Blizzard Primroses
I do not own the franchise of Super Smash Brothers Brawl or Wizard of Oz which are owned by Nintendo and L. Frank Baum respectively. Hell, I techincally don't own this AU of Wizard of Oz as it belongs to my friends Jill and Jane *also known as 8JJ8Productions*
Yo guys. I'm not back from my extended writing break but I'm here to just post this story for Foxpilot/PitFTW's AU contest. This contest wasn't easy. I went through SIX different ideas to get you this Wizard of Oz AU. Originally, I wanted to do the contest story as a crossover between the Wizard of Oz AU and Circo De la Luna but the judges said 'No selfcest. It technically counts as yaoi...'
So I made this up for your viewing pleasure! I'll shut up now! You enjoy!
If the Wizard of Oz wanted to do something; it was either to begin drifting off to sleep in the midst of this dreadfully boring meeting or smash her head against the emerald table to wake herself up. The stupid, brainless government wireframes had been debating the same damn legislation over and over again, never getting anywhere, because none of the witches (the term for the rulers of the four countries) would have it. Only rarely that she, the leader of the whole Land of Oz and the Emerald City, had anything to say about the subject as the others always spoke out first.
Dorothy of Kanas began to wonder what drove these old pink wireframes to their position in the first place...and why, if they were supposed to know what was best, hadn't they kept up with the times and adapted as such. You'd think they would notice that people were now free from slavery and laws needed to be changed, and yet...
The wizard drummed her fingers slightly to keep herself awake. Why did all these Wireframes have to have the same monotone voices? They looked the same too; so she could barely keep up with who was talking. It was days like these where she just wished she had brought her red boots together (and shouted 'there's no place like home' three times,) and left Oz months ago.
It seemed so distant: her best friend Popo and herself getting caught in a cyclone. Afterwards they found themselves in the East Country of Oz; squishing the Wicked Witch of that area in the process and restoring the rightful Witch to her throne. Meeting the stupid yet lovable scarecrow Roy, the fierce tin-woman Samus and the cute 'n' cowardly Toon Lion: especially defeating the Wicked Witch of the West and the tyrannical Wizard of Oz was dream-like.
Yes, it did seem so long ago and so impossible to believe such a memory; and how a small country girl could become the ruler of the Emerald City and leader of such a mystic land.
Even though there were its perks, being the Wizard was almost torturous. These stupid meetings and all the almost infinite paperwork were definitely the bane of her existence. A few seats away a certain half blonde, half brunette woman caught her eye and caused Dorothy to snort to herself as the green and gold clad woman mimed the motion of gagging, while one of the officials went on about some sort of issue that really wasn't much of an issue in the first place. Good old Zeliek. The Good Witch of the West was quite the humorous soul, and although usually Zelda would be listening to these meetings, her psychotic split personality, Sheik, was awake and trying to do what the new Wizard of Oz wanted to do: get the hell out of there.
Across the table, the Good Witch of the East slumped in his seat, giving simple one worded responses to try and make it seem like he was still involved in the conversation, which he wasn't. Marth's plan seemed to be working, as no one noticed the blue-clad Witch's half-hearted responses. Next to him, the Good Witch of the South wasn't even paying attention. He was soundly asleep with his dark green headband over his eyes, not caring if anyone noticed him snoring lightly or not. The only one who didn't make it blatantly obvious they didn't want to be here was the blonde haired Good Witch of the North. But even with her polite look of interest, Dorothy could still tell Peach wanted to leave. And she didn't blame her one bit.
Rolling her head back, she sighed slightly almost completely checked out. But a sudden nudge on her leg shook her back to full awareness. She blinked, then somehow kept herself from squeaking as she felt a light weight drape over her leg.
"Toto," she muttered her friend's name and she got a small bump as confirmation.
Of course, Toto's name was as fake as the name 'Dorothy', but force of habit made her use it for her friend, "what are you doing here?" She muttered as quietly as possible, leaning her chin on her hand to keep anyone from noticing her lips moving.
She knew that her best friend's sharp ears could pick up what she was saying. She got nuzzled on the leg in response.
The Wizard hid a small smile, despite her current mood. "We'll discuss this later..." she said, trying to put enough tone to let her partner know she wasn't happy.
"THIS STUPID MAGIC CAN GO EXPLODE ITSELF IN A DITCH, AND THEN FIND A RABBIT TO SHOVE DOWN ITS EARHOLE BEFORE MAKING IT EXPLODE OUT OF ITS STOMACH! DAMN MAGIC! I HATE THIS! DAMN THING!" The brunette covered his sensitive ears as the shrill cry of the Wizard of Oz echoed in his eardrums.
This human, with brown floppy ears and a straight tail, peaked into the room where his enraged mistress was supposed to be trying to levitate a statue, three times her size, to the other side of the room.
The results? Well...the statue blew up. That was a common occurrence around the castle: the newly instated wizard trying to master her powers and then, more often than not, destroying something in the process.
