Smile Magic

Summary: There's one little, tiny secret other than the known to Shining Saotome, that one small precious thing that makes it possible for the fireworks in everyone's hearts to set up. That one detail that invites everyone's heart to feel the 'Happy Pulse'. Hearts and bubbles. Harmless candle fire. Involuntary star shower. Smile Magic.

Fear Magic

Aquamarine stared into Ruby.

And stared.

And stared

. . . .

Until curiosity won, the small child reaching a hand to touch the small black cat he had been 'playing with' the past few minutes. With a tilt of head, it seemed like it was going to let the redhead pet him, but of course he didn't- leaping from his spot to near the tree "Huh?" he got up, and hurried after the cat, just for it to jump into the trunk and sit oh-so comfortably into a branch where he couldn't reach.

"Meooooow"

"Hey, that isn't fair!"

"Mew~"

"You're way too high! Come back!"

"Miaaaau~!"

The cat wasn't looking at him anymore, nor at anything else with eyes closed. The stubborn frown he had turned into a pout, cheeks puffed childishly. How was he going to play with the cat anymore?

Oh!

Maybe he could climb up? Yes, that was a great idea! Grinning enthusiastically, the redhead swung the lower part of his hanging rosary into his back, hopefully it wouldn't fall off. . . With a shake of head, big ruby eyes stared eagerly at the black cat, soon enough climbing up the tall tree.

Step . . . Push, up!
Step, push- Up!
Step- slip.

"Uwa. . ." Afraid somehow if he spoke the tree would shake him off, lips were sealed into a tight line- if he dared looking at the ground. . . NO- no, no. No. Nu-huh, back up you go.

As much as he tried to keep looking up, his eyes kept glancing back. Wondering if the ground was still as far as he thought, but no matter how many times he went back, the only thing the ground did was getting smaller and smaller! The tree trunk seemed to get thinner and rougher each time he clung to it.

Trembling, the redhead tried to hide his face in the tree- "Mrow" A blink, and another, and another. . . Until the thoughts of falling and something bad happening to him were off his mind, ruby eyes staring again into the eyes of the cat. Tail flickering from side to side, the cat went into the edge of the branch, pawing.

Oh right, he came to play with the cat! Ever so slowly. . .

Hold, step- push and . . .
Up!

And so it went on, over and over again. until finally- he climbed all the way until the start of the branch. He made it! He was finally all the way up here! "Yatta~!" in an energy rush he went all the way up, the cat had retreated to the other end long ago. Just bit more. Struggling to finally hoist himself to the branch, it trembled with his weight. Don't look down. . .

And so, he closed his eyes- hand reaching blindly for the tree branch. All was alright- until he leaned onto thin air. He let a surprised squeak, eyes flying open like saucers, instinctively clinging into the branch like a sloth against falling off "Mewl?" since when the cat was so close to him? Otoya wasn't sure he liked to see his furry friend staring at him from there.

Wait- no, what was he doing? "S-Sstoop! b-baD cat! Ss-s-sSTO-op!" he willed the cat away from his hands, voice once strong now cracking into a higher, broken tune; his trembling figure hugging the tree for all he was worth, eyes shut tightly-

creaK

He wasn't going to look at the ground, not now, not later. Not in a million years . . . One ruby eye peeked below, and he couldn't believe how far away it was. The more he looked down, the farther it went away, blotches of the earth and the leaves from the tree were a blur now.

He was too far away, he was way too high, he couldn't go down anymore, he can't just jump from up there- he wasn't going to return to the ground any time soon-

cRAA-

He was going to fall down.

"nO NO, STOo-o-op, 'm scaA-ared" He sobbed, shaking his head furiously as something warm was licking his cheek "I-i wwanna go-o d-ddown. . ."

CREAK

The branch was moving! He was going to fall down, he was going to fall down hewasgoingtofalldownhewasgonnafalldown. He didn't even notice when the cat jumped away between hiccups and tears, leaving him alone.

". . . Oto?"

No response.

"Otoya. . ."

Shake shake. No reply.

She spent the next five minutes doing the same until the redhead woke up startled, crying his lungs out without letting go when he noticed her. The black cat watching from afar, giving a tired mewl; he had spent the last half hour dragging the poor woman onto the apple tree in the park . . . Needless to say, he had no idea how the little redhead got to the door of the orphanage, but he wasn't repeating that any time soon.

Yatta means "We/I did it!", "I/We made it!" you get the idea.

[laughs it wasn't nowhere near as happy as the title. And it probably won't be anywhere near the summary until muuuuuch later]
Cringes don't hit me.
Well then, that was the start of 'Smile Magic'! It will be basically a series of one shots, not only featuring tiny Otoya but the rest of the cast in different ages as well. Perhaps when I run out of ideas, maybe I'll get a plot? Pro'bly not [Not on this fic anyways]. I. . . Had no idea whether to place this on the Crossover section or not, but figured since there are quite a few worlds lanced with the theme other than the one I had in mind, and I probably won't be featuring any other characters than the ones in Utapri, so I decided against it.

If you have any Suggestions/Comments/etc. Feel free to tell me! If you want a specific situation, type it in- and maybe I'll get the general idea and give it a shot!

Trivia: Did you know in the games, Otoya was the one with acrophobia?