Playmate

By: Angelus Erreare

A/N: Disclaimer: I own nothing; all characters, ideas or any related concepts all belong to ATLUS USA.

WARNING: COMPLETE AU, OOC, WAFF, Fluff, SUGGESTIVE NARRATIVE

The family had gone for vacation. Heat and Argilla had taken some time off from their busy schedules and had taken the children with them. Sera, their adopted son's best friend had also come along. Her mother had been overwhelmingly busy and couldn't be with Sera. The couple had taken her under their wing with no problem at all. Cielo had beamed when he saw her. Sera was such an important person to him.

Sera ran through the ship's forecastle, stretching her arms freely, feeling the wind pass through her. Her sunny yellow dress billowed with the wind, and she laughed. She had always wanted to be on a ship and now, it was happening for real.

"Ey! Wait for me!" yelled a voice from behind her.

She stopped, looking behind her, and giggled, "Come on slowpoke!"

She ran again; running around in circles. After making five consecutive revolutions, she felt her world spin, "Whoa…it's…I'm getting dizzy!"

She let herself go…She fell.

A pair of arms grabbed her before she touched the ground. She blinked and looked up, "Thanks…Dr. Heat…" she said slowly.

He smiled at her, "You just be careful sweetheart."

She nodded.

"Sera! Are you okay?" a female's voice broke the silence. She knelt down in front of the girl, "Are you hurt?"

Heat chuckled, "Relax…she's fine."

Cielo piped in, "Mum? Dad? Wat's going on?"

Argilla held Cielo's hand and pulled him to her side, "Nothing. Just play carefully guys…We don't want you two to get hurt."

Sera blushed, "No worries nurse Argilla!"

Argilla smiled and hugged the girl, taking her from her husband's arms, "Don't worry us like that."

She removed her arms from the girl and stood, "Well, you guys can play now."

Cielo and Sera grinned at them.

"Okay!" Sera beamed.

"Okay mum! We'll see you later!"

And they were off. Heat put his arm around Argilla, "You know…you really are a great mum…"

She smiled at him, "Thanks…you're a great dad too…"

They looked at each other and kissed lightly.

xxxxx

Cielo saw Sera leaning by the railing, "Hey…wat are you doing?"

Sera knitted her eyebrows, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm looking at the water."

Cielo did as she did, "Dere's nothing in dere!"

Sera laughed, "I'm watching out for dolphins!"

Cielo smiled, "Really?"

The two then stared at the water, waiting for their dolphin when a hand rested on both their shoulders, "I thought I told you guys to play safe?"

"Dad!" Cielo said, startled.

"Dr. Heat!" Sera exclaimed at the same time as Cielo.

"Now what are you two doing?" he asked.

"Well…we're watching out for dolphins!" Cielo said enthusiastically.

Sera nodded and smiled just as brightly, "People say that dolphins like to swim beside ships! So, we're in one aren't we? Dolphins would show up!"

Heat laughed, "You're right Sera. Well, why don't we wait for them together?"

"Yay!" the two exclaimed excitedly.

They waited no more than a minute when Sera felt an arm on her shoulder, "Hey guys. What's up?"

Cielo leaned back and saw his adopted mother, "Mum! We're waiting for dolphins!"

She chuckled, "Well, okay. I suppose I should wait for them with you guys too…"

Moments later, a school of dolphins frolicked, swam and jumped in front and beside their ship. The children yelled, shrieked and laughed as they beheld their long-awaited dolphins.

"Look Heat! Look Argilla!" pointed Sera excitedly, "That one has a spot on it!"

The adults followed her finger and nodded.

"He sure does Sera!" Heat laughed. Argilla giggled, "He's cute huh?"

"I call it!" Cielo interjected.

Sera frowned, "No fair! I saw him first!"

Cielo stuck his tongue out, "Nu-uh! You saw him but I call him!"

Sera snapped her head away from him, "Well, whatever! I'll just have to spot a cooler dolphin! With a bigger spot! Hmph!"

The adults laughed. Kids will be kids.

xxxxx

"There!" Sera nodded in satisfaction. Cielo nodded, "Uh huh!"

They looked at their handiwork. It was a sandcastle. Sera grabbed a small leaf and placed it at the topmost "tower" of the sandcastle, "There! It looks so cool!"

Cielo chuckled, "You're right! I wish we could go dere!"

Sera breathed out, "Yeah…but aren't your mum and dad taking us to…that place?"

Cielo smiled, baring his teeth, "Yeah! Well…dat's…I dunno wen…but dad said he would right?"