"Your wizardness... I know it's difficult and you have a lot on your mind but you have to learn to be patient..." the green clad wizard turned to her magic tutor, her brown eyes blazing and her fist suddenly glowing with dark green energy, as if she was storing up some great energy. Rarely had the peeper outside seen the Wizard so pissed off.
"What did you say Isaac?" The blonde gulped and began stepping away from the brunette.
The human, known mostly as Toto or Popo, winced. He felt sorry for that poor sucker, caught in his friend's wrath. Sure the Wizard was usually a beautiful, temperate soul, but the overall wearing teen knew that her rage was something to be feared.
"Before I blast you like I did that statue, I suggest you get out now." Yep. Definitely to be feared.
"Yes, your majesty. I'm so sorry," He hiccupped, dashing out of the room and past Popo.
At first, Popo was going in to see what the matter was, but after hearing a sudden scream of rage and a toss of a book in his general direction, he decided to just spy from where he was.
Leaning over so only his floppy brown ears and bright blue eyes could be seen; the colour-blind child looked to see the Wizard of Oz over the grand piano in the room, her eyes blazing. At first, the teenager thought she was going to blast it, but instead, the girl looked at a document on the desk and growled. She then slammed her fists on the piano keys and began to sing at the top of her lungs in a fury that should not belong short sixteen years old.
"I am done, I am through, I am just sick of it all!
I'm so tired of being thought of as a piece of government meat!
I am done, I am through, I am just sick of it all!
That stupid frikkin spell book, these lessons and laws can go jump off a cliff! What the hell?"
"Don't continue that song, or then you'll start singing about how you don't want to be the most powerful person in Oz and how you don't want to help people anymore." The wizard casted her murderous glare and prepared her Kanas rage as her best friend came running in on all fours. Sure he was capable of walking on two legs but he preferred his hands and knees.
"Don't push it Toto..."
"We're not in public. You can call me by my real name you know," Popo smirked as he sat next to his piano slamming friend.
She usually would have cracked a smile...but she was so stressed right now, the dog boy saw little change.
"'Stressing' gives you wrinkles."
"That's 'worrying'..."
"Same thing," silence ensued, "Dorothy? Please? Talk..."
"Between the last three meetings in a row and this stupid flunky lesson... hell...the whole time during my reign...I HAVEN'T HAD ONE BREAK!" Popo jumped back, " I'VE BEEN WORKING MY BUTT OFF TRYING TO MAKE SURE THIS PLACE RESTORES BACK TO THE WAY IT ONCE WAS BEFORE THAT LOUSY SON-OF-A-TOPI LAST WIZARD DESTROYED THIS PLACE! PEOPLE NEED MY HELP," Popo moved to comfort her before she jerked again, causing his animal instincts to force him back, "THEN THERE'S THIS STUPID PAPERWORK POPO! LAWS I NEED TO READ AND APPROVE BEFORE NEXT WEEK! TO TOP IT ALL OFF I'M USELESS AT MAGIC, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT..." She slammed her fists on the piano, "I hate this... I'm useless... I want to go home! Back to Kanas..." Popo winced as his eardrums took a cruel beating.
He patted her back as Dorothy panted and tried to catch her breath from her monologue.
Most people would have agreed that she really did want to quit, but not Popo. The anthro knew that she loved here more than anywhere in the world. Of course, what she had been expected to do did put a lot of pressure on the sixteen year old girl.
"You don't mean that," chided Popo. "You're stressed and work too hard. You need to sleep..."
"I can't. Not more than four or five hours. No matter how much I want to. I have work. Making sure the new crops from the West aren't contaminated with Glurglesplug poison and check the new libraries downtown still aren't cursed. Then I've got a banquet with the other witches; I've got to learn all the festivals of Oz before the weekends. These friggin ugly laws. I'm swamped..." her voice was trembling, as if she was holding back the resolve to cry.
Popo gave a sympathetic sigh and hugged her. She didn't object.
"I wish I could help you, my wizard. Whatever you need I am willing to help."
"Thanks Popo, but this isn't like how you could help me fight off flying monkeys; it's purely business. I need to do it alone..."
"Not like the old days on the farm..."
"Not like the old days on the farm..."
"Where we could do everything together. You'd help my uncle..."
"Tend to the field while you'd help my cousin and I..."
"Work in the house!" Both the dog and the wizard laughed at their coinciding words.
"We could spend hours just playing and we could complain when we had to do a measly three hours of work. No responsibility. I wish I could have those days..." She paused before patting her friend between the ears, earning Popo's tail wagging in response, "No, you were right: I don't mean that. I-I just wish they would just give me a break every once in a whi-" the leaf green door creaked open and instinctively, Popo was on all fours, growling at the entrance.
In peaked a teal haired woman dressed in a royal lime green uniform. Instantly Popo's defensive pose slackened. It was only Lyn, one of her best friends and royal advisor.
