Title: The Sparkle Fairy
Pairings: Leon/Cloud and a playful poke at the Cid/Yuffie pairing.
Summary: Deciding that there is simply not enough love in Radiant Garden, the Gullwings decide to change all that by becoming "Sparkle Fairies".
Warnings: Pg-13, for a kiss and violence using glitter.
Side note: Un-beta'd. Beware of the cracktastic-ness.
Disclaimer: Be thankful I don't own anything that Square makes. There would be far too much cuddly and ooc.
Part one of one.
The day was remarkably boring. It was like everything in Radiant Garden revolved around fighting, eating, and sleeping.
"And they can't even do that properly!"
Two pairs of eyes were on the blonde in seconds, surprised by the sudden outburst.
"What are you talking about?" Yuna asked, yawning a bit. The three fairies were sitting on the brick wall near Merlin's house, watching the people pass below them. All in all, it was starting to bore her.
Fluttering up from her spot on the wall, Rikku pointed at the nearest pair of humans. "That's what I'm talking about."
Yuna blinked. The humans couldn't help it if they didn't know any better. "I don't see where you're going with this…" she said slowly, still observing the blond and brunet arguing as they walked past the flowerbeds.
Rikku sighed. "I'm talking about how humans just continue to mess up their lives."
"It's their choice."
"That's not the point, Paine. It should be even worse that they're making themselves unhappy!"
Yuna blinked again. "So it's up to us to help them?" she concluded, voice rising in the possibilities of new adventures.
"Exactly! They need friendship and love and that's what we're going to give them." The blonde fairy giggled, throwing her hands up into the air.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Paine shook her head as her friends took off towards the shops. Flapping her leathery bat wings in irritation, she took off after them.
Yuffie sighed in boredom as she tossed a small shurikin into the air. For what seemed like the billionth time that day, the shurikin's trajectory changed as gravity started to tug it back down to the ninja's awaiting fingers. As soon as she caught it she sent it back into the air.
"Squall just had to assign me here today, didn't he? How mean." She pretended the man was in front of her and blew a raspberry at thin air. Yuffie still wasn't feeling any better and pouted. Tron was doing fine with the security of Radiant Garden; it wasn't like he needed anymore help.
"Look at this! Isn't it pretty?"
Huh? "What are those fairies doing here?" Yuffie leaned over from her perch near the weapons shop to get a closer look at the three girls.
"Yeah, it's so pretty!" The gunner exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight at the find.
The jar the three fairies were surrounding was filled with excess synthesis materials pilfered from an unsuspecting moogle; small, glittery pieces of what had once been red stones could be seen within the glass confines.
"So how long are we going to 'temporarily borrow' it?" Paine asked, starting to become aware of the throbbing pain building between her eyes from the others' antics.
"Yeah, for how long are you fairies going to 'temporarily borrow' is right." Yuffie asked, folding her arms across her chest. If Leon wanted tight security, than he was going to get it. Even if it meant Yuffie had to lower herself to use her extraordinary ninja skills on a bunch of pixies.
"We pilfered this fair and square. Back off."
Did that blonde fairy just give her, Yuffie the greatest ninja ever, sass? Twitching slightly, Yuffie restrained from finding the nearest flyswatter.
"It's ours!" The three fairies shouted at once, blocking the jar from the ninja protectively.
Yuffie sighed in frustration, because really, why did she have to deal with this? "You can't just go around stealing things…" Yuffie cringed, trying to remember she had to at least act like a model citizen even if it went against her priorities, "it's… wro-wro-wong!" Okay, so a little clever modifying of words never hurt anyone, right? She was the great ninja Yuffie; no way was she ever going to admit that stealing was wrong. 'Wong' would have to do.
Yuna, Rikku, and Paine just stared. "Wong?" Rikku asked innocently, still helping guard the jar.
"Yes, wong…, but," Yuffie grinned, "it doesn't have to be if you ask permission from the moogle."
Rikku looked doubtful, as did Paine and Yuna, to Yuffie's suggestion.
"What if the moogle says no?"
"In our line of business, doesn't no almost always mean yes?"
Yuna and Rikku giggled as Paine smirked. A ninja would always be a ninja. Rikku flew towards the moogle to ask for permission to keep the red shiny, sparkly dust. Yuna and Paine grabbed the edge of the jar's lid and followed the over-enthusiastic blond. Nodding in satisfaction that she had helped contribute to some mischief which hopefully Leon would never discover, Yuffie decided to ditch her post. Civilian duty was tiring and a cat nap sounded nice…or maybe she would just annoy Cid.
