Hey everyone! Another story for the Valentine's Day Fic-A-Thon! This one features Leo, an OC from my story "Lost and Found" and if you haven't read that story, you probably won't understand this one. But, I had to write it; I sort of promised Iflip4Dolphins I would...
Prompt: Confusion over the holiday
Leo was confused when his sister handed him a card.
"What's this?"
She shrugged, "I don't know. It looks like it's from that one girl in Mist…I can't remember her name."
Leo frowned and looked it over, "Why is she sending me cards?"
Cuore shrugged again and then paused, as if thinking, "Perhaps because of Valentine's Day?"
Leo nodded slowly, "Oh, maybe…"
He honestly had no idea why people celebrated the holiday. He'd once asked his sister about the purpose of it and she'd been unable to tell him. If Cuore didn't know something, it didn't seem important for him to know and he'd just shrugged it off.
Leo glanced up at Cuore, "Come to think of it, the flower lady on the corner…her daughter gave me a flower today, too."
"Really?" Cuore asked, tipping her head to one side.
Leo sighed, "All well, I still don't get the point of this whole thing."
"You and me both, but maybe someone else can explained it to us."
"Like whom?" the boy asked, grinning, "Mom and dad are going to be busy today,"
She giggled and swatted him in the shoulder, "Leo, you be good." She explained her reasoning a second later, "Actually, I'll ask someone in Baron."
"You're going there today?" Leo asked, surprised. It was short notice for her to be off and about and he found it odd.
She nodded, "Cid is sending his newest airship to pick me up. He wants help with it and I feel like I owe him for the last one. Plus, Izayoi invited herself along as a bodyguard, though…well, never mind…"
"This all seems really farfetched." Leo told her, frowning, "Are you sure someone else in the castle didn't set this up?"
Cuore's gaze was blank, "What do you mean?"
Leo shook his head, "Never mind."
Sometimes his sister could be so dense.
"Hey, can I come too?" Leo asked, wanting to keep an eye on all this suspicious activity.
Cuore smiled, "Of course."
Leo didn't really like Baron all that much due to the noise and the fact that something always seemed to be going on. But today wasn't too bad and he was getting to spend time with his beloved sister.
"Why did you come?" Izayoi asked him as they walked through the streets.
Leo glanced up her, "Why'd you?"
His cousin didn't reply but Cuore giggled, making Leo wonder if he was missing something. He frowned, about to complain that they were keeping him in the dark, when someone called his name.
Surprised, he turned around and saw a girl about his age waving from a nearby fruit stand.
"Isn't that your friend from Troia?" Cuore asked, glancing her way as well.
Leo nodded, "Yeah, weird though, I wonder why she's here?"
"Go say hi. I'll be in the airship hanger if you need me." Cuore commented, shooting him a smile.
He looked around, "Hey, where'd Izayoi go?"
Cuore giggled, "She…is running an errand. See you little brother!"
She waved as she walked away and Leo frowned after her for a second before wandering over to his friend, still surprised to see her in Baron of all places.
"Hi Rainbow." Leo greeted, glancing at her mother who completely ignored the two of them, as always.
She brushed a strand of strawberry blonde hair out of her freckled face, "Hi Leo! What are you doing here? Visiting Felix?"
He shook his head, "Nah, Felix went back to Mysidia a couple of months ago. I'm just tagging along with my sister. But what are you doing here?"
Rainbow was still smiling brightly, "Oh, mom had some errands to run."
The girl glanced at her mother but received no comment. Leo raised an eyebrow, constantly puzzled by Rainbow's sole parent.
The girl's smile never faltered though and she glanced back at him, "I wish I'd known you'd be here, though. I would have brought you a gift."
Leo blinked, "What for?"
She giggled, "Valentine's Day silly!"
"Oh." he muttered, still wondering why everyone made such a big deal about this day anyway.
Rainbow giggled again at his bemused expression and clasped her hands together, leaning forward to whisper, "If mom and I didn't have to leave to get home by this afternoon, we could dance."
"Is there dancing later?" Leo asked, now doubly puzzled. He never remembered that being part of any tradition regarding Valentine's Day before, but he was in Baron. They always did weird things here.
Rainbow muffled her giggles into her hands and Leo frowned, confused by her sheer amusement. But then he had a thought and asked, "Why do you have to be back in Troia?"
"Mom has to work. It is Valentine's Day." Rainbow replied with a shrug.
"Oh." Leo mumbled, still confused. This day was making his head hurt.
Rainbow just winked at him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Maybe next year, Leo."
He shrugged, "Um…okay."
Her mother had already moved on and Rainbow waved as she ran to catch up, disappearing down the street.
"Leo!"
He cringed and turned around, finding it too late to bolt. Pamela was already only feet away and she grabbed him in a hug before he could escape.