"Your wizardness? Oh! And Sir Toto as well! I beg forgiveness if I'm interrupting something, but I believe you requested me to alert you."
"Eh?"
"When it was time for you to get ready for the banquet tonight: You must be ready to welcome everyone and perform the winter rituals," Lyndias looked hesitant to continue, "...you also have some Wireframes who want to see you now... I can tell them to leave..."
"No, no. I can see them. I have time. Tell them I'll be out in a moment."
"As you wish Great Wizard Dorothy," Lyn bowed as she closed the door behind her.
The brunette woman sighed and stared at Popo as he picked himself up. "I'll see you later, okay? Thanks for trying to cheer me up...and letting me vent. I appreciate it."
"Oh, it's no problem..." Popo held back a squeak as she gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. He was sweating like...a dog.
"That's for putting up with me. I'll see you later." Taking a deep breath, the tired but happier emerald-clad woman walked out of the room, her head held high as she filled herself with the important aura she was meant to hold around her.
Being part animal though, he could see the scared, trapped little girl going out to do things years ahead of her time. He had seen that look before: when she was told she had to kill the Wicked Witch of the West Fox. He hated it. He didn't like her feeling obligated and trapped.
"She really needs a break..." he muttered as he kicked aside some rubble from the statue the Wizard obliterated, "but who can help..."
"...and besides, she's got too many responsibilities. I understand that she is young, but Toto; you need to understand Dorothy has many duties as the Wizard that she needs to attend to." The Witch of the South shook her head and gently placed her hand on top of the Witch of the East's and gave him a small smile.
"Oh come on Marth, don't you remember being young? She's just a child. I think giving her a break is the least we can do since she saved us..."
"No, I'm sorry Peach. I agree with Marth. The Wizard of Oz has many responsibilities..." Mid-sentence, the Witch of the West clutched her head and her eyes changed from blue to red.
From a sweet, heavenly tone, her voice became gruffer and, somehow, still feminine.
"Come on! She can handle the extra work!" Now her right eye flicked back to blue.
"It's my turn to have the body! Please quieten down Sheik! Please!" Toto Popo stared at the four witches arguing. Well...maybe it was three in a half, seeing that it was Zelda, and Sheik arguing rather than Ike.
"Please guys," Popo barked up, "Just one day! Or at least 12 hours! Just enough time for Na-Dorothy to de-stress herself."
"But Toto..."
"Since we are divided equally about whether or not to let Dorothy retire for the day, I'll be the tie breaker," everyone turned to see the Witch of the South, lifting his bandana over his eyes and smirking devilishly, "I just have one question for the mutt before I decide."
"What is it?" The brunette asked.
The red-clad witch stared at the dog, but Popo found the resolve not to break his gaze.
"Do you love Dorothy?" Popo spluttered. "I said: do you love Dorothy? The Wizard of Oz. Do you think she's hot? Do you want to...?"
"Ike! They're sixteen!" Popo's face was beetroot red as he fell backwards, having just managed to hear the innuendo laced questions, his body narrowly missing his tail.
Did he like his mistress? He knew they were friends, he knew that he wanted to protect her always, but did he love her? Did he love his best friend and his mistress? Was that the reason why he had the yearning to make her happy? Was love and loyalty driving him, instead of friendship, to stand up against four witches that could kill him in a heartbeat? Maybe that was the reason why he kept Dorothy's real name to himself. To keep her name personal and exclusive to him? Make him special to her?
"I-I...no! She's my best friend and...I'm just concerned..."
"Looks like someone has a puppy crush," joked the Witch of the South, "is someone trying to impress the most powerful woman in the land? That's almost adorable." The other witches smirked, smiled or giggled as Popo grew even more rosy-cheeked then before.
"That's so sweet," Marth smirked, "and I think by saying that I lost some 'manly points'."
"You never had any."
"Shut it Ike."
"It is sweet. Well, as long as Dorothy can keep up with the workload later, I'm sure that next week would be fine for a day off," Popo frowned at the half brunette, half blonde witch.
"Next week? I don't think she can last that long," Popo knew she needed a break now.
Anymore all-nighters and he could predict that the Wizard's brain was going to just expire. There was only one thing to do and it was going to be humiliating on his behalf; but if it was going to weaken down Zelda's defences. For her sake, it was worth it.
"I'm sorry Toto...but..." The East's witch's voice faltered as Popo bit his lip, widened his eyes and looked down, looking dejected. Past experiences had taught him that nothing could defy the powers of the puppy dog look. "Don't do that. You're making me feel bad," Popo continued regardless, "...if it's okay with everyone...I think tomorrow would be fine."
"Seconded!" Peach chirped
"Agreed," Ike smiled
"Fine," Marth said, crossing his arms, "but we'll have to do a lot of covering for her. You owe us big time Toto." Popo stopped the dejected puppy look and bounced up back on his legs, his tail wagging madly and his eyes sparkling with gratitude.
"Thank you so much!" He said, bringing the group to a tight hug. The Witch of the South rolled his eyes as the others forced him to be embraced.
