Melany leaned her head on Sora's shoulder as they walked. He tensed a bit at the action, then relaxed in welcome to it.

"What were you thinking about back there?" She asked.

"Home. My friends. The ocean." He answered simply. Melany felt a slight pang at the word 'home,' remembering that not long before she'd joined Sora and his friends on their journey, her home had been destroyed. He'd told her that she could come back to the island with him, but...

Could she really? A wolf-child, used to a dense, shady forest, living in the sun on an island, surrounded by unfamiliar territory?

But the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of being able to feel the sun's warmth on her face every day.

And yet still another thought haunted her. She didn't want to force herself into Sora and his friends' lives, after all. But the thought of being alone...A soft whimper let itself be heard before she could stop it, and she wanted to slap herself.

And unfortunately for her, Sora had heard it.

He held her closer, comforting her.

After the two teens boarded the Gummi Ship again ("Took ya long enough!" Donald had complained), Melany lay on one of the bunk beds with one of her spellbooks and was studying said book very intently as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

As such, she didn't notice Sora lying beside her until she felt him pull her closer.

"M-Meep! S-Sora!" She squealed in surprise, book dropping to the floor in her surprise. "What was that for?"

"Sorry," He said, sounding slightly hurt for a minute. "What's up?"

"W-Well, uhm...D-Do you remember when we first met and after my world was destroyed how you told me I could come to the island with you..?" Melany squeaked timidly, burying her face into his shoulder.

"Uhm...Yeah?"

"D-Did you really mean it?"

"Mel, of course I meant it. I couldn't let you go somewhere without feeling the sun on your face, or-"

"You knew..? I mean...You didn't even seem like you noticed me that much..."

"I noticed. You seemed so thrilled whenever you felt it," Sora said as he petted her soft black hair, his hand accidentally brushing her most sensitive area, behind her ear. The action, this very soft touch, drew a barely-heard moan from the wolf-girl, which, again, was heard.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing," Melany replied softly.

But Sora wasn't that gullible, having heard that little sound, and he caught on quickly. He brushed his hand behind her ear again, smirking slightly.

"N-Nyaaah!" Melany half-moaned, half-squeaked. "S-Stop that!"

Sora did it again, evoking the same reaction from her; another adorable little moan, but this time, she didn't protest, pressing closer to him.

He held her close, stopping his assault on her ear and putting his arm around her protectively. She closed her eyes, giving in to her exhaustion, and rested her head on his shoulder again, letting his presence soothe her as she drifted off...

~Sora~

"I don't wanna wake 'em up, Donald," Sora heard Goofy saying. "They look so comfy together..."

"They've gotta get up, Goofy!" Donald protested.

Sora groaned. He'd been having a pleasant dream up until now, but he found he couldn't sit up because something seemed to be holding him.

Then he remembered.

Melany was laying beside him, her head resting on his shoulder. Judging by her soft, relaxed breaths, Sora guessed she was still asleep.

"Oh, g'mornin' Sora," Goofy said with a grin.

"Hey, Mel-" Donald began, but he was interrupted almost immediately.

"I'll get her up," Sora said, looking at the sleeping wolf-girl beside him, and he almost felt bad. "Give me a sec. We'll both be out in a minute."

"Uh...Alright," Donald said suspiciously as he and Goofy left the two teenagers alone.

"Hey, Mel," Sora said softly, gently shaking the peacefully sleeping girl.

"Nnn.." Melany groaned softly, opening her pretty blue eyes.

"Morning," Sora greeted her with a smile.

She blushed slightly. "M-Morning."