I haven't been updating the Blood like sunlight, PT oneshot series based on random songs, due to relocating. The ridiculously talented LunaSphere posted her Raven!Ahiru fic awhile ago, and there were some new Raven!Ahiru arts, so I figured it was time to post this baby.

Song: Spread a Little Sunshine

Artist: Leland Palmer

Album: Original Broadway Cast Recording Pippin Soundtrack

Focus: An alternate fate for Ahiru

Rating: PG-13 (T)

Scenario: Canon divergence from episode 13

Warnings: Shipping, horror elements, suggestion of adult situations, suggestion of violence

Notes: This is one of my favorites, simply because the song worked so well with the situation and the mood from the song carried over easily to the voice of the story. The song is wonderful, but watching its performance really puts a whole different meaning to it.

Anyway, the song sounds like a cheerful ode to the helping-others-is-helping-yourself screed, and it's really about how the singer casually manipulates the people in her life to get what she wants. What she wants is her son king, and if she has to set it up so that her stepson or husband dies for that, well, she'll spread some sunshine! And get one to kill the other! Because she's just that nice.

Put down the vinegar, take up the honey jar

It was two weeks after the battle for my beloved Prince's heart that I noticed I was born. Now, later, I'd hear about Rue's thorny transition, and to me, it seems rather careless. Stressed out the poor girl something awful.

Silly little girl. Always the fool. Tiny little child, won't let go of her toy, mine mine mine. I was at least more sensible—and just because I loved my sweet, half-doll of a prince even more now didn't mean I had to make it difficult for him.

The poor boy's confused sometimes, but I truly think he has the right to choose who uses him and how.

For instance, Fakir. Always got in the way. Even though I was friends with him before, Sir Fair Weather had to snoop on me, check in every day, "You alright, Ahiru?" As if I couldn't take care of myself. Infuriating, really. I was done with being klutzy, stupid Ahiru.

For starters, I knew I needed to get rid of the two little birdies that followed me around, one on each shoulder, chattering and battering at me. Why I didn't see how Pique and Lilie spelled bad news before, I've no clue.

So I introduced them to a younger girl, someone not quite as bad as I was but close enough, and began to steadily improve my progress in class and disappear when they tried to talk to me. They've got another fool to play with now, and that's that.

That really set Fakir on edge—poor guy, he didn't even like them anyway. After causing him that bit of grief, when I saw he was a teensy bit in denial, I knew I needed to help him sort out his feelings.

So I did, with a well-timed transformation from duck to girl and a few girlish, all-so-innocent moans and writhes even though I didn't hit the wooden floor that hard. He's at least more aware of his crush now, if his stuttering whenever he tries to talk to me is any indication.

That was all well and good, but where was I? My rival who I dearly tried to befriend, prima donna Rue, really Kraehe. I went up to her room one day.

Girl needed an interior decorating class—of course she had her daddy issues, but there are ways to suggest your inner nature without molting over everything.

So I began to pick up the feathers, to help poor little conflicted Kraehe. "Stop that," she said, because she's never been that friendly with me. I wonder why I even try.

I turned to her. "It's so messy in here. I mean, but it's okay, I understand, drama queen things and all that, right? But darling, really?"

"You'll start, too," she said. "Feathers everywhere. Headaches, your body aches, and before long the girl in you will give up and you won't know how to run the shell she's left behind."

"Mmm, that's nice," I said, and continued sweeping the feathers up.

"Don't you want to know the details?" she asked. "I took your pendant and dipped it in—"

"I don't think you're evil, Rue-chan," I said.

"You aren't Ahiru," she said.

Well, that was rather offensive. So I huffed a little, to let her know that she'd hurt my feelings very much, then I left. It would have been bad taste to try to get back at her or anything, so I went to spend some quality time with my prince.

Before, I wasn't strong enough to show him all of me, but I took him to the ruins in the forest where Kraehe had used that jewel to take my pendant, and changed in front of him, from girl to duck to girl to Princess Tutu. The fairy wings on the back of my costume were getting a distinctly red tint, and the fabric had begun to turn a sort of creamish color, but he didn't seem to notice.

To make sure, I kept his eyes closed and his lips shut.

Let me tell you, the Ahiru Kraehe was so missing couldn't do for him what I could, even if she tried. But I'm kinder, and I'm bolder, and I'm using my newfound confidence to truly help my dear friends in ways I could never before.

And when Fakir came for my prince with a sword due to that silly "defiling me" misunderstanding, it was just totally unforeseeable.

Now all there was left to do was help Kraehe see that unforeseeably, a week later, she'd jump out of her dorm window, as my darling prince was wont to do occasionally. Except this time, there'd be no bunch of flowers to cushion her fall. Since I was so caught up in solving everyone's problems, I couldn't get to it all, could I?

But in her memory, I'd take good care of Mytho for her—since everyone seems to have gotten the idea in their head that Fakir can't anymore.

It's alright. I'm good at taking care of people. Always have been.