"That's great and all that you can now impress your girlfriend. Now get the hell off me."
The sun gently rose over the horizon; it's warm, rays softly hitting her windows and flooded the emerald green room with a golden glow, giving the room a warm tropical aura. From behind the silken lime green covers, the wizard gave an easy smile and stretched in her massive king-sized bed, her chocolate-coloured eyes fluttering open. Slowly, she sat up, gave a lazy stretch and yawned; feeling fully refreshed by what had seemed to be the best and longest sleep in her life. With half-awake eyes, she looked around for her watch and checked the time.
"What? How can it be eleven in the morning?" The teenager screamed as she jumped out of bed and practically flew to the bathroom to prep herself up.
Peach and Zelda (maybe even Marth) could get their day's faces ready in a matter of seconds. But as the Wizard of Oz discovered, all of her makeup was missing. Cursing that she didn't know how to zap up some more yet, she splashed water on her face, brushed her hair and teeth and ran out to her wardrobe.
"I can't go out in that!" She screamed, clearly distressed and upset that she had such a lousy start to the day.
In her wardrobe, every single outfit she had received in Oz had gone missing. Instead there was a lone single white and blue checkered dress with a pink apron and her powerful, enchanted red boots. It was same outfit she wore when she and Popo were swept to Oz and the same shoes she took from the Wicked Witch of the East. She couldn't find anything else.
"I HAVE to be the only frikkin magician in this place to not know how to do simple magic tricks," she scowled as she ripped off her floral green night gown and got dressed.
She didn't have time to call her servants or even self investigate what had happened. She had missed a morning meeting with the other four witches and now she was late for the daily city meeting with the people of Emerald. She ran as fast as she could and pulled open the door.
Only to trip over a certain teenager with doggy ears and tail.
"OOF!"
"Whu- oh, hey there! Had a nice sleep?" She glared at the fellow brunette.
"Not now Popo, I have heaps of work to do and I'm..." Popo leaned over to her and licked her face, instinctively, causing her to shut up. Realising what he'd just did, he began blushing and he shook his head.
"Popo," she started, "you want to play don't you?"
Typical dog instincts. Sometimes she wondered why Popo never chose to completely take back the curse given to him by the Wicked Witch of the West when they had first came to Oz. But then he wouldn't be such a cute puppy. Popo's face continued to grow scarlet, and the Wizard thought she understood why. How would you feel if you licked your best friend on the nose?
"Yes...no, no wait...yes!" Popo stuttered as she giggled, "What I mean is...no I don't want to play but well...I'm the one who made sure you didn't wake up on time this morning," instantly her face hardened and Popo cringed. Here came her infamous rage.
"What? Toto Aisu Popo! What did you do? Never mind...I would kill you right now if I wasn't so late!" As she got up to run again, the furry grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"He- Hey! Let me go!"
"Sorry you're Wizardness," she scowled at the playful tone in his voice, "but you're coming with me: and you're not allowed to work."
"What! Why not? Toto...Popo...no time for games! I have a whole country to run..."
"And four witches to help you. Dorothy, you said you needed a break, so I pulled some strings and got you one." The Wizard's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. If Popo wasn't so intent on staring at her face, waiting for it to break out in a smile, he would have started to laugh as she began pinching herself.
"Ow..."
The furry frowned slightly as the brunette pulled an unreadable expression on her face.
"Aren't you happy? I thought you wanted a break."
"Toto, I was tired yesterday when I said those things but..."
"You meant them. Come on, we have the whole day off and, I don't know, like a billion or so people taking care of this place. They've been doing their jobs before we were born, so..." He gave a smirk, "What could go wrong?"
She mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Several things, my friend. Several things. If anything goes wrong I'm blaming you." Popo accepted that. "Are you sure everything will be okay?"
"Yes. I've taken care of everything."
She flashed a smile and nodded, "I guess. I should be thankful Popo. I've been nothing but a whiney brat lately and then you go be my hero and get me a day off. You're the best friend a girl could ask for!"
Popo blushed and his tail began wagging wildly, but conveniently, the ruler didn't notice as her eyes were blurry, yet at the same time, glistening at the prospect of hours doing nothing taxing.
Popo coughed, snapping Dorothy back to reality. "It's been a while since anyone has seen you without makeup: so I doubt any of the Ozites will recognise you. Instead of being cooped up here, I thought you and me could go out."
"Cool! Like a date?" Popo gave what sounded like a cat choking on its own hairball. Damn spit getting into his trachea.
"I'm kidding," she laughed, "Where are we going?"
"Well," the sub-canine got his vocal cords back in gear, "there's this festival of the 'Blizzard Primroses.' We could go, if you'd like. It would be fun! The Good Witch of the South said it's like a carnival from our world remixed."
The wizard on break gave a small squeal. She loved carnivals and if Oz was anything like the ones they had at home: she was well and truly excited. Popo looked delighted as his friend's face erupted into a beam once again. He began leading the way to the smaller, back door of the royal palace.