Sera sat on the sand, hugging her legs to herself, "Yeah! But still…what will we name this castle?"

Cielo put his hand on his chin, deep in thought…when Sera suddenly yelled, "I got it!"

"What about Fantasy World?" she asked hopefully.

Cielo snorted, "Dat's an ugly name!"

Sera glared, "What? It's not ugly!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

Sera was clenching her hands into fists, holding her breath in anger. She continued to do so, her face changing color from being bright red to being purple and then blue. Her eyes were beginning to water when Heat suddenly sat in between them, "What's going on here?"

Sera burst out crying, "He said that 'Fantasy World' was an ugly name!" she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger accusingly at Cielo.

Cielo began to sweat as he read the disapproving look from his adopted father's red eyes, "Cielo?" he asked warningly, "Did you say that?"

"Well…" Cielo began hesitantly.

Sera continued to cry, burying her face on Heat's shirt. Argilla came, running, "Heat? What's wrong?"

She immediately knelt on the sand and took Sera in her arms, "Sera? What happened?"

Heat sighed, "They had a fight."

"Oh." Argilla nodded. She stroked the girl's black hair, whispering soothing words.

Heat looked at Cielo, "Apologize Cielo. Apologize to Sera."

Cielo looked down, getting upset, "Why?"

Heat couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Wha…what do you mean 'why'? Because I said so young man! Now, do as I say!" Heat said sternly.

"Sorry." Cielo deadpanned.

Sera continued to wail, louder this time, within Argilla's dress, "He didn't mean that!" she cried.

Cielo stood up, frowning, "I said I was sorry!"

Heat touched his shoulder, "Come on. Let's go. We gotta leave the girls alone for a while."

Heat stood and looked down at Argilla, "Well…you take care of her."

She nodded.

xxxxx

"You gotta be a bit nicer to her you know?" Heat said calmly, as they walked along the beach.

"Why?" Cielo asked defiantly, kicking a few pebbles away, shoving his hands within his pockets.

"Well…because…without girls…it's really difficult to live on this world." Heat said truthfully.

"Why?"

"Hm…Just imagine me without mum. What would I be like?"

Cielo blinked, "You'd have no one to play with?"

Heat sweat-dropped at his son's choice of terms. He began to blush as he considered its implications but shook his head from such thoughts.

"Well…something like that."

"But dat's just silly dad! You could just play wid other boys!"

Heat sweat-dropped again, "That's true…but…what about at night? When we all have to go to bed? I'll be alone. What about during breakfast? Who'll share my glass of juice with me?"

Cielo blinked.

"And when there's a song, who will I dance with?"

Cielo frowned.

"And…when I'm just about to go to bed, who will I kiss goodnight?"

Cielo was getting annoyed, "I…I don't know…"

Heat chuckled, "Well…that's why there are girls. If you don't take care of them, they won't like you and they'll leave. You'll be lonely."

"Oh." Cielo said, casting his head down.

Heat smiled tightly and ruffled his son's blue hair, "Well, that's why you have to be nicer to Sera. She really likes you. But, if you're not careful, she'd leave you."

"Okay dad. But I still don't get it. I don't need a girl to live! Dat's just silly talk!" Cielo said defiantly, crossing his arms.

Heat ruffled Cielo's hair again and chuckled, "You'll understand when you're older son."

"Okay dad…but I'm not promising."

Heat smiled and stood, "Well, we'd better be going back. Your mum might get worried. Besides," Heat looked at his watch, "It's time for tea."

xxxxx

Argilla came up to Heat and kissed him on the lips, "Hey honey." She then looked at her small son and bent down, tilting his chin up for his blue eyes to meet her pink ones, "Hey, you okay, my special little man?"

Cielo smiled and hugged his mother, "I'm fine mum! Where's Sera?"

Argilla chuckled, "She's in her room. We're about to have some snacks, why don't you call her?"

"Okay!"

xxxxx

Cielo gulped as he stood in front of her room. He scratched his arm nervously. He then remembered his father's words. If he didn't do this, Sera would hate him forever! He'd be alone! He couldn't think of growing up without her! He may have said that he didn't need a girl to live but then, Sera wasn't a girl to him. She wasn't just any girl.

She was his best friend.

If he didn't do this, she'd hate him. If that happened, he wouldn't have a friend. He'd have no one to play with.

So, with renewed inner strength, he softly knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" a voice came from the other side.

Cielo pulled at his collar uncomfortably, "Err…it's me…"

She didn't reply. He feared for the worst. He waited for her. Suddenly the door opened, to reveal a frowning Sera, "Oh. It's you. What do you want?"