The moogle scared Yuna somewhat, so she kept close to Paine knowing that the stoic girl wouldn't let her get hurt. Besides, it wasn't like Rikku needed help talking to the moogle and someone did need to help Paine carry the jar.
Casting its big, button shaped eyes toward the fairies, Yuna gulped. Sure the thing looked cute…but anything that cute could never be trusted. She should know; she was cute and had a mean trigger finger.
"Kupo?"
"Hiya, Mr. Moogle." Rikku grinned broadly, pearly white teeth flashing.
"Kupo? What can I help you with today, Kupo?" the moogle asked and sort of bounced…if such a thing were possible. Yuna didn't know; she'd never seen a moogle on her old world, only lots of chocobos.
"Well, we were wondering…" Rikku fidgeted with a braid, "could be please have this?" she flashed an expression that she thought epitomized the word innocent as Yuna and Paine to held up the jar for the moogle to see.
"Kupo…" the moogle looked at the jar carefully, before nodding his balloon shaped head. "If scraps saved here, and scraps saved there can make someone happy, go ahead, kupo."
"Yes," Rikku's scarf wings fluttered excitedly. "Guess what, girls!"
"What?" Yuna gave Rikku a high-five, temporarily letting Paine struggle with the jar's weight.
"We're going to be Sparkle Fairies!"
"Sparkle Fairies?"
Rikku had explained it the best she could to Yuna and Paine. Paine had just shaken her head, believing the idea was completely stupid; Yuna had cheered with Rikku.
Each girl was armed now. Not with their customary weapons, but with a small jar of glittery red stone fragments scooped out of the much larger jar. This was a mission of love and friendship, and like all missions, was to be completed successfully.
Dividing up, they made their battle plans: three pairs of people and one pair for each girl.
Rikku just couldn't wait to reach her targeted group. Weren't Cloud and Leon going to be surprised with what a little fairy magic could do?
The couple was still arguing when the blonde approached them. It seemed like that was all they ever did. It was now or never. Uncorking the jar, Rikku readied herself. One, two, three!
"Sparkle Fairy!" She yelled as she threw the jar at them.
Reaching for his gunblade, what looked to Leon like red powder quickly filled the small area; Leon resisted the urge to start coughing. One minute he'd been discussing surveillance with Strife and the next minute they were under attack. Wasn't Tron supposed to alert the Restoration Committee to any danger? And what the hell was a sparkle fairy?
Beside him, Cloud was cursing, slinging the buster sword he carried off his back with ease and trying not to inhale any more of what ever had been thrown. "What the hell is going on, Leonheart?"
"…I think we're under attack."
"Really now? I thought that was obvious."
The two were wary of any more sudden attacks as the red fragments began to hit the ground, albeit to slowly for Leon and Cloud's liking. Cloud was only coughing slightly now, the burn in his throat diminishing somewhat.
Peering out around the bend of the stone wall, Rikku looked at the two warriors. They certainly didn't look more amicable towards each other. Wasn't that what a Sparkle Fairy did? With her magical jar of sparklies she was supposed to spread love and friendship; like that guy Cupid!
Pouting in surprise that her wonderful plan didn't work, Rikku sighed in annoyance. Humans were just too complicated; they should be more fairy-like! Oh well, if a little fairy magic couldn't do anything, than nothing could. Maybe she should come back later and check on them.
Still with weapons ready, Cloud and Leon stood with their backs to the wall in the bailey. This wasn't getting them anywhere.
"Shouldn't whatever that thing was be attacking us by now?" the blond bit out. His mako blue eyes flashed as he tried to predict where this sparkle fairy beast would emerge from.
"Unless it isn't stupid enough to try to attack us head on." Leon took a chance, letting Cloud watch his back, and looked behind him to the wall. "In any case, we should get back to Merlin's house and tell the others about this."
"Fine"
"Hey old man, whatcha working on?" Yuffie leaned over Cid's chair and took a look at all the numbers being flashed across the screen.
The blond pilot huffed, pushing the short haired girl away from the proximity of his chair. Really, children these days.