"Well...let's go. Your carriage awaits Dorothy. We can do anything you want-" she clung onto his arm and again, the overall wearing teen blushed.
"I already know this will be the best day ever!"
Ozites from the small villages in the North crowded inside the large forest and danced to the cheery music playing off to one side, and others enjoyed the exquisite food court and market on the other end. An ice-breather entertained a group of awestruck children and their parents with magnificent acts of playing with the cold tongues of soft blue while a lone clown danced merrily through the multitude.
"It almost looks like it's going to snow," Popo observed, staring into the sky, though there were no clouds.
The brunette female shrugged as she pulled her pink coat over her a little tighter. The dog always seemed to have a sixth sense for these things, and he was usually right in his assessments. She had learned long ago to trust in what he said.
"So...where do you want to go first?" he asked, gazing at her beneath his brown locks.
"Um...I don't know, Toto. I don't know this area to well. I barely studied..."
"Oh no you don't," Popo said, holding her wrist, "You're taking a break. You're not allowed to think about work. It's going to be..."
"I'm always fine when I'm with you. I know I shouldn't worry about my kingdom on a date, but I can't help myself."
"Eh... So where do you want to go?" He blushed slightly as the brunette girl looked around the area.
This was so out of the ordinary that he had a hard time comprehending that they were actually on a date together. Well maybe it didn't count as a date, like how a study date didn't count, but Toto liked to look at it like an official date. Nana did call it a date.
He was rambling again.
Nana took on thoughtful expression, tapping her index finger to her chin. "Well, I'm kind of hungry; we could go over to the market and eat something. That is, if you'd like."
Popo rolled his eyes. 'Typical Nana...' He thought to himself.
"Sure, I'm a bit hungry too. Let's go."
Her dark chocolate eyes lit up, "Sweet! Come on!" She grabbed his hand, much to his surprise, and pulled her toward the market café. Popo's cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red, finding it hard to remain casual and not to do anything stupid in her name.
They stopped before the first booth, stacked with baked goods. There were butter horns, cinnamon rolls, and a lot of cookies. "Hello, can I help you?" Asked an old, shrivelled, Ivysaur from behind the little counter.
She smiled warmly at Popo who tried to scan the little shop, trying to decide what his little tummy could stomach.
"Um Dorothy?"
"Oh! I'll take two Rainbow Dash rolls, three uni-corn cupcakes, five mini red flies' pies, and nine purple potatoes cookies please." The shoulder length haired brunette called as she counted off her list on her fingers.
The Pokémon gawked at her, her expression mirroring Popo's precisely.
The wizard looked down and around, puzzled. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, no," the Pokémon replied quickly. "I'll get you your food. Please wait here." The long vines from its back darted around the store up and started packing all the treats into a few sheets of wax paper, then placing them inside two large brown paper bags. She handed them to the couple. "Here you are."
"Thanks." The woman attempted to take out her wallet out of her apron pocket but gasped as she realised that in the excitement to get here, she completely forgot her jewel studded wallet.
She looked at the dog who gave a comforting smirk, "I'll pay, Dorothy. Remember, I said I'd take care of everything." He unzipped his own wallet, and handed the cash to the Pokémon.
She gave them a confused, but kind smile. "Have a nice night together," she called out.
As soon as they were out of sight, she opened the bag and tore into the food. Popo was surprised she could stuff that much into her mouth. "What's with the pig-out session? I thought you had to be lady-like."
Nana blushed. The food was so good. This was the first time she had fast food in what seemed like forever. The strands of the modern life she once knew had slipped from her when she took the throne, and now- now was like rediscovering the world again.
"Oh." Nana wiped off the filling with a napkin the Ivysaur had placed in the bag. "Thanks Popo for buying." She gave a beautiful smile at Popo, which caused his cheeks to turn bright red again. Nana's face was a bit puzzled: it seemed he was blushing a lot that day. She blinked and shook her head, dislodging the thought that had crept into her mind.
Meanwhile, Popo was admiring the way his partner looked so beautiful tonight, the way her eyes were alight with excitement, and her brown-maroon hair shined under the festive lights.
They walked on for a bit, enjoying the entertainment and the sweet smell of carnival food in the booths. Nana pointed to an unoccupied stone bench sitting alone in the middle of the main square, seemingly beckoning to them. They sat beside each other, and Popo fidgeted nervously at their proximity.
He spoke to attempt to lessen the tension. "Well, when you're done eating-"
"Aren't you going to have any?" Nana interrupted him.
"I...I actually never thought of eating your food." He gazed at her incredulously.
"Come on, Popo. Even you should know I can't eat this much. Naw, half of it is for you, and the leftovers we can take home." He smiled at her.
"I... well, thank you, Dorothy." She reached into the bag and extracted a rainbow roll, offering it. Popo's grin widened as he grabbed the roll with his teeth, tossed it in the air and munched it; getting the multi-coloured custard all over his face.
