A/N: Hello again! 7 reviews….a lucky number. Thank you, everyone!

This chapter ended up being pretty long, but I had fun writing it.

Oh, and please forgive me for any errors I may have missed! I typed chunks of it on my iPod in the car, because that's when my inspiration hit. O.o

Okay, here are responses to my anon viewers:

Peach: Thank you! And thanks for your pairing suggestions. Have no fear, I plan for Roxas, Namine, and Xion to show up eventually…

Oh, and you guys should check out The Paopu Tree by Key(dot)of(dot)Memories. ;)

Disclaimer: Believe me, I am not Nomura. The only thing I own here is this little AU plot.

-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-

Splat.

Kairi winced at the sickening sound of something hitting a small green plant at the base of the larger one. She began to take a tentative step towards the bushes to investigate when a small red, yellow, and brown blur glided in front of her, muttering under its breath.

Wait, it was talking?

Upon a closer investigation, she realized that the blur was a young faery around her age, possibly a little older. He appeared to be concerned about something as he landed inside the bush, because he kept pulling red and brown leaves from his hair.

"Excuse me?" Kairi called softly. "Do you need any help?"

The faery seemed to be too agitated to even regard that he had heard her. This only peaked Kairi's curiosity even more, as she leaned over the base of the tree to peer into the small plant.

"Oww..." a small voice moaned. "I think I broke my spleen."

Inside the plant was another faery, appearing to be slightly younger than herself and the other faery. He wasn't nearly as colorful as the other faery either, so Kairi assumed that he must not have bloomed yet. That likely meant he was probably about ten years old, she deduced. Two fairly average faeries...except the one at the bottom of the plant was moaning in pain with his legs bending in directions in which they shouldn't bend.

"Oh my, what happened?" Kairi gasped. The older faery, landing beside the other one, hung his head in shame.

"Um, well, uh..."

"Did he FALL all the way from the top?"

Silence ensued.

"...Maybe."

Kairi stared at them incredulously. Then, mother-hen Kairi took over. "Why on earth would you let him do that? You're older than him; you should know better."

This statement seemed to catch the younger one's attention. His pained expression turned into a defiant glare.

"Younger than him? I'll have you know that I am three months older than- ouch- Tidus!" he said, obviously annoyed.

"Aren't you a faery?"

"Yeah..."

"Then you can't be older than him. You guys bloom between the ages of seven and ten, right?"

"I'm a special case, okay?" the angered faery retorted. He tried to stand, but ended up yelping in pain and falling back down onto the leaf.

"Sora! Don't move, you idiot!" Tidus told him. The faery, named Sora, obeyed reluctantly and settled for staring at the top of the tree instead.

"So, how are we going to get back up there?" Tidus asked.

"I don't know, you're the one that can fly!"

"I can't fly all the way back up there, much less with you!" Tidus protested. "The top of the tree is way too far up!"

"Couldn't you just grow and climb us up to the village?"

"I wouldn't be able to actually enter the village. I'd crush it, you idiot," Tidus retorted.

They sat there deeply in thought for a moment, until an idea popped into Sora's head.

"Hey, you! Big person!" he called to the auburn-haired girl who had been watching them. "You could help us! I bet you could climb to the top in no time."

Kairi shook her head. "If I were good with my legs, maybe. I just got them though, so I'm still figuring out how to walk," she explained. "Also, my name isn't 'big person', It's Kairi."

"Well, there goes that plan," Sora muttered dejectedly, rubbing his legs. Tidus, on the other hand, stared at Kairi.

"You 'just got' your legs?" he asked her incredulously. She briefly explained how she had been a mermaid, but something had happened under the sea and she had to become a land-dweller for the time being.

"Are you staying with anyone, perchance?" Tidus pressed her. Kairi scratched her head, thinking.

"Why yes, now that you mention it. I was told that I was supposed to find...a faery family to stay with temporarily before moving on." She looked at the boys for a moment. "Hey, you guys wouldn't happen to know..."