Cielo shifted nervously, "I…I came to tell you that…"

Her eyes bore into his that he suddenly lost his voice. Her glare deepened and he spoke, "Mum and dad are calling you."

"Oh." she said.

"Yeah." Cielo nodded and turned to leave. He heard her slam her door. Cielo took the first, then second, and then the third step. Then stopped. He gritted his teeth and ran back to her door, banging at it loudly.

Sera opened it abruptly, "What?! I'm going okay?!"

Cielo shook his head, "No…I wanted to say…dat I'm sorry…"

Sera raised an eyebrow and then snorted, crossing her arms, "Sure…whatever."

Cielo shook his head and looked at her with pleading eyes, "No! I…I'm really sorry…please forgive me…!" he pleaded pathetically.

"Well…" Sera trailed off, her anger slowly waning.

"I'm really sorry! I tink dat Fantasy World is a really…"

She glared at him and he frantically thought of nice girly words to describe her…Fantasy World.

"Fantasy World…is really…pretty." he reluctantly finished, trying his best not barf at the word "pretty".

Sera smiled, "Promise?"

Cielo smiled, nodding, "Promise!"

"Yay!" she exclaimed, flinging her arms around him.

Cielo blushed and pushed her off, "Get off! Your cooties! Dey're going into my clothes!"

She giggled, "Okay."

The two ran for the dining room.

xxxxx

The two sat by the beach, bored. Cielo yawned, "Wat now?"

Sera thought for a moment, "I don't know…"

Cielo shrugged, "I'm bored!"

"Well I don't want to swim anymore! I don't want to make sandcastles! I don't want to play hide and seek! I'm tired of those games!" she complained.

Cielo scratched his head and lay on the sand, "Well, I'm sleepy. Wake me up wen you tink of something."

He closed his eyes.

Sera furrowed her eyebrows and then smiled, "I got it!"

Cielo didn't respond. She hit him on the head, "Hey wake up! I got it!"

He yawned, "Wat was dat for? You could've just woken me up! Dat really hurt!"

Sera rolled her eyes; she really didn't want to argue with him, "Whatever. Anyway, I know what we're going to play! We'll play pretend!"

Cielo groaned, "Dat's boring."

She crossed her arms, "Come on! It'll be fun!"

Cielo sighed, "I don't want to play being a pirate again…"

Sera shook her head, "No! We're going to play to pretend to be a…"

"A…?" Cielo asked, egging her on.

"We're going to…" she began to blush, looking down on the sand.

Cielo raised an eyebrow, "As a wat?"

"As…" she trailed off.

Cielo growled, "Well, if you're not going to tell, I'll go back to mum and dad…!"

She panicked, "Wait! Cielo!"

He looked back at her, "Wat?"

"We're going to play as a mummy and a daddy."

"Wat?" Cielo asked, blinking.

"We're going to pretend that we're married. I'll be the mummy and you'll be the daddy!" she blushed a deeper shade of red.

Cielo groaned, "Okay…I guess. We haven't played dat before."

"But…how will we play dat?" Cielo asked, sitting up.

"Well," Sera thought, "we could…watch your mum and dad…and do stuff like them!" she beamed.

Cielo didn't like the sound of that but he'd rather not say anything, else she'd really get mad at him. And so, hiding his discomfort, he nodded instead, "Okay."

xxxxx

The two hid behind the trees, secretly eyeing Heat and Argilla. The two were sitting on a bench, looking at the sunset. "Psst!" Cielo said, calling out to her. Sera turned her eyes to him, "What?"

"Dey're not doing anyting!" Cielo growled.

Sera waved her hand dismissively, "Yes they are! Look!"

The two squinted their eyes and saw that Heat had his arm around Argilla and that she had her head on his chest.

Sera breathed in dreamily. Cielo snorted; he didn't find that really interesting. The two continued to watch.

Sera and Cielo's eyes glued themselves to them as they noticed them begin to move.

xxxxx

Heat looked at the woman beside him, "Hey…"

She smiled at him, "Hi."

He cupped her face, being lost in them as the sun's dying rays danced within her pink eyes. She leaned in his touch and moaned.

"Heat…this was a really good idea…" she whispered.

He smiled and leaned in. She saw him and leaned in as well. Their lips met.

xxxxx

Sera sighed in contentment. Cielo almost barfed.

Sera jumped over to Cielo's hiding spot and dragged him away, "Wasn't that romantic?"