Nana chuckled, "Come on, let's go on some rides!"
"Right after eating? Nana, I knew you were eccentric, but I never thought you were that nuts!" Excitedly, Nana flashed a wide smile and held her hand out to him.
Popo laughed at her hyper state and licked off the jelly on his face as he allowed Nana to pull him to his feet. He must have pushed a little too hard, though. Popo fell forward, gasping as he did so as Nana fell back. Thankfully, he was able to stop himself from collapsing on her. Both of them were unharmed. Yet their position was quite, inappropriate. Nana looked up, both her cheeks and Popo's turning bright crimson as they realized how close their faces were together. Their eyes locked, cerulean blue with chocolate, holding each other in an unbreakable stare. Popo's heart thumped unevenly in his chest as he stared into Nana's brown eyes, noticing only now how soft her face looked; how smooth her hair must feel, how full and red her lips were. He blinked when she suddenly pushed herself out from underneath him.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"It's-its okay."
For the second time that day, he held his hand out, fingers outstretched. Nana looked at it curiously for a moment, before placing hers in his. Their fingers entwined seamlessly, fitting the other perfectly. They smiled shyly at each other.
"Come on, let's go," Nana mumbled softly.
They headed toward the ride section of the park, Popo trying to control his heavy breathing and racing heartbeat as their hands still lingered in each other's. Occasionally, he would glance at her, and their gazes would lock again, until one of them broke the bond apart again. Popo desperately wanted to say something, but every time he built up half a nerve, he'd just start mumbling. He wanted Nana to have a good time, not worry about petty problems like his embarrassment.
As if that was a new resolve to be brave and treat Nana well, he escorted the Wizard of Oz to what looked like an ice forest's version of a roller coaster. Giant bud-like seats were hovering over a vine; guests were to sit on the buds that would zip around the line, successfully recreating a common theme park attraction on Earth.
Nana stared incredulously at the huge, and rather intimidating, ride. She did want to go there and take a ride but... "You want me to go on this after I just ate? You must be joking."
Popo grinned and shook his head. Nana was an adrenaline junkie. If anything was to get her to have fun and de-stress, it was this.
"You said you wanted to go on some more rides. Nope. Besides, you barely ate."
"All the more reason not to go on..."
"Aw, come on, Dorothy. Please? Don't tell me you're afraid of heights." Nana looked at him curiously, the answer plain as the sun on her face. "Seriously? But in the Wicked Witch of the West's Tower, you seemed totally fine!"
"That was because I had a frikkin ugly furry trying to chop off my legs to get to my boots," she flaunted the said boots out as she replied so, "it distracted me from how high up we really were; but the truth why I wasn't afraid was..."
"Yeah?"
"...I'll tell you later." She grinned as Popo gave an infamous puppy pout.
"Fine, but you have to go on this with me for making me wait. Please, Dorothy? Pretty please? For me?" She glanced at him, and then sighed, knowing it was a losing battle anyways. She couldn't compete with his puppy-dog eyes, even if she had a blindfold.
"Fine."
"Yeah! Come on, we're going to miss the next round!"
"Although the little voice in my head is telling me I might want to..."
"Aw, lighten up! You said you would."
"That I did. Fine, let's just get this over with."
They walked up to the blue hedgehog at the counter and showed them the wristbands they had received earlier at the ticket booth. He nodded them forward and strapped them in. Nana's hands automatically flew to the tight straps around her body, gripping them as tight as she could. Popo chuckled, causing her to shoot him a glare. He laughed harder. She looked so cute.
"Toto, if you tell anybody about this-"
"Aw, relax my lady. You know I wouldn't share your secrets behind your back. I'm not that kind of a friend. Relax," he said again as he wriggled to get his tail comfy. She did.
With his quills, the hedgehog started the ride, and Nana shut her eyes tight as the flower-buds started to creep at an agonizingly slow rate up the vine. She held her breath as she realized the stupid hedgehog had placed them right at the front. Oh, great.
Having sensitive ears meant it was more painful to hear Nana's high-pitched scream pierce the air, hurting his ears more than needed from the intensity. He jerked again as a sudden pressure appeared on his right arm. He looked down to see Nana clinging on to him instead of the lap-bar; her eyes squeezed shut in fear. He blushed again at her tight grip and barely noticed the other loops and flips of the Ozites roller-coaster.
Eventually the ride came to a stop, Popo helped Nana out of her seat and caught her as she fell forward from dizziness.
She put a hand to her head and groaned, "Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best idea."
"Oh really?" Popo grinned as Nana gave him a punch in the arm.
The two began wandering aimlessly; laughing and talking like two excited children.
"Should we go play a sideshow game?"
"You can conjure up all of the prizes in a heartbeat if you tried, and you just want to show off your skills!"
"Well, excuse me for being Kanas' best bottle shooter, ring tosser and bell smasher! I'm just that awesome." They laughed.