"Aw, don't be like that." Yuffie didn't take the hint that she wasn't wanted near the computer, instead choosing to roll a chair over and sit right next to Cid. "So, what is it?"
"I'm looking at the energy that other worlds have been emitting. Happy? Now go away."
"You're so mean- and Squall!" Yuffie waved excitedly at the man who was entering the small house.
Almost mechanically, "It's Leon." The gunblader leaned his expertly crafted weapon against the wall.
Cloud silently stole in and sat at the small table. Why the hell did Leon even want him here? The blond wanted to know what had attacked them. They should be searching Radiant Garden for any signs of unusual activity. Wasn't that why Leon had allowed him to stay at Radiant Garden anyway?
"We were attacked," Leon stated, voice rather even, "and there was a big cloud of red stuff, well, dust, I suppose."
Cid and Yuffie shared a look of mild concern…red dust?
"And?" Yuffie pressed. About time there was some action around here.
"Sparkle fairy."
Sparkle fairy? Cid looked at Cloud. What the hell was a sparkle fairy?
"Yes, Sparkle fairy. When we were attacked, someone called that out."
The chair rolled backwards a bit when Yuffie jumped up to closely examine the red, glittery speckles that had collected on Leon's jacket. "It's…" Yuffie paused…uh oh. This had the Gullwings painted…er, glittered all over it.
"What?" Leon ground out.
"Oh wow, so that's why they wanted that!" The girl laughed, and in her temporary moment of insanity, the three men in the room moved away from Yuffie. Insanity could be contagious.
"Care to explain." Cid asked, looking puzzled.
Yuffie shook her head, amused by what those girls thought. "She's called the Sparkle Fairy…" She stopped, waiting for the boys to show somehow that they were following her. When three nods of understanding were given to her, she continued. "She," Yuffie lectured, repeating lore her father had told her when she was younger, "is the bringer of love and friendship…"
Leon blinked, not confused, only wondering why this related anyway to the attack.
"I saw the Gullwings with a jar of red stone glitter, leftovers from items being synthesized, so I'm guessing they didn't like the fact that you two don't get along and thought they could change that." Yuffie shrugged at the end of her explanation.
"That's ridiculous. Strife and I get along just fine."
"Yup, sure you do. That is if you count ripping each other's throat out getting along." Cid said, turning back to the computer and just missing the glare that Leon and Cloud sent him.
"So true…" Yuffie mused, hand to her chin. "You never do anything at all together…I know! Here, follow me!" Practically skipping to the door, Yuffie exited to the street and waited for the boys to follow.
Leon and Cloud watched the ninja leave. Deciding to humor the ninja, both boys started to follow her.
Yuffie skipped towards the flower beds located about five meters away from the house. She knew Cloud and Leon would follow her, because sometimes ninja could make valid points, especially female ones. When the two reached her, she clapped her hands together. "Okay," she bounced from one foot to the other, "here's how we can get you two to get along…" and she was off.
She dashed all the way to the door of the house, leaving the boys behind very confused. What the hell was going on? From the doorway Yuffie called out, "Don't even try to come inside until you two are best of friends!" Grinning cheekily as Cloud and Leon sprinted towards her, she dodged back inside the house just in time to lock the door.
Cid turned around in his spinning chair to give the banging on the door a dour look. "You do realize that they will get in eventually…" he asked the grinning girl leaning against the doorframe.
"I know…but still, I can see why the Gullwings wanted to be Sparkle Fairies; it's fun even if you don't have sparkles!"
Leon and Cloud knew they could easily break down the door, but also knew that Merlin wouldn't be too happy with them if they did. Instead, they had opted to spar. The crystals in the cavern, aptly named Crystal Fissure, lit the area up around them as they exchanged blows in the small space.
Cloud was missing his sword; why he left his guard down enough to leave his most prized possession at Merlin's, he'd never know. Hand to hand combat had never really been a specialty for him. Leon must've felt the same way; the strength behind each of his attacks was too weak when compared to when he had his gunblade.
The brunet slid to the side, dodging the blond's kick and aimed his own foot to Cloud's midsection. Next time Leon saw those fairies around Radiant Garden, they were going down in the same way that Yuffie was: patrol duty.
Cloud took the hit, but his feet were in a stance that was meant for stability when sword fighting; the attack caused him to stumble backwards, tripping over his own feet and onto the rock floor.
