A/N: I return a day late, with a short chapter, but Dark wasn't feeling well, and I'm dealing with back pain. Ahhh, the joys of getting older.

Henceforth, the chapter titles will start with the word "Let"...

Naruto/Malenia is an adorable little spaz to write~!

We're still referring to Naruto as him for now.

It'd get far too confusing otherwise.

"Right, okay, having tits is no fun...

~Naruto.

Let Them Laugh

Marika was proud of her daughter.

Even if she didn't act like one most of the time.

Malenia was a little hellion in every way Miquella wasn't: always running off and getting into trouble, always moving, talking, doing, seldom sitting still for more than a minute at a time. It reminded Marika of simpler days in the Shaman Village, her wild youth among the trees and rivers. She knew firsthand the energy of a free spirit, and if Malenia was anything, it was free. Watching her daughter storm through Leyndell—sometimes literally—was a constant source of amusement.

And chaos, one mustn't forget chaos, let chaos take the world and all that.

But even she sometimes preferred the simpler moments.

Smiling softly, she idly twirled a strand of Malenia's long crimson hair between her fingers. "Sit still, my petal."

"Yes, Mama," came the grumbled reply. Malenia's posture slouched dramatically as if simply existing in one place was a punishment fit for the Golden Order's worst.

Marika chuckled. "One day you will miss moments like these."

Malenia made a face and poked her chest with a small finger. "Why did I have to be a girl? Girls have to sit still and do boring stuff."

Marika laughed, startled. "Do you think boys don't get bored?"

Malenia's scowl deepened. "Boys get to fight more."

"Wild, precocious child," Marika mused, pulling the brush gently through the girl's hair. Malenia's pout deepened but she didn't resist. "Perhaps you'll prove the exception."

Marika had absolutely no idea.

But for now...yes, just for now...

She would let her daughter laugh.

Nor would she the only one "Malenia" visited that day.

(.0.0.0.)

Magic crackled in the air, and Ranni groaned. "Must you vex me so, little sister?"

Malenia, all of five years old and as unrepentant as ever, beamed up at her with golden eyes alight. "Yes, we must."

Ranni flung her arms into the air. "Magic is not so easy an art to learn. You have your own gifts. Why learn mine?"

Malenia pouted, clasping her hands together before her face in a plea that could have melted stone. "Pleeeaaase?"

Ranni stood her ground, folding her arms. "No."

The pout intensified, accompanied by the telltale quiver of Malenia's lower lip. "But I want to learn from my big sister…"

"No," Ranni repeated, firm as iron.

Malenia began to cry. Not loudly, not obnoxiously, but softly. Pitifully. The tears slid down her cheeks in perfect glistening droplets, her small shoulders shaking.

Ranni folded like a house of cards. "Oh, very well! Stop that this instant!"

"Yay!" Malenia wiped away the crocodile tears and latched onto Ranni's arm. "You're the best, big sister!"

The Lunar Princess sighed, already regretting her decision. "You will regret this when you're older."

"I never regret fun things," Malenia chirped, dragging Ranni off to the practice yard.

(.0.0.0.)

The hiss of a serpent echoed through the garden. Rykard, ever the brooding prince, glanced up from his book and sighed. He had told the staff—repeatedly—to keep the snakes away from the family quarters. Yet here one was, a massive python coiled around the rose trellis, as if mocking his every decree.

"Shoo," he muttered, flipping a page without even looking up. "Begone from mine sight."

The snake, unsurprisingly, didn't shoo. It seemed quite content with its lofty perch amidst the blooms.

He was just contemplating moving said serpent by force when he heard a distant commotion.

Why, it almost sounded like someone running...

...in his direction...

...oh, dear.

"Look what I found!" came a triumphant cry. Malenia burst into view like a whirlwind of chaos, clutching a smaller snake in both hands. She brandished it toward him like a trophy. "Isn't he cool?"

Rykard set his book down, pinching the bridge of his nose as he peered over at her. "Malenia, why are you holding a snake?"

"Because it's neat." She grinned, the epitome of innocence and mischief bundled into a single, pint-sized package. "Want me to name him after you?"

Rykard sputtered. "I'd rather you didn't."

"Too late." She beamed, lifting the snake closer to his face. "His name is Rykie."

"That is not…" He trailed off, his protest dying as he caught the unmistakable sparkle in her golden eyes. She had him trapped, and they both knew it. "Fine. Keep your…Rykie."

"Thanks, big brother!" Malenia plopped the snake onto his lap without a second thought and skipped off, leaving muddy footprints and faint giggles in her wake.

Rykard stared after her, torn between exasperation and reluctant affection. He finally looked down at the serpent now coiled atop his robes, its head resting comfortably against his thigh. Against his better judgment, he sighed and began stroking its smooth scales. "You're lucky she's cute. Otherwise, I'd be eating you for dinner."

The snake hissed softly, as if in reply.

Rykard huffed and reached for his book, resigning himself to his fate.

(.0.0.0.)

Radagon valued Order.

He cherished structure and routine.

Such was his way, his creation, the very purpose of his being.

And so, naturally, Malenia's very existence was a perpetual thorn in his side.

"Must you?" he demanded as he stared at the sticky trail of jam smeared across his favorite set of ceremonial armor.

Malenia stood beside him, entirely unapologetic, her face and hands equally jam-smeared. "It wasn't my fault. The bread exploded."

Radagon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bread does not explode, daughter of mine."

He certainly hoped it didn't, else Marika would have some explaining to do!