While Nana it was more for fond memories, for Popo it was the fact that she was smiling and had that amazing, playful, joyous aura around her again. She was definitely having fun. She wasn't worrying and she didn't get upset at the mention of magic. She was always sensitive of her abilities.
"How about we go on a more relaxing ride? The Ferris Wheel might help the dizziness."
"Okay maybe- wait! What's that?" The half dog had a peak and his large eyes widened.
Of course, it was the Blizzard Primrose Festival: there had to be some compulsory flower viewing attraction. His prediction was right. It was snowing. All around them, people were 'oohing' and 'ahhing' as the snow fell from the sky like shone like glitter. As each snowdrop kissed the buds of the grey flowers amounted on soft yellow bushes, the bud erupted and exploded, revealing its radiant blue petals and white centres. The Wizard of Oz's eyes widened, and frantically she looked for a place where she could get close to one of these flowers, and maybe pick one. After a bemused Popo found a spot, Nana ran over and bent to her knees, cherishing the beautiful sights of the blue sea of petals.
"Oh my gosh! They're so beautiful!" Nana looked off at the beautiful, blue-white flowers that decorated the entire forest. "Come look and feel it Popo! It's so nice!"
Popo smiled and knelt down next to her, his fuzzy hands stroking one of the flowers, as if it was a pet of some sort. Each petal sparkled like the moon and was soft to the touch.
"When a Blizzard Primrose blooms, it means good fortune," Nana murmered as she looked up, "Thank you for bringing me here Popo. I don't know what to say."
"It's no problem. Anything for you Dorothy," He whispered gently as he picked one of the numerous flowers off the bush and placed it on top of her ear. He smiled at her, but when he looked, the Ozites Ruler's face was set in a look of serious curiosity; her orbs of light brown glaring deep into the windows of his soul.
"Why did... do you call me Dorothy? I call you Popo almost as much as I call you Toto, but you insist you call me Dorothy if you must use my name." For what seemed like the trillionth time that day, Popo's face went beetroot red.
His brown, furry ears at the top of his head dropped down and his fuzzy puppy tail wagged in nervousness. "Please Popo... you're my best friend in all of the known universes. Please tell me." Her voice was pleading and any minuscule strength that Popo still had to resist her desires dropped.
"What? Oh. Well...umm...err...do you remember the very first day we got here?"
"Yeah? How would I forget? We were caught in a cyclone! We kinda squished the Wicked Witch of East on the way down as well," she laughed.
"Then you remember what I said when we met Mayor Ness and the other Munchkins?"
"We're not sure if they're trust worthy. We shouldn't just tell them who we are. We should just keep any personal details a secret." Popo stared at his friend as light snow fluttered around them and sprinkled on their bodies. She remembered, and word for word as well.
"That's when we got the names Dorothy and Toto, but that was ages ago Popo. This is our home now, so why do we have to keep secrets?"
"Well...I want to keep your name a secret. These days, everyone wants your time, but...I guess I'm a bit selfish when I say I need your time. We never do anything together anymore." The girl was silent, her eyes avoiding contact and moving towards the Blizzard Primroses.
Her partner wasn't sure what she was thinking again. "Since I am telling you these things, it's time for another confession. I made sure you only had these clothes today so no one will recognise you. Everyone is so used to seeing you in green with your hair up..." Nana continued to avoid his gaze and he stopped. It took a few minutes of snow-dropped silence before the dog spoke up again. "I wanted you to relax today; but also to have just a 'Nana and Popo day' together. Not Dorothy and her dog or the Wizard of Oz and Sir Toto. Just you and me."
An awkward silence intruded upon their normally carefree night as Popo contemplated what to say. He just couldn't ignore his feelings any longer. He brushed the snow off her face and gently moved her face to look at his. She was silent, doing nothing but looking anywhere but at him.
"Nana..."
"Hm? What is it, Popo?"
He tried again. "Nana, I..." He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead closer, a blush creeping on his cheeks. "We've been friends for a really long time, Nana. No, I think it's more than that. We're more than friends, and I know you have sensed the change as well. We... care for each other." He sighed and gritted his teeth.
She held her breath. "Popo, what are you saying?" She asked.
"Nana... I want to tell you that I...I...I really like you!" He snapped his cerulean gaze toward her, their eyes locking once more. This time, the Wizard of Oz couldn't break away from the intensity of his stare. "I may even love you."
"..."
"Nana..." This time, he was the one who severed the connection, "I knew I shouldn't have told you that. It's just going to change our friendship. I...I understand if you don't want to see me anymore."
"What? No, Popo, that's not it at all! I think, deep down, I knew you loved me; I just wasn't ready to hear it. But I also knew, that even though I didn't think I wanted to hear it, I-" He saw her lips moving, forming the words her heart spoke, but no sound escaped.
"What?"
"I love you too." She stared into her lap, trying desperately not to look into his eyes again.
They were so warm, so caring, and now that she thought about it, really looked in them; she knew they told her they loved her. The eyes truly were the windows to the soul.