Leon towered over him. "Give up, Strife?"
Mako eyes glared. "This would be better if we had our swords."
"You can thank Yuffie for that." Reaching out a hand, even though Leon knew that Cloud's pride would prevent him from accepting help up, he watched as the blond lifted himself from the ground.
Cloud brushed himself off, mildly annoyed that Leon was watching him like a mother chocobo. "I can think," he started as he shrugged off his overcoat, "of some things I'd like to do to those fairies." The coat was tossed to the side.
Since it was so warm out, Leon decided to follow suit. "I'm thinking more patrol duty," he suggested, shrugging off his own fur collared leather jacket. It joined Cloud's trench coat in the dust.
Shaking his head, Cloud snorted in amusement and said sarcastically, "and who says we don't we don't get along?"
"Apparently a group of four females and one pilot who are jealous of our excellent conversation skills."
"Either that or our bodies."
"That's not true!"
Leon didn't know whether to be shocked at Cloud's statement, or the appearance of one of those annoying fairies.
"You're supposed to be friendly towards each other!" Rikku exclaimed, her scarf-wings fluttering.
"Don't we look like we're acting friendly towards each other?" Leon asked, noting the blond next to him nodding at his words.
The fairy pouted. "But you were fighting each other a minute ago," Rikku said, establishing her point that the two men in front of her were not on good grounds with each other.
Cloud wished he had his sword when he said as calmly as he could that Leon and he had been training together.
"I don't believe you."
The fairy was just asking for it, Leon thought. "How exactly do we prove that we're friends, then?"
"I thought it was obvious?" Rikku fluttered closer towards them. 'You've gotta' become closer, duh."
Cloud and Leon both shook their heads and took a step towards one another.
"No, closer!"
They took another step and Rikku eyed where they were standing.
"Anything else?" Leon could feel his right hand twitching, recalling to memory exactly how easy it could be to get rid of this fairy.
"Hmm…" the blonde fairy looked contemplative, staring at the two men and trying to decide if there was anything else. "I know," she said after an unusually long period of silence, "kiss and make up!"
Both men sputtered before Leon demanded what the hell would that do?
"Easy," Rikku shrugged, "Lulu and Wakka used to do it all the time."
Leon refrained from asking who Lulu and Waka were and looked over at Cloud. The blond's mouth was hanging open slightly, still obvious in shock.
"And if we do this…you'll accept that we get along and leave us alone?" Leon ground this out, hearing Cloud next to him give him a shocked gasp.
"You can't be serious," Cloud really couldn't believe what the brunet man next to him was actually agreeing to.
"Yup!" the fairy clapped her hands and waited…and waited.
"You even dare touch my lips with yours and I'll kill you." the blond glared as Leon crossed the one foot of space between them.
"Wouldn't even dream of it, Strife," Leon then closed the distance between their faces and gave Cloud's cheek a peck. After that little affair had been dealt with, the man turned to the fairy that was watching them almost voyeuristically. "Satisfied?"
"Now you two are the best of friends…or until one upsets the other, but then you can always kiss and make up again!" Rikku cheered. Waving, she flew off.
"We're the best of friend's now," Cloud said sarcastically.
"Let's go inform the others." Leon grabbed his jacket off the ground, as Cloud did the same, and walked back to Merlin's house.
As they neared the quaint structure, the first thing both saw was Cid and Yuffie hurtling out of the house.
"No way am I kissing any old men!" Yuffie promptly took off at a dash, Cid following right behind her, in the direction of the bailey and the two men.
The blond fairy and her two friends came out of the house seconds later. "But Rikku got Leon and Cloud to do it and now they're the best of friends!" Yuna called out.
The two swordsmen grinned at the same time, an unusual sight to see. As Yuffie and Cid ran past them, Leon and Cloud grabbed them and held them still.
"What's the big idea!" Yuffie pouted and tried smacking Leon's hand off her shoulder.
"Didn't you hear what they said, Yuffie?"
The gummi pilot and ninja paled at the devious looks Leon and Cloud were giving them.
"Now why don't you two kiss and make up?"
"See, Yunie and Paine! If sparkle magic doesn't work, kissing does! And look, Yuffie and Cid: Leon and Cloud are getting along just fine now and when you two kiss and make up you'll be just like them!"
Yuffie and Cid both gave out groans of anguish.
Side notes:
No notes are good notes, right?