" The blonde rolled her eyes and bumped her hip into Anna's, causing the redhead to sidestep away.

"I'm too busy for that," She quipped, "I was just checking to see where Rapunzel is planning on meeting us, but I guess you've ruined your own surprise." Anna's teal eyes widened to a comically large size.

"Rapunzel? Like, the best cousin in the world Rapunzel? That Rapunzel?"

"Yes, that Rapunzel!" The pixie cut brunette called, standing by the entranceway of the sister's destination, cupping the sides of her mouth with her hands as she shouted. Her right arm then shot up and she waved it wildly. Anna squealed loudly and immediately sprinted to her kin, throwing her arms around Rapunzel's shoulders and enveloping the older girl in a tight hug.

"Rapunzel! I missed you!" Anna exclaimed, squeezing her grip around the older girl, nearly choking her with immense affection.

"I missed you too, Anna," Rapunzel laughed, burying her face in her cousin's strawberry blonde hair, nuzzling it.

Elsa strode up, smiling. "Thanks for meeting us," She slipped her phone back into her bag, "I knew Anna was just dying to visit you since she moved in with me."

"I noticed," The brunette laughed, twisting side to side and swaying Anna in her arms, which elicited a bubbling laughter from the younger woman, "I missed my little baby cousin too." She teased.

"Hey!" Anna pulled back somewhat to speak. "You're only six years older than me, that's hardly baby cousin worthy!"

"Well if you're my baby sister," Elsa tussled Anna's hair, "then you're certainly her baby cousin." The redhead ducked out from under her sister's hand, and squirmed her way out of Rapunzel's grasp, stepping away to straight her hair.

"Hmpf–whatever, are you going to show me around?" Anna turned her nose up, crossed her arms and faced away from her sister and cousin. They were just being unreasonable.

"Yes, yes," Elsa giggled, walking past Anna and holding the door open, "after you, princess." Anna's cheeks tinted and she lowered her head, quickly moving past Elsa into the entryway; looking around at the open room, which housed several somewhat comfortable looking sitting areas, two entrances to hallways, and a staircase which lead down to the lower levels.

"Are we taking her up to her department?" Rapunzel looked to Elsa.

"That was the plan," The blonde smiled, stepping into the building and letting the door close gently behind her, "I figured once we showed her around a bit, found her lecture and tutorial rooms, we could grab a bite to eat and then head over to our place."

"Let's go then!" Anna chirruped, rushing to the nearest elevator and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Elsa laughed and shook her head, while Rapunzel moved to Anna's side and tapped her shoulder.

"Not this elevator," The brunette nodded to a large framed image of the building's internal layout, which showed the four 'towers' at each corner and how to access each of them.

"The Anthropology building can only be accessed if you take the elevator at the C Tower." Elsa informed.

"It's not like…all the floors can be accessed from all the stairwells and elevators?" The redhead asked, admittedly a bit confused, as she stepped over to survey the map.

"No," Rapunzel giggled, "unfortunately this building is notorious for being hard to navigate," Anna turned to listen, knowing that Rapunzel–whom had already completed her four year Bachelor's program, and was now in the final year of her Master's–would know exactly how to get around within the confusing building that would be her second home in the coming four years. "Everyone likes to joke that the building is laid out like this so the Psychology students can watch as everyone gets lost and tries to find their way around."

Both Elsa and Rapunzel laughed at the joke, though Anna merely cocked her head to the side in confusion. Must be some sort of inside joke, or perhaps something she'd only come to understand in time.

"Okay, so how do we get to the C Tower elevator?"

"We go down this hall, follow me," Rapunzel walked forward, Elsa and Anna in tow. "So," The brunette smiled over her shoulder to her cousins, "are you excited to start?" The redhead considered for a moment; she felt a mixture of things–anxiousness, nervousness, hopefulness, doubt, confusion, concern–she supposed excitement was also among them.

"I am," She smiled, "but I hear that it's a pretty written assignment heavy program."

"It is," Rapunzel affirmed, "a lot of essays…mostly research papers." Anna gnawed at her lower lip worriedly; she had never been the sit down and write type, that was all Elsa's game, she was more of the run around actively and do stuff type.

"I'll proof-read your assignments for you," Elsa offered with a smile, knowing her sister was never really one to have the patience to stay seated long enough to write extensively, "and I can help you stay on track." Anna smiled appreciatively and slid up next to Elsa, hooking their arms together.

