A/N: Off-the-head writing, so I probably got everything wrong about fish, dolphins, and the ocean. Sorry.
Fandom: Final Fantasy 7 & 8/Kingdom Hearts
Summary: Under the sea negotiations.
Pairings: Sephiroth/Squall/Zack, Cloud/Laguna, Mentioned Cid/Vincent
Warnings: AU, OOC, Non-Canon, Homosexuality, Mentions of Potential Mpreg, Polyandry, Swearing, Laguna Loire from FF8. Vincent Valentine from FF7. (He is Sephiroth's Father in my head canon.)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fan fiction. In certain cases incidents, characters and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. Certain characters may be composites, or entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
XXX
Under The Sea
(Shimmering Seas = Flirty Dolphin Tails, Deep Ocean = Luminescent Fish Fins)
Prince Squall hid his nervousness over the forthcoming negotiations with a familiar sneer of distaste towards his father. "King of the Shimmering Seas! All you do is sit on the throne and look pretty! Kiros does all the work!"
Laguna reclined further on his throne, using his late wife's favorite comb to battle his long locks into shape. "Kiros does have the crab legs for it. Besides, I'm merely following his orders. Whenever I try to help with the parchment-work, it apparently all goes to crap. My hair's such a mess. Raine always braided it for me so nicely every day… Raine…"
Squall hurriedly swam up to wipe the falling pearls away from his father's cheeks. "Daddy, come back. I can't do these negotiations alone. Please come back."
To Squall's relief, recognition returned to Laguna's emerald eyes. "Did I go away again? Sorry, my boy. It's hard to stay with your mother and sister gone. So hard."
"Gee Seph, the guy with the crown is cryin,' maybe we should come back tomorrow."
"Nonsense, Zackary. I refuse to be harassed any longer by the surrounding 'shimmeriness.' Negotiations will conclude today and we will leave this Light to the people who seem to enjoy attacking foreigners with singing."
"Yep, the bursting out in song got old five minutes after we arrived."
Squall turned slightly away from his father to view the foreign pair below the throne. "The guy with the crown is King Laguna of the Shimmering Seas. I am his son, Prince Squall. And you are?"
The joyful-looking man, with spiky black hair and luminescent royal-blue eyes and fins, swam forward and bowed politely. "Zack Fair, Consort of King Sephiroth of the Deep Ocean, at your service. Don't let the hoity-toity title put ya off, though. I originally came from the backwaters of Gongaga. Country boy to the end, that's me."
Squall directed his gaze next to the extremely tall man with long silver hair, black diamond-like glittering fins, and a piercing hellish green stare to match. "King Sephiroth, I presume."
Sephiroth's attention remained fastened to Laguna's woeful face. "It is a rare thing. When my father, Vincent, cries, he cries tears of priceless rubies. His released Darkness serves to strengthen our people and help our kingdom thrive. On the other hand, your father's tears of pearl merely make him look pathetic and easy to kill. From what I remember, Queen Raine and Princess Ellone died in the storm two years ago. Shouldn't he be over it by now?"
The harsh slap from Squall's dolphin-tail knocked Sephiroth's crown slightly askew. "You take that back! Grief doesn't have a time-table! What do you know of loss? Cold-blooded creatures of the Deep Ocean. Hmph. I don't care about the ongoing threat from the Abyss Terrorists. Go home to your land with no singing and no fun. We don't need your warriors and I don't need you!"
To Squall's consternation, his tirade failed to hasten Sephiroth and Zack's retreat, like he hoped. While waving his hands across their blank faces, the Prince righted Sephiroth's crown. "Hey. What's so interesting behind me?"
Zack gently took Squall's arms and carefully turned him around. "Prince Squall of the Shimmering Seas, meet Cloud Strife of the Deep Ocean. When we were younger, he went through the Mako trials like the rest of the Warriors of Deep Ocean. He sort of came out different, though."
After Zack stopped rotating him, Squall looked to the throne to view a spiky blond-haired male with glowing electric-blue fins seemingly molest his defenseless father. "Daddy! Get your hands off me! He's hurting him!"
Zack, instead, drew Squall into a inescapable hug. "No, he won't. Not with Aerith to back us up."
While Squall squirmed away, Aerith sailed by to drop a small basket at Sephiroth's feet. "Here's the monthly shipment of tea and seaweed nicotine for Cid. Negotiations are concluded for this month. Have a nice day."
Relaxing in Aerith's soothing presence, Squall's struggling ceased. "Aer, you know these guys?"
Aerith patted Squall's head, then turned to deal with Cloud. "From school. Princess Ellone knew them all too. She made them promise to protect you till the death, even though they never met you. You missed a lot, being home-schooled by Queen Raine."