"It does when you throw it hard enough."

"Why," he groaned, dragging the word out, "were you throwing bread?"

"To see if I could hit the target," she replied matter-of-factly. "Which I did. Your armor was the target."

Radagon turned his gaze skyward, praying for patience. "One day, you will regret these antics."

Malenia grinned up at him, utterly unrepentant. "Not today."

Despite himself, despite the stickiness, despite the chaos, Radagon's stern expression softened ever so slightly. "Clean it up."

"Yes, sir!" she chirped, dashing off in a whirl of red light.

He sighed again. "Wild child."

When he moved to sit, his hindquarters hit something wet.

The shout that followed shook the city.

"MALENIA!"

(.0.0.0.)

Godwyn was not a man easily moved, but when it came to Malenia, he had a soft spot the size of Leyndell.

He knew this.

The dragons knew this.

He wouldn't be surprised if the Whole of the Lands Between knew it.

She stood before him now, hands clasped behind her back, her expression suspiciously innocent. "So, what's in the big shiny chest?"

"Nothing for you," he replied, gently nudging her away with one golden gauntlet. "Go on, little one. This is not for curious hands."

Malenia's golden eyes widened to saucers, practically sparkling. "But I'm curious."

Godwyn's resolve began to waver. "Curiosity isn't always rewarded."

"Please?" Her voice was small, hopeful, with just a hint of mischief lurking beneath.

"No." He folded his arms, determined to stand firm.

She sniffled. "Big brother doesn't love me anymore…"

Godwyn's heart shattered into a million golden pieces. "Fine. One peek..."

(.0.0.0.)

Miquella sat at his desk, head in his hands.

His perfect plan—a well-oiled machine of political maneuvering and strategic brilliance—was in ruins. Why? Because Malenia, his beloved twin, his other half, his wild and reckless counterpart, had decided to be herself. She wasn't just a minor disruption; she was a one-woman hurricane of chaos who swept through Leyndell with all the subtlety of a trebuchet.

"Must you vex me so, little sister?" he muttered, his voice muffled by his hands.

Malenia appeared at the door, utterly unapologetic, her face smudged with dirt and her tunic singed at the edges. A few stray feathers—where had those come from?—clung to her hair, and her grin was as wide as it was mischievous. "Yes, we must."

Miquella peered up at her through his fingers, his golden eyes filled with the weary exasperation of a man twice his age. "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not," she chirped, stepping fully into the room and leaving a trail of muddy footprints behind her. She plopped onto the chair opposite him, tilting it back on two legs. "But I'll tell you anyway. I tried to teach the pigeons to dive-bomb Rykard."

Miquella groaned, pressing his forehead to the desk. "I give up."

"You can't give up," she declared, leaning forward so far the chair nearly toppled. "You're the smart one. I break things, and you fix them. That's our dynamic."

"That's not a dynamic; that's a nightmare."

Malenia laughed, reaching across the desk to flick his nose. "And yet, here you are, still fixing things. Face it, brother, you love me."

He groaned again, louder this time, but couldn't suppress the small, reluctant smile tugging at his lips. "Against my better judgment, I do."

One day, they would have to face the burdens of their birth.

But for now, yes, just for now...

Let them Laugh.

A/N: Aaand scene.

Sooooooooo, do you want this to be updated? Yes? No? Maybe so? Make yourselves heard! Really need to hear from you guys and gals here.

As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, as such, I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.

Aaaand there we go. As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I am weak. So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review...Would You Kindly? And have some previews -potential blot bin things- that I'm working on.

References ahoy~! And ideas for new stories. Hopefully this will sate my muse for the time being.

(Previews)

Naruto huffed and cupped her bosom. "Damn boobs. How does anyone walk with these knockers...?"

Ranni squawked, startled by the sight. "Malenia! Stop cupping your chest!"

"Fiiiiiiiiine...

Today was war. And war, like his sister, never changed.

"Sister! Please stop!"

Malenia most assuredly did not. She was a red dervish of death, destroying everything in her way. Another knight rushed her and she grabbed their face, swinging them about like a human flail. Her laughter filled the battlefield as she smashed them down. Two more rushed her and she beheaded them without so much as a backward glance, cutting their compatriots apart with them. Only then did she turn. Wild gold-red eyes looked back at him as she tilted her head to stare at him.

A bloody smile was his reward. "Isn't this fun, Miquella...?"

The youthful Empyrean sighed softly.

His sister was utterly insane.

"I enjoy that look of confusion." she tutted softly, bare feet ghosting over broken glass. "When an inferior beings meets a higher power," Red light built around her body. "Its intoxicating...

Her victim gasped in pain.

"It burns, doesn't it? Knowing you can't fight back, can't do anything at all. How do you think your victims felt? Much like this, I'd wager.

"Don't do this, Malenia. I can give you everything you want."

"Then die!"

...wait."

Radahn tensed.

She rose behind him, dragging herself upright.

But she did not bloom. She glared at him with red, ruby eyes.

"That hurt." he heard her rasp. "That actually hurt. You'll regret that...

She clicked her tongue. "I will not.

A fist crashed into her face. She didn't budge. "Is that all?"

Will you marry me?"

Malenia barked a laugh at them; it was a decidedly unladlylike sound. "Sorry, but you're not my type."

"How so?"

Her lips quirked, ever so slightly. "You're a man for starters...

Wait. But that meant she preferred...oh. Ohh.

Ohhh.

R ~!