"It's her! Mom said that we were having a mermaid guest for a couple days!" Tidus told Sora excitedly.

He frowned. "Mom never told me anything about that," he informed Tidus.

"Wait, so you guys are the ones to pick me up?" Kairi interrupted. Tidus nodded to the girl.

"Wait a minute, that means Mom and Dad will come down here soon anyway!" Tidus realized.

"Yes! We're saved!" Sora shouted happily, and then winced in pain. "I need to see a doctor or something."

"You guys are siblings?" Kairi asked skeptically. "You don't look anything alike."

"Adopted siblings," Sora corrected her. "Faeries-"

"-Usually aren't raised by their birth 'rents. They're typically born because of two young fey partyin' hard, if you get what I mean, girl. Then, they ship 'em off to the nursery fey," a deep, heavily accented voice said from behind her. Kairi whipped around to see two guys a couple years older than her. The first one who had spoken gave off a warm, golden glow. He had to be at least 5'10", and looked as if he worked out every day. His orange hair was short in the back and gradually rose to a single spike in the front, adding to the tough appearance. However, his warm, brown eyes and small smile made him appear a bit more approachable.

The second teenager was just the opposite. He was of similar height and body build to the first guy, but that and their pointed ears were the only traits they shared. His alabaster skin gave off a cool glow, and he had unusual platinum hair that fell to his shoulders. His most unnerving features, however, was his slight scowl and clear, pupil-less eyes.

"Um, who are you?" Kairi asked uncertainly, trying to avoid the silver-haired boy's gaze. The guy, who had originally spoken, grinned amusedly.

"You must be new here, eh? I'm Wakka."

"Wakka?" Tidus shot up into the air. "It is you! I didn't even recognize you, man!" The smaller teen glided over to meet him.

"Tidus! Long time no see, man." He held his fist out for his long-lost friend.

"I could say the same for you. The blitz team up at the people's island missed you. Where the heck did you go off too?" Tidus asked, returning the fist-bump.

Wakka scratched the top of his head. "Well, you see, these guys-" Upon this, he gestured to his silver-haired companion, "-found me out here, saw that I was one of them, and took me back to their island up north."

By this point, poor Kairi was very confused. She had been on land for only an hour, and she had already become entangled in an accident and a reunion between land-dwellers.

Tidus must have noticed, because he finally introduced her to the one named Wakka and brought her up-to-date.

"Hey guys, this is Kairi. She's a visitor from the mermaids down there." He gestured to the young redhead. "She's coming to stay with our family for a little while."

"Mermaids, eh?" Wakka mused. "That's hot. They're pretty standoffish to us up here, though."

Kairi didn't think her cheeks had ever been so red before.

"Anyway," Wakka continued. "I'm Wakka. I'm pretty famous around these parts, girl." He winked for a dramatic effect.

"Wakka, quit it. She's too young for you," Tidus said jokingly. Even though it wasn't meant to be taken seriously, Kairi was thankful he at least said something.

"Shut up, man." Wakka shot a glare at the fall faery. "My friend over here is Riku. We're both….visiting, you could say." His words trailed off towards the end.

"Visiting?" Tidus asked suspiciously.

"We'll talk about it later," Wakka said quickly, flashing a hasty glance at Riku. "So, how's your bro? What's his name…Sora!"

"Glad someone finally noticed me," a voice from below the paopu tree came.

Wakka raised an eyebrow towards Tidus, who looked away sheepishly. "Well, you see…we kinda had an accident, and Sora fell, so…yeah."

"WHAT?" a new female's voice came. Four heads whipped around to see a very angry pink-haired faery. Her pigtails bounced up and down on her pale-pink shoulders (yes, her skin was indeed tinted pink) as her large, iridescent wings beat the air angrily. Her hands rested on a maroon belt wrapped around her tiny waist, accenting her pink tank-top and vibrant, orange tiered skirt. She was a very pretty faery overall, wearing very little makeup and only a few traditional beaded bracelets and necklaces.