"You were always my strength, my support, my stability. When I was lost... when I was on the floor about to die," they both were silent.
They both remembered that incident all so long ago. Destroying the Wizard of Oz before Nana almost led the two to death. On that day that decided the rest of their lives.
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she admitted her worst memory. "That was the most frightening thing I've ever been through, but you gave me courage. You were always there for me. You even took that curse for me..." Popo looked away; the Wicked Witch of the West's curse was a sore spot for him, but even so, Nana touched his ears, the produce of the tampered curse. "So... thank you. I'd trust you with my very being."
"Nana..." Popo was at a loss for words.
Never did he expect her to bear her soul to him, nor did it make him incredibly comfortable. But he knew that she depended on him, and his heart took comfort in that alone, that he could be there for her. He smiled, unconsciously holding his arms out toward her. She stared at him for only a moment before launching herself into his awaiting embrace. Nana was not one to cry unless the situation really called for tears, and she did not now, but Popo held her as though she were anyway.
Popo, his arm still around her shoulders, guided her back into the main square, not wanting either of them to catch a cold from the now heavier snowfall. She looked up at him, their eyes locking a final time, trapped in each other's gazes, time passing by with no meaning. Tiny white crystallized flakes dotted the air around them, and Nana shivered involuntarily in her puppy's embrace. He held her tighter.
Nana closed her eyes as Popo leaned forward. She felt his lips lightly brush hers, and smiled against his warm face. He kissed her harder when he felt her kiss him back.
Eventually, they parted for the need of air. Nana blushed again, a reaction only Popo was capable of evoking in her. His fingers softly brushed her face, wiping away the rapidly falling sky crystals. She smiled and leaned her head against his radiating warm chest. He tangled his fingers in her hair, playing with the shoulder length brown locks. His face rested against the top of her head. This was bliss, paradise, heaven.
They hugged each other tighter as they both spoke the words their hearts were saying."I love you."
"You're Wizardness? You left some of your work in the plaza," Dorothy looked up to see Lyn, carrying a small pile of paperwork. The corner of her mouth twitched but the brunette smiled and patted the desk area next to her.
"Thanks Lyn, you may go," the woman smiled and walked out.
"I thought we were going to practice magic. You and me making fireworks." Nana laughed as her boyfriend slid out from underneath her desk and rested his head on her lap. "You said no more paperwork when you told me you mastered that Philosophical book thing..."
"It's the 'Ozites' book of Orichalcous'. It's a prized spell book and you know it..." Popo rolled his eyes.
"You hated that 'stupid textbook''," the brunettes laughed and Nana scratched his head, "but now you're a fully fledged wizard. See! And you thought you were useless and can't do it." He pulled himself up and sat on her work desk.
"I did sound stupid, didn't I? Isaac said it was my negative thinking that held my potential back. Go figure."
A month or two after they admitted their feelings to each other, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Sir Popo were finally together. Although they were now closer than ever, they couldn't outwardly express it. The witches of the North, East and West all agreed long ago that relationships would get in the way of work; but the couple knew better. Nana was in such a better mood these days, was able to master all the spells in the Ozites' book of Orichalcous in record time and still managed to find time to sit down, relax and spend well deserved rest and relaxation.
"Now: about our quality Nana and Popo time my wizardness..." Popo leaned in closer and kissed her gently on the lips. When he went for seconds, Nana smirked and looked away.
"I know my promises, but I've got work baby."
"And you got me as well. Come on, you can read whatever looks important and I can help by forging your signature on whatever looks like crap. If it looks wrong then you or Ike could just change it. He knows everything; even our relationship." Again, Nana laughed.
"Asking Ike? That's just cheating. He'll kill us."
"Don't care. I just don't want you to strain yourself my beautiful wizard."
Nana rolled her eyes with a smile. "Come on. You could get into trouble if you were caught, but," she started then paused. She looked him in the eyes and finished quietly, "I think it's really sweet of you wanting to help me out."
Popo grinned, "Get in trouble my foot. I still want to help you sweetheart," the male brunette replied.
Nana smiles at the male brunette, "Hey. Don't look at me with that worried face of yours puppy."
Popo gave a faint smile. Nana smiled back as she placed both slender hands on his cheeks. She leaned a bit closer so her face was just inches from his.
"I really do love you," she whispered, before pressing her lips against his softly.
"And I love you more," he said as he placed a single white primrose in her hair as their lips met again.
EDITED: Grammar and spelling.
FUN FACT: Nana's parody song she sung when slamming the piano was 'I'll give up singing' by Teto Kasane
I really haven't written fluff in a while so this was a good clean up for my brain. If I managed to do my other ideas, it would be even darker then 'Lusting Syrup' ... maybe it was a good idea to stop me my judges!
Thank you all for reading this and...
YO PSYCHE! YOU STILL HAVEN'T COMPLETED MY CONTEST PRIZE D:! lol. It's okay, don't worry.
Review!