"Thanks sis," Elsa smiled contently.

"You're very welcome."

The trio had remained on campus for two full hours before Anna was satisfied that she'd memorized her schedule, and that she knew her room locations by heart. Even with Rapunzel and Elsa's attempts to pacify the redhead by gently reminding her that it'll become habit, and soon she'll know the campus like the back of her hand, Anna still harboured some concerns.

They were just simple jitters of a new student, being slightly overwhelmed by the drastic shift between high school and university lifestyle.

"But, what if I get the numbers reversed, and then I get lost?" Anna chomped down on her slice of pizza, mercilessly chewing and devouring the cheesy morsel while her mind raced a mile a minute.

Beside her on the sofa Elsa groaned. "Anna, please," She took a dainty bite of her own pizza slice, chewing it and swallowing; "if you get lost just text me and I'll tell you your room number."

"Geez kiddo, no need to get so worked up over this," Eugene–aka, Flynn, Rapunzel's fiancé–half gawked over his slice of meat lovers from the opposite side of the sisters' living room table. His comment earned him a swift elbow to the side, which he winced away from.

"Be nice," Rapunzel chastised, "she hasn't done this before, and she's allowed to worry."

"Okay, so if I text you," Anna began, completely ignoring Eugene's statement, turning her attention to the blonde next to her, "what if you don't answer me before my lecture starts, and then when you finally do, I'm late?" Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Then text Rapunzel," She suggested, "or better yet, type out your schedule and keep it on your phone. That way you know it's right."

"What if I type it in wrong?" The redhead murmured.

"Then take a picture of your computer screen," Elsa sighed heavily.

"But what if I–"

"Anna," The blonde set her slice down and turned to her sister, "look at me. You'll be fine, don't worry." The redhead opened her mouth to press the matter further, but the ice cold stare she received sealed her lips tightly shut.

"Well, look at the time," Eugene stood, dusting his pants off, "Thanks for the pizza, but Rapunzel and I must really be going," Rapunzel stood and smiled to her cousins.

"Thanks for having us over, we should do this again."

"Yes, definitely," Eugene added quickly, snatching up a few slices of pizza and stacking them in his hands, turning his head when he felt eyes burning holes into him, "they're for the road." He explained, grinning sheepishly to fiancée, whose arms were crossed in front of her petite chest.

"Take two, that's it, the rest leave for Elsa and Anna."

"What, but–ugh, fine," To that Rapunzel smiled, moved around the table and gave each of her cousins a tight hug before walking towards the door. Eugene, all the while, smiled to his beloved as she walked the front entrance. As soon as her back was to him, he leaned down and snatched an extra two slices, catching Elsa's eyes as he rose up.

The two held their silent stare for a moment before Elsa relented with a sigh. "Just take them; I don't want to put them in the fridge anyway." With a victorious grin, the brunette said his goodbyes and followed Rapunzel out of the apartment, leaving the two sisters alone.

There was silence for the ten minutes it took for Elsa to collect the boxes, clean up their dinner dishes, and wrap up the leftovers. Anna fidgeted on the sofa, waiting for Elsa to come back into the room, half expecting to be scolded for overthinking everything and causing a bit of a scene.

When she heard her sister's footsteps retuning to the living room she stiffened, bracing herself for the chiding she was about to receive.

But that didn't happen.

What did happen startled the redhead at first, but she soon relaxed into it.

Elsa's arms wormed their way around her, and while the blonde slipped onto the couch, she pulled Anna into her lap and held her sister tightly against her own body. Elsa's legs stretched out under Anna, forcing the redhead to move up and rest her body atop the length of her sibling's, cuddling happily into the embrace.

"I'm not mad, you know," Elsa's breath grazed the top of Anna's head, "I just don't want you to get yourself so worked up. It's not healthy," Anna hummed understandingly and buried her face against the crook of her sister's neck, sighing happily. Elsa smiled. "You've always been so affectionate…it's like you were starved most of your life of it or something."

A small giggle was muffled against Elsa's neck. "I just really like hugs," Anna clarified, "and yours are the best." A comfortable silence fell between the sisters as they enjoyed their closeness for a moment.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew I wasn't–"

"Elsa, it's fine," Anna turned her head and pressed her cheek against her sister's chest, "just enjoy the cuddling while we can." Elsa laughed.

"Alright."