However, she was mad. Her stormy-green eyes stared down the four teens, especially the very frightened Tidus to her right. Wakka had never known that someone just under ten inches tall could be so intimidating.

"What's the problem, Vanille?" a softer voice asked. A young man dressed in a simple blue tunic and pants with a metal shoulder guard appeared. His snow-white hair waved back and forth across his neck, similar to the waves of the sea, and his green eyes shone with concern at his Vanille's displeasure.

"Mom, Dad!" Sora called out happily. Vanille and the man turned to face the base of the tree, and then at each other.

"Hope, you go get Sora; I'll question this one," Vanille said to him. Hope frowned, but made no comment as his silvery-blue wings carried him into the bush.

Tidus gulped as his mother's evil glare returned towards him. "You're going to tell me everything, EVERYTHING. If you don't-"

"Oh, hey, Vanille!" Wakka interrupted, smiling at Tidus's mother. "Long time no see! What's shakin'?"

For one tense moment, there was dead silence; no one was quite sure what she would do. Then, Wakka's innocent statement worked its magic, for Vanille's furious mood instantly vanished.

"Oh, why hello Wakka! I didn't realize we had visitors." She gazed around at the crowd, and finally rested her eyes upon Kairi.

"Oh, hello, dear! You must be our little mermaid friend. I'm Vanille." She smiled kindly towards her, and then held out her hand. One would almost forget that she had been ready to rip some heads merely seconds before.

Almost.

Kairi tentatively held her pinkie out to Vanille for her to shake while mustering what little courage she had left to respond.

"I-I'm Kairi." She tried to smile politely.

"Great! And you, my dear?" she asked, turning to the other elf.

"Riku," he replied simply.

"Oh, those are wonderful names, dears," Vanille said cheerfully.

"Do you two young men have a place to stay? We could clear a spot at our place! You know what the humans say: 'The more, the merrier!'" she said in a singsong voice. Had she seriously forgotten that her son had just fallen from the top of a paopu tree?

Speaking of which, Hope had finally emerged from the bush with Sora. His legs were still bent in ways that were unnatural, but he still seemed pretty cheerful. One of his arms was wrapped around Hope's strong shoulders, while the other gave a little wave to those who had not yet seen him. He had chestnut-brown spikes, which bounced up and down as they climbed in features were quite childlike, such as a smaller body and a rounder face. As soon as Vanille saw him, her kind persona vanished.

"Sora and Tidus Dia Oerba!" she scolded. "What on earth were you two doing down here?"

"Um, well, you see, I-uh..."Tidus stumbled over his words.

"Well, spit it out!" Vanille demanded.

"It was my fault," Sora interjected. Vanille's head immediately turned to the brunette.

"Well then, you tell me what happened!" she snapped.

"While Tidus and I were messing around in the paopu tree, I remembered that sometimes trying to fly will make you bloom. So, I decided to try it out."

Tidus stared at his brother incredulously, as a telepathic conversation seemed to be occurring between them. Then, Sora spoke again, "Tidus said that it was dumb, but I tried anyway. End of story." Sora shrugged.

There was a moment of silence. Vanille looked as if she were about to spit fire and burn her son until only a pile of ashes remained. However, a small part of her reminded herself that she had guests. She drew in a few deep breaths, and then told Sora, "We'll talk about this later. For now, we have guests to feed. Look at the time, for goodness sakes!" She gestured to the setting sun. Hope, Tidus, and Sora all took one deep breath in unison; a crisis had been avoided, for the moment at least.

"So, how do we get to your village?" Kairi asked. "Aren't we too big?" Vanille giggled, waving her hand at the girl. "Oh, no worries. All you need is a little faery dust, and you're good to go."

"Faery...dust?" Kairi questioned.

"Heck yeah. That stuff's strong magic, girl," Wakka said. "It's used in nearly everything magic up here."