Aerith floated up to Cloud's side and murmured in his ear. "Yes, King Laguna is very pretty. Those horrible Abyss Terrorists want to hurt him. If they do, he'll go away to a place you can never follow."
The roar of Cloud's inner beast shook the throne room.
Terrified, Squall looked to Zack and Sephiroth for reassurance. "How different is he!?"
Zack handed Squall over for some Sephiroth loving, then tilted his head for the right words. "Without a focus, Cloud's basically a non-stop killing machine. If you're identified as friend or family, you stay alive. If not, you're dead. Begging doesn't help, nor bribery. He's the best assassin the Deep Ocean Kingdom's ever had."
Zack's awareness fastened on Squall's wide blue-grey eyes. "I'm supposed to trust that maniac with my father's safety? He's not just the King. Laguna is the only family I have left. If he dies, my grief will be worse than his. I'll sing my pain to the surrounding sea until I waste away and die too."
Sephiroth's hold around Squall's body tightened to almost the breaking point. "Unacceptable. If there will be any singing in my kingdom. It shall be songs of family and joy. Sad songs make Cid's dogfish howl. A disagreeable chorus to all."
Realizing the futility of his escape from Sephiroth's hold, Squall rested a weary head against a firm shoulder. "Dogfish? What kind? I always wanted one."
Zack sidled up to nuzzle under a blushing ear. "The spotted kind. According to Cid, there should be some puppies born soon…"
Squall sat up to dazzle Sephiroth with a sweet smile of anticipation. "Could I have one? I'd be the best caretaker. I promise."
Sephiroth drew Squall's head back to his shoulder. "For another taste of your smile, Prince Squall, I would give my whole kingdom and more."
XXX
King Laguna regained consciousness from his deep grief. His first sight being a pair of burning electric-blue eyes. "Hello. Is there a reason you're checking my non-existent pockets for change?
"So pretty…"
With a wry smile, Laguna ran his fingers through spiky locks. "Right back atcha, Beautiful. Squall? Where's my baby boy?"
"I'm okay, Dad! Stay calm and the scary man shouldn't hurt you. I think. Zack?"
Laguna looked over from the silver-haired giant cradling his son to the funny-haired man swimming a jig next to them.
"Victory! King Laguna touched Cloud and he still has a hand! Seph! We've found Cloud's focus at last! Hallelujah!"
"Daddy!" Squall flipped out of a shocked Sephiroth's arms, only to be tackled by a quick-thinking Zack. "You used my father as a test for your maniac. Lulling me with words of family and puppies. Let me go!"
Laguna holding his hand up, halted Squall's inching forward on the floor, dragging Zack behind him. "Squall, I'm fine, but you won't be if you get any closer. Kiros gave me a full report on the Deep Ocean's famed Executioner. Without a focus, Cloud Strife is not long for this world. Didn't think it would be me, though. Good thing I'm single."
Laguna stilled Cloud's rising growl with soft touches to the face. "Hush now. Squall is my baby. He's a part of me. You want to protect and keep me safe. Keep Squall safe too."
Cloud froze Squall's heart with a lethal glare of inconvenience. "Keep Squall safe too? I guess so."
Zack piped up while wrestling Squall away from the danger. "Hey, Spiky! What happened to your swords? I'd like to know in case of another sudden rampage."
Cloud snorted in disgust, while Laguna scooted to the side, so Cloud could sit beside him. "The guards made me leave them outside."
Zack quieted Squall by hauling the Prince up and pitching him back into Sephiroth's ready arms. "Woot! Their guards don't have weapons. This kingdom doesn't have any weapons. How could they make you do anything?"
Cloud sulked in Laguna's embrace. "They sang a song of happiness and cheer. I ditched the swords and swam for my life."
Zack crossed his arms across his chest and nodded in agreement. "Smart move, Spiky. Live to fight another day."
Cloud's wide-eyed gaze of hope melted Laguna's heart. "Don't worry, King Laguna. I can still protect you. I can tear your enemies apart with my hands and teeth."
Laguna shifted to sit on Cloud's lap and kiss a pale cheek. "You have been lost. Haven't you? I've been lost for a long time too."
Cloud brushed his nose against Laguna's. "Let's be lost together."
Laguna's answering peck on the lips did little to quench Cloud's fire. "Make the terrorists all dead first. I refuse to raise a family where it's unsafe."
Cloud pulled slightly away with a frown. "Family?"
Squall waved his arm from the safety of Sephiroth's hold. "Dad's a bearer like me. It was why I was home-schooled. His fertility became dormant when he married my mother. He's probably too old for babies now."