Cielo made a disgusted face, "Dat was just gross…"

Sera giggled, "No it's not!"

Sera looked at the horizon, "Oh no!"

"Wat?" asked Cielo worriedly.

"The sun's beginning to set!" she said frantically, her tears beginning to form within her eyes.

"So?"

She sobbed and sniffed, "Well…well…if…if it sets then, we won't be able to do like Dr. Heat and nurse Argilla."

Cielo groaned. He scratched his head sheepishly and took a deep breath, 'Just don't tink about cooties…just don't tink about cooties…'

He quickly put an arm around the sobbing girl and before she could ask what he was doing, he quickly swooped down and captured her lips with his. In that instant, their kiss, sweet and innocent, had ended as quickly as it had begun.

She smiled as he pulled away.

"Dere. Are you happy now?" he asked almost irritably as he calmed down her "girly" tantrums.

Sera smiled at him genuinely, and lunged at him, hugging him as tight as she could.

That was their first kiss. It was a time in her life that she would never forget. It was a very special moment for them both that had sealed their fates…their fate was with each other.

Ten years had already passed.

Sera smiled and hugged her diary to her chest. They had all but graduated from high school. They had always been together. Her childhood was filled with all sorts of memories of him; him and their time together. The pages that she had just read in which she had reminisced had been a very important memory for her. It signified a new beginning for them both.

They had been together for the past two years now. She chuckled as she remembered how nervous he had been back then. He was her best friend and when he finally recognized his feelings for her as beyond friendship, he had found it as an impossible feat; to overcome his fear and nervousness of confessing to her.

But then, he did.

She had been very happy that day, that she had cried a tear or two, telling him that she had felt the same. She told him that she too had felt the constricting feeling of the heart as she thought that her feelings would forever be unreciprocated.

They had found each other that day.

"Hey? You okay?" a voice snapped her out of her daze.

She looked up at him and smiled, patting the space beside her, "Hey…"

He sat down beside her and pecked her on her cheek, "Wat are you doing anyway?"

She took a deep and content breath, taking in the surroundings. They were on that same resort that his family had taken them on all those years ago.

Cielo looked at her, confused; was something wrong?

"Sera…?"

"Hm…?"

"Something wrong?" he asked carefully.

She giggled, "Of course not…"

Cielo blinked and just put his arm around her. Sera sighed again; the sun was beginning to set. Her spirits felt uplifted. She had remembered that day when the two of them were playing pretend. They had spied on Cielo's parents to take a look of what married adults did.

Suddenly, she felt her chin being tilted upwards. She followed and then was met with a pair of mesmerizing sapphire blue eyes. She lightly gulped. Cielo's gentle hands touched her neck, lightly massaging her skin. Sera felt her skin grow hot from his attentions.

She was turning to a light shade of pink.

His gentle hands came up and cupped her face. He looked at her intently and saw the sun's dying rays reflect and dance on her deep silver pools.

He slowly leaned down and she leaned in as well.

Their lips met.

Cielo kissed her gently, licking her bottom lip, asking for permission to taste her. Sera exhaled and slowly parted her lips, granting him his permission. His tongue stroked hers with passion and at the same time, gentleness.

That was another thing that she loved about Cielo. He was gentle with her. He knew her inside and out. He knew everything about her. He was her other half; the other side of her coin.

She knew it.

He knew it.

They both knew it. They both realized as they shared that kiss a long time ago.

The two broke apart, somewhat breathless.

Cielo grinned, "I love you."

She reached out and touched his face, looking into his eyes, "I love you Cielo…I've always loved you…"

She leaned her head on his chest and he wrapped an arm around her, watching the sun set. It had been the same; all of it. It had been the same sun, the same resort, the same bench in which Cielo's parents had sat on.

This was where they had their first inspiration.

Cielo tightened his hold on her. They had been playing pretend back then…when they were children. But…they weren't children anymore.

There was no more pretending. No more guises.

This time, it was all real.

"Say, Sera…" Cielo trailed off.

"What is it?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Cielo grinned, "Dis was where we spied on mum and dad; remember?"

Sera chuckled, putting a hand over her lips, "I sure did…"

"So…do you still tink dat we need more info as to how adults act with each other?"

She turned to him, grinning, putting her hands on either side of him and leaned in, trapping him, "There's no need Cielo…"

He sweat-dropped, "If you say so…"

"I think we're both grown up now…" she whispered.

She leaned down once more, capturing his lips with hers. He wasn't just her playmate anymore; he was her soul mate.

xxxxx

FIN