Nathan Skye is designed by me. He is Lana Skye and Neil Marshall's only son.

Description of personality/etc, here: insert link here

He is two years older that Melody.

Chapter II – A Strange Reunion

"Honestly, why do I have to come with you to work on a SUNDAY?" The spiky haired boy groaned and tried his best to sit still as his mother tied his grey bandanna securely around his neck.

Lana Skye straightened up and sighed wearily at her impatient son.
"Look, I'll be gone for the whole day, and Ema's at university, so there will be no one to take care of you."

"So what? I'll be fine on my own!" He stared indignantly at her and hopped off the top of the couch once she was done.

Lana crossed her arms, a stern expression positioned on her face.
"Nathan Skye. You are only seven years old, and definitely not old enough to take care of yourself. You almost set the house on fire when you tried cooking two minute noodles the other day!"

"Th-That was a flaw! Just one flaw!" And for the first time ever, Lana saw the flustered side of him.
"B-Besides, Uncle Seron was talking to me! So, naturally, I was distracted."

Lana stiffened as she opened the door of their apartment and willed herself to calm down.
"When…did you talk to 'Uncle Seron'?" She managed.

"Huh? Last week…why?" Nathan grew curious at once and waited for her to lock the door.
"Does it matter to you that much whom I've talked to?"

"Yes! For crying out loud, Nathan, I'm not sure if you realised but I am your mother!" Lana finally lost her temper and grabbed him by the arm.
"Come on, let's go!"

Nathan didn't seem the least bit fazed by his mother's sudden outburst and grudgingly followed.
"This is going to be the most boring day ever…"

"Wow! This place is HUGE!"

"It's just a train, Melody. Besides, there's not that much people on it since it's so early on a Sunday morning."

Her eyes sparkled and she held onto his arm.
"Papa, how long will it take for us to get there?"

Xekuto checked his wristwatch and noted the time.
"About fifteen minutes or so…" he murmured, and tried to keep her still as he secured the tan scarf around her neck.

Melody breathed in deeply and flushed slightly.
"This scarf smells so nice! Who did it belong to, Papa?"

"…Someone…who was very important to me…" he said quietly and managed a small smile.

"I'm someone who's important to you too, aren't I, Papa?" She asked, her hazel eyes shining.

Hazel brown…just like her mother.

"Yeah, you're the most important person in my life." He whispered with sincerity and picked her up.
"And Papa promises to protect you from any danger out there, and that he would never leave you, ever."

Because…that was the one task that I failed with her.

Melody sighed happily and hugged him around the neck, staying there and watching the rest of the passengers on his shoulder.

There was only one person that grabbed her attention, since she looked so out of place on the train. She had short, black hair. And was wearing clothing she'd only seen on television when people went scuba diving. It was a tight one-piece suit, except without all the scuba diving necessities. Her ice-cold eyes were fixed on Melody, and there was a symbol emblazoned on her black clothing.

It was…a tiger?

Melody blinked and tugged at Xekuto's hair.
"Papa, who's that?"

He turned and froze, almost dropping Melody.

A sneer was tugging at the woman's mouth as she straightened up and walked over to them.

"So it is you." She said quietly, so that only he could hear.

Melody clung onto him, her little heart hammering away on her chest.
Even with her childlike instincts, she could tell that this was someone whom her beloved papa did not like.

Xekuto couldn't speak, and unconsciously lowered Melody to the floor, and placed her behind his legs protectively.

"…She's a nice girl…is she yours?"

Melody looked up nervously at Xekuto, and was shocked when he didn't answer immediately.

"Ah, I see. So she's…that woman's child."

"Shut up." He said through gritted teeth, his eyes shining a piercing jade, causing Melody to wince.

This was the first time she saw her father so agitated, and she held onto him, feeling nauseous.

Just who was this woman?

And why is she being so mean to Papa?

The stranger sighed, almost with an air of disappointment and neared him suddenly.

Melody flinched.

"You do know that you're the last of the Zorens? Everyone else is dead. And I mean, everyone."

"I'm well aware of that fact."

"Oh, really? Is that why you insist on being alive?" She tilted his chin down to look at her in the eyes.

Ice blue against jade green.

"And how you carry on ruining innocent lives just by existing?"

Melody couldn't stand it anymore.

She wasn't sure what made her do it.

Probably because her papa was being hurt by this…stranger!

And that he was the most scared she had ever seen in her short life.

"P-Please stop it!" She cried and ran out from behind his legs, and much to Xekuto's horror, pushed the woman in the knees and attempted to create distance between them.
"Y-You're hurting Papa!"

"…Papa?" The lady scoffed.
"How…sickening."

She lowered herself to Melody's level and fingered her hair.

Xekuto was about to charge forward when he was suddenly grabbed by someone. He glanced back to see several black suited men restraining him from the arm.

And that no one else was on board.

"Y-You…!" He shouted, desperately trying to break free.
"If you do a thing to hurt her…!"

"…then you would have failed your task…again, is that right?"

The Midnight Tigress straightened up and smiled properly at him for the first time.

Xekuto seemed to have lost his ability to speak, and sagged onto the floor, his arms raised above him at an awkward angle as the rest of the assassin's forces were still holding onto him.

Melody realised what was happening and tried running towards him, only to be suddenly raised from the ground as the woman behind her grabbed her.

Xekuto's eyes widened and he felt as his heart would stop.

"Papa…! Papa!" Melody desperately tried to twist free but was easily held down by Tigress.

"I think I would like a small souvenir to take home with me after this most tedious trip…" She sighed softly.
"She is such a sweet little thing, isn't she? So…innocent."

"Give her back…Please!" Xekuto stopped moving altogether and looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so helpless.

"Please…give her back…I'll…give you anything you want…just let her go…please…" He gasped, dewdrops falling onto the floor.

"Oh? I'll gladly take you up on that offer." Tigress handed one of her subordinates a sobbing Melody and neared him.

She suddenly grabbed him by the throat and forced him upwards.

"There's only one thing I desire…and that is your life. If you want your precious little girl back, you will come to me alone. I will give her back to you…and then you die in front of her eyes."

Melody felt as if she would break into pieces with grief.
"Papa, no! Don't die, Papa!"

Xekuto stared at her tiny form, shivering with emotion.
"…Fine." He whispered and looked up, his pupils almost seemed like slits as he continued with a stronger voice.
"But if you lay a single finger on her…the deal changes; you give her back to me and we both leave, still breathing and not harmed in any way."

"Heh…you amuse me." Tigress let go of him, leaving small red marks where she had dug her nails into his skin and drew back.
"That sounds about right to me. I'll be waiting for you…at where we first met."

Xekuto finally felt his arms drop by his side as the men let go of him. But by the time he looked up, there was no one left on the still running train.

All that was left was the tan scarf his little girl had been wearing, lying curled up where she was standing just a few minutes ago.

"No…No…" He felt as if his heart would wither up and fell to the floor once more, sobs racking through his seemingly broken body.

"Melody…M-Melody…"