"Hi!" she squealed. He winced and, after much experience from past encounters, tactfully and skillfully twisted out of her grasp.
"Oh, hi Pamela…" he said, trying his best to sound cheerful, "What…are you doing here?"
She grinned, blonde pigtails swaying back and forth from her rapid embrace moments before, "Oh, I'm doing a couple months study here as an exchange student."
Leo laughed nervously, "Oh, really?"
"Note to self; Avoid Baron for the next few months. At least that means I can visit Felix in Mysidia without fearing to run into her…"
"What are you doing here?" Pamela asked, eyes narrowing as she stared off where Rainbow had gone, "Besides making time with the Troian harlot?"
Leo made a face, "What does harlot even mean?" he asked, not having a clue.
Pamela shrugged, "I don't know. Someone said it one time. Anyway, why were you two talking?"
"…We're friends," Leo said, knowing Pamela was about to start criticizing his choice in friendship. Whether it was Raj from Fabul or Felix or Rainbow, she always had something to say.
Pamela pouted, "But we're friends,"
"I have lots of friends." Leo retorted, annoyed, "Listen, Pamela, I have to go find my sister."
She latched onto his arm, "But, you have to spend time with me!"
He sighed, "Why?"
"Because, it's Valentine's Day!"
Leo rolled his eyes, sick of hearing that from people today and deciding her really needed to figure out what the holiday was all about.
"I don't get Valentine's Day," Leo admitted, pulling his arm free, "I mean, I know you get candy for it but who cares? You can get candy other days of the year, too."
Pamela's expression became dangerous sweet, "You don't know about Valentine's Day?"
"No!" he said, exasperated.
She smiled, "Well, Valentine's Day is a day you spend with someone you love and you give that someone gifts, too!"
She frowned and gave him a once over, "So, where's my gift?"
Leo wasn't entirely sure what to say to her and as a result he stared at her, dumbfounded, while she just grinned back.
"Um…I…" Leo stuttered.
So that was why there were always so many heart symbols around this time of year, and why people got all kissy and gross.
Leo was still confused, mostly over why someone would want to celebrate something like love, but mostly he knew he did not have, or want to give, Pamela a gift.
So he did the next best thing.
He ran.
Pamela was a little slow to get started, but she dashed after him, screaming his name. Leo refused to look back and headed for the castle.
"Sissy!" Leo called, dashing into the airship hanging so fast he nearly missed the metal steps leading down.
Cuore glanced his way, "Leo, what is it?"
He ran over, out of breath, and grabbed her hand, "You have to hide me!"
"From what?" she asked, sounding alarmed.
"Girls!"
Kieran snickered and Leo turned around to glare at him, "Oh, shut up."
Cuore seemed confused, "You're not making any sense, little brother."
"Valentine's Day!" he said, beginning to hate the way it sounded.
Cuore brightened and glanced at Kieran, "Oh, that's right. Maybe you can answer my question. Leo and I don't understand what the fuss is about today."
"I do now!" Leo hissed, angry that it had to be Pamela of all people to tell him about it.
Kieran just stared at her blankly, "Are you serious?"
Cuore wrinkled her nose, "Yes?"
Leo pulled on her hand, "Sissy, I don't mean to sound self-centered here but I need help. Pamela is following me and Rainbow wants to dance with me and I don't even want to know what the card I got earlier means."
"It sounds like a lot of girls have crushes on you," Kieran remarked, shrugging.
"But I don't like any of them! Not like that…I'm ten!" Leo insisted, frustrated, "I don't even know the flower girl's name! And Pamela, well…"
Cuore grinned, "What about Titania?"
Leo hesitated for a moment, having to admit that he did like Titania differently than his other friends, but he was also sick of insisting to everyone that she wasn't invisible and she did, in fact exist. It wasn't his fault she only showed up sometimes.
"Well Titania isn't here!" Leo complained, "I don't know what to do."
Cuore hesitated, glancing at Kieran for help. He sighed and gestured to the airship, "You can hide in the cargo hold and we'll get rid of Pamela when she comes through here. Then I guess you guys are heading home."
Leo breathed a sigh of relief and ran up the ramp, knowing Pamela was fast for a white mage, and heard Cuore chuckle behind him.
"It isn't funny," he said over his shoulder, glaring at her, "I bet you'd be just stressed about this if the roles were reversed!"
She put her hands on her hips, "But they aren't, little brother! I'm never going to have that problem, silly."
Leo glanced at Kieran, who rolled his eyes, and then back to sister, commenting, "You are so dense."
Then he ran inside the ship, hearing a high pitched voice call his name.
Author's Note: Silly Leo...so popular, too!
I know there's mention of characters in this who have not appeared yet in my 'verse, and I'm sorry for that, but I've had this idea rattling around in my head for awhile and the V-day prompt was perfect to write it. Hopefully it wasn't too confusing.
Anyway, thanks for reading!