"Very good, Wakka!" Vanille clapped her hands like a school girl. "Now, let's demonstrate how it works, shall we?" Without waiting for an answer, she said, "A one, a two, a one, two, three, four!" She clasped her hands together, and immediately they began to give off a pinkish glow. Particles of every color imaginable followed the glow, growing in numbers until all the average-sized people were obscured from sight. After a moment, the mist cleared, and a smaller Kairi, Riku, and Wakka appeared, hovering in midair.

"Well, it looks like I'm going to add 'learning how to fly' to my achievement lists of today," Kairi commented.

-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-

After a rather short journey, the group arrived at one of the small houses upon the very tops of the coconut trees. Each tree had two or three flamboyant houses or shops, and each of these 'neighborhoods' were connected to each other by thin wooden bridges. It was a strange combination of primitive and modern architects, but it fit the personalities of the fey.

The house that Vanille and Hope led them to was a neon-blue ranch-style house made out of a strange metallic substance. The four windows on the front had baby-pink shutters, and a long pot containing beautiful flowers sat right in front of each. In the lawn, various sea shells from the sea were scattered in an attempt to look like lawn ornaments. Despite its odd appearance, it had a strange charm that the guests immediately fell in love with.

"Wow, I love it!" Kairi gasped, staring at the strange structure before her eyes. It was as if she was in a whole other world up there, and it was actually quite….fun, like an adventure.

Wakka nodded in agreement. Even Riku seemed impressed by it, for his eyes were stuck to it like glue.

"I'm glad our home is appreciated," Hope said jokingly as he opened the door for them. The others followed him into the little house, excited for what they may find next.

Inside, it was no less colorful. The walls were painted a ruddy sunset color, and the carpet was a shade of sea-blue. In the corner was a white sofa with a bright-green blanket thrown over the back, and in each corner rested a pile of red, blue, and green pillows. While Hope gingerly placed Sora onto thesofa, the others examined the objects hung on the wall. It looked as if someone collected miscellaneous items on the beach and hung them up, because the gallery included a smashed-in coke can and a sunglass lens, as Wakka noted.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Vanille said happily, coming up behind Kairi, Riku, and Wakka.

"Um, yeah," Kairi managed. "But I don't know what they are."

"Same here," Riku admitted.

"He speaks!" Sora said teasingly from the couch.

"I was beginning to think you were a mute myself," Tidus added.

"Oh, posh, be nice; he's probably just tired," Vanille retorted. Just as she was about to explain the objects to Riku and Kairi, a loud whistling sound came from the kitchen.

"Oopsie daisies!" she exclaimed. "That would be dinner. Why don't you ask Sora or Tidus? Toodles!" With that, she was gone.

"So, what are they?" Kairi turned to the boys.

"The silver one is a smashed-in soda can. It's a drink that the humans outside of the reserve like," Sora explained. "That stuff is delicious; you'll have to try it while you're here."

"I'm afraid I'm not going to be here long," Kairi admitted. "I'm just staying here for a couple of days, and then I'm off."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask. Where are you going?" Sora asked.

"Oh, just to-"

"Dinnertime, my lovelies!" Vanille sang, running out of the kitchen.

"Uh, Mom?" Sora interjected. When she looked at him questioningly, he slapped his forehead. "My legs are still broken, and they hurt."

"Oh, oops!" Vanille exclaimed. She muttered something under her breath, and green sparks came from her hands. They hit Sora's legs, and then faded.

"There, that should help until we get you to a healer!" She told him. "Then you'll be ready for your trip."

Well, this was news. As far as Sora remembered, he wasn't going on any trip.

"What trip?" he asked confusedly.

"The one with Kairi, of course!" she responded in a 'duh' tone of voice. "That's why I told King Triton that I would take her in. You both are going to Yen Sid's Kingdom of Misfits."

A/N: Vanille is such a great mother.

Reviews are appreciated!