"Nope." Aerith's voice drew attention to her non-hiding place, right next to the throne. "Dormant does not mean sterility. Our King merely needed a new viable mate, which I believe is Cloud. At least, I hope so. Cloud will kill anyone else attempting to court King Laguna in the future."
Zack shook his fist in her general direction. "Damned near scared the scales off of me! Wear a frickin' bell, Lady!"
Aerith exited, giggling, stage left. "No."
Cloud's face became a blank slate which frightened Laguna like nothing else. "I'm sorry, Cloud. With the life you lead, I'm sure a family is the last thing you want, but it's the best thing I can give you."
Cloud fisted his hands in frustration. "This isn't a lifestyle I chose, Laguna. I can't place the bloodlust to the side at the end of the day. You read my report. You said you understood what it is to be my focus."
Laguna quavered at the rising cold rage flowing off of Cloud's body. He hoped to ease it away by peppering light kisses along Cloud's face. "I do. It is why I know a family will do nothing but help you. Help us."
Laguna clawed frantically at Cloud's arms as he attempted to rise. "Please! Please don't leave. Squall is of age to have his own family, but he stays for my sake. I cannot sing my songs of grief anymore because they always turn into screams. It took so long for us to find each other. If I am your focus, you are mine. Your inner beast exists to protect all precious things. There is nothing more precious in this world than children. Cloud!"
Cloud surprised everyone by releasing a big sigh, sitting back down, and holding a sobbing Laguna close. "Shhh. Don't cry. I'm not going anywhere. I still have Abyss Terrorists to maim, interrogate, and kill. If I happen to sire some singing princes and princesses along the way, all the better."
Squall looked from the couple on the throne to Sephiroth back to the couple on the throne. "What just happened? I thought this was a simple negotiation for some Deep Sea warriors to be temporarily stationed in our kingdom, along with getting Cid's monthly allowance of tea and seaweed nicotine."
Sephiroth's lustful unblinking stare brought Squall's jabbering to a stop. "With Cloud becoming King Laguna's Consort and you becoming my spouse, the Kingdoms of Shimmering Seas and Deep Ocean shall be united forevermore."
To Sephiroth's surprise, instead of giddy happiness, Prince Squall answered with a glare-frown of doom. "I'm happy for my father. I'm not blind. He's been drifting further away from me day by day. However, Zack introduced himself as your Consort, which means you're already married. I am not a cheater and I have no respect for those who do. With Cloud's assistance, the terrorist problem should be fully eradicated before my new brother or sister is born. Shimmering Seas will continue to do fine on its own. Please set me free and leave. Take your spastic Consort with you."
Zack joined Sephiroth in cradling a pouting Squall between them. "Hey Seph, Sweetness gets vicious when he thinks he's being wronged."
Squall wiggled in place. "Not sweet and not wrong!"
Sephiroth released an exhale of irritation. "Unlike the Shimmering Seas, polyandry is legal and widely practiced in the Deep Ocean Kingdom."
Squall's glare-frown transformed into utter confusion. "Poly-whuh?"
Zack moved in to turn their arm cradle into a threesome hug. "Polyandry. A simultaneous marriage to multiple husbands. No cheating. No loss of respect. I probably deserve the spastic remark."
Mortified with his ignorance, Squall hid his reddened face against Zack's collarbone. "I'm sorry."
Zack showed his forgiveness with a light kiss to a blushing cheek. "Honest mistake, Sweetness. Although this newly discovered viciousness will add some nice spice to our marriage. I can't wait."
Sephiroth helped sustain Squall's blush by adding some kisses of his own. "For once, we are in agreement, Zackary."
Squall slowed their public lovemaking by moving away from Zack's shoulder and dodging Sephiroth's kisses. "Wait! Deep Ocean is so far away. Even with Cloud at his side, my father will need me and I will need him, especially with the new babies in the future."
Zack shrugged. "No problem. We'll take the Undersea Trench back-and-forth. It connects the two Kingdoms. You'll be able to see your Daddy lickity-split."
Up on his throne, King Laguna sidled away from an amorous Executioner. "The Undersea Trench? It's been magically closed off for eons. It served as our last defense in case Deep Ocean ever decided to attack us. How long has our back door been open to you?"
Cloud's eyes darted everywhere but Laguna's direction. "Awhile."
Uncaring of his own welfare, Laguna grabbed tight hold of some of Cloud's hair spikes and shook. "Define awhile."
Cloud's eyes continued to dart. "A short to medium amount of time."
Laguna shook his head and delivered a light slap to Cloud's cheek which turned into a caress. "Just my luck. Spectacular killing machine. Really bad liar. Gods, I hope the kids take after you in the lying department. It will make the teenage years so much easier."
